Monsters (2010) Review.

Monsters is a sci-fi adventure film that takes place six years after Earth suffered an alien invasion thanks to a deep space probe crash landing in Mexico. A cynical journalist, Andrew Kaulder, agrees to escort the daughter of his boss, Samantha Wynden, through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.

Monsters is a British film ‘written’, shot and directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able in the principal roles. The performances put in by these two is vital as they are the only real characters in the film. Monsters takes the two characters on a journey and their relationship grows throughout the hour and a half that the movie lasts and to make their relationship believable and in order to hold the audience’s attention the chemistry needs to be perfect. Fortunately, at the time of filming McNairy and Able were in a relationship (they are now married) and their chemistry really comes across when watching the film. Their back and forth dialogue and blossoming love story is a treat to watch and their performances are second to none, absolutely flawless in every way.

Monsters is gripping from start to finish.

The story that the film tells is a gripping one. Whilst being a sci-fi and the alien invasion being a huge plot point the aliens actually have a very insignificant role in the film. This was largely down to the minuscule budget but I think the lack of focus on the aliens really adds to the suspense and the fear created within the atmosphere of the film. Monsters is very much a character story and the lack of huge special effects really places the emphasis on the actors’ performances which make us, the audience, feel closer to the characters and places us as more intimate to their relationship.

A lot of what makes Monsters as good as it is is in the back story and behind the scenes of the film. As mentioned earlier, the two main actors were and are a couple so their chemistry was real. What’s more, the film was shot on such a small budget that there were only five members of the crew; all the extras in the movie were just people who happened to be at the location at the time as the whole film was shot on location with no permission asked in advance. It was largely ad-libbed and improvised with McNairy and Able being told the main points they had to mention in the scene but nothing else. The drama was filmed with store bought cameras and Edwards added all the special effects later on using software on his laptop.

Monsters is an absolute huge achievement for everyone involved and the hard work gone into making the film really comes across when watching. My attention was help throughout the film, Monsters was a tense, heart pumping film that gets the pulse racing as the drama unravels in a very natural way. We are made to feel as though we are part of that world and there is no higher praise for a director than that.

I think that, without a doubt, Monsters is a must see for fans of drama, romance, adventure and sci-fi. Whatever you like, give it a try.

My Rating: 9/10.

50/50 (2011) Review.

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Released to critical acclaim and receiving two Golden Globe nominations, 50/50 became a success upon release. But why is it so good?

50/50 treads a dangerous line by making a comedy about one of the most sensitive issues in the modern world: cancer. Adam is a twenty seven year old clean living guy who is diagnosed with the disease. 50/50 follows Adam as he struggles to cope with the diagnosis and fights to beat the cancer with the help of his best friend Kyle, his overbearing mother and a trainee therapist.

Seth Rogen and 50/50 screenwriter, Will Reiser.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely fantastic as the main character as he always is. He allows the audience to really get to know Adam and become emotionally connected to him, almost as if we are going through the battle with him. Seth Rogen comes under a lot of criticism for always playing the same character: himself. But no such criticism should be labelled at him here because Seth Rogen was actually part of the story that inspired this script. Will Reiser, who wrote the film, was diagnosed with cancer and loosely based 50/50 on his experiences and who was the best friend that helped Reiser through his battle with cancer? Seth Rogen, so it is only right that he play that same part here. And what a brilliant job he does, not only at providing some fantastic lines and comic relief but at making the audience really believe how much Kyle cares for Adam, more so as the film goes on. The chemistry and friendship between the two actors is fantastic.

A lot of the credit of making 50/50 feel as real as it is has to go to the director, Jonathan Levine. Levine has been quietly getting noticed with films such as All The Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Wackness but it is here in 50/50 where Levine excels himself. The way in which the film is shot allows the audience to become a part of the world and helps the film to come across as incredibly real, almost as if this was just people in the street going about their lives and not actually a movie at all.

The comedy is well spread out throughout the film and does not take anything away from the dramatic or dark story theme. In particular, one scene just after Kyle finds out that Adam’s girlfriend is cheating on him is particularly hilarious and if you have seen the film then you will know straight away what scene it is. The laughs will not last long though because you will be brought back down to Earth as Adam continues his struggle and one of his friends in chemotherapy passes away leading to Adam almost accepting death to be his fate as well. And as Adam is wheeled away for his operation I think there is a real sense of not knowing which turn the film will take; will Adam survive or won’t he?

50/50 is an incredible roller coaster ride. It can make you laugh and it can make you cry. But more importantly the film and the characters will stay with you for a long time. It is not a film that you will be in a hurry to forget, that’s for sure.

My Rating: 9/10.

21 Jump Street Review

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Based on the television series from the eighties that made a teen idol out of Johnny Depp, 21 Jump Street is a loose sequel made for the big screen. We follow Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, two new and hopeless police officers who end up getting sent to become part of an undercover operation. This operation includes the two officers going undercover in high school in order to find out who has been supplying a number of drugs to the students.

21 Jump Street is written by Michael Bacall, who also wrote critical success Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Oscar nominee Jonah Hill who also portrays Schmidt. Hill’s co-star is Channing Tatum and the two are supported by Ice Cube, Dave Franco and Jake Johnson among others who all make this film what it is: a brilliant piece of comedy entertainment.

The film has, what seems to be, the quickest montage series in film as it takes place just five minutes into the story, if that! Opening with a flashback gives the audience a quick and easy indication as to what the two protagonists were like in high school and their relationship there. The story moves at a pretty fast pace to get to the beef of the story, the actual undercover work. This works well as it allows for comedy moments, not focussing on too much of the drama and getting the audience right into the action.

The comedy is fantastic. Some of the jokes are immature, some of the jokes are clever and the combination of the two works perfectly. There is physical comedy and verbal comedy which make for some real laugh out loud moments. Channing Tatum, although he has his critics, is hilarious in this film and Jonah Hill is also very funny. The two have a great chemistry on screen, stemmed from their off screen friendship, and gives a real belief to their friendship.

21 Jump Street is not a film that takes itself too seriously. And in doing so allows for some fantastic moments and in jokes which refer to the television series. These range from the subtle hint to ‘reviving a programme from the 80s’ to the television show being shown in the background of the final action scene and what will make fans of the television show happiest is that the real star of the show, Johnny Depp, even has a cameo!

Overall, 21 Jump Street provides over an hour and a half’s worth of great entertainment. There isn’t a lot there to make you think but that’s not what it attempts to do. The objective is to make the audience laugh and it certainly succeeds. The ending very much leaves itself open for a sequel, which is already being talked about. If Hill and Tatum are back on board then it should be great. If you want to see a brilliant comedy film, then look no further than 21 Jump Street.

My Rating: 8/10