Review #1,476: 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)

It feels like an eternity since the bald, purple alien madman Thanos (Josh Brolin) assembled his impressive gauntlet with all of the infinity stones and snapped half of our universe out of existence. It was a bold move by writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and although there were many fanboys in the crowd who knew beforehand that what they were seeing was essentially the first part of two-act structure, the sight of many beloved superheroes dissolving into nothingness was a shock for those who had never read a comic-book in their life.

It's actually only been a year since Avengers: Infinity War, but the secrecy surrounding the plot of Avengers: Endgame (the title was only revealed a few months ago) has kept audiences desperate to see how the remaining heroes will react to their failure. The main question hanging over Endgame's head is how they will handle the devastation left over by Infinity War, and whether certain characters who met their demise last time around will in fact stay dead, or, as is the case in the comic-books, find their way back into the story via one of various means (cloning, parallel universes, time travel, etc.).

Without spoiling anything, Endgame establishes quite early on that there are indeed irreversible consequences to Thanos' victory, and no amount of magic or technological advancement can set things back to how they were. The decimation happened, and those lucky, or unlucky, enough to be left behind are forced to deal with it. Those that didn't fall victim to the snap consist of the original Avengers crew - Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), who we find drifting hopelessly in space with only Karen Gillan's Nebula for company.

There's also Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, an integral member of the crew and surprise no-show in Infinity War, who perhaps has more reason than anybody to avenge the loss of half of all life. The sight of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) disappearing before our eyes may have been shocking, but Endgame's opening scene pulls the snap right back to a personal level. With his family gone, Hawkeye adopts a new persona and has taken it upon himself to take out criminal organisations Punisher-style.

As the trailer pointed out, people find a way to move on, but our heroes don't. Bolstered by the arrival of uber-powerful hero Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), the gang - along with Don Cheadle's War Machine and Bradley Cooper's Rocket - head into space to make Thanos pay for what he has done. Naturally, things don't go quite according to plan, but when Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) - previously believed to have been a victim when in fact he was trapped in the Quantum Realm - re-emerges with Pym technology and an ambitious plan, the Avengers are handed a glimmer of hope.

I'm deliberately leaving out specific plot points for fear of spoilers. This is a three-hour film, but every second counts in some way to moving the complex plot forward or explaining the mind-bending mechanics at work. While Infinity War barely paused for breath, Endgame begins on a sombre note, before launching us into a breathlessly exciting second act that serves as both as inventive way for our heroes to stand a fighting chance, and a celebration of Marvel's ground-breaking 22-film, 11-year spanning arc.

The third act, a colossal battle between the forces of good and evil that is almost too overwhelming to comprehend, throws lots of fancy effects and punch-ups at the screen. In most other big-budget epics, these climactic smack-downs are when my attention start to wander, but here they are involve characters I have watched evolve over the course of a decade and have grown to love, and when that Alan Silverstri score kicks in at just the right moment, the heart-flutters are inescapable. I'd also be lying if I said I didn't well up on multiple occasions. After all, we knew contracts were up and we'd be forced to say goodbye to at least one of the original heroes, but the future also looks bright for Marvel. For the moment, until Spider-Man: Far from Home arrives in a couple of months at least, Endgame is a near-perfect way to wrap up 11 years of storytelling and character-building, and a warm thank you to the fans who have been there since 2008.


Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,365: 'Isle of Dogs' (2018)

Fans of American writer and director Wes Anderson are in for a treat with his latest picture. Returning to stop-motion animation for the first time since 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox, Isle of Dogs is the auteur's most Wes Anderson-y film to date. Set in Japan 20 years into the future, it tells the story of a pack of dogs left to fend for themselves on 'Trash Island', an expansive dumping ground that looks like the type of place WALL-E would feel right at home in. You don't have to be a fan of canines or Japanese culture to enjoy this tale, although it may help. Anderson peppers the film with his trademark deadpan, straight-to-camera sense of humour, and frames every shot with even more attention to detail than his 2014 masterpiece The Grand Budapest Hotel. Children may be put off by the film's idiosyncratic approach, but Anderson followers will indeed be appeased and then some.

The planet is under threat from dog flu and snout fever, both timely reminders of the recent swine flu 'epidemic' and the dangers of fake news. The mayor of Megasaki City (voiced by co-writer Kunichi Nomura), who is part of a dynasty of long-time cat lovers, puts forward a decree to banish all dogs from the mainland and transport them to Trash Island, despite claims of a breakthrough to cure the animals' illness. His ward, a young boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin), is having none of his caregiver's authoritarian attitudes, and travels to the human-less island in order to find his beloved dog Spots (Liev Schreiber), the very first mutt to be dismissed. Atari steals a plane and crashes it into the wasteland, and comes across a pack of mostly former domesticated canines led by the incredibly democratic Rex (Edward Norton). The rest of the gang consists of Boss (Bill Murray), King (Bob Balaban), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), and the only stray in the group, Chief (Bryan Cranston).

Chief is the beating heart of the film, and the character through which Anderson explores most of the film's themes. The black, scruffy dog is proud to be from the streets, and is quick to admit that he's a biter. He's the only one to refuse to sit for Atari, but nevertheless agrees to go with the majority vote and assist Atari in helping his track down his lost friend. From here on in, it's very much an A-to-B adventure, but Anderson and his co-writers (Nomura, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman) ensure that the journey is anything but formulaic. Along the way, we meet the likes of Oracle (Tilda Swinton), Nutmeg (Scarlett Johnansson), Jupiter (F. Murray Abraham) and Gondo (Harvey Keitel), with even Yoko Ono thrown into the mix. Things aren't made easy by the fact that the Japanese actors speak in their native tongue without the assistance of subtitles (although Frances McDormand occasionally pops up as an enthusiastic translator), but this highlights the communication barrier between owner and pet, as well as falling in line with the film's themes of migration and social integration.

