Spider-Man 3

After already heralding the biggest box office weekend in history (for how long is questionable though with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End today) Spider-Man 3 would have already served its main purpose. It has been a success and no matter what Sony may have been hinting at before this is most definitely not the last film in the series. But is it any good, and can the foundations laid by the first two films be built upon? Well the answer is… kind of. Whilst not the masterpiece many were hoping for Spider-Man 3 is still an entertaining and enjoyable blockbuster that suffers from a few basic flaws that hold it back. In fact I went into the film with rather lowered expectations from the rather mixed reviews the film has received since its release and maybe because of that I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I might.

Picking up some time after the end of the second film we begin by finding Peter Parker (Toby Maguire again perfect in the role) on top of the world, he is considering proposing to Mary-Jane, Spider-Man is more popular than ever, however it isn’t long before factors conspire to tip this balance and once again turn Peter’s world upside down. Now I’m not going to detail the plot because it does get rather confusing, now this in itself is not a bad thing but the criticisms that the film tries to stuff too much in are fairly justified. As well as Peter Parkers relationship issues we have (ultimately) three villains to contend with at one time or another and tying these threads together ultimately is where the film starts to fall apart, relying on unbelievable co-incidences and expositional speeches to navigate plot holes. However whilst the narrative may not flow as easily as the previous films in the series the action raises the bar above and beyond what we have seen before. For sheer spectacle the film can’t be beaten and some of the effects work here is stunning, especially on sandman and the various set pieces the film introduces are well executed and constantly exciting and inventive. However once again the film falls a bit flat in-between, the actors do a goods job and the drama level is raised but Raimi struggles to avoid the soap opera cheesiness that has also plagued the other entries in the series from overflowing again here, and the ‘emo’ style make-over he puts upon Peter Parker winds up looking a tad silly.

However for every bad scene there are some fantastic ones which is what makes the film a slightly odd mixture, but it is worth seeing not only for the effects but for those magical scenes that perfectly capture the character and style of the comic book. Some hated it but the much argued about dance routine in a jazz club had me laughing and there are lots of light, comic touches that elevate the series from the rather leaden and series superhero films found elsewhere. Many have problems with these parts of the film and I think that’s because of the rather overdone drama, had that been handled with the same delicate touch then the film may have ended up more a more cohesive whole.

There is also the fact that one of the fans favourite villains (though by all accounts not one of Raimi’s) Venom makes a far too brief appearance in the film and while, at the end, it becomes clear why the multiple villains are featured in the story, he never gels totally with the ongoing plot and it would have served the series better as a whole to merely introduce the character late on in this film in order to set up Spider-Man 4 perfectly.

But despite the flaws this is still an impressive and entertaining piece of blockbusting cinema, it could easily stand to lose a good 15 minutes from the run time even so it held my attention and certainly surpassed the other films in many areas, finally bringing many story threads to a close. Not perfect but not a disaster by any means Spider-Man 3 kicks off the summer blockbuster season with a bang, only in time will we see how its place in the history books falls.

Far too packed and tonally uneven this is still a massively entertaining and visually stunning film that despite its plot contrivances manages to make you smile and once again load its epic story with an important and well handled message.

