The Jungle Book

"Look for those bare necessities, those simple bare necessities!"

When I heard that Disney, during their recent campaign of re-inventing all their classics into live action, were intending on updating The Jungle Book, I became worried.  The Jungle Book holds a dear place in my heart, Baloo, King Louie, Bagheera and Mowgli are friends for life, Sheer Kahn is one of the greatest bad guys of my childhood, and don’t even get me started on the soundtrack – still in my playlist to this day!

As a recent trailer was shown in the cinema whilst preparing for the disappointment of BvSDoJ and I was taken in immediately.  The lush landscapes, the visuals, the animals, all looked stunning and seemed to flow naturally.  I was sold!

The new adaptation is pretty much as animated as the original, just done with computer generated imagery instead of the hand drawn style of the 50’s and it looks lovely.  Mowgli is the only real thing on screen and this child’s acting is pretty impressive when compared to the woodenness of Hayden Christian and his green screen masterclass.  The animals are voiced expertly by such talents as Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken and Scarlett Johansson adding a little flair to each but incorporating the persona of the original.  Baloo was my concern on entering the cinema, he has always been a favourite of mine, but Murray just nails it, knowing that the Bare Necessities will never be match, he only part sings it and in a similar style to his “Shelter from the Storm” scene in St Vincent.

King Louie’s King of the Swingers seems more forced than anything else and could have just been spoken lines rather than a song that didn’t seem to fit but also did not come anywhere close to the original scene.

Shere Khan though is a real presence to behold, perfectly played by Idris Elba, but also visually petrifying.  With little kids in the audience, I know the original Shere Khan was not too kid friendly, there are some scenes that are too intense.  Chasing Mowgli through tall grass with the only intention of killing him with no remorse (not even for food, but for pleasure and revenge) it a potential nightmare inducing moment. 

My only issue with the new-fangled version is the lack of….the bare necessities.  It lacks the heart and soul of the original, the love of the characters is not there, it is very enjoyable but at the same time forgettable.

I am interested where the live action routes will take us, maybe Aladdin, the Lion King or even The Fox and the Hound

10 Cloverfield Lane

One of my favourite scenes in cinematic history revolves around 3 isolated men, surrounded by vast nothingness yet with a pending threat, discussing scars, Mary Ellen Moffat and the Indianapolis.  The film was the quintessential summer blockbuster that, whilst in the midst of a big old shark, comes a scene of character building masterclass.

Back in 2008, in the height of found footage films, Cloverfield had a marketing campaign that rivalled the Blair Witch.  The film was a reasonable watch but not one I have not returned to.  Fast forward to 2015 and a secret Bad Robot Production project was unveiled on the back of a small indie film called Star Wars Force Awakens.  JJ Abrams production company had been working on a film that put three strangers in an isolated environment with pending disaster and heightening paranoia.  It was only late in the production time line that a Cloverfield title was given. 

After being involved in a car crash, Michelle wakes to find her leg in supports, a drip in her arm and shackled to a pipe.  Her saviour is a conspiracy mad John Goodman who is convinced that a nuclear attack had been pending so built a fully functioning bunker.  Seeing Michelle in trouble and knowing of the looming attack he takes her back to his fortitude.  Also in this shelter is Emmet, a contractor who help with the initial build.

With only John Goodman’s word that the surface is uninhabitable and they are in the best place, Michelle and Emmet eventually settle, but only to have questions raised about the integrity of Goodman’s background and  intentions.  Are they warranted? Are they being paranoid? What has actually happened above?

I thoroughly enjoyed Cloverfield Lane and was engrossed through most of the film.  The tension is only increased due to the surroundings that encapsulate.  John Goodman is just superb, his breathing is a character in itself.  I found myself shifting in the seat in some scenes wondering if his temper would come to the forefront.

For me, the whole focus of the film should have been the subterranean setting, anything above ground is superficial and unnecessary unless the intention was to make a whole film about it.  Sort of connected to the original Cloverfield but not really, the viewer already has an idea of what may be going on above….but is it in the same universe is the question.  As with most horror/thriller films the ending is the lasting memory, nail it and you’re a talking point for years to come, fail it and the same applies but for the wrong reasons.  Cloverfield Lane for me failed in the last 10 minutes, but the prevailing character focused, intense, claustrophobic 1hour 30minutes more than make up for it.

I was shocked to see two families bring small children into this film, I understand that it is a PG13 rated film, but there are some real intense and violent scenes that I struggled with.   How a 6 year old would cope I do not know, and one really needs to question ones film choices when bringing small children.  If this is a film you really want to see but have children, then my advice is get a babysitter for a couple of hours

The Boy

The Boy

Horror movies…a genre that has really struggled in the last couple of years.