Anderson packs in more shots than is usually expected from animation, particularly in the painfully slow process of stop-motion. Rather than accepting this as a limitation, he uses animation as a tool to bring his vision vividly to life with more freedom allowed by live action. The visuals are even more luscious that in Grand Budapest, with the animation retaining a rustic, old-fashioned quality that makes it feel as if you could reach out and actually touch the dog's hairs as they ripple in the wind. As soon as the Taiko drums start to thud on the film's glorious soundtrack, Anderson's love of Japanese cinema can be sensed immediately. The influence of Akira Kurosawa can be felt throughout (a status of Toshiro Mifune appears at one point), but the precision of the framing is pure Ozu, and Tristan Oliver's cinematography relishes exploring what was perhaps Japan's greatest period for cinema. The mediocrity of 2004's The Life Aquatic must have been a wake-up for the filmmaker, urging him away from his comfort zone and towards more unexplored territory. Anderson continues to amaze, amuse and baffle, and has emerged as one of the most important, original voices in American cinema. I fail to see how anyone could not be utterly enchanted by Isle of Dogs.


Directed by: Wes Anderson
Voices: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson
Country: Germany/USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,332: 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)

Ever since that post-credits teaser at the end of the The Avengers, now 6 years ago, fan anticipation has been building for the arrival of Earth's Mightiest Heroes' deadliest foe, the giant purple 'Mad Titan', Thanos. With a tease here and a fleeting appearance there, Thanos' quest to gather all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's McGuffins, the Infinity Stones, represents the culmination of 10 years of universe-building, during which Marvel Studios have emerged from a risk-taking independent studio looking to achieve something no other studio has before in terms of story-telling scale, to one of Disney's most reliably bankable divisions, regularly raking in over $1 billion, something that was achieved mere months ago with Black Panther, a cultural phenomenon if ever there was one.

After 18 movies, Avengers: Infinity War is finally here, and in the safe hands of sibling directors Joe and Anthony Russo. The brothers were responsible for two of the MCU's finest films, the Captain America entries The Winter Soldier and Civil War, and have taken on this seemingly impossible task to bring in dozens of huge characters with a sure and steady hand. Infinity War really is everything you would want it to be. While the tone sometimes shifts uneasily between dark and humorous, and character development isn't on the same level as their previous efforts, the Russo's deft balancing of our heroes' path-crossings with introducing the most formidable foe the universe has to offer, is nothing short of astonishing. It has the power to make you punch the air, laugh-out-loud, and pretend to have something in your eye. 

The story picks up almost immediately after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, with Thanos (Josh Brolin) already in possession of the Power Stone, and seeking the Space Stone from Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Back on Earth, Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong) receive a warning of Thanos' pending arrival from Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and the Master of the Mystic Arts quickly recruits Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) for help, with Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in tow. In Edinburgh, the romantically-involved Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are laying low, but are soon set upon by two of the Black Order, a four-strong band of henchman consisting of Thanos' 'children'. The heroes are eventually assisted by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), who decide the safest place for Vision, who possesses the Mind Stone in his head, is Wakanda, the technically-advanced African nation ruled by Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman).

While it's certainly a thrill to see some of these characters interact for the first time (Stark and Strange's instant dislike for one another is particularly memorable). Infinity War brings the Guardians of the Galaxy into the fold for the first time. Answering an Asgardian distress call, Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) bump (literally) into Thor. Watching some of the MCU's most comedically-gifted performers together for the first time is a real joy, with the Russos further developing Thor as one of the universe's most compelling and charismatic characters after Taiki Waititi gave him a new lease of life last year. Throw in the likes of Bucky (Sebastian Stan), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Shuri (Letitia Wright), and you have one hell of a packed cast.

Not every character is given the attention you would expect. Both Cap and Black Panther, two fan-favourites, are oddly sidelined, while the likes of Dr. Strange and Gamora have larger roles, although the Russos have stated that this will be counter-balanced in the as of yet untitled fourth instalment. While our heroes jostle for screen-time, our protagonist emerges as Thanos himself. Standing eight-feet tall and with - as Star-Lord puts it - a chin like a nutsack, we witness his deadly quest to balance out the universe through the Titan's eyes. Every villain is a hero in their own mind, and there is logic to his mission. Ever since Ultron underwhelmed, Marvel have been knocking out of the park with their bad guys, and Thanos is their most fascinating yet. He is terrifying and utterly brutal, but also misguided and tragic. The CGI is near-flawless, but nevertheless it is Josh Brolin you witness delivering one of the best performances of his career. With 6 years of build-up, the Russos make sure you understand that Thanos isn't fucking around within the opening minutes.

For years studios have insisted on 'grounding' comic-book stories, fearing to venture out into space and terrified of embracing the colourful, weirder aspects of the medium. Infinity War goes some way to disprove the idea of translating page to screen requires vast reconstruction. As a piece of story-telling, the movie barely pauses for breath, instead opting for what can be summed up as a two-and-a-half-hour superhero splash panel. But this has had ten years of build-up, with obscure D-list characters breaking out along the way and earning the adoration of millions of new fans in the process. This is one for the fans, for those who were there for that post-credit teaser in 2008 when Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury appeared and first uttered the word 'Avengers' to a fresh-faced Tony Stark. Although this was advertised as something of a closure to Marvel's first ten years, it really isn't. Infinity War ends on a note that guarantees you will there on opening day when part four finally comes around.


Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,265: 'Ghost in the Shell' (2017)

Hollywood remakes of beloved foreign-language movies are rarely a welcome idea, but Ghost in the Shell seemed particularly doomed from the get-go. Alongside the cries from fans claiming the industry has officially run out of ideas, and from those who hold the original close to their heart and fail to see any other purpose in a remake other than to allow the fat cats to count the green, the announcement of Caucasian Scarlett Johnansson's casting in a role originally voiced by an Asian actor generated all-too familiar claims of 'whitewashing'. Tempers were only inflamed when it was rumoured that Johnasson's appearance was to be digitally-tweaked to make her appear more Eastern-looking, an idea that was quickly abandoned. Predictably, Ghost in the Shell arrived in cinemas back in March to underwhelming box-office.

As a result, I approached Rupert Sanders' 2017 re-do with a sense of trepidation and caution, knowing full well that it would lack the philosophical musings of the Masaume Shirow manga the story originated from, and the big questions raised by Mamoru Oshii's landmark anime adaptation. After all, this is a blockbuster wannabe starring one of the most in-demand actresses around, so of course the makers will feel the need to dumb everything down to suit a mainstream audience (even though Christopher Nolan has proven more than once that a film can be complex and intelligent and still rake in the cash). It is perhaps thanks to my low expectations that I found much to enjoy with Ghost in the Shell. Like the 'shells' depicted in the film, it's certainly hollow and jittery, but as a piece of entertainment, I was never bored, and the visuals offer plenty of colour and detail to distract from the straightforward plot.

Taking inspiration from everything from Shirow's manga, Oshii's 1995 movie and its 2004 sequel, and the hugely popular spin-off series, certain scenes will certainly feel familiar while the story of a shady corporation turning human beings into weapons against their will feels like it could be lifted from most Blade Runner-inspired science-fiction movies of the past couple of decades. Major (Johansson) is the first cyborg to employ a fully mechanised body with the mind, or 'ghost', of a human. Her employer, Hanka CEO Cutter (Peter Ferdinando), decides to use her in the fight against cyber-terrorism, which has become a real problem since the majority of the population have now been cybernetically enhanced. She works at Section 9 with her gruff partner Batou (a bleach-blonde Pilou Asbaek) and boss Aramaki ('Beat' Takeshi Kitano), and they are forced into action when Hanka finds itself under attack from a mysterious hacker named Kuze (Michael Pitt).

Oshii's 1995 incarnation tackled big themes such as humanity and identity, offering explosive moments of action to allow some relief from the head-scratching central plot. The result was one of the best animes of all time. Sanders' Ghost in the Shell has much smaller ambitions, and feels very much like a product of the post-Matrix world we now live in, even though the Wachowskis were mainly inspired by Oshii's film. It works only as spectacle, and this world of spider-legged geisha robots and giant animated advertisements really does catch the eye. The action, while hardly breaking down barriers, has a physicality behind it, and the punches and bullets land with a force that really pushes its 12A certificate to the very limits. As the lead, Johansson has proved time and time again that she is accomplished with the physical demands of such a role, and she gives Major a hunched, stompy awkwardness, despite the blandness of the character. It will never justify its existence to the die-hard fans of the original, but Ghost in the Shell 2017 offers enough visual panache and energy to engage those curious enough to check it out.


Directed by: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt
Country: UK/China/India/Hong Kong/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,196: 'The Prestige' (2006)

Easily taking the crown of best magician-based movie of 2006 - swamping the distinctly wonder-less and barely remembered The Illusionist - Christopher Nolan's The Prestige is a cinematic sleight-of-hand; an enigma of a movie that is both a puzzle-box of misdirection and an engrossing tale of two warring magicians. When I first saw Nolan's fifth feature (and his second working with his brother and occasional writing partner Jonathan), its 'big reveal' seemed obvious to me early on in the third act, so when the grand revelations came at the climax, I was left feeling somewhat underwhelmed. In the years since, The Prestige has emerged as a firm favourite amongst Nolanites, so I was eager to re-visit it without the added pressure of trying to navigate through the film's many smokes and mirrors. Without this on my back, I could only sit back and admire a true craftsman at work, even though the narrative pushes the boundaries of credibility.

In 1890s London, two apprentice magicians from two vastly different backgrounds work for Milton (real-life magician Ricky Jay), assisting in a nightly trick involving a glamorous assistant and a tank of water. Hugh Jackman is Robert Angier, a handsome, charismatic American from a privileged background. Christian Bale plays Alfred Borden, a rough Cockney and magic purist. While Angier knows how to get an audience excited and keep them entertained, Borden is a sullen stage presence, choosing to challenge his audience rather than dazzle them. The real brains behind it all is Cutter (Michael Caine), the craftsman and adviser who builds all the apparatus and devices required for the increasingly elaborate tricks. After a Milton performance goes fatally wrong, Angier and Borden begin a personal and professional rivalry that will play out over the years. They sabotage each other's shows, steal secrets, and try to perfect the ultimate magic trick: The Transported Man.

Cutter explains the three-step theory on what makes a great illusion. There's the pledge (the set-up), the turn (the moment that grabs the audience's attention), and the prestige (the pay-off, when whatever has been disappeared is brought back again). It's what separates a jaw-dropping, head-scratching moment from a cheap card trick, and is precisely what separates the The Prestige from The Illusionist. Nolan truly understands the mechanics behind the prestige, after all, he toyed with our expectations and our perception of time with Memento. He wraps The Prestige up in a cloak of mystery, employing time-jumps and subtle camera tricks to keep the audience constantly engaged in trying to piece everything together. Nearly everything is key to unlocking the film's secrets, even the seemingly routine sub-plots involving Borden's wife (played by Rebecca Hall) and glamorous new assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansson struggling with an English accent).

