Reviews

Nearly devoid of dialogue, it takes a very confident filmmaker to follow through on such a project. This is filmmaking as it was done in the beginning. It was all visual. Back when movies had no sound at all, and a pianist played something appropriate to keep the mood in the theatre, this was all there was - a feast for the eyes. And Genndy Tartakovsky has mastered mood, and very importantly, pacing. Many movies flop, because the mood cannot be portrayed as the writer or the director wants it, or the pacing is off, but this excels. It reminds me of some of the Hitchcock films, where less was more. I don't like how the story ended, as it seemed cruel. But maybe that again is a portrayal of that era. Looking forward to Season 2. This is on par with The Mandalorian. Yes, it's that good. But if ingenuity counted, then it's even better.

This film was a disappointment. It seemed rushed and lacked authenticity. Some actors spoke their lines as if reading them in rehearsal, where was the effort? Some actors shouldn't have been in the film at all. It seemed like the accountants sat in on the decision making process and had their way. A black actor and an Asian actor were installed, and at least one of them gave the poorest acting performance I've seen in years. It smacked of tekenism. The film tries too hard to be cool, by being sweary. That didn't work at all. But the general action was good, and some set pieces were funny. But overall, it was poor. Next time, when the accountants sit in on creative meetings, lie to them, then have the real meeting in a pub or coffee shop. It's got to be better than what we've seen here.

I'm black, and of an age where I was hugely into superhero and comic book culture from back in the day. And now seeing these stories brought to the screen, makes me more happy than you can know. With the high production values of Black Panther, and Luke Cage before it (I preferred Luke Cage actually), I was hoping for more of the same with Black Lightning. Instead, I tried to be loyal because at least I am represented as a black person on screen. But I didn't like the characters. Some were just jarring. The acting often seemed wooden.

It aims for grittiness, but it doesn't come across as gritty. It comes across as some very disinterested actors earning a quick buck, in something that they don't truly believe in.

I saw this film at the Beckenham Odeon in London. The beginning of this film was as impactful as the bullet-time opening of Swordfish. So that set the movie off at with very high expectation indeed. Hela's part in the story was as expected, and nothing changed from the trailers. She's very powerful, and also very single-minded. Hulk's treatment in the film was in two parts - when he was the Hulk, he was a star, but when he was not hulk, he was a bit part player. I'm not sure I liked how his role was handled in the film, but I suppose anymore exposure of the Hulk, would have taken the shine off Thor himself. So maybe its understandable. I personally felt that more could have been made of the Hulk's character. What did make the film stand out though was the comedy. It was very unexpected, and also brilliantly done! Along the way, Thor meets a minor gladiator, who turns out to be the funniest guy ever! You'll have to see for yourself, but his deadpan delivery turns the film almost into a comedy, every time he's on the screen! The battle scenes were good, but not to the level of LOTR, for scope and spectacle. I enjoyed it, but I feel that it fell just a little bit short of the standard that Wonder Woman delivered. But it did set up the forthcoming space-based Marvel films very well (Black Panther was not referenced).

I had high expectations for this film. Wonder Woman raised the bar, and I thought this would top that, based on the trailers alone. Little did I know that the trailers contained the best parts of the movie anyone. Therefore the movie never got better than what I'd already seen.

I'm not sure what to make of the pacing. The film felt slow and boring (I'm sorry, but this surprised and confused me too). It was not until later in the film that the story started to come together, and the pace picked up. Also, it felt like a Spiderman and Iron Man movie, as opposed to a purely stand-alone Spidey feature. That wasn't so bad, but I think the whole Stark Enterprises angle could have been handled very differently. Did Iron Man need to be in the film? No. Not as far as I'm concerned. Maybe the studio(s) were worried that without a big name, they might not get the crowd they were hoping for. That illustrates that they don't understand the meaning Spiderman has to Marvel fans, and to his wider fanbase.

Spiderman's school-friend starts off as lovely and funny, but I soon was wishing that he would die in the movie. What an irritating guy! From the trailers you learn that he sees Spidey doing his thing in his own home, and then has to keep a secret. However, he so nearly can't keep it, that he just comes across as a buffoon. In the next movie, I hope they replace him with someone else.

I didn't find enough in the film to engage me, and fatally, it didn't feel filmic. It felt like a TV movie. I'm not sure why, but you'll see for yourself. This film should have been more than just filler, as we wait for the Infinity Stones saga to be fully unleashed. But it ended up feeling just that....padding, while we wait for the really good stuff.

