Reviews

Like the missions before it, Mission 7 promises a lot, but things are slower this time. The movie almost hits 3hrs runtime and the plot seems promising, but the action scenes are not as great as the last few movies.

Tom Cruise manages to once again prove an exemplary stunt man, especially in the final sequence, involving a train, which is probably one of the greatest I've seen.

I feel this overlong plot could have been told in one movie, but Part II comes out next year, so it's not quite the end. The plot mostly revolves around chasing down keys that make up one, which is the start of something possibly leading into Part II, but the pace is very slow in this lengthy movie, which is why I feel the second part could have just been squeezed into this one.

This movie is another example of why making sequels longer does not always work. There is nothing worse than rushing a plot, but the same can be said for slowing a plot down.

Though I am very interested in the history of World War II and its biggest incidents and battles, sadly Enemy at the Gates did not live hot to my expectations of a noteworthy adaptation of the Battle of Stalingrad.

Jude Law is a fine actor, as are notable additions: Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Ed Harris. Though some top cast movies can fall flat and sadly I believe this is one of them.

There is enough production material from the rubble of Stalingrad to make this movie watchable, as well as soldier customs and weapons for props, but there is not enough drama as the story flows, to make Enemy At the Gates a worthwhile WWII adaptation.

Also, with the limited number of snipers featured in the movie, Enemy At the Gates comes across as disappointing as the actual history involved multiple sniper regiments and many high class snipers. So, it is unfortunate to say that Jude Law plays a an excellent sniper fighting a one-man war through the rubble of Stalingrad, with no sign of many other snipers.

Arnold Schwarzenegger doggedly whacks Russian monsters in this superb action cop duo flick! Though not the strongest of his 80's action bundle, Red Heat still offers a lot to enjoy and will appeal to Arnie fans and action movie fans alike.

Arnie plays Russian cop Ivan Danko - pulling off a funny accent - as he travels to Chicago, U.S.A to retrieve Russian fugitive Viktor Rostavili (played by American actor Ed O'Ross - whom pulls off a really convincing accent), whom fled to the States following the murder of a fellow Cop associated with Danko. Rostavili is caught up in an illegal scheme of heroin to ship out to Russia.

The plot of the movie revolves around the theme of revenge, as Danko is partnered by Chicago cop Art Ridzik (played proficiently by Jim Belushi), whom lost a friend and veteran cop to Rostavili's Russian mobsters.

The chemistry between Danko and Ridzik is noteworthy and excellent. Belushi really nails his part as tough-mouthed Chicago wise-ass cop whom is witty and energetic to the point of having a great sense of character, and this fits perfectly with Schwarzenegger's Danko whom is unbeknownst of American slang and cockiness.

As I stated not Schwarzenegger's 80's best but Red Heat is still a great action movie, giving Arnie the challenge of nailing a Russian pistol-bearing cop along with the dogged Belushi - and their on screen chemistry is nothing short of surprises.

Ryan Gosling and Director Nicholas Winding Refn are in for a career best piece of masterwork in "Drive!" It is an absolute genre-defining masterpiece, offering limitless set pieces, character development and gritty action. Also, a classy soundtrack and heartfelt presence.

Without giving too much away, Ryan Gosling is a Hollywood stunt performer credited as 'Driver.' He is a jaw-dropping presence in the movie, as the main storyline goes into play. With a great performance from supporting leads: Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac and Albert Brooks, the main plot includes a failed heist and subsequent actions leading to gritty circumstances. Ryan Gosling's mysterious 'Driver' steals the show with his unique portrayal and set of skills.

The relationship between Gosling and Mulligan is so melodramatic, especially with his connection to her young son. Though Gosling's gritty approach of his role suggests 'Driver' has a dark and sufferable past, it is seemingly not enough to secure a relationship between the pair - especially when Gosling has one last up front score to settle with villainous mobster Albert Brooks.

Nicholas Winding Refn offers a lot of magnificent attributes to being an achievable filmmaker here. He accomplishes this by delivering a unique, questionable, intense and gritty action thriller that will leave audiences on the edge of their seat.

Though, Seven Samurai is overlong, it is a true masterpiece and accomplishment in filmmaking. Akira Kurosawa is a unique director and has a wondrous vision.