The inclusion of David Bowie's Nikola Tesla and Angier's quest to convince the engineer and physicist to build him a machine required to pull off the ultimate trick may be a step too far for some viewers. Tesla's involvement stretches science into the supernatural, and clashes with the grounded world built up until this point. But Bowie is terrific, and the frequent presence of Thomas Edison's goons offers some historical context, as well as an allegory for the obsessive rivalry between the two central characters. Jackman is very good at switching between hero and anti-hero, his hands increasingly dirtied trying to outmanoeuvre his rival, and while Bale can add Borden to his list of grating accents, he wins our sympathies despite the coldest of demeanours. Caine, Nolan's go-to exposition tool, also provides reliable support as the fatherly voice of reason, However, the real stars are the brothers Nolan, who arguably lay all their cards on the table in the opening scenes, for anybody paying close attention. But pay attention or not, you'll be swept up either way.


Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, David Bowie, Andy Serkis, Piper Perabo
Country: USA/UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,072: 'The Jungle Book' (2016)

Disney's animated version of Rudyard Kipling's collection of works The Jungle Book was released just one year after Walt Disney's death, and kick-started a period of mediocrity for the company that produced some of the most beloved films of all time (until its reemergence as a powerhouse once again in 1989 with The Little Mermaid). They now dominate the marketplace, and it would be easy to despise the multi-billion dollar corporation if much of their recent output just wasn't so good. While they are certainly progressive and forward-thinking (Zootopia was a fascinating social study of our times), they continue to hark back to their Golden Age with live-action versions of Sleeping Beauty (2014's Maleficent) and Cinderella (2015), and now one of their most adored works, The Jungle Book.

Jon Favreau's re-imagining of Wolfgang Reitherman's classic follows much of the original's narrative. Mowgli the "man-cub" (Neel Sethi) is a young boy living in the jungle, raised in a wolf pack and watched over by the wise and respected panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley). The arrival of Shere Khan (Idris Elba), a terrifying Bengal tiger with a hatred of man, alerts Bagheera, who whisks Mowgli off into the deep jungle, where the youngster befriends lazy and care-free sloth bear Baloo (Bill Murray). Encountering many dangers along the way, including the hypnotic anaconda Kaa (Scarlett Johnansson) and giant orangutan King Louie (Christopher Walken), Mowgli must decide whether or not his place remains with the friends who raised him, or with his own kind.

While it's hardly Christopher Nolan territory, Favreau's version of the story is certainly darker. Rather than trying to replicate the upbeat tone of the original, it cuts out the majority of the songs and keeps things more grounded, or at least as much as a film featuring talking animals can be. It achieves this with some simply astonishing effects - so good that it's easy to forget or even tell you're watching CGI - and pitch-perfect voice acting. Elba will no doubt terrify any young viewers, and understandably so, but the film belongs to Murray and Walken. They get the two songs in the film (The Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You) and are easily the most memorable characters. Phil Harris and Louise Prima would have surely approved.

Yet the question hovering above the head of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book, as it does with many remakes, is the reason for its existence. The 1967 version charmed youngsters for decades so is this a pointless attempt to bring the story to a new generation of children? Have children become so spoiled with computer generated effects that they would be unable to see the charm and wonder in something so painstakingly and thoughtfully hand-drawn? It's a depressing thought, and one that bothered me for a while after seeing the film. With any hope, this will inspire kids to seek out the original and love it for all that it is, for Favreau's film is exciting and often astonishing to look at, and certainly the best of Disney's recent live action re-dos.


Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,037: 'Hail, Caesar!' (2016)

When a film-maker builds up such a formidable body of work, it's all the more crushing when their next project falls somewhat flat. The Coen brothers Joel and Ethan have been churning out genre-bending masterpieces ever since 1984 with Blood Simple, and maintained a healthy independent spirit until they were eventually noticed by mainstream Hollywood with 1996's Fargo. Ever since, despite still serving up great work such as No Country for Old Men (2007) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), their filmography has been occasionally blighted by bewildering misfires such as the double-whammy of Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and The Ladykillers (2004). Sadly, they've done it again with Hail, Caesar!.

It's obvious that the Coens hold a keen interest in the old Hollywood system of the 1940's and 50's. They were satirising the world they view with a certain curiosity and perhaps a little disdain back in 1991 with the outstanding Barton Fink. Yet while that film portrayed a bleak, subdued world full of madness and loneliness as John Turturro's titular script-writer struggled with his work and his own demons, Hail, Caesar! is the glitzy, garish world of big-budget biblical epics and movie stars with everything to hide. Studio head Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is the man to try and hold it all together, from having to shield his actors' shady pasts from pesky twin journalists Thora and Thessaly Thacker (both Tilda Swinton) to handling an organisation of academic-type communists who have kidnapped his biggest star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney).

Working almost like a series of loosely-connected vignettes, the Coens also weave numerous sub-plots into the mix. Mannix must also deal with the issue that one of his leading ladies, DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johnansson) is unmarried but with child and can no longer fit into her mermaid costume. Singing cowboy actor Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), a pretty face more accustomed to strumming the guitar and riding horseback, is thrown into a drama role at the last minute, much to the frustration of sophisticated director Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes). There are smaller roles also for Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand and Jonah Hill in what is an unnecessarily bulky ensemble that the Coens struggle to keep a grasp of. With no real sense of direction, Hail, Caesar! often feels like a collection of clips from separate, better movies.

Despite the narrative flaws, there's still plenty to savour. Those distinctly 'Coen-eque' moments are peppered throughout, with Hobie's awkward first day on set and Channing Tatum's musical tap-dance being particular standouts. Although Brolin excels and Clooney makes for a very convincing wimp, Ehrenreich is the one who steals the movie as the extremely likeable dimwit who may actually be the only one paying attention. He demonstrates great comic timing and all the charm of the western idols his character is paying homage to, and he seems the perfect fit for a young Han Solo in Disney's as-yet untitled origin story. The film may have even worked better as a whole with Hobie as the lead and doing away with several side-stories. Instead, it is an unfocused splurge of good ideas rather toothlessly executed but wonderfully performed. Definitely lower-league Coen.


Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, Jonah Hill
Country: UK/USA/Japan

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,019: 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016)

'Superhero fatigue' is a phrase commonly batted around amongst critics and forum lurkers whenever a new caped crusader is unleashed into cinemas. Cries of Hollywood running out of ideas are often heard too. Despite all of this, the likes of Spider-Man, Batman and the Avengers crew have Hulk-smashed the box office for years. Most impressively, Marvel's ever-increasing 'Cinematic Universe' has been building now for 8 years and 13 films, films that occasionally claw in over a billion at the box-office. This is not down to audiences simply flocking to the promise of CGI explosions and wise-cracks, but Marvel's insistence on keeping the formula fresh.

After a few years churning out average to above-average (and one excellent in 2008's Iron Man) origin stories for the individuals that would, in 2012, reluctantly team up to become The Avengers, producer Kevin Fiege was obviously wary of wavering interests. Marvel's work since 2014, since the mediocre Thor: The Dark World in 2013, has been exceptional, placing their heroes and villains in a variety of cinematic genres. Captain America: The Winter Soldier played out like a 70's spy thriller, casting Robert Redford to reinforce the tone, Guardians of the Galaxy often felt like bizarre B-movie with a bigger budget and a more talented cast, and Ant-Man, a movie many predicted to be a disaster, was a full-on comedy, bolstered by the presence of an effortlessly charming Paul Rudd.

The latest - and by far the best - is the third and possibly final entry into the stand-alone Captain America series. Retaining The Winter Soldier's directors Anthony and Joe Russo and also much of the same tone, Civil War pits its second most popular superhero against its first, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. Also along for the ride is almost every other hero on the roster, along with a couple of new ones. But what makes Civil War very much a Captain America film and not The Avengers 3 is the Russo's remarkable grasp of their characters. With Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) back on the scene as a very wanted man, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) finds himself torn between his loyalty to an old friend and being held accountable for his superhero actions. It is the friendship between the two that remains at the heart of the film.

When Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) accidentally causes mass destruction in Lagos on a mission led by Captain America, the Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) informs the Avengers that the United Nations are passing a bill known as the Sokovia Accords, which will see them under the control of a UN panel. Full of guilt over his balls-up with creating Ultron, Tony Stark backs the bill, as do War Machine (Don Cheadle), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Vision (Paul Bettany). With little confidence in the government, Steve opposes the bill, and is followed by Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man. Tensions are raised higher when The Winter Soldier is accused of bombing the UN conference in Vienna and becomes a wanted man all over the world.

What makes Civil War such a gripping film is its refusal to offer any easy answers. Depending on your own political and personal views, Captain America could be the antagonist of his own movie, causing a war between friends over his blind loyalty to a friend he knows is a mass-murderer, albeit a brain-washed super soldier experiment. On the flip-side, the character Downey Jr. has now immortalised and the hero to always receive top billing could become a knee-bending traitor seeking accountability for his own irresponsible actions during the events of Age of Ultron. More likely, and more interestingly, you will come to realise that there is simply no right answer.

So it all comes down to who wins the fight. And what a fight it is. One of biggest flaws of Batman v Superman was its failure to come up with a believable scenario that would cause the good guys to beat on each other only to come to realise they are on the same side. Not only does the brawl feel organic, taking place at Leipzig airport with each character allowed more than one moment to shine, but it also refuses to offer any easy solution or a big bad for the team to unite against. The motivation and plan of the film's villain, Helmut Zemo, played with a remarkable subtlety by Daniel Bruhl, is kept a mystery until near towards the end. And just when you think you finally know where it's all heading, it side-steps you and goes in a completely different direction.

The film's biggest flaw is the introduction of Spider-Man, who is finally back in the hands of Marvel after Sony's failure to re-boot the franchise with Andrew Garfield. Played by Tom Holland, who is the best Peter Parker yet, his entry into the fold feels shoe-horned and slightly awkward. But when he is let loose during the airport fight, he damn near steals it until Ant-Man shows his new friends just what he can do. The other newbie, Black Panther aka the Wakandan T'Challa (a gravelly Chadwick Boseman), plays a bigger role than you might expect, still learning and developing into the king he will become. Above all else, Civil War is simply a blast. With such care taken with its army of characters, each getting their own arc, its easy to become emotionally invested. So when Cap and Iron Man really get down to business, it becomes unbearable to think that one of them may not walk away. Bravo, Marvel and the Russo's.


Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Country: USA/Germany

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie

Review #867: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015)

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe growing increasingly larger every year, returning director Joss Whedon was faced with an even more monumental task than he did in 2012 with The Avengers, the movie that finally brought together the superhero collection of huge personalities united by one goal, but each wanting to go about it in their own way. Each standalone film has developed key supporting players necessary to the character whose name is on the poster, and with The Avengers' climax allowing its Earthlings to gaze into a wormhole and last year's Guardians of the Galaxy unleashing aliens a-plenty, Marvel's world has truly become a universe.

The last time a director returned for a Marvel sequel, we ended up with Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2 (2010), a messy let-down of a film that lacked invention, to the point that it felt like the guy behind the camera had lost all interest by the end. In a way, Age of Ultron suffers from some of the same problems. Like all Marvel films, it pits it's leads against a 'new threat', climaxing with a battle in the air that features lots of punches, blasts and quips. But for all it's narrative familiarity, Whedon still finds new ways for his heroes to batter their opponents, keeping the jokes fresh and genuinely witty, and ensuring the ragtag, flawed bunch are always eager to be at each other throats (quite literally - I think every character is grabbed by the throat at some point).

