Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Western films and science fiction have come together before. We have a great films such as the 1973 Westworld and the 1990 film Back To The Future Part III, but we also have the 1999 flop such as Wild Wild West, showing that this amalgam needs to be worked with tentatively. None of these films have dealt with aliens coming to the world of cowboys, bandits and Indians. So now we have Jon Favreau, director of both Iron Man films as well as the well received Zathura, creating a film based upon such a concept.

Cowboys & Aliens is not necessarily based upon a comic but rather the cover art of a comic with the same name. By the sounds of the plot of the comic, Cowboys & Aliens pulls a RED and decides to have nothing to do with the original story and instead create a unique story. And, just like RED, Favreau pulls it off spectacularly.

Set in 1873, a man with amnesia (Daniel Craig) finds himself in a desert where he comes across the town of Absolution, a mining town which is suffering from a dried up gold supply. The only way the town stays afloat is by tough cattle rancher Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Absolution is attacked by aircraft who destroy most of the town and abduct many of the townsfolk. The remaining men of the town, alongside the amnesiac follow the aircraft in order to free the abducted townsfolk. The party is joined by Ella Swenson (Olivia Wilde) who appears to know something about the amnesiac. The journey leads to revelations about the characters, especially Craig’s and Wilde’s, as well as several action sequences and encounters with bandits and Apache tribesmen.

The plot may sound ridiculous, and it is to an extent, yet the science fiction and Western elements are both played superbly. The first 15 minutes of the film feel like a great Western film and when the aliens begin to play a part it doesn’t feel out of place, instead giving insight into what would happen in such a situation. The plot has several entertaining and heart-pumping moments, as well as some honestly upsetting scenes, all played with complete seriousness that, surprisingly, works.

All of the characters are interesting and are developed as the film goes on. Dolarhyde is initially shown as somewhat villain-like, but as the movie continues he becomes more likeable and his tough and brash exterior is shown to be justified due to his past in the army, yet his heart is always in the right place. Craig’s character is believable in his actions as an amnesiac and is fully developed, showing a hard past to contend with as he remembers it or it is shoved into his path to rescue the civilians.

Thankfully, the movie never calls the aliens “aliens”. Instead they are called demons, in fitting with the time period. The aliens in the film seem to have taken some inspiration from Alien, where they have a hard exo-skeleton and extendable parts of their bodies. They are truly terrifying and expertly designed. Also, the aliens feel as if they have weight in the movie, actually affecting their surrounding and the people around them, as well as feeling as if they actually exist in this world. This is most likely thanks to the amazing CGI as well as the use of practical puppets.

In fact, the effects in the entire film were great. The CGI very rarely makes itself noticed, making the ships look real and blasts feel like they have effects on the world. The use of practical effects makes this film have a bit more power compared to the overly CGI-dependent films of today. And I praise Favreau for denying requests for 3D, as this would have had absolutely no benefit from the use of 3D and would have just brought hate for the useless conversion.

Yet, with this film I perceive as being a masterpiece, it is not reviewed so highly by others. As I am writing this it is currently at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes, from 206 reviews, and 50/100 on Metacritic, from 41 reviews. This honestly baffles me and find it hard to see why this is. The acting in the film is amazing, the plot is great and the two genres of science fiction and Western blend seamlessly. But each to their own.

Personally, I really recommend this film. All of the reasons above should tell you this. If you get a chance then go see this film. It is really worth it, and if you are a Daniel Craig or Harrison Ford fan you should love it!

Final Verdict: 9/10

Alice: Madness Returns

Reviewed Platform: Xbox 360

Other Platforms: PS3, PC

On the cult success of American McGee’s Alice it isn’t surprising that a sequel was spawned, but no one seemed to be asking for it. Most who I have talked to wanted the original to be updated on consoles, where the controls were far smoother and allowed the game to be played... well, just played rather than endured. And so we get Alice: Madness Returns.