Seven Samurai's first two hours is melodramatic. It features a tale of powerless villagers, whom are in shortage of food, and defenceless against a heavily armed gang of mischievous bandits. In order to restore their sanctuary and stow off the bandits, seven samurai warriors are formed and trained up in the tactics of field combat, to fight of the bandits.

These pleasing two hours are live up to their fulfilment and the characters are introduced and developed, splendidly. There is enough to please movie-goers, here, and fans of old, classic movies will find Seven Samurai satisfactory. It kick started the Hollywood western, The Magnificent Seven, which is, too, a classic.

There is no closure to pleasing samurai fans, and the Japanese audience, in particular, will find that there is nothing displeasing, here.

The Fantastically written script of melodramatic elements, in its first two hours, leads, promisingly, to an hour and a half of spectacular stunt takes and field combat sequences. The Seven Samurai themselves are to be made noteworthy of this, for they are the show-stealers and stars of the show. This will meet fan's satisfactory, as the combat sequences are filmed so well, and the performances are nothing short of mesmerising.

This spectacular movie is a classic and achievable in many ways, leaving generations of fans and Akira Kurosawa fans, alike, to a legacy of magnificent art.

Though, it's worth noting Justice League deserves credit for cutting down its run-time to 120 minutes precise, so there's no overuse of length of boredom to tire the audience to death, but this movie still suffers from multiple errors. There is plenty of room for character introductions, but Justice League suffers ludicrously from lengthy, obscure dialogue - mainly from the Flash - but one might argue the problematic misuse of this is due to writing issues of the movie. Like previous instalments: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel, Justice League - amongst the front runners in the DCEU - continue to suffer from poor direction. Plus, Diane Lane's brief presence as Martha Kent is weaker than ever, following her weak portrayal in Batman V Superman and Man of Steel. I believe her weak portrayal in these movies is the error of the writers. Arguably, one might expect to see the return of Kevin Costner and Russel Crowe, in their respective roles as Clarke's biological and earth fathers. Plus, Superman's return is nothing exciting, nor is the brief portrayal of Henry Cavill, which is a large step back from his portrayal in the previous movies. Though, the visual effects are mediocre and decent, there is enough writing errors to go around here that puts the movie down. Considering its poor box-office performance so far, it's errors and financial performance may very well affect the rest of the DCEU.

Suspenseful in every way possible, John Carpenter's Halloween is a classic! An unforgettable, jaw-dropping, suspenseful masterpiece. Featuring a talented cast, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence.

Halloween begins with main antagonist Michael Myers, whom after murdering his sister on Halloween night (1963), returns home on the same night - fifteen years later - to resume his killing spree, following his escape from Warren County Smith's Grove Sanitarium. Pleasence's Dr Loomis is hot on his trail and will stop at nothing to track down his former patient.

Halloween sets a new bar for the horror and suspense genre and will keep audiences on the edge of their seat from start to finish. The cinematography and the well-paced screenplay is pleasing in many ways, as every suspenseful moment is captured so professionally. Every scene offers intriguing moments and keeps the viewer brainstorming, throughout, to find out what the main antagonist, Myers, is up against and when he will make his move.

Throughout, viewers will also be tuned into the classic, creepy soundtrack of the movie. There is a lot to enjoy here and Halloween is recommendable for everyone whom is a devoted fan to the horror and suspense genre.

A promising direct sequel to the classic 2006 Casino Royale, is what fans hoped for, but sadly not. Quantum of Solace lacks what made Casino Royale a noteworthy reboot to the Bond series. Solace basically covers all the areas of flaws from fast and lazily edited action scenes to fast and lazy pacing - followed by poor production material. It was no doubt, a rushed project. Though, the whole intriguing background of the Quantum organisation (the main worldwide terrorist organisation in the movie) is interesting and offers many expectations, there doesn't seem to be enough here to arouse satisfaction, as the movie also suffers from lack of character development. Also, the new villain Dominic Greene, played by Mathieu Amalric, is a top member of Quantum and an oil businessman, but no were near one of the finest Bond villains. Given its shortened run-time of 104 minutes (making it the shortest Bond movie to date), there's not even enough development for familiar faces returning from Casino Royale: Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Jesper Christensen and Giancarlo Giannini. Overall, Quantum of Solace was rushed due to the Writer's Strike of 2007-08. Following the success of the next Bond movies, Skyfall and SPECTRE, there will always be another Bond adventure!