I watched this film in the ROYAL Cinema in Barranquilla, Colombia. I say this because sometimes a setting gives an enhanced mood, and that may be why I've given this film a score of 10, instead of 9. By the way, I live in London UK and have been to all the best cinemas in the UK, and none of them come even close to the atmosphere and outrageous comfort of the cinema I was in. OK, thats an explanation of the ambiance.

Now onto the film itself. Gal Gadot was pretty perfect as Wonder Woman. Though other actresses could have played the role, I think this was a perfect vehicle for her. Her look is gorgeous, and I don't just mean facially, but also in the way that she carries herself in the film. She appears regal, inquisitive, caring, knowledgeable tough, tender and also resolute. She pulls all this off extremely successfully. All the other character portrayals were okay, but the quality of Gal Gadot's acting did Shine through. It wasn't sophisticated, but just pitched just right.

The action at times was excellent, and at other times, I felt could have used a bit more oomph. But happily, there was more to this film than just action. Each new character that was introduced was given their own little back story, so one could feel more engaged with them. I found this an important reason for the success of this film. Marvel films do not invest in the emotional history of characters, just an action history, if I may call it that.

There were moments of real tenderness in the film. Remarkable to see innocence so effectively played in an adult context. There is a time in the film that Wonder Woman disagrees with a decision that was made, and it made her angry. But even in this you can see how emotionally torn she is about going against her her comrades, even though she'd been proved right.

This film was amazing, and I will see it again in the cinema. The director knocked this out of the park. And I'm glad a female director has shown that it's not only Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams that can pull this sort of action off this well. Excellent.

I absolutely hated this film. It was so far up its own wazoo, it rightly almost disappeared from sight.

I admit, that I had gone into the cinema to see this with erroneous preconceptions of what the film was about. I had expected something with action, but what I got was dramatic inaction. Yes, it was very clever, and ever so smug with its lovey-in-jokes (that industry insiders would appreciate). But the mood was dark, and the atmosphere was depressing. I go to the cinema to be entertained. That wasn't very entertaining at all. The portrayal of a man losing it, was very good, but the whole performance and sets seemed and felt claustrophobic. Sorry. I truly detested this film. Mind you, my identical twin (yes, really) loved it.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. Its more emotionally engaging than the first one, and therefore, to me, its the better film. True, some sections seemed to lack direction, but overall I found it to be a success. I can say the film had better action sequences (Yondu's tour-de-force is something to see) than the first . The story felt like a real story, with a purpose and driven by emotions and wants. Rocket seemed lightweight though, even though he had quite a bit of screen time, I think his lack of emotional engagement with others is what made him a lesser character. The same applies to Baby Groot. Towards the end Rocket does begin connecting, but that may play out more in future films. The trailers had Drax being funnier than he is in the film itself. In the film, he is more of an action man. Finding out a bit about his back story helps his character development too. Marvel are on a delicious slow burn leading up to the Infinity War. So far, so good. In fact, it wasn't good, it was excellent.

I really didn't know what to expect from this film, as I have been lukewarm in most of the X-Men franchise so far, and not too enthused about the Wolverine-specific films either. But the word around suggested this would be different, and it is.

Yes, its packed full of violent action, with metal claws impaling craniums often, and severed heads keep hitting the floor. In this respect, the way Logan is portrayed is with the brutality that he has in the comics. Here, for the first time (in my opinion) its not watered down. The R rating has made this an adult film.

With all the violence, one might think that it would not be possible for it to elevate itself into a deep thinker's film. That would be wrong. I rank this film nearly as good as Leon (The Professional).

And now to the part(s) of the film that appealed to me the most. I think its unique in the way it handles ageing, and the ignominy that goes with it. Whether its problems with mobility, or a serious disease, its portrayed accurately. Patrick Stewart gave a performance of depth and gravitas. If you're over 50, you might not normally go for this film, but you really should. Its pitch is so well placed - I highly recommend it.

Oh yes, the film ends with hope, for the future. Beautiful. Go see it in the cinema.

After being thrilled by Daredevil, and also enjoying the Jessica Jones series, I headed for a binge session of Luke Cage with some trepidation. I thought it very possible, that like Suicide Squad, and Batman vs Superman, the hype could have been too much. It wasn't. In fact, the series isn't hyped enough.