The title doesn’t help the game in selling. The name of American McGee is tucked into the bottom of the case so anyone who played the original game might not be able to see it very well and twig that this is a sequel. In fact, the game never seemed to get that much coverage.

But this is all nit-picky. How does the game itself hold up as a sequel?

Well, in playing the game you might be surprised that it is, in fact, a sequel, as all the characters that died in the first game are alive again and have shifted allegiance, such as the Duchess, who now shows you how to acquire one of the many collectibles in the game (but that’s a story for another paragraph). Not only this, but there is little to no mention of the events of the first game.

The story involves Alice now living in an orphanage where a doctor is attempting to assist her in overcoming her troubles after her family died in a house fire, which we assumed Alice had overcome by the ending of the first game. It then transpires that the horrors of industrial England bring her back into her Wonderland, which now has an Infernal Train riding through it, destroying everything in its wake to leave perfect platforms for jumping from one end of Wonderland to the other. Through her travels through Wonderland Alice discovers what truly happened at her house the night of the fire and, yet again, grows as a person.

As the game continues the story seems to devolve into a mess of ambiguity and plot points seem extremely rushed or impossible to get a hold of. By the end of the game things start to make a bit more sense, but this ending makes the rest of the game feel pointless as very little of the plot throughout the game has any bearing on the ending.

The story is shown through simple cutscenes that show cut-outs of the characters moving in a basic animation style that perfectly suits the world and the story, though may seem lazy to some. There are some cutscenes shown through the in-game engine, but these are not as eye catching as the cut-out cutscenes.

The actual gameplay is similar in a way to the first game. It involves platforming sections as well as some places requiring fighting. The fighting mechanics in this sequel are far superior to the fighting in the first game, but this just makes the game feel overly easy. All enemies attack in the same patterns that are quickly picked up on and so they can be dispersed in seconds.

Platforming in this game feels fun at first, but as it progresses it feels more like a chore. Platforms are placed an exact distance from each other to easily do a triple jump and float to safety. This makes the game feel even less challenging and when you don’t reach the desired platform it feels less like there is a difficulty and skill to platforming and more that the game is badly designed. Not to say that the levels ARE badly designed. Levels are extremely complex looking (well, some of the levels such as the East Asian level) and involve some forward thinking and trial and error. Furthermore, a mechanic in the game revolving around invisible platforms requires a keen eye and skilful platforming.

However, these platforming sections are, overall, extremely linear and don’t have the feeling of being in a large area that the first game did. You often feel as if you are simply being guided to the end of the game rather than figuring the game out for yourself. Not only this but the levels seem overly long and, again, seem like a chore rather than fun.

Puzzles within these levels seem useless, as they mostly revolve around finding a specific clock to shoot or using pressure pads to open a door. The world of Wonderland should revolve around maths and word puzzles, like the first game, as this was what Lewis Carroll dabbled in.  They play a very major part of the game, but come across as an inconvenience as these are stopping you from advancing yet require no logic to solve.

This brings me onto something else that is useless, and that would be the collectibles. My word. How many types of collectibles do most games have? Usually it is either none or one. Sometimes two at a stretch. But this game has three different types of collectibles: bottles, which do nothing; pig snouts, which give teeth and other collectibles, and memories, which show a bit of back story (which usually amounts to nothing). I’m not even mentioning the teeth (used for upgrades) or rose paint (used for getting extra health), which I’m not quite sure class as collectibles. There might be more, but I probably didn’t find them.

There’s not much else to say about this game. At its core it should be a fun game, and at times it is, but there are too many problems with it to have complete fun. The game does look beautiful, the platforming can be entertaining and the story and characters can be intriguing at times, but the flaws hold it back from being as good as the original game. I personally feel the game is just above average, but not quite good enough.

Oh, and the game teases you with boss battles, but doesn't actually give you any (well, one... kinda). Just saying.