Thirty-five years onward since Ridley Scott's 1982 original Blade Runner hit theatres, now the long awaited sequel finally comes out. The question stands "was it worth the wait?" Blade Runner 2049 opens to an amazing soundtrack from the talents of composer Hans Zimmer, followed by a fabulous production design with an amazing visual style (more advanced and modern than the original). So far, this gives the audience a hint that there are numerous doors left open for a possible expanded universe, which is, by far, cool! Expectations are huge and satisfactory, but 2049 suffers from a story-line that could have been shortened down from its overlong 163 minutes run-time to the 117 minutes of the 1982 original. It's basically an overlong police procedural episode that is totally unnecessary. While the visual effects and style is nothing short of amazing, the plot can easily make audiences feel less about the movie, followed by boredom. The performances of Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford (whom has limited screen time) are fine, but this isn't enough to overcome what is tiring about the movie; and considering it's poor box-office performance at the weekend, the release of future sequels might be unlikely, but never say never. Plus, the movie lacks action scenes, as did the original and I feel a movie called 'Blade Runner' (and given its premise) should have more action scenes. The chances of this happening in future sequels is anyone's guess.

As enjoyable and watchable as a film adaptation of the legend of Robin Hood is supposed to be made out to be, this film is woefully underdeveloped and silly! Featuring a cast, majority American, whom can't even pull off decent English accents in their featured Nottingham roles, makes this movie, it's characters and it's purpose, foolish and disturbing. The accents of Christian Slater Michael McShane aren't great and nevertheless their character development, As well as Little John's, is not great nor is their presence of any importance as it's supposed to be in the great tale of Robin Hood. Kevin Costner's performance as the titular hero also isn't great, nor is his lack of attempt to try an English accent, but instead we're invited to oversee the tale with Yankee Robin Hood instead. The only great and plausible things about Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, is the performances of Alan Rickman as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and Morgan Freeman as Robin's sidekick Azeem. Their performances are noteworthy and excellent and give some greatness to this woefully failed tale of one of greatest known tales of all time.

While Robert Downey Jr is absent from the iconic role of the World's Greatest Detective on the big screen, legendary British actor Ian Mckellan steps in those shoes. From achieving international success and critical acclaim from playing franchise-favourite roles like Erik Lensherr/Magneto (X-Men) and Gandalf (Lord of the Rings Trilogy/The Hobbit Trilogy), Mckellan has just about what fans or moviegoers might expect from taking on the role of Sherlock Holmes. Mckellan fits the role brilliantly, but if one was expecting a crime thriller they may be disappointed. The story takes off with an elderly Holmes, age 93, as he lives under a roof of a countryside house and cared for by a housekeeper and her intriguing son. The point is: Holmes is old and unable to come out of retirement to solve one last crime, as fans may have hoped for; but he suffers from memory loss as he tries to recall a recent case he was working on several years prior. This is followed by flashbacks from that case, which may give fans a bit of comfort, but the real attraction is the performance of Mckellan and his relationship with the boy, which develops a situation of importance to the story. In comparison to other recent adaptations of the World's Greatest Detective like BBC's Sherlock, Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes and its 2011 sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, both starring Robert Downey Jr, Mr Holmes probably isn't the crime thriller most were hoping for, but shines a bit of light with great performances and a heart-warming story.

Regarding the fantastic art of Kung-fu movies, 2008's 'The Forbidden Kingdom' is no exception as it's story, elements and convincingly historical sets make it one of today's best. A masterful approach.

Jackie Chan and Jet Li star alongside a talented cast who make their parts their own as their journey through Ancient China, which brings thrills and surprises as the encounter allies and enemies along the way.

There's very little downsides to expect in this movie as the story progresses in decent format and the choreography of the action scenes offers great entertainment. If you're looking for a decent action flick to watch, this may be just the movie for you!

Skyfall, the third movie starring Daniel Craig as Bond, is a sequel made to be just as compelling as the older movies; but nevertheless Skyfall ignores the events of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and takes place sometime later. The events of the last two movies are non-existent in this follow-up as there is no given detail of what had happened thereafter. Nevertheless, Skyfall manages to tell a new story in Bond's life and this sequel really explores the character both physically and emotionally, which wasn't really done a lot in the older movies. The well written script and action sequences are terrific, but towards the second half of the movie, story becomes very weak, but there is enough throwbacks and an explosive action-packed finale to get viewer's attention and the lust for another Bond sequel.