Setting the stage for this series, the feeling of the authenticity of a black community had to be explored, and this was done via two vehicles - the music and the barbershop. The barbershop was a focal point for reflection. Most of the action happened away from there. There were references to real life events of Harlem, so even though the series championed always going forwards, it also looked back.

Because there were so many characters, it was impossible to flesh all of them out. But with the important ones, layers revealed more of each person's journey. This was done quite well, although some characters did seem a bit too one-dimensional for my preference.

The action was good, but in some episodes it was a little sparse, and in one or two episodes, it seemed there was hardly time to for me to make a coffee, before a jump to another conflict. So the pacing was not even, but it was certainly acceptable.

Rosario Dawson brings a tension to the series and the personal interplay is something that I liked a lot. She was my third favourite actor in the series. Alfre Woodard was just superb. It was easy to love her, and to hate her. Her performance was the best in the series. However, Alfre Woodard was my second favourite. But Mike Coulter was truly amazing. He upped his game from Jessica Jones to be the full lead, and he was brilliant. His character of Luke Cage was played at a perfect pitch. Strong yet hesitant, disinterested and disenfranchised, he changed to become what people were secretly hoping for.

Sadly, none of his enemies were strong enough in my opinion. Even though its known that he is not as strong as Spiderman, and is not fast, he does need enemies that define him more. I think these may have to be created from scratch, as his historic enemies from the comic are not the challenge that he really needs.

I have read other reviews of this series, and those that don't seem to like it, seem to be the same people that anonymously call black people *Harambe* on Twitter. If you're black, you will probably love this. If you have black fiends that you view as equals, you will probably love this. If you think BLM is evil, and most black people want handouts, and deserve to be shot without question by the police, then you will not like this TV series at all - too many black people. Its paints a positive picture of black people, as rounded, whole and secure. Some people will react badly to that, no matter what.

For the rest of we TV superhero fans, its one of the best things ever! Bring on series 2.

I'm middle-aged, into many anime and manga, am black, and have lived in several countries, including the USA. I've been a comics fanboy since way back. I owned the first Spawn, and collected comics since the 1970s. I've followed the films of many comic adaptations, and this is absolutely one of the best. So I would say that this film appealed to me.

The music selected for the film was pure genius. It gave added energy and edge. The story was light, but did have the basic components to create a full story. There was pathos, humour, revenge, sex, and action. It was a sort of adult version of a Spiderman story, if Spiderman had been raunchy, and had a bit of Wolverine in him. I may go see it again, but even if I don't, I'm buying it as soon as its available. Great film. I gave a very high rating, due to its immense fun factor. Sadly for other similar films that are due out soon or in the not too distant future, the bar has been raised. I'm not worried for Batman v Superman, but I am scared for Suicide Squad, as it may have to have some re-edits if its to have the type of following that Deadpool has gained. I cannot recommend Deadpool higher.

For years, my favourite action film had been Leon, but its position has been usurped by this film. True, Leon is the more complete story, and the characters are very well fleshed out, but this film succeeds due to its pace. It is quite an achievement to have one's adrenalin levels rise, and be kept high for nearly 2 hours. This marks this film out as a unique concept. Most film directors raise you up, then bring you down, then raise you up again. Not here. For nearly the whole film, you are kept *up*. Its amazing. For fight action and sequences, it makes Ong-Bak look pedestrian. I saw it this weekend in London, and am going back to see it again tomorrow. It just has to be seen on the big screen. I think the Welsh director will soon be on to much bigger things. On a relatively low budget, he has outperformed all other action films so far this year.......and I say that being a huge comic (Avengers et al) fan. Fantastic.

Sometimes an *interpretation* is actually a lie. Thats when its a direct copy, and thats what this was. As others have said, it is copied almost exactly from scene to scene. Yes, its a good film, but honestly, the original with subtitles is better. Its even closer than El Mariachi was to Desperado, and that was a remake with Hollywood money thrown at it - same story, and same writer/director for both. Movies like Let The Right One In, and Old Boy (Korean) do need to be seen as the original before money gets thrown at it, for those that finding subtitles difficult to manage. Its a very good film, but in this case, not as good as the original, and its also a shameful copy. There has never, as far as I know, been a closer copy of one whole film to another. Its not art, its a photocopy (a Xerox).

I had heard good things about this film, but still went in without knowing what to expect. I was blown away. It is the best film I've seen in at least the last year.

Touching, Tender, Brutal, Edgy.

Itr doesn't disappoint. The suspense alone, makes you feel that you are watching a masterpiece.