Final Verdict: 6/10

American McGee's Alice

Reviewed Platform: Xbox 360

Other Platforms: PS3, PC

American McGee’s Alice was originally a game from 2000 on the PC that was to be ported to the PS2, however, this never happened. Personally, I think this is a shame. I once found myself trying out a little bit of Alice on the PC and I found there to be problems with the controls, which seemed far too complex and not allowing for a perfect platforming experience. A port to a console would have been extremely useful, as the entire game had a style that would have better suited a console as opposed to a PC.

It would not be until 11 years later that we would be able to play Alice on consoles. With the release of Alice: Madness Returns, EA also distributed, as a download on consoles, the cult classic from 2000. As someone who has wanted their hands on this game for quite a while I found this extremely welcoming. So, how does American McGee’s Alice hold up as a console port?

The visuals in Alice definitely look dated compared to today’s standards. Yet somehow this does not matter. The world is very angular and the character models are not perfect, yet the player still feels as if they are connected to this world. The dark tones of Wonderland as opposed to the imagined Wonderland from Disney films definitely show the player that Wonderland has hit hard times.

The story of Alice is that of Alice after her second adventure (Through the Looking Glass) falling into madness after her house has burned to the ground, with all of her family dying inside. This initially sets the tone of the game as one of depression and dismay, especially as she is now living in an insane asylum.

Throughout the game Alice travels through her Wonderland, each area and character displaying some part of her broken psyche. The characters from the story, such as the Rabbit and the Mock Turtle appear, displaying different parts of her personality. Her guide is the Cheshire Cat, who appears to be another side of Alice’s ego. As the story continues some of these characters die, some survive, showing the player the extent to which Alice is breaking down, as well as curing herself.

The game’s goal is to find and kill the Queen of Hearts, the cause of all of Alice’s woes and troubles. The threat of the Queen of Hearts is built up throughout the game, as well as the threat of the Jabberwock. Both of these characters, as well as many others, appear in the game as bosses for Alice to defeat in order to advance. Some are easy to defeat, whilst some are extremely difficult.

As well as these bosses there are the normal enemies in the game. These sometimes vary depending on the area, such as red chess pieces appearing as enemies in Looking Glass Land or soldier ants in the Wonderland Woods. Some of these enemies are annoying to fight whilst some are too easy. Either way, this increases the challenge in the combat, which is somewhat slow and flawed but still engaging.

The actual platforming of this game is somewhat hard to get used to at first, but it is easy to get used to later on and is far superior to that on the PC. Not always is it necessary to have precise platforming as there are not as many jumps from one surface to another, as the main focus is exploration and puzzle solving, both of which are excellent. The exploration truly comes into its own during the endgame stages when attempting to navigate mazes. Puzzles are very much based on Lewis Carroll’, mostly being base on words and at times mathematics.

The game lasts for quite a long time, but not so long that one might get bored. All the way it is interesting, engaging and, most of all, fun. It is also surprisingly a bit too logical at times (for Wonderland) though not too logical as to not get a feel for the world.

I recommend buying Alice: Madness Returns almost purely for this game, but who knows, you might enjoy that game too. But that’s another review...

Final Verdict: 9/10

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Kung Fu Panda, which came out in 2008, was your basic story of clumsy oaf discovers he is destined for greatness and goes on a journey that will eventually end up with him defeating the big bad guy. It had animals, it was greatly animated, had some great voice work and it was absolutely hilarious. Not only that, but Kung Fu Panda was the sort of film that whilst it didn’t leave itself open for a sequel it would obviously create one. So, three years later in 2011 we can now feast our eyes on Kung Fu Panda 2, and it is everything you want it to be and more!

Introducing a new villain, Shen (Gary Oldman), we see that Po (Jack Black) now has to face a bigger threat than the previous villain, as Shen not only wished to take over all of China, but also bring about the end of Kung Fu. And so, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) sends Bo and the Furious Five – Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan) – to stop Shen.

Oh, and did I mention the entire animated cast are animals?

Within the first film, it has to be said that the fact that they were animals didn’t really matter much. It allowed for some gags, such as Mantis being the size of his action figure, and some kung fu moves that no man could do because he has limbs. However, the fact that they were animals still didn’t really mean anything. However, this time we have jokes about their certain species, such as Mantis saying he never knew his father because his mother ate him. This also leads to some amazing visuals, such as Shen unfurling his tail (him being a peacock and all) as well as some very funny but heart-warming moments between Po and his father, Ping, who is a goose.

The plot takes twists and turns through rather complex narrative, be it Po discovering he was adopted, the constant searching Po has to do to discover where he came from, and the motives of the villain. In fact, Shen is possibly one of the most complex villains ever seen in cinema. He suffers from Bond villain syndrome, discussing his plans before killing his enemies, but he still brings a great amount of threat and yet also seems extremely weak at the same time, having to resort to the use of cannons to destroy his enemies.

In fact, one of the most interesting moments in the film (SPOILERS!!!) is when Shen and Po have their final fight and Po gives Shen the choice to redeem himself. Shen almost appears to accept defeat when he continues to fight until his own creation, a cannon, begins to fall on him. Shen has time to move away, but instead, in a shot that lasts maybe a second, he looks at the cannon with defeat, closes his eyes and accepts his death. It is truly a powerful climax to the film that is definitely Oscar worthy. (END OF SPOILERS!!!)

Overall, the plot is fantastic. However, the plot is helped quite a bit by the comedy and action that takes place within the movie. This sequel ups the ante and gives us a wide variety of action sequences, initially showing how far Po has come along in his training as well as showing how his fighting technique flows so well with his friends. Not only this, but it also shows that, while Shen may use cannons to defeat his enemies, he is still a formidable foe when hand to hand combat is involved. At times the fighting can be somewhat slapstick, but this is in keeping with the theme of the film. The fighting also sometimes feels like a Looney Tunes cartoon, which gives a breath of nostalgia to those who used to watch the cartoons.

The film is also a masterpiece of comedy. On more than one occasion the audience found themselves laughing, be it at a visual gag or a straight up joke. On either end this film is comedic gold.

The animation is also fantastic. If you liked the animation of the first film then the animation in this film is exactly the same. However, some segments of the film are not the 3D digital animation we see in other similar animated titles. The film uses 2D animation for flashback segments which look into Po’s tragic past. These segments look beautiful, and I can’t help but wish for the filmmakers to create a film using that art style.

On the subject of the animation, the 3D, on this very rare occasion, actually added a lot to the film. The textures of the world and the characters were brought out in such fantastic detail that the film was beautiful to look at. In no instance was the 3D blurry or in your face. At times some things did pop out of the screen towards you, but not in the “poking you in the eye” sense. I found myself blinking when I saw dough balls flying at me. The film had many chances to have a spear or a stick poke me in the face, but never took that opportunity, which I commend as it is tiresome to see films do this.

Overall, this film is an utter masterpiece and one of the few occurrences, such as with Spider-Man 2, where the sequel is far superior to the original. Not to say that the original wasn’t good, but Kung Fu Panda 2 was far more engaging, far more heart-pounding and far more fun than the original. With a narrative that flowed perfectly, Kung Fu Panda 2 will most probably become one of my favourite films of 2011. Go see it now!

Final Verdict: 10/10

Tangled (2010)

It’s hard to call Tangled a ‘Disney Princess’ film. Yes, it has some of the elements, such as the pretty teenage/early twenty-something girl wanting more and being part of royalty or being infatuated with royalty. It even has the songs. But there is a certain amount of sass that doesn’t tend to appear in Disney films. In fact, it seems more like it should have been made by Dreamworks!

The story of Tangled is that of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), who is imprisoned in a tower by her ‘mother’, Mother Gothel, (Donna Murphy), who uses the power in Rapunzel’s hair to keep young. However, after escaping from the tower with the help of outlaw Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) she begins to see more of the outside world and experiences all that she missed.

This adaptation of Rapunzel is amazingly entertaining. There are enough moments of comedy and real drama to keep the audience invested. It seems as if Disney pulled out all of the stops here to actually create a rather challenging film, as it does not stick to the somewhat cutesy style associated with some of their titles. There are many moments that seem slightly dark compared to any other Disney film that may prove distressing for some younger children, but are extremely interesting to watch from a more adult standpoint.

As mentioned before, this film has songs. The majority of the songs in this film are sung by musician Mandy Moore, who carries off the vocals within the songs with such power and emotion that it is hard not to feel for Rapunzel. Sadly, these songs aren’t overly catchy and I feel they won’t be instant Disney classics like songs from Aladdin or The Lion King. Nonetheless, these songs are generally good, with one or two not really hitting the mark.

The voice work of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi is pretty much perfect. Moore is able to carry off Rapunzel naivety and Levi conveys Flynn’s sense of smarminess, whilst still giving him a touch of likeability. Donna Murphy is able to do the voice of the evil Mother Gothel with seemingly far too much ease, showing the extent to which Mother Gothel is both evil yet at the same time somewhat caring towards Rapunzel.

The relationship between Rapunzel and her ‘mother’ is awkward to watch, knowing that Gothel is not truly her mother and that she is taking advantage of her. In fact, the villain acts just like a mother would towards her daughter, making Gothel seems even more insidious.

The animation style of the film is wonderful, too. This may come from the fact that this film is the second most expensive film ever made, and also the most expensive animated film ever made. The world feels alive and feels like it is huge. Action scenes are intense and gripping and there are scenes that take place in wide areas of land that feel like they are as large as they are.

Considering that the actual style of the film looks and watches like Dreamworks’ answer to a Disney Princess film, with it not entirely fitting into the Disney Princess genre, this film feels like it might be the correct step forward for Disney to introduce a more fun and enjoyable animated film without having to rely upon Pixar to do so. Go see this film when you can, as it is an amazing film and probably one of my favourite Disney films to date.

Final Verdict: 8/10

True Grit (2010)

Joel and Ethan Coen, professionally known as the Coen brothers, are well known for their film-making abilities. Films such as The Big Lebowski and A Serious Man have the trademark stamp of the Coen brothers through dark comedy, whilst a film such as No Country for Old Men shows that they can make serious, hard-hitting films, yet still inject some comedy without it seeming misplaced.

So when the news came out that they were adapting the Charles Portis book True Grit, previously adapted to film in 1969 with John Wayne as the star, we knew that it would hold true to the Coen brothers style: a very dramatic film with instances of humour. And this is just what we got.

True Grit tells the story of fourteen year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) whose father has been shot by a Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and therefore hires Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to find Chaney. At the same time, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who has been looking for Chaney, comes along so that he may also bring the criminal to justice. What ensues is a tale that shows what someone can do with a strong enough will and shows a modern representation of the Old West.

The character of Rooster Cogburn is almost key to this, as he is the classic ornery washed-up US Marshall. Jeff Bridges plays this character well, giving him unique quirks that make him an interesting character to watch and listen to. Sadly, I have to say that his character is a little bit hard to understand at times, slurring his words. This, of course, because he is a massive drunkard, but it still doesn’t excuse for the fact he cannot be heard too well.

Hailee Steinfeld is, surprisingly, an amazing actress. True Grit is the first theatrical film she has appeared in, and with such a great performance she will hopefully appear in further films. She definitely shows what a teenage girl at her time would have been like, with a cross between her great knowledge and thirst for vengeance, as well as slightly more immature and childish lines. It is a wonder that she has often been nominated for Supporting Actress, as she is the main character in the film, and such a strong role at that. She plays off the other actors very well, especially Jeff Bridges.

