FILM: Captain America Brave New World 3D (dir: Julius Onah, 2025)

"...and yet, here we are..."

If ever a movie screamed 'course correction', it is this one.  Post-Endgame - and possibly derailed by the pandemic, some underwhelming TV shows, losing its next overarching major villain plus the Hollywood strikes - the MCU's Phases Four and Five have felt lacking in connective tissue and momentum, with new characters left dangling and some of the films perhaps unfairly maligned.  Following the smash success of Deadpool & Wolverine, the Marvel machine appears to be swinging back into full throttle with its release slate, and much more so than recent movies Brave New World throws in many references to the franchise past and yet to come.  The film itself is a rather mixed bag, but with some strong positives.  A thrilling aerial America-Japan battle at Celestial Island (from The Eternals, nicely included as a key plot point here) and the Red Hulk reveal moment and subsequent smackdown both deliver very effectively, but as the story leans into the political conspiracy genre for the most part, the first two acts are often talky, choppy and a bit dull - this is certainly not Captain America The Winter Soldier - and the script is not that smartly written. In his first leading solo film in the role, Anthony Mackie's more grounded take on Captain America works with ease, the introduction of Danny Ramirez as Falcon protégé Joaquin Torres is very promising indeed, and Harrison Ford (replacing the late William Hurt) as now-President Ross is apt casting for the needs of the role in this film.  With Phase Five almost concluded, and Captain America charged with 'assembling The Avengers' and an end-credits threat, it will be interesting to see if Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four First Steps can round out what could be Marvel's revival year.

 

FILM: Avatar The Way Of Water 3D (dir: James Cameron, 2022)

"The way of water has no beginning and no end."

Thirteen years on from the box-office-record-breaking Avatar, Cameron unleashes the first of four proposed sequels.  The original film rode the crest of the late 2000s resurgence of 3D with its ambitiously immersive experience, and The Way Of Water uses 3D to similar effect here, with its opening act based largely in familiar jungle territory before moving on to more sea-based adventures.   It goes without saying that the technical level of CG effects on display is nothing short of astonishing, not just in its levels of scale and detail but also in delivering many truly beautiful moments that look incredible on the big screen and - like the first film - even though it mostly looks like the world's most expensive videogame, there are some truly almost-photo-realistic shots where you forget for a moment that you are watching computer-generated tall blue people with tails.  This is more of the same but bigger, with a number of familiar shots and story beats that echo the first film, but the two major differences both work very well: moving forward in time, Jake and Neytiri are now parents of four children (three teenage, one younger) who are engaging, integral to the plot and future-proof the series, and the move from the jungle to a sea-based people - with whom the Sullys seek refuge from a younger cloned version of Quaritch hell-bent on revenge - opens up a whole new palette and CG-playground.  The overall template remains the same: the first act is set-up, the second act is all about learning to adapt, and the third act is a barnstorming huge-scale action finale that is an extraordinary technical feat.  The Way Of Water feels more emotional than the first Avatar, probably owing to the big themes of family and acceptance having much more impact this time round, and whilst the second act may feel a little indulgent with its meandering but impressive set pieces, it is to the film's credit that it holds attention and engages for over three hours.  It will be interesting to see if this sequel busts blocks similar to the original in the post-pandemic box-office or if the numbers determine that the series concludes as a trilogy with the third film, but the set-up for Avatar 3 proves to be a welcome and enticing prospect.
 

FILM: Captain Marvel IMAX 3D (dirs: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, 2019)

"She can do a lot more than make tea with those hands..."

The long-time-coming female superhero-fronted Marvel movie turns out to be not one of the studio's very best, but once it gets going, is very entertaining to watch.  The first act does some good world-building but feels uncertain, as do the early scenes on 1990s Earth, but as the titular character starts to find her identity, her powers and her purpose, the film picks up rapidly and has great pace and story in the final hour. The cast plays well, with Larson proving to be confident and commanding of attention in the title role, and the effects work is dazzling, with a real sense of scale being created to impressive purpose.  The tie-in to the final Avengers movies comes in the mid-credits scene, with a throwaway joke scene at the very end of the credits.

FILM: Alita Battle Angel IMAX 3D (dir: Robert Rodriguez, 2019)

"I'm with her."

