FILM: IT Chapter Two 4DX (dir: Andy Muschietti, 2019)

"I hope it's a puppy…"

Put into production quickly after the huge success of the 2017 adaptation of the first half of Stephen King's novel, this film is very much a Part Two of two, and it complements the first film extremely well.  A lot of what was so right about the first part still applies, in particular Muschietti's impressive control of what is presented on screen.  The adult cast is simply terrific, both as individuals and as an ensemble, and there are some great scenes where the older cast interact with their younger versions.  A marked difference from the very start is the harsher tone and adult themes, with a darker feel, and the lengthy running time allows the adult characters to be established properly and to breathe.  Minor niggles would be that the nightmarish visions look somewhat generic, and deliberately evoke the Elm Street films, and the ending is little more than a bigger budget version of the first film' ending (although it looks considerably better than the TV movie's finale!), but It Chapter Two is still superior horror film-making, it delivers the goods, and King/horror fans can have fun spotting the references (some blatant, some subtle).  With rumours of a 'super cut' of both movies together a possibility, that would offer a great way to see this incarnation of the whole story.

FILM: Crawl 4DX (dir: Alexandre Aja, 2019)

"I gotta go down there, don't I?"

Don't go looking for anything original or surprising in this reasonably standard disaster movie/creature-feature, but what you do get is a slick, energetic and well-mounted slice of pure popcorn entertainment.  The film benefits enormously from its almost unwavering focus on the fractured father-daughter relationship, ably and committedly played by the reliable Kaya Scodelario and veteran Barry Pepper, as they try to survive the dual threat of a major hurricane and invading alligators.  Director Aja uses the screen and the relatively low budget well and keeps the momentum going right to the end, and the attack sequences are enjoyably and surprisingly brutal.  The film also has a deliciously cruel streak, which makes Crawl a cut above the usual fodder of this type.  If you see it in 4DX, prepare to be thrown about and sprayed at regular intervals!

FILM: The Grinch 3D 4DX (dirs: Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, 2018)

"My eyes are burning!"

Illumination's 2018 take on the modern classic is cuter and somewhat less bizarre than the much-loved Ron Howard-directed live-action version, and this  very child-friendly take on the popular tale is sweet, slick and enjoyable.  The material is tailor-made for CGI animation, and both 3D and 4DX are utilised excellently if you see it in those formats.  Cumberbatch does fun voice work, and Max The Dog (The Grinch's pet/companion) got a great reaction from the audience.  Design and animation triumph here - the film is a gloriously detailed and vibrant red-and-green symphony against a snowy white backdrop, with a reasonably trim running time owing to the straightforward and smoothed-out telling of the tale Like Christmas itself, sometimes you just have to surrender yourself to the simple shiny sickly-sweet pleasures of the season and indeed this movie and enjoy it - even if it feels as if it has been released a month too early!  (The accompanying Minions short, Yellow Is the New Black, features a frantic prison break that is very entertaining).

FILM: The Nutcracker and The Four Realms 3D 4DX (dirs: Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston, 2018)

"I LOVE Christmas......what's Christmas?"

Disney's lavish festive treat is the kind of family movie to be watched snuggled up on the sofa with a box of chocolates around Christmas time.  As a film, it falls somewhere between the recent Alice and Narnia movies: huge-scale fantasy, abundant SFX, sumptuous detail and a basic but effective emotional through-story.  Quite how much of Hallstrom's original shoot remains is unclear, but there is little indication of how the story might have changed.  Performances are variable, but there is good work by Mackenzie Foy as our feisty antagonist, Matthew Macfadyen gives a touching performance as the grieving father, Omid Djalili and Jack Whitehall are good value as comedy guards, and Keira Knightley is unexpectedly remarkable infectious fun as Sugar Plum.  A couple of token ballet sequences are staged very well, and whilst Nutcracker proves to be as substantial as a marshmallow, it is an acceptable Christmas entertainment.