This movie is nothing but terrible. It's got bad acting, from its leads and the plot is so pointless that it's totally unnecessary and it makes you wonder who would actually buy a film like this when it has its DVD/Blu-Ray release. It's just boring from start to finished and during the film's last thirty minutes it actually has a twist to offer - a very In-appealing twist I might add. Samuel L. Jackson isn't looking good here, nor is his portrayal of the President of the United States, which isn't so much as stereotypical but just random. Set in the forests of Finland, Big Game focuses on a plot to capture or kill the President, whom is forced out of Air Force One before it gets struck down by missiles, and is subsequently trying to survive in the forest. With the help of a local boy hunter, the President attempts to stop the attempted murder on his life by going up against the terrorist, some of which were his security guards.

Liam Neeson plays retired hit-man, James Conlon, and it's one of the finest roles he's played in years with a great performance, and with additional superb acting from Joel Kinnaman, whom plays his son, Mike Conlon. The first 'Taken' may have turned out great, until it launched a franchise, but 'Run All Night' is a definite improvement over Neeson's latest work, and a major improvement over clichéd action movies released in the past decade. What makes it so good, is that Neeson brings company with him: his co-star Kinnaman who plays his son - and it's a different movie experience altogether as in most clichéd action thrillers the main protagonist, usually played by a familiar action star, is usually without company the whole way through. The character James Conlon is so similar to Jimmy Bobo, a part Sylvester Stallone played in a movie called 'Bullet to the Head'. Jimmy Bobo was an ageing hit-man who still made hits on assignments, but compared to Conlon, he's more emotionless and merciless. Neeson's Conlon still had good in his heart somewhere, whereas Bobo cared more about killing and seeking vengeance. However, the action sequences are enjoyable and thrilling, acting is great and the direction and screen writing becomes intriguing whenever the main plot kicks in - so Run All Night has what it takes of being one of the most exciting movies of the year!

Out of Jake Gyllenhaal's finest movies and roles, The Day After Tomorrow is, exceptionally, the worst I've seen. It's fair to say it's not his movie, it centres around a science professor played by Dennis Quaid, who predicts an earth catastrophe that is near - which includes tsunamis, snow storms and, ultimately a second ice age - but neither the characters nor the plot itself are in any way interesting. It's tragically bent on clichés. The direction of Roland Emmerich isn't good, nor is the dodgy screenplay, dialogue, nor the characters - and the irritating clichés even include ridiculous lack of character development - even our lead actor, whom is Dennis Quaid, portrays his science professor in way to convince the audience that he's more interested in the safety of his son (Gyllenhaal), in the tragic ice age, than of the many millions of hopeless survivors living in the States.

Whiplash is an extraordinary achievement in filmmaking and totally unmissable! Who thought J.K Simmons would have been offered a role eligible for an Oscar win? Nobody - but that's not the point; the movie is mesmerising to its own extent and outweighs the boundaries of sound editing to a unique and powerhouse level. With so much pleasure to keep the audience glued to their seats, Whiplash is a fascinating tale about a passionate drummer called Andrew (played by Miles Teller) - who's undying dream is to become a musician as a drummer, even if he has to go off the deep end by severely injuring himself, in practise, which he, ultimately, does, when music professor, Fletcher, abusively doubts his talents. It's a careers best for J.K Simmons, whom delivers a masterful performance as Fletcher, as he horribly abuses the students in his music class, in order to make them successful and talented musicians - but Fletcher is not to be messed with. Miles Teller also delivers a mesmerising performance as the young master drummer, Andrew, whom will stop at nothing and will cross boundaries, even with Fletcher, to achieve his dream. It's one of my favourite movies of the year and of all time - and an extraordinary new achievement in filmmaking!