The underlying sexuality between the two youngsters did catch me by surprise. But it was handled with sensitivity, and portrayed with intensity. The actors showed real ability, and none of the b-movie acting that can be associated with lower budget films.

I can't recommend this film highly enough. If you love film, then see this.

This is a film that is so gentle that it creeps up on you unexpectingly, then grabs you for good. It is a stunning masterful work. The acting by all the cast is first rate, but special mention is deserved for Keisha. This young actor brilliantly kept the mood required for each scene and pulled us deep into the experience. It is a slow starting film, with the oft seen youngster as having no real "place". The film treads a nonchalant line through the sexual mores of equality, but is positive in that the girl proves a stubborn match for the males. The grandfather is stuck in the dark ages and doesn't want his grand-daughter to be anything other than traditional. Luckily she isn't the average grand-daughter.

The sub-plot of the spirit of the whale giving hope to a dying village is cast against those who have little time for the old ways. The ending makes the film worthy of at least an 8 from the most strict of judges, or maybe a 9, or 10 from the rest of us. Hardened men be warned,....watch this on your own. If you don't think your tear ducts work anymore, well, you may surprise yourself.

Achieves a feeling for the spirit of the sea far far better than 'The Big Blue' ever could. Fantastic.

This film crept up on me, and snatched away my personal prize of 'Best Film' that I'd years before awarded to another. But it deserves it. With pathos, humour, violence, necessary betrayal, and many other parts to its whole - it is astonishing. I was dumbfounded by how effortlessly this masterpiece unfolded before me. The only shame of making a film like this is how do you follow it? Well it seems a made-for-TV sequel is how you do it. Shame, but when a big film/TV studio offers megabucks to cash in on the fame of the original, it must've been impossible to turn away. Still, I have seen a lot of films over the last few years and nothing quite beats this. I cannot fault it at all - except that it did have to end. I know I'm fawning in my shameless praise, but it is the one recent film I can think of that I could rate as a '10'.

My love for film that is. When I saw this almost 20 years ago, I realised that art was something different to what I'd previously imagined. I recently watched this again, and time has indeed been kind to this film. I was yet again totally enthralled by the sweeping vistas and clever action. Even though it was an interpretation of a Shakespearean play,it still came across as fresh and vivid. It takes a brave artist to feel they could add to Shakespeare's work. This film is a success at every level. The slow treachery that builds up is exquisite to watch. As with all Japanese films, the theme of loss is recurrent all through the film. But its the pacing that sets this film above and beyond the reach of others. From start to finish it is a treat for the eye and for the mind. A superb, stunning piece of work.

I saw this film years ago, when it just was released in the cinemas here in the UK. I was young then and it was almost a painful experience to watch it through to conclusion. I remember it being described once as a horror film. I wouldn't have agreed with that as a genre, but I could see why. I feel that the much later BAISE MOI owes much to the ground that this first tread. I enjoyed it, but through parted fingers at the time. The many scenes that seemed to dwell lovingly on flesh pulled tight till bleeding seemed gruesome in extremis. I think I got it the first time. After that, HELLRAISER was hardly as dread as it hoped to be. With so many films being much the same as the other, I think we need more films like this - if only to give us more choice.

From the man that gave us HANA-BI, comes a sly tour de force. ZATOICHI melds as many influences as Beat Takeshi can throw into the script and at the screen. Its an intelligent film that gently follows the normal flow of the genre, but ends up with us laughing at the ending. Because by then, some of us will realize that he's laughing too. Good sub-plots that incorporate the lengths to which some will go to seek revenge. The gentle village setting is also a point at which gambling and gang wars jostle for room. The film is deeply satisfying. One wonders if Beat Takeshi consciously set out to make a film that all might enjoy? I did, and maybe more so than any other film this year. Tender, gentle, funny, intelligent, stylistically violent - it has all of these.

I saw this film with a friend of mine and neither of us knew what to expect. I thought this film was excellent. The subtle love story that unfolds between the little girl and her protector is what elevates this film above the norm. The last time this was done so well was in LEON. I found the undercurrent stories of rich aloofness, drink problems, angst and loneliness, more interesting than the main one. The self-loathing of Creasy (Denzel) sits uncomfortably with his duties. The fantastic little actress that is Dakota Fanning seeks the softer side of him, only to expose some real caring. The consequences paid later for the endangerment of Creasy's new little "friend" are expectedly violent. I thoroughly recommend this film. The camera angles were meant to be unsettling - I think that worked.