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is still suffering from nightmares and flashbacks of his journey through the wormhole and seeing the threats lurking amongst the stars. He and the Avengers, now led by Captain America (Chris Evans), attack the Hydra outpost of Baron von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), the monocled Nazy glimpsed at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) in possession of Loki's scepter. Von Strucker's defences are useless when faced by the Avengers, but that is until he unleashes the twins Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen); the former possessing super-speed, and the latter able to enter people's mind and unleashing their darkest fear. When Wanda screws with Stark, he sees his friends dead, powerless to stop it. She is like the ultimate bum acid trip.

After retrieving the scepter, Stark and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) discover an artificial intelligence hidden inside, and use it to kick-start the Ultron program, an independent-thinking army of robots designed to protect Earth from any threats, allowing the Avengers to retire in the process. But Ultron (wonderfully voiced by James Spader), having consumed huge amounts of data through the internet within seconds of being activate, concludes that the only way to save the planet is to eliminate the one's responsible for slowly destroying it - humanity. Upon discovering what Stark has created, Captain America and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) are furious. And so are the public, who are terrified with the amount of carnage taking place around them as Ultron journeys to Africa in search of vibranium, the near-invincible metal that will allow him to create the ultimate body.

On top of the character's already mentioned, the Avengers also consist of Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner. Add to the mix the returning Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Hayley Atwell, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba and Paul Bettany - who appears in the flesh for the first time as the Vision - as well as newcomers Linda Cardellini and Andy Serkis, and you have one hell of a hefty line-up. Whedon has juggled large ensemble's before with the tragically cancelled Firefly and it's follow-up movie Serenity (2005), as well as the first Avengers, but he has a noticeably weaker grip on his cast this time around. It jumps from one action scene to another, slightly smothering the quieter scenes in between, failing to allow them to breathe and flow.

The one exception involves a welcome retreat for the Avengers, who choose to lay-low at Hawkeye's (Renner) humble abode after causing more chaos with Ultron. Clearly feeling guilty at the shoddy deal Hawkeye got last time around, who spent most of the movie controlled by Loki, Whedon has finally made him interesting. He acknowledges his inferiority when compared an unstoppable green monster and the God of Thunder, and even comments on the lunacy of fighting off an army of killer robots with a bow and arrow. His warm relationship with his wife (Cardellini) and his children, as well as his various personal face-off's with Pietro, provide a human connection in the midst of a 90 year-old super soldier and a millionaire playboy genius.

With Marvel's Phase Three almost upon us (once Ant-Man is finally released later this year), Age of Ultron was always in danger of being little more than a stepping-stone to what's to come. Yet although it certainly hints at upcoming characters (the fictional country of Wakanda, home of the Black Panther, is mentioned) and future events (Thor is troubled by his Wanda-induced apocalyptic visions, which are to take place in Thor: Ragnarok (due 2017)), it also moves the story forward and evolves its characters. Marvel certainly needs to change its formula though (the paranoid thriller twist on The Winter Soldier was a stroke of genius); the smash-heavy climaxes have become tired. Ultron is also not really the threat he was set-up to be, but he's utterly electric when on screen, Spader providing a biting wit to his growls. It is far for perfect, and inferior to its predecessor, but riotously entertaining throughout.


Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #843: 'Under the Skin' (2013)

Director Jonathan Glazer's third film in 13 years, Under the Skin, begins with a collection of hauntingly beautiful but unfathomable images, while the soundtrack whispers a strange, alien voice that gradually evolves into broken English. Clearly taking 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) as its main inspiration, the film is a hark back to a time when sci-fi was a canvas for art, placing less importance on plot and narrative, and delving deep into the philosophical side of outer space and the great unknown. A dead girl is picked up from the side of the road by a man on a motorcycle (Jeremy McWilliams) and brought to a curious-looking female, Laura (Scarlett Johansson), who dons the girls clothes and is next seen on the streets of Glasgow.

We don't know who these people are, and know little about them by the time the final credits roll. Glazer shows us snippets at an extremely leisurely pace - this is a 'high art' film that will no doubt have as many people staring at the screen in wonder as it will people checking their watches. We get the sense that the motorcycle man is bad, and as Laura starts to pick up random men in a white van, taking them home and leading them, erections bulging, into a dark black substance, it would seem that she isn't too nice either. But when she picks up a man disfigured by neurofibromatosis, she begins to feel sympathy, letting the man go free and wandering off into the Scottish Highlands to explore our world, trying to make sense of her new emotions.

What is most fascinating about Under the Skin is the way it manages to juggle hyper-realism with genuinely eerie, provocative science fiction. What happens beneath the mysterious black liquid I won't reveal here, but it's a moment of unexpected horror that felt like a slap in the face. The sense of realism is no doubt thanks to Glazer's decision not to hire actors for the victims, and instead opted to use hidden cameras to capture their genuine reaction to being picked up by a beautiful woman and driven home for sex. It gives the film a slightly sleazy edge, and we only see Laura's transformation start to take shape when she picks up the deformed man - a quiet, possibly virginal man who has experienced much suffering.

Scarlett Johansson is a revelation. Hiding her glamorous Hollywood beauty behind a head of dark hair and cheap clothes, she is at first calculating and in control, luring victims with relative ease. But when she first experiences sympathy and flees her apparent mission, she experiences both ends of the spectrum of the human experience. A friendly man takes her in, providing food and a roof over her head, and Laura starts to appreciate her own body, curiously observing her own naked form in the mirror. Her next experience lands her in the clutches of a rapey construction worker. By the time the credits roll, many will be left feeling cold, confused and possibly bored, but I found Under the Skin to be an experience like no other, and it places Glazer at the top of the list of the many young, talented British directors to keep tabs on.


Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Adam Pearson
Country: UK/USA/Switzerland

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #775: 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' (2014)

After a pretty uninspired first movie, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and given little of note to do in the superhero smash-up The Avengers (2012), Captain America (Chris Evans) was quickly becoming the dullest Marvel superhero of them all. Kudos then, to directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who have not only rounded Cap a.k.a. Steve Rogers into a sympathetic, old-school hero in the face of very 21st century dangers, but they have made the best stand-alone Marvel film to date, surpassing Iron Man (2008), and flipping the tired formula of hero-smashes-baddie completely on its head.

After the events of The Avengers, Captain America is finding it difficult adapting to modern life. He's working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and running rings (literally) around his fellow soldiers, such as Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), who he quickly forms a close bond with. After a successful mission taking out some pirates and rescuing some hostages, he learns that his mission differed from that of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who went along with him. Not wanting to be a mere pawn in the system and suspecting a cover-up, he confronts director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who reveals plans to launch three helicarriers, giant warships capable of great destruction and the obliteration of enemies.

The action soon turns to sheer paranoia, as Fury is attacked in one of the movie's best action scenes, and Cap is left to fend for himself as S.H.I.E.L.D., led by the shadowy Alexander Pierce (a wonderful against-type Robert Redford), closes around him. The only person resembling a true 'bad guy' is The Winter Soldier, a metal-armed assassin who seems to mirror Captain America's strength and agility, only with a clinical skill for murder. The Winter Soldier's identity is a poorly kept secret if you happened to be slightly paying attention in the trailer, and his presence is sadly fleeting, especially given the emotional impact his character has on Cap.

But this is a story skilfully told, drenched in a paranoia so prevalent in 1970's American cinema, when Robert Redford was 40 years younger and was usually running from the type he plays here. By taking this unusual and thoughtful approach, Captain America 2 truly enthrals, making us care about a hero that was once a goody-two-shoes, but is now a three dimensional man struggling to adapt to this new, crazy world, having everything he believed and loved about his country smeared in his face. Evans brings a humility to the role, and his scenes with Black Widow (given more screen-time here and lending more evidence to the need for her own stand-alone movie) sparkle with a real chemistry.

For all it's conspiracy plotting and character building, it's not shy on action. The slightly formulaic climax aside, we get to see Captain America finally let loose and lay a beat-down on some unfortunate fellas in close-quarters, Jason Bourne/The Raid (2011)-style. His shield is no longer just a sort of frisbee-boomerang hybrid, but a lethal weapon. But the finest, surprisingly, involves Nick Fury, a near-indestructible car, and a small fleet of cop cars. It's a fantastic film, not only down to it's well-constructed and emotionally-charged action scenes, or the inclusion of a plot you can sink your teeth into, but mainly for injecting life and genuine excitement back into Marvel's increasingly tedious formula.


Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #760: 'Don Jon' (2013)

Like Michael Fassbender's character in Steve McQueen's excellent Shame (2011), Joseph Gordon-Levitt slick-haired, gym-obsessed meat head Jon spends his entire life thinking about the thing dangling between his legs. Yet where Fassbender in Shame was hooked on discreet and loveless meetings of the flesh, Jon's passion lies in indulging in a different, yet equally soulless, activity - a key modern First World problem - internet porn. It's a racy subject for what is, narratively-speaking, ultimately a traditional rom-com, yet Gordon-Levitt, here directing for the first time, manages to pull off the trick of being both sweet and provocative, regardless of it's many flaws.

Jon has a few simple passions in life - his car, his girls, his pad, his family, and his church. Yet none of those can eclipse the wonder of losing himself on the easily accessible world of pixelated pleasure. He goes out with his douchebag friends to clubs and rates women out of ten - ten's being 'a dime'. He regularly bags 8's and 9's and takes them back to his place for what he sees as dull, awkward sex, and can't resist a midnight liaison with his laptop as his weekend prize sleeps in his bed. When he finally meets a dime that steals his heart, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson on impressive form), he vows to change his ways and goes back to school, focusing all his attention on her. Yet regardless of how happy he is, Jon just can't resist having cyber-sex with his computer.

Don Jon asks a lot of its audience in that Jon is your atypical boring, conservative narcissist, one of those bronzed 'cheeky' chappies who manage to smile their way out of being an arsehole. He redeems himself somewhat by genuinely trying to change for the better, as Barbara's high-maintenance girlfriend demands total dedication. He also redeems himself in the eyes of the Lord (or so he thinks), by frequently going to confession and vocalising his Hail Mary's while pumping iron. I can certainly appreciate Gordon-Levitt's attempt to subvert the cliches of the genre (Jon and Barbara go to see a ridiculously sentimental rom-com starring Channing Tatum and Anne Hathaway), but it does makes the plight and arc of its protagonist somewhat less sympathetic.

Suspension of belief is also required, as Jon meets a lonely older lady (Julianne Moore) who teaches him the way of true love and real emotion. It's a sentiment worthy of the countless soppy money-machines it's gently mocking, and leads to an ending so abrupt, it feels like Gordon-Levitt was scratching his head when thinking about how to give closure to the story. Yet Don Jon is often very entertaining, featuring a supremely confident performance by it's lead, and one of Johansson's best roles to date. Gordon-Levitt could be an interesting director in the future, as although Don Jon features many rookie hiccups and some chaffing dialogue, it at least shows he's in no way deterred at the thought of a difficult topic.


Directed by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #755: 'Her' (2013)

Not content with toying with our pre-quirky/ironic film-making preconceptions of how a movie should play out with the mind-blowing Being John Malkovich (1999), or going all-out self-reflexive with a blocked writer in Adaptation (2002), former music video director and Jackass co-creator Spike Jonze spins the traditional movie romance on it's head with Her. Set in a very believable near-future, it's the story of a lonely man who falls in love with a computer voice. It is the stuff of sci-fi and clever-clever satire. Or so you would think. Her, even with the absence of a physical female lead, may just be one of the most honest and heart-warming romances in recent memory.

Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) writes love letters to husbands, wives, sons, daughters and any others loved ones that require his services. He spends his life in front of a computer verbally dictating his achingly romantic letters for BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com, a service for people who want to vocalise their love but have no way to express it. Theodore is the best at his job, yet in the real world, he finds himself pining for his soon-to-be ex-wife (Rooney Mara), and chatting with strangers late at night on sex lines. He goes on a disastrous date with a beautiful woman (Olivia Wilde), but seems unable to connect with anyone in the real world.

When he hears about an innovation in technology, called OS, which activates an artificial voice that can organise your life, answer your questions, or simply be your best friend, Theodore gets Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), who quickly evolves to develop an adorable personality of her own. Soon enough, Theodore finds himself falling for her, and she for him, as they connect solely through an earpiece in Theodore's ear. It's a fad that quickly catches on, and people are soon falling for OS's throughout the country.

It sounds like the stuff of Orwellian satire, but there's no post-apocalyptic landscapes, no government agents watching through holes in the wall, and certainly no flying machines. The future of Her is nigh on utopian; the streets are spotless, the people happy, and no signs of class divide or social disorder of any kind. The film could easily have become another analysis of the dangers of technology and how we would rather send a text message than look someone in the face. The whole thing sounds gimmicky, a horror film about the rise of the iEverything, but this is as human a love story can be, even if the other half is the husky, wonderful voice of Scarlett Johansson. Her shows the joys of technology as much as the darker side.

It's Johansson's vocal performance that really allows the film to work, meaning that it's not just about a weird guy who gets off by talking to a computer. She does the incredible trick of making her a three dimensional character. It seems natural that a lonely guy like Theodore would fall for her, and Phoenix, sporting an unflattering moustache, capitalises on his staggering beast-in-a-cage performance in The Master (2012) - a film he should have beaten Day-Lewis to the Best Actor Oscar for - with another knockout performance. He's incredibly subtle, capturing more in a mumbled line than any Oscar-baiting monologue could. He's a heart-breakingly lonely soul, and when things inevitably get a bit difficult for the human/cyber couple, you really ache for him.

Her doesn't go down the route of Theodore craving human contact - the film is more complex than that. Samantha, with her infinite capacity to evolve, struggles to understand her own existence. It doesn't get bogged down with existential waffle, so we get to witness Samantha's child-like confusion and instinct to see and learn everything. Along with work friend Paul (Chris Pratt) and his recently separated best friend Amy (Amy Adams) (who both have love stories of their own), Theodore learns what it's like to love, and all the soul-breaking pain that comes with it. Her is wonderful and sad: a love story that even the most heart-hearted singletons living in this touch-screen world would find hard not to relate to.


Directed by: Spike Jonze
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #616: 'Iron Man 2' (2010)

Set a mere six months after the events of 2008's Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has almost single-handedly achieved world peace. Only he is now facing opposition from Senator Stern (Garry Shandling), who is demanding he hand his weaponry over to the government, and, unbeknownst to others, is slowly dying from the palladium core in his chest designed to keep him alive. In Russia, Ivan Danko (Mickey Rourke), son of engineering genius Anton Vanko, who worked with Tony Stark's father, seeks revenge against the Stark family who caused his father's exile many years ago. He develops an arc reactor similar to Stark's, and publicly attacks him at the Circuit de Monaco, getting arrested in the process. Facing deportation and years in prison, Danko is approached by rival weapons expert Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who wants Danko to help him destroy Stark's legacy, and secure military funding.

The first Iron Man was so successful mainly due to the success it brought to Tony Stark's transformation into the big red and gold suit, anchored by Downey Jr.'s magnetic central performance. Number 2 sadly does not step up the proceedings a la X2 (2003) or Spider-Man 2 (2004), which both developed the central story even further, as well as adding better characters/villains and amping up the action. Iron Man 2 disappoints on all of these fronts. Stark's gradual 'maturing' throughout the course of the first film was relatively perfect in terms of pacing and execution, but this is replaced here by Stark dealing with some dull daddy issues (although Howard Stark is played by Mad Men scene-stealer John Slattery), and Stark's concerns about his poisoning, which confuse above all else.

Of the three new main additions, only Rourke's Whiplash is remotely successful, yet is kept oddly muted throughout the movie as he sets up shop in Hammer's workshop, carefully engineering a not-very-surprising attack at the upcoming Stark Expo. Hammer's over-the-top sliminess fits in with the shift in tone, moving away from the grounded feel of the first, and entering the more supernatural realm of the Avengers' world, where we have to accept intergalactic journeys and a character like Thor. Scarlett Johansson's Nastasha Romanoff does little apart from looking good in Lycra and bringing Stark into S.H.I.E.L.D., which heralds the return of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in what is nothing more than an extended cameo,

So we are ultimately left with James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, this time played by Don Cheadle, who came in to replace Terrence Howard. Their relationship forms the best aspect of the film, and also leads to the best moment in the film when Rhodey finally dons a Stark suit (becoming a premature War Machine), and attempts to restrain a drunken Stark, dressed as Iron Man. It's the only scene with any real heart. Still, it's still quite fun overall, and it's interesting to watch Marvel's big plan slowly move closer together, with glimpses of Captain America's shield, the Hulk ripping it up on a news report, and Thor's hammer. When the credits rolled, I felt like I'd been slightly ripped-off by the climax, which pales in comparison even when compared to the first film. But it still left me wanting more, which can't be a bad thing.


Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie