FILM: Life (dir: Daniel Espinosa, 2017)

"It's just surviving."

This starry bottle movie of a smart and relentless Martian organism wreaking havoc on a space station feels very familiar indeed (Alien and Gravity inevitably loom large), but Life has a couple of reasonable twists on the formula up its sleeve, including some moderate body horror and a brave ending.  With a cast of this calibre, there is a clear attempt to engage with the characters' emotional responses to situations (with Jake Gyllenhaal succeeding best), but ultimately this is a fairly routine cat-and-mouse space-set creature-feature-thriller.  It seems a shame that Sony did not stump up the cash for a 3D conversion, which would have made some of the visuals really pop, but as this is an adult-targeted drama that was unlikely to happen. 

FILM: Power Rangers (dir: Dean Israelite, 2017)

"Don't break it!....You broke it."

With all the pre-publicity talking of a 'grounded' approach and trailers that clearly promised modern more-bang-for-your-buck CGI, this 2017 movie take on the cheap and dopey 90s kids' TV franchise is - perhaps inevitably - a very mixed bag.  It starts off like Green Lantern meets The Breakfast Club, then becomes a very extended origin story that plays like Chronicle meets Tim Story's Fantastic Four, and ends up with an enormous CGI-filled showdown of carnage that is like a collision of Transformers and The Avengers.  The writing and tone is frustratingly uneven, as if the production was uncertain whether to embrace its kitsch origins or run with a cool contemporary update: for every sequence that really works well (such as the discovery of their powers and the spaceship) there is a real misfire (e.g. the training montage).   The action is often very chaotic on screen, but the movie's real strength is the interplay and performances when all five PC-stereotype Rangers are together.  In a seemingly impossible task, Elizabeth Banks does create an effectively-performed villain from TV's ridiculous Rita Repulsa character, although she is given remarkably little screen time.  Yes, the quintuple-superhero landing is a joyous moment, and the suits (when they finally manage 'Morphin' time'!) are a massively good-looking upgrade from the spandex onesies, and how they got away with the crude opening joke is a beguiling mystery.  When Power Rangers the movie works it is rather enjoyable - a less origin-focused sequel that really pits the team against the enemy throughout the film would be interesting to see.

FILM: The Lost City Of Z (dir: James Gray, 2017)

"There is always danger in the jungle."

The Lost City Of Z is a solidly made account of explorer Percy James Fawcett's expeditions to 'The Amazonia' in the early early 1900s in search of a fabled lost city proving early civilisation.  Going for verisimilitude rather than gung-ho adventure (although there are a couple of exciting sequences), this is a measured and thoughtful examination of what drove the explorer on his quest and how it affected his family across three separate trips in its lengthy (and at times leisurely) run time.  The jungle sequences are lush and vivid, the period detail is lovingly recreated, and it is all driven by a mostly impressive central performance by Charlie Hunnam with strong back-up from Sienna Miller as his patient wife, an almost-unrecognisable Robert Pattinson as his co-explorer, and in the later stages Tom Holland (again proving to be an actor to watch) as the eldest son.  This well-crafted tale is unsensational and character-focused, and, in spite of being a little testing of patience, affords its lead actor the opportunity to present a character that has real time to breathe and to develop on screen.

FILM: Get Out (dir: Jordan Peele, 2017)

"There's no need to worry."

Get Out is a movie that works extremely well on two important levels.  First, there is the obvious social and racial critique at play, delivered in a manner that is often direct and unflinching but smartly letting the viewers do the work in a way that is engaging and thought-provoking (just like producer Blumhouse's The Purge series).  Secondly, if you are a horror fan, Get Out is enormous fun - it is sharp (an early Exorcist III-style jump-scare got the audience going quite early on!), playful and very well plotted, to the extent that you have vague ideas of where it all might be leading, and then it enables a wonderful scramble to piece together all the plot elements by the viewer once the true reveal starts in the final act before all is laid out. This is a tight and lean story - after the initial set-up, it is surprising to consider that most of the film takes place in one main location - and there are enough ideas and plot points to sustain its long runtime well.  The film works largely thanks to a terrifically engaging and well-paced lead performance by Daniel Kaluuya, who provides such an amiable protagonist that he is easy to root for, and look out for some scene-stealing light relief by LilRel Howery as his best mate.  By the time you get to the end, you want to see it again to look for some of those late plot reveals that you just know were signposted earlier on.  But no sequel, please - this just works so well as a one-off.

FILM: Beauty And The Beast 3D (dir: Bill Condon, 2017)

 "But she's so well-read, and you're so...athletically-inclined!"

After the success of the live-action version of The Jungle Book and the promising trailers, Beauty And The Beast is another triumph for Disney.  The transition from animation to live-action here means a ramping up of the melodramatic moments, but they work within the context of the largely musical genre form.  Some occasional cheap-looking GCI shots aside, this is a faithful, lavish, big-scale staging that looks terrific in 3D, with the big numbers and everyone's favourite set-pieces pulled off with aplomb plus some good tweaks and new numbers (the Prince/Beast's opening backstory works well).  Emma Watson is simply excellent in the lead role of Belle, both in creating a rounded Disney heroine and with her singing (and one cannot help but think how good she would have been in La La Land), and likewise Dan Stevens as The Beast and Luke Evans as Gaston fit and deliver their roles so well.  This is a smart adaptation of a modern classic that unashamedly and successfully hits the nostalgia buttons as well as working for the new generation - little kids in the audience were audibly sobbing when the effects of the last rose petal falling kicked in!  By the time it gets to its rousing conclusion, this feels like a consistently entertaining and satisfying movie that was clearly made with love, care and respect.

FILM: Kong - Skull Island 3D 4DX (dir: Jordan Vogt-Roberts, 2017)

"Monsters exist."
"No sh*t."

To put it simply, the CGI creature effects and the action/fight set pieces are absolutely staggering in this movie, especially the extraordinary final smackdown...but beyond that there is little of interest.  The ridiculously strong human cast is given hardly anything to do, and in a similar manner to the original modern-day GCI blockbuster, Twister, you simply end up waiting for the next creature or monster-clash to come along.  The 1970s post-Vietnam setting is inspired, with its rich Far East settings in the first act and some gorgeous location work and cinematography once the action shifts full-time to the 'mysterious island', and the incorporation of Nam movie tropes gives this particular monster movie a distinct visual/aural feel, even if it does seem very Jurassic Park-like at times.  It is, however, a somewhat forgettable experience overall, but it is worth seeing for the incredible creature work and those exciting set-pieces.

DVD: Train To Busan (dir: Yeon Sang-ho, 2016)

"Looks like something's happening."

South Korea does Zombies On A Train, and does it very well, with the preceding buzz proving to be well-founded.  In spite of taking on a now well-worn genre, there is an inspired mix of clichés with some epically daft and also some gloriously creative set-ups and visuals.  There are many references to ideas from modern horror hits, which are often effective in their use, and Idiot Plot runs riot, but this is managed with a deft balance of full-on action/horror and self-awareness played straight - even the inevitably melodramatic ending is handled with some integrity.  Train To Busan has energy, invention and some depth, making for a very entertaining ride (sorry) indeed.

FILM: Logan (dir: James Mangold, 2017)

REVIEW No. 750!

"The Statue Of Liberty was a long time ago, Charles.  A long time."

Hugh Jackman's apparently final shout as Wolverine is a brave and bold approach to the increasingly-formulaic comic-book genre, and Marvel, Fox and Mangold are to be applauded for making a film for adults in terms of style, theme and content.  The story cues from the Old Man Logan and X-23 strands work very effectively in a story and style that cleverly takes in a range of genres from Western to sci-fi to family drama that balances both intimacy and big-scale cinematics.  The action beats are smart, sharp and exciting, and the whole film exudes a juxtaposed worn-out aesthetic from the weary characters to arid landscapes.  Logan here is the logical extrapolation of the angry, disillusioned outsider, designed to show Jackman's range and depth to great effect, Patrick Stewart is heartbreaking as the withering Xavier, and young Dafne Keen makes a huge impression as Laura.  The film also benefits from one of Marco Beltrami's less overblown and effectively evocative scores.  Logan is sweary, violent, measured and extremely satisfying.