FILM: Transcendence (dir: Wally Pfister, 2014)

"Jesus Christ!"
"Will?"

Wally Pfister's directing debut takes on the classic computer-intelligence-taking-over story and drags it into the 21st Century, the result being a film that - as expected from Pfister - looks stunning, but which is relentlessly earnest to the point of being soporific. The script is decent enough, in spite of the sledgehammer verbal and visual religious and nature-vs.-technology metaphors, and there is good work from Rebecca Hall as the wife whose love and devotion to her husband is pushed to interesting extremes, as well as one of Paul Bettany's better performances, but overall a greater variety of pace and tone might have benefitted the film as a viewing experience. 

FILM: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 IMAX 3D (dir: Marc Webb, 2014)

"What is all this stuff?"
"The future."

Sony's decision to hire Marc Webb to direct The Amazing Spider-Man seemed driven by an intention to create a contemporary and more grounded take on the superhero genre, which worked for the reboot and again proves successful in this sequel, and Garfield and Stone are again excellent.  The huge set-pieces take flash-cutting to new heights but are very well staged and beautifully shot in an electric-neon palette, with real depth created by very well-crafted 3D.  The difficulty lies not so much with the Raimi-3 use of three villains - Foxx and DeHaan are strong and make for better antagonists than The Lizard, and indeed the development and realisation of the Green Goblin is much more effective here - but with the lack of real surprise or peril.  Although there are a plethora of plot-points developed with the unsubtle ramming-home of main themes (mortality, choice, destiny) from the outset, it all feels somewhat routine.   The music score is fresh and enjoyable.  There are a lot of foundations laid for the next instalment, which - in spite of this outing being solid and enjoyable - will need to do something more creative and engaging with its central character.

FILM: The Raid 2 (dir: Gareth Evans, 2014)

"I won't let you down."

The Raid 2 does not disappoint - it is an excellent sequel.  The adoption of a wider scale (in terms of time, locations and narrative) means that it lacks the tension and compactness of the first film, but this is compensated for by a more ambitious gangland canvas and creating in its long running time room for characters and moments to breathe. Fans of the original will undoubtedly be drawn back by the promise of more and copious balletic bloody violence, and indeed again the action is swift, frantic and extraordinary, with the bonus here of an amazingly-handled car chase.  Indeed, Gareth Evans proves to be an even more audacious and bold director here, making not just a terrific action film but a hugely cinematic one too, from the early prison-yard smackdown to the relentless Shakespearean-tragedy-style finale.  Iko Uwais again proves to be a dynamic and engaging on-screen presence, but credit is also due to Arifin Putra as the overly-ambitious gangleader's son who provides the key link for Uwais to infiltrate the underworld and uncover police corruption.  If cinema violence is cathartic, The Raid 2 is one of the most mesmerising and liberating action films ever, and if you can stomach it, it is thrillingly entertaining.

FILM: The Quiet Ones (dir: John Pogue, 2014)

"Take your hand out of his trousers right now, please!"

The Quiet Ones is a mild but often atmospheric supernatural thriller from Hammer Studios, but it is certainly no match for The Woman In Black.  Set in the early 70s (so inevitably Slade, T.Rex, Hawkwind etc are trotted out on the soundtrack), it brings to mind the studio's own TV shows with its earnest tone but overall silliness.  Apart from an annoying reliance on VERY SUDDEN VERY LOUD NOISES and some ubiquitous Paranormal rumbles, there is some excellent sound design and at times the film creates an unsettling sense of foreboding, but most of the time it is routine and unsurprising.  Sam Claflin provides a nicely-played understated performance as the cameraman hired to record the 'experiment', and Jared Harris provides some one-note gravitas as the professor.  There are some occasional lively moments of supernatural nonsense, but there is little here to really get the pulse going.

DVD: Hatchet 3 (dir: BJ McDonnell, 2014)

"This whole thing could be some kind of a joke...."

Better than the efficient but underwhelming first sequel, Hatchet 3 injects a lot of fun back into the franchise with an unexpectedly effective mix of humour, nastiness and self/genre-awareness.  Although low in budget, the film displays bags of energy and a determination to deliver, and the rapid-fire delivery of a succession of ridiculous gore-gags on a succession of deserving characters is pure entertainment for horror fans.  Genre names such as two ex-Jasons (Kane Hodder and Derek Mears) and Zach Galligan do well, but the wonderful Danielle Harris is underused in this instalment.  The Hatchet series has worked well in offering nothing more than an affectionate throwback to the glory days of the 80s slasher for the fans, and if this turns out to be series closer then it does so in fair style.

FILM: Noah IMAX (dir: Darren Aronofsky, 2014)

"Are you mad?"

Noah is an effective if rather peculiar blockbuster, with Aronofsky's artistic flourishes sitting beside epic disaster movie stylings.....and for the most part it works extremely well, largely thanks to a very strong character performance by Russell Crowe, whose transformation from committed visionary to haunted zealot is convincing and moving.  As expected from the director, there are many glorious and creative visuals - even the arrival of the animals in three main stages is wondrous - although the fallen angels (The Watchers) do unfortunately bring to mind the rock creature in Galaxy Quest.  The cast is generally hugely effective - pitting Ray Winstone against Crowe was always going to be good value and does not disappoint - but in a male-dominated story it is the female performances which stand out: Emma Watson truly delivers, and the wonderful Jennifer Connelly is nuanced and immensely credible.  Clint Mansell's score is often quite magnificent, from the majestic building of the ark to the affirming conclusion in particular, and the effects work is ambitious and mostly delivers the spectacle and scale successfully.    There are some brave choices that make this movie stand out from the crowd - an evolution montage juxtaposed with Biblical creationism is not something you see in a big-budget movie every day - but it is also to be commended for creating some effective human stories and emotions from the familiar material.

FILM: Divergent (dir: Neil Burger, 2014)

"You're supposed to be smart."

Divergent certainly makes the viewer feel its 139-minutes running time, to the point where one wonders if the film will ever actually get to some kind of ending (which of course it does eventually if somewhat breathlessly).  Set one hundred years after a future war in a recognisable but ruined Chicago (with some well-integrated CG work),   the division of society into five stereotypical personality factions to maintain order is a naïve and ridiculously dumb concept to start with, but the problem is compounded by saddling it to a somewhat unchallenging and bluntly-written narrative which would surely make even tweenagers think twice.  It is delivered with a similar sombre monotone that derailed last year's dreary YA adaptation The Host, but Divergent has the occasional lively moment to raise flagging interest.  It also lacks anything truly unique, drawing on everything from The Hunger Games to Ender's Game and even Harry Potter.  Performances are adequate across the board but generally muted, and the only real surprise is a splendid score by - of all people - Junkie XL.  Clearly designed as a book/movie trilogy, Divergent does a reasonable job of world-building, but as a potential movie franchise a sequel would need to offer something considerably more fresh and raise its game from this tepid first offering.

FILM: Captain America - The Winter Soldier 3D (dirs: Anthony and Joe Russo, 2014)

"I'm multi-tasking!"

The Winter Soldier is one heck of an entertaining thrill ride and possibly the best film so far in the Marvel movie canon.  It is a very focussed, sombre and mature affair, so a lot will depend on what style you prefer your Marvel films, but it clearly sandwiches neatly between the high fantasy of Thor The Dark World and the more comedic-space-opera of the upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy.  The Russos direct with aplomb, creating superb full-on action sequences and generating excellent character work.  Acting all round is terrific, with Evans and Johansson especially making the most of every opportunity (and there are many) to spark off each other and develop their characters, and Anthony Mackie is a good addition as The Falcon.  The script hardly has any fat, and the first act has more action and narrative beats than most blockbusters contain in their final one.  The realisation and steady reveal of The Winter Soldier on-screen is handled brilliantly, and the level of brutal (but mostly bloodless) violence is exciting if quite surprising for a 12A.  Whilst the final showdown is somewhat silly - it is a Marvel movie after all - the sci-fi-eye-candy stylings compensate.  The credits teaser and indeed the film's ending make the prospect of the second Avengers movie even more intriguing, as The Winter Soldier proves to be a gamechanger for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the franchise as a whole.

FILM: Starred Up (dir: David Mackenzie, 2014)

"I beg your pardon?"

Starred Up is an early contender for the best British film of 2014.  Whilst it cannot avoid the completely-limited conventions of the prison movie genre for the most part (and thankfully avoids the melodramatics of Scum), this film's USP - the relationship between young Eric (Jack O'Connell) and the older Neville (Ben Mendelsohn) makes the film singularly compelling.  Leaving behind his lightweight turn in 300 - Rise Of An Empire, O'Connell gives an absolutely stunning performance, by turn terrifying, hilarious and heartbreaking (often within a single scene) that completely carries the film, but Mendelsohn's extraordinarily layered acting cannot be overlooked.  It is unflinchingly sweary, claustrophobic and violent, creating a constantly simmering tension in a brutal system where revenge is swift and tolerance is alien, all brilliantly managed by the director.  High-brow critics may play up the unsubtle metaphor of the prison microcosm for society in general, but Starred Up is essentially about a relationship and the human ability to hurt and to heal, making for harrowing, thought-provoking and emotionally-raw viewing..

FILM: Muppets Most Wanted (dir: James Bobin, 2014)

"Bad frog!  Bad frog!"

The 2011 reboot produced a wonderful mix of nostalgia and self-awareness, which this follow-up manages to a fair degree but does not quite hit the same heights of inspired lunacy.  Muppets Most Wanted is nevertheless an extremely well-crafted and surprisingly cinematic children's film, and is at its heart a fairly traditional Muppet movie caper.  The Europe-trotting tour-and-heists narrative set-up means that the film stays on the move and packs in a good number of visual gags, smile-inducing cameos and more decent songs by Bret McKenzie.  The pairing of Ty Burrell and Sam The Eagle as two culture-clash detectives is inspired, Tina Fay works hard as the Gulag head, and Ricky Gervais feels well cast here.  It is hard to resist a film that includes a brilliant collision of The Swedish Chef and iconic Bergman!