I grew up loving a good horror film, one that made you suffer at night as a child, one that as I grew up I still remembered how I felt whilst watching for the first time, but these are becoming few and far between.  The one thing the horror genre really struggles with is a decent ending….99% of all the horror films I have watched recently, I would have been better leaving with 10 minutes to go as the final few minutes ruin the fairly decent previous 90.  That being said, there were also a couple I could have done with leaving 10 minutes into the film (looking at you “It Follows”)

I am still a fan of the genre, even with it’s over use of annoying jump scare, obvious plot holes and terrible acting, but I am slowly becoming less interested.  Dear Jeremy (youtube) makes a fantastic point about the whole horror genre, but one that will never be taken seriously

The Boy has a creepy, dark premise.  An American nanny is hired by an aging couple who live in a remote stately home to look after their son whilst they go on holiday.  Upon meeting their son, Brahms, she is shocked to find that he is actually a porcelain doll with a strict set of 10 rules that must be adhered to.  So, with obvious thoughts passing to the recent Annabelle, or earlier days of Child’s Play, one would expect a murderous spree of a tiny mannequin.  This is where The Boy stands out.  Is the doll actually possessed? Alive? Or are the sudden relocations and slight head movements down to an external source? 

I was taken in by the surroundings and dark sub plot (the reasons behind why the parents are transfixed by a porcelain son, yet fully aware that what it actually is).  The location feels remote, yet also comfortable.  There are a couple of moments that really brought tingles like Brahms sitting up on the bed with the list of rules yet the night before he had been tucked into bed.

Then, the final 10 minutes happened

Low budget and fun, The Boy is fun enough but nothing stand out and something that will not be remembered by the time you get home from the cinema.

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Now, before I start this, let me get one thing across.  I thoroughly enjoy a comic book film, I enjoy Marvel and DC and have no real affiliation to either.  Batman is one of my favourite characters and I often state that “I am Batman” and I can prove this as we have never been seen in the same room together.  I have read graphic novels such as The Killing Joke, Death in the Family and Hush, I love the Arkham games which have recently further instilled my Batman fandom.  I also must confess, although I have watched the original Donner films several times, the character of Superman is a little dull for me.  A man impervious to pretty much anything except shiny green crystals (although it does not have a massive effect), perfect nature and not much personality does not really hold much threat.  The recent re-incarnation of Man of Steal had some very interesting and enjoyable moments, but then transitioned into a dull and lackluster third act of boshing through building for 40 mins with little regard for anything or anyone else.

My expectations for BvS:DOJ had been reduced to the lowest level with the release of trailer upon trailer giving away key plot points and pivotal moments.  I had no qualms against BatFleck unlike most of the internet enraged by Warner Brothers casting choice for the Dark Knight, similar issues were raised back in 1989 and I think Michael Keaton did a great job with what he had.  So with gutter level expectations and hopes, BvS:DOJ could either meet or exceed….

There are some entertaining moments, but unfortunately in a 3 hour fiasco, moments are tear drops in an ocean of filler.  The whole film feels like a trailer for things yet to come.  When your whole film has no real story to conclude but introduces so many new threads it leaves you feeling unfulfilled, yes, the film is called Batman V Superman and both titular characters do have a versus, yes the film is subtitled Dawn of Justice leading to the start of the Justice League, but if I wanted to watch trailers for the upcoming titles let me do that outside of a film, not watching someone watch YouTube on a computer for 10 minutes!

The moments of grandeur mainly involve our beloved Bat with an Arkham style fight scene (in the trailer) or the car chase through the streets of Metropolis (in the trailer), but they are few and far between.  Lois Lane is a constant damsel in distress, Wonder Woman (in the trailer) is completely irrelevant to the plot and Doomsday (in the trailer) as a final big boss which the Bat and Supes have to team up to destroy (in the trailer) harks back to the final 40 minutes of Man of Steal….uninvolving, hard to follow, over the top CGI and with little consequence.  Although in this final battle we are constantly reminded by news broadcast or exposition that each area of the battle in completely bereft of any human presence.

This film is the launching platform for the DCU and in answer to the well-established MCU.  It feels incomplete, it feels as though in 10 years when the franchise reaches its conclusion we will be able to come back to BvS:DOJ and understand the open plot points.  Terminator Genysis comes to mind with its Sarah Connor plot points and the new Skynet, these were left open ended at the end of the film as part of the trilogy…but the trilogy has now been cancelled and this film will always be incomplete (and terrible).  BvS:DoJ (although inevitably the franchise will continue) is absolutely incomplete.  I know Marvel are doing this as well, but their franchise is established, however the films stand on their own as well.  BvS:DoJ cannot stand alone, it needs the conclusions to be complete which we will have to wait a decade for.

I am actually looking forward to the upcoming Suicide Squad which is all part of the DCU, however, after learning from the mistakes of BvS:DoJ’s advertising campaign I have subsequently avoided all trailers and marketing for fear of having insight into major key plot points.  Maybe this is the way forward for all DCU properties?  As I said at the start, I am a fan and will continue to watch the universe expand, but my interest may dwindle if they continue to be unfinished properties.