This huge-scale live-ish action 2019 realisation of Alita works much better than the recent adaptation of  another manga/anime classic, Ghost In The Shell.  The swift and efficient story-setting at the start is matched by excellent detailed visual world-building, and very quickly it becomes clear that the action/fight sequences are brutal, fast and very enjoyable, and also surprisingly violent for a 12A-rated film (no doubt the old 'fantasy violence' excuse comes into play).  Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali and Ed Skrein all deliver well, with Rosa Salazar engaging through the CGI as Alita and even Keean Johnson managing better than most in similar thankless floppy-haired-eyelash-heavy-boyfriend roles, but occasionally the story and motivations are a little fuzzy and underwritten, especially for the antagonists, but overall the writers have condensed the sprawling fiction into a lively and streamlined single movie.  The only other real problem the film has is the over-familiarity of its influences (Robocop, Rollerball, Blade Runner and so on) and products it has subsequently influenced, but it is all done with a lavish budget and state-of-the-art CG and 3D techniques.  It is remarkable to think of Robert Rodriguez's cinematic journey from the micro-budget El Mariachi to the FX-excesses of Alita, and even though this movie has James Cameron stamped all over it, surely this Rodriguez-directed version is a lot more fun and energetic than a full-on Cameron-fest might have been.  This is hard sci-fi that might not find a wider audience, but for fans of the genre, in spite of a couple of narrative hiccups, Alita delivers spectacularly.

FILM: Aquaman IMAX 3D (dir: James Wan, 2018)

"It's a long story."

As the trailer suggested, Aquaman is built around huge special effects (some awe-inspiring, some oddly cartoon-like) and fulfils the reinvention of the character started in Batman v Superman and Justice League to good effect.  The fundamental DC issue remains, however: you can throw all the effects at the film that you could possibly want, but if at the end of the day the story is an identikit superhero narrative it strains patience somewhat.  There is also an over-reliance on underwater politics, oddly reminiscent of Dune, that slows down the film, but the action sequences are great, even if too many sincere dialogue scenes end abruptly with sub-aquatic soldiers blasting through a wall.  James Wan marshals everything very well as expected, the cast is generally good (Mamoa's swaggering take on the character is sufficiently engaging) but even the CGI battering cannot raise this film above being overly-familiar.

FILM: Fantastic Beasts - The Crimes Of Grindelwald 3D (dir: David Yates, 2018)

"You might not want to watch this."

Considering the talent and experience involved in making this film, the outcome is a surprisingly and astonishingly dreary franchise-threatening second entry.  Although set design and realisation are absolutely magnificent to look at and the cast is mostly good (Law and Miller are great, Depp is deployed sparingly, Waterstone is criminally underused and Redmayne is still mis-cast and looks passively startled the whole time), the basic issue is that not a lot actually happens for most of the long film.  It is also difficult to warm to the characters, so that even the brief action sequences offer little in which to invest.  A frisson ran through the cinema audience when the Hogwarts sequences appeared, and the series would benefit clearly from further visits in the future.  This film is very much an exercise in treading water for the proposed five-film cycle, and perhaps a denser trilogy would have been a wiser proposition.  Nevertheless, the final twist does set up (hopefully) the next entry reasonably intriguingly.

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: Small Foot 3D (dirs: Karey Kirkpatrick and Joe Reiser, 2018)

"Never seen that before!"

Warner Animation delivers an utterly charming and very enjoyable animation with Small Foot, which is imbued with an enthusiastic daftness and real warmth of character.  The semi-musical form works well - the songs are very good - and the film manages to be not only funny but also a rather thoughtful political and social allegory.  Characters are established quickly and effectively, and the voice cast is great, led by a very funny Channing Tatum and James Corden delivering well as Migo the adventurous Yeti and Percy the TV naturalist respectively.  Animation is very strong, with lighting, use of colour and depth of 3D all excellent.  With big ticks in just about every box, Small Foot is definitely one of the stronger children's animations of recent times.

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: Alpha IMAX 3D (dir: Albert Hughes, 2018)

 "Be patient."