FILM: Goosebumps 2 - Haunted Halloween 4DX (dir: Ari Sandel, 2018)

"This is bad, guys.  This is really, really bad."

This disappointing sequel looks and feels more like an ambitious TV episode than a movie.  It seems to lean towards an even younger audience than the first fun film, and subsequently comes across as very simplistic and has little content with which to engage interest.  Whilst there is nothing essentially bad or wrong here, the whole film is simply underwhelming, the best part being the Gummi Bears attack sequence teased in the trailer.  Even Jack Black's return is fleeting and of no real impact or consequence in this sadly unmemorable film.

FILM: Venom 3D 4DX (dir: Ruben Fleischer, 2018)

"What is wrong with me?"

If ever a movie defined the phrase 'all over the place', it would be this one.  At best it would appear that there is a good body-horror actioner somewhere in here, and there are plenty of moments to enjoy, but too much inconsistency makes it difficult to really engage with.  Some comedy moments are laugh-out-loud whilst others fall flat; the dialogue and storytelling are both largely unsubtle; there are a couple of cracking cinematic action sequences, yet also some flat TV-style presentation; the score is at best oddly eclectic, to be polite...and so on.  As second leads, Riz Ahmed and Michelle Williams are both somewhat wasted but do good work with the material, and Tom Hardy is nothing but enthusiastic and engaging and fits the role well.  There have been suggestions that this was downgraded from an American R to a PG-13 targeted rating, which if it is the case would explain the odd and sometimes neutered product we have here, which is nevertheless not the total car-crash that some critics have said.

FILM: The Nun 4DX (dir: Corin Hardy, 2018)

"What's the opposite of a miracle, Father?"

The Conjuring franchise hardly seems like material to sustain a 'Universe', but this spin-off is another example of giving an unnecessary backstory to an incidental jump-scare idea from bigger movies.  It starts promisingly in an unexpectedly grounded manner, but once generic supernatural nonsense creeps in the film becomes a lot less interesting and engaging.  The setting of a near-abandoned Romanian nunnery in 1952 is both atmospheric and well-realised, the film is clearly directed with care and the three leads are solid enough (and the stunt casting of Taissa Farmiga - younger sister of the main franchise's Vera -  as the novice nun pays off interestingly.)  It all gets very silly in the second half, one expects an appearance by the kitchen sink in the finale, and it manages an effective tie-in to the main series, but overall this origin-story movie is unnecessary, quite thinly-written and adds little to the franchise as a whole.  The set-pieces are showy rather than tension-building, thus making The Nun oddly less scary than her previous short appearances in the franchise!

FILM: Ant-Man And The Wasp 3D 4DX (dir: Peyton Reed, 2018)

 "It makes me want to knit you a sweater!"

The first Ant-Man movie was a pleasing, fun movie that was never a top-league Marvel movie, but Ant-Man's stature has grown (literally) in subsequent MCU appearances.  The second outing makes the wise move of promoting The Wasp to shared top billing, but a lot of what made the first film work well is evident here: the comedy smarts, the relationships and a less pompous tone than some Marvel movies.  Evangeline Lilly is the easy stand-out here, giving a really strong performance and establishing the Wasp in her own right, and the rest of the cast works effortlessly.  Here, Marvel's weak-villains curse works in favour of shining the focus more interestingly on the protagonists.  The film's saviour is also, of course, the wonderful FX work, from the whiplash size-changing gags to the seamless integration.  The basic story itself is pitifully thin, but there is a lot of fun to be had along the way.  The film is set before Avengers - Infinity War, but wait for the mid-credits scene that brings it up-to-date very powerfully.

FILM: Coco 3D 4DX (dirs: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina, 2018)

"It has been an honour to meet you, Miguel."

Coco is an utter joy to watch and stands as one of Pixar's very best.  Taking on the potentially difficult concept of the Mexican Day Of The Dead (for a children's animation) proves to be a positive challenge, as the film finds the right balance between being culturally respectful and playful as well as handling the big theme of the afterlife in a direct but child-friendly way.   Pixar's usual heartstring-pulling backstory-setting is handled very efficiently and effectively, and the viewer is immediately drawn in to the story by the extremely amiable and endearing protagonist, Miguel.  Coco represents a huge step up in terms of animation, not just the astonishing level of detail but also the stunning use of colour and lighting; it is simply beautiful to watch, especially in 3D.  Themes of family, remembrance and tradition are skilfully handled, and the story takes some bold narrative steps and has a constant energy and drive that is maintained right to the tear-jerking/heart-warming/life-affirming ending.  Coco is simply a truly accomplished and totally delightful film.  

FILM: The Dark Tower 4DX (dir: Nikolaj Arcel, 2017)

REVIEW No. 800!

"Go to Hell!"
"Been there."

Finally, a big screen version of Stephen King's magnum opus makes it into cinemas after various false starts, and it is a slightly odd film.  It has all the ingredients to work successfully, yet it never really catches fire, even with a fairly spirited final act.  Clearly distilled into a surprisingly brief 95 minutes  from part of King's sprawling tale, it does feel familiarly Stephen King, yet in movie terms it suffers two notable issues.  Firstly, the characters are very thinly drawn, even though Matthew McConaughey finds a malevolent stillness in the Man In Black, Idris Elba brings an appropriate world-weary gravitas to The Gunslinger (and is fun in the fish-out-of-water scenes on Earth in a Thor-like way), and even young Tom Taylor (yes, from TV's Doctor Foster) is acceptable as the psychic-powered Jake.  Secondly, as a 12A, it really does not securely target an audience: too violent for the children, too male-centric and with a slightly young protagonist for today's YA audience  (which it very often feels it is pitching along the lines of The Mortal Instruments and Divergent, but without the romantic angle), and too bland for adults.  The blending of western and fantasy tropes works visually, and yet often there is very little that could not be seen in an episode of TV's Stargate.  With a pared-back storyline, thin characters and a moderate budget, this take on The Dark Tower works but in a limited way, yet it does world-build appropriately for the follow-up that we might not get to see, if early American box-office indications are anything to go by.

FILM: Atomic Blonde 4DX (dir: David Leitch, 2017)

"I didn't come here to collect postcards."

Cool seems to be the operative word for this film, from the wintry end-of-the Cold War Berlin setting and the grey/blue-tinted stylings to the ice-cold spy of the title, a character who is completely owned here by a committed Charlize Theron.  Able support comes from a strong supporting cast, including James McAvoy (great character work here), Toby Jones and John Goodman. There seems to be a real effort made to integrate the grounded bone-crunching action (often in unflinching medium/close up shots) with the story, which falls somewhere between a serious John le Carre political thriller and a full-on action fest.   Atomic Blonde has a killer 80s indie/synthpop hits soundtrack, Leitch's increasingly trademark quirky and interesting use of camera, and overall makes for an entertaining if somewhat unsurprising and disposable thriller.

FILM: Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets 4DX 3D (dir: Luc Besson, 2017)

"Sit back, relax and enjoy the show."

Luc Besson's dream project is an eye-wateringly expensive grand space opera that certainly delivers on scale and spectacle but the content has little depth, and therefore it succeeds as a hyper-kinetic and eyeball-searing romp with its comic-book origins clear in its stylings and characters.  At over two hours it is overlong for the story it tells, but the huge visuals and action set-pieces work well.  Dane DeHaan and Carla Delevingne work hard but lack the essential chemistry needed for the romantic sparring, hampered by dialogue that at times does not deliver which also afflicts the film as a whole (especially in the control room scenes).  The influential comic series means that a lot of the film's design and story bears references to  the Star Wars and Avatar universes, although the wildly creative ideas on display here are never less than interesting.  Its box office underperformance may be partly due to the less-than-marketable casting and its uncompromising genre approach, but viewed on its own terms Valerian makes for an acceptable sci-fi actioner.

FILM: The Mummy 3D 4DX (dir: Alex Kurtzman, 2017)

"I can't unsee it."

The Mummy 2017 has a lot of elements that work very well but is an oddly unengaging experience.  As many critics have been quick to point out, it is designed as a Tom Cruise action vehicle  - and he is very good here, given opportunity to extend beyond his typical action persona - but the story is thin (at times insultingly dumb) and the dialogue often weak, which sit uncomfortably with the overblown but very enjoyable set pieces.  3D is used well,  the plane crash featured in trailers is excellent (and great fun augmented by 4DX) and there are some very dynamic fight sequences.  The money is all up on the screen, but the film does not really use the central concept to give it its own identity, certainly lacking the fun romp elements of the Brendan Fraser era,  and ends up being a typical efficient modern committee-created Studio blockbuster.

FILM: Wonder Woman 3D 4DX (dir: Patty Jenkins, 2017)

"I am...above average."

Not only does Wonder Woman provide the belated first female-superhero-led film of the current cycle, but it also turns out to be by far the best and most enjoyable of the new DC Extended Universe films.  The film is a strong and efficient origin story, with the opening act set on the hidden all-female island of Themyscira proving to be surprisingly nuanced and interesting, beautifully shot and with a couple of arresting action scenes, notably a beach battle that makes no compromises for younger viewers.  As Diana meets Chris Pine's charmingly smooth but tough American spy (with Pine ideally cast and effective here) and the action moves into 1918 London and on to the World War I trenches, the world of a century ago is realised wonderfully and a whole host of gender/political/ideological issues are cleverly touched upon with wit and sharpness largely through our (super)hero's initially naïve, honest and principled eyes.  Gal Gadot gives a remarkably good performance in the title role, proving to be an engaging and magnetic screen presence throughout, and Patty Jenkins direction uses pace and fluid camerawork extremely well.  The ending is a fairly generic superhero vs villain CGI slugfest (and why does DC always seem to set them at night?), but it is presented with greater impact and clarity than, for example, the frantic finale of Batman v Superman.  Wonder Woman establishes the character fully with a well-written arc in a strongly-made film, so we can only hope that this is evidence of lessons learned for the ongoing DCEU.

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.

FILM: Doctor Strange 3D 4DX (dir: Scott Derrickson, 2016)

"OK.  That's a thing."

Doctor Strange is a very entertaining film.  It sets out its stall early, and from then on it uses a successful balancing act of character scenes (with some nicely wry humour) and spectacle that keeps attention throughout.  This aspect of Marvel's 'magic', including teleportation, multiverses and astral projection, is introduced seamlessly to the filmic MCU.  Cumberbatch is inevitably terrific in the title role, pitching his character somewhere between Sherlock and House MD, and his character arc is interesting.  The film is, of course, a stunning visual effects tour de force, backed up by another strong (if somewhat familiar-sounding) Michael Giacchino score, and the use of 3D is impressive, not just for the big set-pieces but also for smaller details like placement of characters in frame.  This is very much Strange-centred - inevitable for an origin movie - therefore accusations of the other characters being underwritten are to be expected, but Tilda Swinton is a delight, Rachel McAdams plays nicely against Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor adds expected gravitas, and Mads Mikkelsen is one of Marvel's better antagonists in the screen time he has. The finale, for all its clever CGI bluster, does feel emotionally underpowered and a bit perfunctory.  Doctor Strange overall is nevertheless a fine introduction to a new player in the MCU, and as the ending and the excellent mid-credits scene prove, this is a character we look forward to seeing again.

FILM: Jack Reacher - Never Go Back 4DX (dir: Edward Zwick, 2016)

 "I move around a lot."

Using old-fashioned stereotyping for a somewhat old-fashioned movie, if the first Jack Reacher movie was an efficient action movie for the boys, Never Go Back feels as if it was selected to give an action movie for Cruise's female fans, with a range of significant female characters, Cruise addressing more emotional issues with the introduction of possible paternity of a fifteen-year-old daughter who becomes embroiled in the narrative, and watered-down violence for a 12A certificate.  Cruise is as reliable as ever and can still carry a movie effortlessly, Cobie Smulders is effective as his main foil, and the introduction of Danika Yarosh as the teenager works well.  It has a remarkably simple straightforward story, with overlong talky stretches, but Never Go Back is a slick, well-made but rather tepid action movie.

FILM: Inferno 4DX (dir: Ron Howard, 2016)

"You talk too much...."

There is a spirited opening with Hanks's character injured, delusional and amnesiac, which immediately thrusts the viewer into a shared personal mystery.  What follows is a well made but very clinical cat-and-mouse thriller that again suffers as a result of the source material, with flimsy and mechanical plotting and a serious lack of puzzle-solving, on the latter of which Brown's output (both literary and cinematic) is sold.  As a picturesque travelogue, the film looks great, the strong cast does solid work with what little emotional characterisation is on offer, and Hans Zimmer conjures up a great cool-synth thriller score that nevertheless is strangely intrusive in key dialogue scenes.  Inferno is a handsome but over-long routine thriller that really would benefit from more action and content in order to truly engage.

FILM: Blair Witch 4DX (dir: Adam Wingard, 2016)

"This looks familiar."

This under-the-radar sequel to the 1999 phenomenon ignores the hopeless Book Of Shadows and follows the more traditional sequel route with the brother of the original's ill-fated Heather going back to Burkittsville years after the original events following a YouTube video lead.  Modern-day tech is used effectively, such as drones, GPS and earcams, but what we have here is effectively a re-run of the first film, as the scenario gives virtually no scope for anything new.  This film notably lacks the journey and discovery aspects of the original movie, and the expanded muddled endgame suggests different possible explanations for the Blair Witch mystery that fail to satisfy.  The lead actors here are more amiable but quite bland, and Adam Wingard's skill as a director can still be seen at times, but Blair Witch stands as his most disappointing film so far.  If watching the 4DX version, the experience is applied erratically and mostly to emphasise the jump scares.  The Blair Witch Project was an indie breakout through the massive hype and its groundbreaking internet campaign as well as its then-relatively-new found footage technique but - apart from the last couple of minutes - was not remotely scary; Blair Witch has nothing to set the pulse racing at all.

FILM: Suicide Squad 3D 4DX (dir: David Ayer, 2016)

 "They warned me about you."

There are evident tensions in Suicide Squad - particularly the rating/audience being targeted, lack of consistent tone, comic-strip stylings jostling with  blockbuster tropes, and the path to the theatrically-released version - which give rise to mixed results overall.  Whilst not as damaged as last year's Fantastic 4, this compromised alleged cut-and-shut product of Ayer's vision and a hasty studio cut gives rise to uneven use of narrative, pacing and deployment of characters.  Marvel's Avengers movies had the clear benefit of A-List superheroes and solo films to lay the groundwork and introductions; Suicide Squad is saddled with having to (languorously) introduce the characters (which are mostly at best DC's B- and C-list) and not develop them much thereafter.  Nevertheless, the movie has a cracking cast - Hernandez, Smith and the ever-wonderful Robbie are stand-outs - who do their best even when the material remains thin, Delevingne's villain is played well but is unformed and underdeveloped, and for all the reported character work Jared Leto invested in his incarnation of Joker, his take is very interesting but little seen in this movie (like the briefly-used Batfleck, perhaps being saved for the Dark Knight's next outing?).    To cap it all, this is another movie set in gloomy rain-filled night: this movie shows some good character work but mostly lacks the fizzing dialogue, brightness and zip that it deserved.