28 Weeks Later

Five years ago a small British film called 28 Days Later took the world by storm. Low budget but ripe with a fresh take on the zombie movie by not having actual zombies, instead re-imagining the undead as living people infected with a rage virus that attacks the blood and leaves them frothing bloodthirsty creatures. Through it’s use of carefully crafted characters, exciting set pieces and London locations the film was a breath of fresh air, and so it is with great pleasure that I am able to say the same about this sequel, a film who’s existence I didn’t know about until recently but that ups the ante considerably taking what made the first film a hit and expanding the building upon it in a way few sequels manage. Set, as you never would have guessed, 28 weeks after the outbreak the film focuses initially on one family headed by Robert Carlyle who is reunited with his children with a safe area of London. They make up some of the people who have been brought back in to start the process of rebuilding the country. Despite the fact that no infected have been found for months having died of starvation the country is taking no precautions enlisting the help of the US military who manage the camp. However their safe existence is short lived as soon a survivor is found who is actually a carrier of the disease, but who shows no symptoms. Soon of course someone gets infected and all hell breaks loose literally as the military lose control of the situation and begin neutralising the whole area. It is down to a small group of people including the aforementioned children to escape the city before the infected or military get to them. This film is brutal and intense from the start and relentless as it gets going. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo manages to imitate and expand upon Danny Boyle style from the original and expanded budget allow for some impressive set pieces and heart pounding scenes. The actors are excellent all round and though the characters aren’t as clearly developed as the first film they are still interesting and sympathetic. More than a thriller than a true horror this still has its fare share of scares and more than a bucket or too of blood really selling the danger of the infected and the military really putting you in the shoes of this desperate band of survivors. On looking back there are a few plot holes and credibility issues but the whole thing is put together so well and keeps you riveted throughout that they don’t detract from the experiece as a whole In fact the last half an hour of the film is arguably the best and that is the one area if any that the first film fell short on.

So a nice surprise then and a genuinely great gory, shocking and exciting film guaranteed to get your heart racing. It’s rare that sequels get this level of time and energy and as such it should be admired and enjoyed because looking at the summer ahead it seems there will be plenty more coming up that fall short. Shocking, intense and unforgiving this is not for the feint of heart but this is a bigger, louder and more exciting sequel that expands and builds upon the original. For horror fans this is not to be missed and a genuinely pleasant surprise.

Trambopoline!!

I have always been a fan of the Simpsons, much to the grievance of Martha but one thing that they have never really gotten right was a decent game of the series. I remember enjoying the old movie studio they released yeard ago but nothing since has done the series justice. Well yesterday EA announced a new game to tie in with the movie, based on a story written by writers of the show and featuring over 8,000 lines of dialogue by the cast members. The game sees the characters embark on a series of episodes, each based on various video game styles and the whole game will be playable co-operatively. So far what I have read and seen of the game make me cautiously optimistic and whilst EA do not have the best reputation the time and effort that have already gone into the game make me think it could actually be pretty decent. There is a video below so have a look and see what you think:

The Devil Wears Prada

For this I can blame Martha. Without a female influence in my life this is definitely one of those films I would not have watched on my own, and yet that would have been a shame as this is actually a wickedly clever and sly film that is entertaining whilst subtly making some interesting and timely comments on modern society. Anne Hathaway plays Andy Sachs a down to earth girl with ambitions of making it as a journalist in New York. But in order to get to a position where she can do this she decides to apply for a position in a fashion magazine as assistant to the infamous Miranda Priestly, a position that she has no interest in, but that will open up the gates of employment once her tenure is completed.

This set up is one that is instantly familiar to myself, the idea of working in jobs you may not have ideally chosen, but with a higher purpose in mind and how the film works is by showing how fluid people can be, and how influenced we can be by our surroundings whether we are aware of it or not. Andy starts the film certain of her convictions and finds her views of the fashion industry altered, and to the bane of her boyfriend and social life. However this is not a scathing look at the industry and very little is made of the arguments against it, yes we are shown the fickle nature it can have, and the influence it can have on everything we wear, but that it not the film’s real purpose.

The key to the film is the character of Miranda played exquisitely by Meryl Streep who earned her 14th Oscar nomination for the film and deservedly so. She plays the ice queen role to perfection here keeping the right side of caricature and imbuing her with not only a real sense of menace, but humanity to in a few key scenes when her mask fades just for a moment. The relationship between herself and Andy is well played and the sharp script keeps the action moving at a brisk pace and stops the film veering into cliché or obvious territory. Whilst the film is obviously aimed at the female market there is a lot for everyone to enjoy here, and like I mentioned the subtle way the film plays you leaves you as shaken as the characters when the resolution hits.

The cast is good throughout and the secondary characters are reasonably well developed and realistic and help the film remain constantly entertaining and fun to watch. So, guys, if you feel like getting in your girlfriends good books by watching a film for her you could do a lot worse than this, believe me.

A surprisingly mature film that manages to combine the more obvious audience pleasing elements with a more adult look at growing up and forging an identity independent of where you work and who you hang about with.

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