Alpha is considerably more interesting and engaging than the trailers would have you believe, which comes a s a pleasant surprise.  One of the selling points is the use of fantastic Koyaanisqatsi-style natural vistas which looked amazing on an IMAX screen in 3D; smaller-screen viewing at home however  will also expose the simple 'journey' story, as a teen is left for dead on his first hunting expedition and tries to make his way back home, befriending an injured wolf along the way.  The rites-of-passage/boy-and-his-dog tropes are all present and correct, and Kodi Smit-McPhee gives a very strong performance in the lead role, but his various trials, the excellent cinematography and well-executed action sequences keep the attention.

FILM: The Meg IMAX 3D (dir: Jon Turteltaub, 2018)

REVIEW No. 900!

"None of this was in the job description!"

In spite of the promotion's best efforts to convince us that The Meg would be a lightweight fun confection, the actual movie - for the most part - plays it straight and benefits as a result, even if it gives the whole proceedings a somewhat expected and familiar turn.  (A couple of hokey direct Jaws references do creep in at the start of the third act in particular and seem jarringly out of place - no prizes for guessing the name of the dog featured in the trailer).  It is a clear straightforward three-act film - a rescue mission, team vs Meg, the final showdown - and in its actual release form a disappointingly bloodless affair.  With a big-league budget, the effects are ambitious and polished for a movie of this type, giving the film a scope and level of detail usually reserved for blockbuster sci-fi, and enabling some decent set pieces.  Statham is a good fit for the lead character and he conveys some surprisingly genuine warmth for a typically one-note role.  Enjoyable but forgettable, The Meg feels like a classic compromise: make a relatively toothless PG-13 to aim for a wide market to recoup outlay, and avoid being a full-blooded thriller that would limit but satisfy the older audience and not justify the high budget.

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: Incredibles 2 3D (dir: Brad Bird, 2018)

"I'm perfectly fine."

From the start, the long-awaited Incredibles sequel demonstrates a real sense of control, storytelling and thought.  Yet another blunt meditation on family, parenthood, gender and relationships, this film sticks very closely to what made the first outing so beloved: effective characters, recognisable family situations and the superb retro stylings, the latter demonstrated in the gorgeous rich mise-en-scene which also demonstrates the development of CGI animation in the intervening years.  Action sequences are brisk and superbly executed, serving the story well, and the whole enterprise is underpinned by a delightful Michael Giacchino score.  Whilst less dazzling than the extraordinary Coco, Incredibles 2 is a warm, assured and very entertaining movie, and the accompanying short - Bao - is yet another winner.

FILM: Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom IMAX 3D (dir: J.A.Bayona, 2018)

"Am I dead?"
"Not yet."

Twenty-five years ago we marvelled at the (reasonably) photorealistic CG dinosaurs in Spielberg's original Jurassic lark; today we have become almost spoiled by the extraordinary level of effects work on display in expensive modern Hollywood blockbusters, and Fallen Kingdom is no exception.  The main interest here is the game-changing volcanic destruction of Isla Nublar and the subsequent shift of the second half to a new location, together with a shifting use of genres within the main framework.  There is a real emphasis on scale and spectacle, emphasised by Bayona's notable use of extra long shots at times, and whilst there are many effective tense or thrilling moments, the movie does not quite drive forward in as cohesive a manner as its immediate predecessor.  Fallen Kingdom feels genuinely more mature than the almost-literal theme park ride of the 2015 reboot, and the new locations and ideas do generate interest, yet the set pieces are naggingly familiar, especially in the referencing of the first two movies in the franchise.  Nevertheless, this grand-scale entertaining blockbuster film-making does not disappoint, and it will be interesting to see how brave Universal will be with the next episode/second-trilogy closer - could we even dare to hope that the franchise could be bold enough to deliver on a War For The Planet Of the Apes-style premise?

FILM: Solo - A Star Wars Story IMAX 3D (dir: Ron Howard, 2018)

"...a little rough around the edges, but good!"

Definitely a love letter to the fans, Solo proves to be (mostly) another winning entry in the ever-growing Star Wars collection.  Its bumpy production period is in little evidence here, but it is definitely a three-act experience.  The first act is immediately engaging, a non-stop thrill-ride that takes us to the down-and-dirty side of the Star Wars universe, effortlessly and breathlessly setting up the key plot and character elements of the film, and seamlessly taking in the chase, war and heist genres in swift succession in a thrilling opening.  The second act is more leisurely, developing characters and relationships and adding depth to the main plot, and it is only the final section that feels more uncertain in pace and tone, perhaps taking a little too long over the ending but ending on a high.  Ehrenrich is joyous in the title role, and a strong support cast adds much to the film's success.  John Powell's score is hugely successful, and the film's staging of 'first times' for meetings of characters and icons pushes all the right buttons - indeed, the use of classic iconography from the franchise in new and interesting ways (as Rogue One also achieved) is evident right from the start and very effective.  Third act wobbles aside, Solo is a hugely entertaining romp that might not be very deep but is extremely well crafted, and the possibility of further adventure(s) in this corner of the franchise timeline would indeed be welcome.

FILM: Avengers Infinity War IMAX 3D (dirs: Joe and Anthony Russo, 2018)

"Cool?"
"Cool."
"So cool."

The reward to loyal Marvel fans who have painstakingly sat through all the films over the last decade pays off superbly, and is a fitting way to celebrate ten years of the studio's hit filmmaking.  It hits the ground running - picking up from the ending of Thor Ragnarok - and immediately establishes Thanos as a genuine threat (not perfect, but certainly one of the better superhero movie villains of recent years), with the momentum kept up for most of the film.  Indeed, the pace is frantic, but the storytelling is superb, the introduction of characters regularly raises a smile, the scale is enormous, but the Russos handle it all almost effortlessly.  We see the characters and the cast at their peak, there are some truly wonderful new toys and upgrades on display, and the film is surprisingly very funny, with the combinations of characters not only providing much butting of heads to comedic effect but also genuine interest in how they work together.  Although the story is a routine 'gather the stones' through line, familiar characters are given some interesting arcs with some surprises and shocks along the way.  There are many highlights from small moments and one-liners to the huge battles, but the comedy genius of Drax and Thor is excellent, there is one particular heartbeat-skipping special effect that is truly awesome, and the swift return to Wakanda is very welcome indeed. Alan Silvestri's terrific score is also worth mentioning.  The bold and tonally unexpected final few minutes held the packed audience absolutely immobile, and yes, you have to sit through every single credit for the single but necessary final scene.  It will be very interesting to see where Avengers 4 (as yet untitled) and the conclusion of the MCU's Phase 3 goes, but for now Infinity War is utterly ambitious, hugely entertaining and a real event movie.

FILM: Ready Player One 3D (dir: Steven Spielberg, 2018)

"It's f***ing Chucky!"

Pop culture eats itself in this deft adaptation of the cult novel into this exciting piece of disposable entertainment about disposable entertainment.  To those of us who lived though the 70s and especially the 80s, this is a total nostalgia-fest with iconic figures and objects of the era mixed with some killer soundtrack choices , all used to excellent effect.  There are, however, three main aspects that make this movie fly: Alan Silvestri's superb music score; Spielberg's total mastery of storytelling (after some heavy exposition at the start) and screencraft that gives this long tale relentless energy and momentum; and the staggering Avatar-style mo-cap/animation that offers enormous scale, depth and detail.  Ready Player One is a total fantasy genre product that is artfully and lovingly constructed to be a superb slice of entertainment.

FILM: Black Panther IMAX 3D (dir: Ryan Coogler, 2018)

"Just because it works, it doesn't mean that it cannot be improved."

Marvel is now in the position of being able to re-use its successful formula template but mixing it up in terms of styles and concepts, and Black Panther brings it back to basics in many ways: it is a stunningly successful fusion of straight drama, fantasy, action and - of course - superhero tropes that is supremely engaging and extremely entertaining.  Ryan Coogler creates a very dynamic film, through the excellent flow of different textures, superb action sequences (there is a moment in the Fast And Furious-style car chase that makes you want to stand up and applaud) and working with an unbelievably powerful and watchable lead cast.  The cultural significance of this movie and its importance for a young generation of Marvel fans and beyond cannot be overstated, but it also will hold this value because it is such an effective movie in its own right and will rank as one of Marvel's best.

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.