Olympus Has Fallen

Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers.

Antoine Fuqua's back catalogue is a bizarre mixture of intelligent film-making and mindless, yet enjoyable drivel. Olympus Has Fallen is firmly rooted in the latter, foregoing any smarts it could have had and coming out the other side as a ridiculously overblown action movie that I tried hard not to like, but was tough to completely resist.

From the opening sequence onwards, it's clear that the focus here is most definitely not the characters. Dialogue is dry and cheesy, character development largely non-existent and the score excessively emphasised. There's no room for misinterpretation and it soon becomes clear that any part of the film that is not made up of action is just filler, inserted purely for the purpose of providing the odd breather from the gunplay and explosions. To make matters worse, the drama is often so bad that moments intended to be heartfelt frequently result in laughter, rather than the intended response. These factors combined should result in a flick that's borderline unwatchable, but somehow they don't.

Make no mistake, this is one of those instances where something is so bad that it's almost good. The abject lack of attention to realism is staggering and leads to the conclusion that it must be at least partly deliberate. Fans of the genre will find a great deal to enjoy, as almost the entire running time is packed with explosives and countless rounds of ammunition. The body count within the first hour alone dwarfs that of many of its contemporaries and, whilst it may leave a bad taste for some, is all geared towards creating the most ridiculous spectacle you'll have seen in a while.

Gerard Butler excels in this kind of role, drawing on his experiences from Gamer and Law Abiding Citizen amongst others. It's all 'duty' this and 'duty' that, with next to nothing in the way of motivation. It's remarkably vacuous, but ultimately conforms to the aesthetic of the movie without fault. It's also refreshing in some ways that the evil doers are not Russian for a change, but in all honesty, they may as well be, with the plot taking the same painfully predictable path that is par for the course, given the nature of the flick.    

This isn't a picture that's going to be winning awards any time soon. It will also be a huge turn off for some. However, for those who enjoy spectacle above all else, you could definitely do worse than the raging fireballs and dimwitted melodrama that are on offer here.

The Verdict:

6/10
Wall to wall action and not much else, but it's executed with such brazen disregard for character and plot that the outrageous spectacle is difficult to completely resist.    

Man of Steel

A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.

After the dire reception received by the last attempt at rebooting the franchise, one would hope that some of the previous film's failings might be addressed in erasing it from memory, revitalising the character to fight another day. Man of Steel, though not quite as dreary as its predecessor, still treads familiar ground, battering audiences with clumsy storytelling, and drawing an uncomfortable amount of inspiration from some of its contemporaries.

One of the film's biggest problems is that of the exposition. As the movie gets going, it's not long before a pattern develops - we see an event, some time passes, and we are then forced to sit and listen to a recounting of that same story to another character. If there were some kind of different insight to gain from this, it may offer some value, but this is rarely the case. As you might expect, this irritation soon becomes tedious and the potential impact of later scenes is outright flattened by boredom. There is also a troubling reliance on cliché in some of the presentation of Clark's journey to becoming a man. This isn't the only aspect of the film that is plagued by such concerns.

Artificially inserted lens flare is something that earned 2009's Star Trek no small amount of ridicule. I hadn't thought it possible for this to be trumped, until now, that is. The frequency with which it occurs in this picture is positively distracting. Almost every shot that contains a light source has received the treatment, absolutely reeking of trying too hard to attain the aesthetic of the J.J. Abrams picture. This made any attempt at beautiful vistas redundant, swiftly turning admiration to a roll of the eyes, as the obvious desperation to appear epic in scale inspired a cringe at every turn.

As far as the cast is concerned, there are no disasters to mention. Most perform well, the majority of faults that exist being down to the writing itself. More than a handful of these characters would have been better off being omitted completely, rather than being the blank placeholders that they represent. A generic scientist whose sole function seems to be to express his disbelief to the heavens when a big special effects scene is imminent is the low point, but this is only the tip of the iceberg.

If there is one saving grace of the film, it's the action sequences. They are uniformly impressive, albeit somewhat repetitive in nature. The lightning fast brawls on offer are a sight to behold and are executed with exceptional style. Had the storytelling been better, these scenes could have served the purpose of enhancing the plot. As things stand, they are left as one of the few highlights in an otherwise dull affair.              

The Verdict:

5/10
A film full of clumsy exposition and poorly written characters. The action is largely superb, but comes too late to save the film from plummeting into mediocrity. Disappointingly average.

Side Effects

A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

For me, Steven Soderbergh's choice of projects of late has been decidedly patchy. These days you can never quite be sure what you're going to get from him. Side Effects is one of those films that falls well within the category of excellence that he is better known for. It's a brilliantly twisted tale that has more than its fair share of moments that will have you on the edge of your seat, as well as some excellent performances. 

There are a number of strengths that the film possesses, most notable of which is the plot. The opening scenes have a real sense of drama and social commentary, but we end up with an entirely different beast as the story progresses. The constant supply of twists and turns can be dizzying, but never gets close to being confusing. Scott Z. Burns's writing is such that everything fits into place and for the most part avoids predictability altogether. It's not entirely original by any means, but the envelope is certainly well and truly pushed throughout the second half of the flick. There are even aspects of the narrative that wouldn't feel out of place in a horror, albeit without the gore.

Character development is handled well, with the fleshing out done in a minimalistic style through telling pieces of dialogue and action, rather than laboured exposition, and there is a seamless transition between the more dramatic elements and the thriller sensibility that takes over as events unfold. It's worth noting that there are one or two lifeless presences here and there that serve no other purpose than to drive the plot forward at specific points, but they are easy to ignore in light of the rest of the picture.