Matt Damon also interacts with the other two main actors very well. I find that, out of the three main characters, LaBoeuf is the least well-developed. Not to say that he doesn’t get developed. His character is still very likeable and interesting, especially with his views conflicting Cogburn’s and his wish to take Chaney back to Texas, rather than let Mattie deal with him. Though not in the movie quite enough, he still shines in the scenes he is in.

Throughout all of this we can taste the Coen brothers style of directing, which consists of drama and humour. The scenes with great amounts of drama are, indeed, greatly dramatic. The intensity of gunfights and quiet scenes is so high that the audience will be sitting on the edge of their seats. In contrast, the humour sometimes seems out of place, but not so much so that you are confused as to why it is there. It more so complements the scene and is truly hilarious.

With the Coen brothers touch, True Grit deserves any awards it gets, being a great way to re-introduce the Western into the world of cinema.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Black Swan (2010)

I’m fairly annoyed at myself. I cannot believe I have never seen a film that is directed by Darren Aronofsky. I have heard praise for his films, such as The Fountain, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream and Pi. Sadly, these films haven’t been as high on the radar as they should have been. So imagine my anger when I see Black Swan and realise I am witness to one of the best directed films I have ever seen, as well as being one of the most beautiful.

Black Swan revolves around the ballet Swan Lake and the conflict in Nina Sayers’ (Natalie Portman) life as she has to develop her darker side in order to portray not only the fragile and delicate White Swan, which is a perfect description of Nina, but also the dark and evil Black Swan.

The conflict in Nina’s life come mostly from those around her: her mother (Barbara Hershey) is overbearing, attempting to live the rest of her failed career through her daughter; the sexually forward and extravagant ballet instructor, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel); and the rival for the starring role, Lily (Mila Kunis). Through interactions with this supporting cast, and others, Nina begins to lose her mind and becomes less like her White Swan self and delves deeply into the hedonism and sexual exploration that encompasses the role of the Black Swan.

Portman’s acting in this film is perfect. Some have criticised it for being far too one-note at the start of the film, yet this is to establish her character as she begins to express more of the repressed feelings that exist within her. This creates a contrast that can be seen through many other elements of the film.

In regards to the supporting cast I find what may be my only criticism of the film, and that is that they do not seem to get enough screen time, apart from Thomas. Cassel as Thomas shows himself to be both repulsive and charming. As the audience we are never sure what to think of Thomas. Though he appears to take advantage of Nina, he seems to be doing it for the reason of the ballet, and even then he seems to strike a note of being charming, even if he is sexually assaulting Nina. The scenes he is in are usually filled to the brim with emotion, be is sexuality, anger, passion or delight.

Lily, sadly, needed more screen time. She is seen to be the rival to Nina, being more like the Black Swan, contrasting the entirety of Nina’s life. This rivalry is very well implemented, with tales of Aronofsky pitting both Portman and Kunis against each other and keeping them as separate as possible. Erica, Nina’s mother, also needed more screen time. We see at first that she is a slightly pushy mother, but as the film goes on we understand her obsession with her daughter and her success. Through this character we can really see why Nina is like she is and understand what has been repressed.

In the way of directing, this film is simply beautiful. A constant motif of white and black is used throughout, with most everyone around Nina wearing black to symbolise their corruption, whilst Nina wears white (to symbolise her purity and fragility) until she becomes more like the Black Swan, now wearing darker clothing. Another motif used is that of mirrors, which can be seen in almost every scene. These seem to be symbolic of another version of oneself, as well as reflection upon oneself. Thankfully, though these motifs appear in most every scene they do not seem forced and do not stick out enough to ruin the film.

One of the best directed films I have ever seen, and possibly what will turn out to be my favourite film of 2011 (yes, even this early on!), Black Swan is simply beautiful. Throughout most of the film I forgot I was in a cinema and felt like I was in the movie, extremely so within the climax, which was so gripping that I refused to move for a long period of time after the film had finished. With a dramatic, tear-jerking and bittersweet ending, this film is near-to what Nina Sayers strives for within this film: Perfection!

Final Verdict: 10/10