Out of my list of favourite and enjoyable mythical, fantasy, ancient historical, or fictional historical movies, this is perhaps one if my worst. Scorpion King: Rise of Warrior, rises nothing to the standard of outweighing it's predecessor, starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. The screenplay is messy and doesn't equal enough with the original's in many areas, due to it's overuse of dull and totally In-original dialogue, which leaves the characters underdeveloped and dis-interesting. The only character I found interesting was Ari, played by Simon Quarterman. Quarterman's performance was exceptional, due to his distinguishing voice, which went well with his limited narration in the movie. I just wished the other characters would have got on with him better and more positively, but given that it went the opposite way, it shows how smart and knowledgeable he was, to overcome them and for them to see their own level of lesser knowledge or expertise as a probable weakness. Most of the other characters are outright combatants and sword-wielding figures. The story was almost great, but the screenplay and dialogue failed to live up to it's full potential. I didn't particularly like the acting of leading actor Micheal Copon, whom plays the 'Black Scorpion' champion and vengeful Mathayus, who is on the verge of killing the evil king Sargon, played by Randy Couture. Copon makes us believe that there's nothing remarkably significant about Mathayus (who, myself, at first, was willing to believe he was a superior character and warrior, who appeared acrobatic and skillful in ever way - much like the Prince of Persia), which is disappointing. I found most of the other performances bad as well, with the exception of Quarterman, Andreas Wisnieski and several others, as well. For the audience I can only consider this recommendable if you're a huge fan of the first Scorpion King and if you're willing to continue to follow the story, as more sequels are brought to our attention - I would also, personally, suggest that you think carefully about this one, as it may, predictably, be the movie you weren't hoping for.

This won't take long:

Anyone who's concerned with clichés and prefers to avoid them then maybe this isn't the movie for you. Continue reading if you may.

Steven Seagal, probably one of the worst actors but fine action stars, is back to his usual tricks of never taking a beating and playing either an ex- soldier, agent, marine, black ops operative - whatever! The point is his movies are as clichéd and dull as any movies ( theatrically or Direct-to-DVD release ) and he coincidentally proves otherwise in this movie. The best movie he's appeared in DTD is probably 'Maximum Conviction.' He stars alongside Steve Austin the former wrestler, and the acting, storytelling and action scenes were brilliant. I gave it a 8/10 rating as it was well deserved. 'A Good Man' manages to bring a huge standard of stability to its storytelling as well; the only downside: hardly any action. That aside the performances from most of the actors were splendid and kept the movie watchable. At times it felt like elements of the screenplay might start to slip, but the actors keep the spirit of the movie alive.

As an action movie fan I hate say, but this movie I would suggest only recommendable if you feel only good storytelling would put you in the right mood to enjoy this flick. If you desire action and wouldn't want to waste time watching something with hardly any action then this isn't the movie for you. I wouldn't recommend buying it either; there's way better action movies.

The worldwide box-office successes that have made the TF series ongoing and with new additions of spectacular visual effects and breathtaking action-packed sequences, just couldn't get better! Critics and fans alike can say whatever they want about the TF movies as they are entitled to their own opinion, but I have to disagree, as I find each movie enjoyable and a must see!

What I particularly enjoyed about Age of Extinction is that the new leads: played by Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor - were on the road the whole way through as they were being pursued by the CIA, when they uncover that they intercept Optimus Prime. Wahlberg's acting is splendid just like in most of his movies and Peltz's performance is a new fine acting addition to the TF series.

The visual effects and action sequences take up most of the movie's incredible length and the weirdness, ridiculous dialogue and visuals and action mixed up all in one is what a great Popcorn movie is all about!

Steven Seagal, the hard-hitting martial artist who swears no mercy to any of his enemies nor does he take a beating, for once actually stars in an action movie that actually turns out to be good for once. With the teaming up with Wrestler 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, the action and the shootout moments are definitely worth while. It's a groundbreaking worth while and Seagal hasn't been in a better action movie since the Under Siege movies, most of his movies can be ridiculously clichéd and rather annoying due to his successive cheesy one- liners, tough guy impressions and never taking a beating - which makes him a thoroughly non-challenging action star to approve of. In Maximum Conviction, Seagal is Agent across and Steve Austin is Manning. Two ex-special forces operatives who are given a chance to prove their talents once again when a secret military prison facility, run by themselves, gets overrun and compromised by ruthless mercenaries, who are trying to break out two captives for certain demands. For Cross and Manning it's a non-stop quest for justice and taking back the prison's security. Packed with amazing non-stop action moments and thrills, Maximum Conviction is definitely worth the watch if you're an action movie fan!