There's a lot to be said for the manner in which the issue of depression and a culture of medicating is tackled. The illness itself is presented with care and there are attempts made to make sense of the experience that sufferers may be going through. It's not particularly extensive in depth, but there is more than enough to enable the viewer to identify with the characters. This is absolutely essential in giving the plot the impact that it has and it's worked to perfection.

As far as the performances go, all are at the very least solid, but Rooney Mara is pretty spectacular at times. It's a great opportunity for her to exercise her range and she seizes it assuredly. She brings a tremendous feeling of authenticity to the role, though whether this is down to personal experience is unclear. The situations that arise are certainly extremes, but by the same token, not beyond the realms of possibility. It's a testament to the film's effectiveness that these situations still retain their power, despite the fact that the aftermath of some has already been revealed earlier in the film.

The Verdict:

 7.5/10
A brilliantly twisted tale full of tension that will have you on the edge of your seat. Rooney Mara shines in this thriller that pushes the envelope and offers a few surprises along the way.

Iron Man 3

When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

The Marvel universe in cinema these days is extensive, taking in a number of characters. By and large, you have a rough idea of what you're going to get when preparing for the latest addition. Iron Man 3 doesn't mark a major departure and offers precisely what you'd expect of both a Marvel film and the franchise so far. Wall-to-wall action and pithy one-liners are the order of the day and make for pure popcorn entertainment, though its real strength arguably lies in its star. However, this is not to say it's without its flaws. 

I'm unsure of how many Robert Downey, Jr. haters there actually are out there, but I've always been a huge fan. For me, his sense of comic timing, delivery, and reaction are some of the best in the business and, given the right material, can raise a laugh almost at will. This film revels in his ability and contains more than enough to keep the mood fairly light whilst emphasising the character's best known traits to the full.

The performances range from average to very good indeed, with Ben Kingsley being a particular highlight. His range in the film is not only one of the most memorable aspects of the picture, but also of his recent career. Much like Christopher Walken, he doesn't appear to be a man who says 'no' that often when chosen for a role, which can result in some decidedly dodgy credits to his name. Guy Pearce also stands out in a few scenes, but on the whole it doesn't come close to his best work like Lawless, or Memento.

As far as the action is concerned, it's impressive, and noticeably ups the ante from the first two films in the series. Effects too are superb and not as CGI-heavy as one might expect. Suit animations are obviously going to be rendered digitally, but some skillful use of both miniatures and truckloads of pyrotechnics avoid the awful video game look that has befallen some of the other big franchises of late (Die Hard, I'm looking at you).

The movie's most pronounced weaknesses are to be found in the evil scheme that is central to the plot. The minor twists that overlay it do a lot to distract from its run-of-the-mill nature, but never cleared my mind of it completely. It's more than reminiscent of narratives that you will have come across many, many times before. Though this was a constant source of slight discomfort during the film, it largely serves to propel the action sequences (as is usual for the genre), and doesn't drastically detract from the enjoyment factor.

The Verdict:

7/10
Delivers exactly what you would expect of the franchise, upping the ante in the action stakes and providing for pure popcorn entertainment. 

Broken City

In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.

Broken City is a film that can't really decide what it wants to be. From the beginnings of a story centred on Mark Wahlberg's character, Billy, it evolves into a standard conspiracy thriller, but never really gets going with either of them. There are vague stabs at joining the dots here and there, but without much success. 

The first forty-five minutes are largely a throwaway and only loosely connected to the much stronger second half, the tenuous link mostly going through the character of Billy. This poses a big problem. Due to the fact that the role is so flimsy, what little attempts there are at filling him out in the early stages are completely redundant once the plot finally kicks in. Wahlberg does his best to give the guy some personality, but it's a constant uphill struggle. This leaves any efforts at poignant references to his past that come later feeling not only forced, but also unnecessary.

Once the movie begins to focus on the conspiracy, it becomes much more watchable, the dodgy character development holding less sway over the progression of the narrative. This isn't to say that it improves things hugely, just that it holds the attention much more effectively. It's tolerable and won't make you wish you'd defrosted the fridge rather than sit through it, but you've definitely seen it all before. There's no real sense of urgency about the whole thing and the mystery that is unraveled is positively trite and lacklustre. Having said that, the process of reaching the conclusion is executed reasonably well at times.

Despite the distinctly average presentation, there are a few scenes worthy of note. Barry Pepper's range in the film caught my eye, particularly as there is unsurprisingly very little in the way of fleshing out his character. Russell Crowe too, manages to dig out some of the menace that marks his best performances, but these occasions are very few. Other than these sparse moments, it's a very dreary outing for all concerned. 

In addition to these issues, the resolution of the plot had a nasty habit of introducing new players into the mix that seemingly had not been mentioned previously. I'm not entirely sure if this was because I wasn't paying enough attention in the less agreeable sections of the picture, or if they were genuinely tacked on in wrapping things up. Either way, this should never be a complication in mainstream cinema and only confirms to me my opinion on the opening as uninteresting and superfluous, given where the film ends up.

Overall, it's not terrible, but it's almost certainly not worth the time. More or less everything about it is wholly ordinary and I was ultimately left disappointed.

The Verdict:

5/10
A disappointing film that only gets going once your interest has waned. Poor character development and average presentation result in a dull, lacklustre experience.