The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Movie Review

With 2012’s ‘’The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’’ Peter Jackson returned to Middle Earth to begin a prequel trilogy with mixed results. One year later and ‘’The Desolation of Smaug’’ has built a more solid effort into what is arguably Tolkien’s best known story.

After narrowly escaping the clutches of the ruthless Azog, the company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and accompanied by Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) continue their trek to the lonely mountain, having to contend with giant spiders, uncooperative elves, and of course Smaug himself. Like ‘’The Two Towers’’ before it ‘’TDOS’’ often splits the story, cutting between Bilbo and the dwarves on their journey and Gandalf’s personal mission to discover the full extent of Sauron’s return to power. However where ‘’Lord of the Rings’’ maintained a perfect balance between the stories of Aragorn and Frodo, ‘’The Desolation of Smaug’’ does become quite unbalanced in this regard, especially towards the end where Gandalf is pushed off to the side in favour of pitting the dwarves and Bilbo up against Smaug. But where the narrative becomes unbalanced the action sequences are boosted in entertainment factor and quantity; the tense escape from a spider nest and a fast-paced river run where elves, dwarves and orcs clash are highly enjoyable but it’s the multi-staged battle with Smaug in the depths of the lonely mountain that stakes it’s claim as the most exciting moment of the series so far. The pacing issues from ‘’An Unexpected Journey’’ have also been fixed with the movie proceeding along well, not dilly-dallying in one place for too long and ending at the right time, rather than thrusting the audience into another action scene like it’s predecessor did.

The casting and characters have also been upped for the sequel; in addition to developing further they also provide worthwhile links between ‘’The Hobbit’’ and ‘’Lord of the Rings’’ Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins has been downplayed a bit for a large majority of the film but you can clearly see that the One Ring is beginning to take hold of him. Gandalf, despite not having quite enough screen time discovers more than he can handle when up against Sauron and his army of Orcs. Legolas (Orlando Bloom) makes a welcome return, bringing more awesome stunt-work while also giving insight into the character before Lord of the Rings by being decisively more serious and less laid back. Even some of the dwarves are worth caring about this time as they go through many more desperate situations, causing their camaraderie and unique traits to shine through. Several new characters also make their mostly worthwhile debuts; Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) is a bit flat in terms of emotion but she nonetheless plays off Legolas very well in the action scenes. Bard (Luke Evans) is a loyal yet cautious human who is just as concerned for his own family and town as he is for the quest to reclaim the lonely mountain. Yet ironically the best new actor in the film is one who isn’t live action at all; Benedict Cumberbatch is perfectly cast as the dragon Smaug. His voice is deep, powerful and foreboding, ensuring that the audience always feels his presence. This, combined with his huge size makes him an unforgettable antagonist. New characters aside, when compared with LOTR in which just about every character had their own purpose and moment of glory there are unfortunately still some throwaway characters to be found here. Stephen Fry as the Master of Lake-Town and Ryan Gage as his servant are woefully underused but outside of these characters the main cast does a great job in the roles.

As with all of Jackson’s previous films set in Middle Earth the mountainous regions of New Zealand once again serve a perfect backdrop with stunning vistas to behold throughout the film. ‘’The Desolation of Smaug’’ carves out its own niche through a greater variety of environments that add to an already detailed lore; these include the eerie forest of Mirkwood, the city of Wood Elves and not to mention the silent and expansive caverns of Erebor. The action sequences are shot quite well with good framing, especially the battle with Smaug which makes use of long shots to create a brilliant sense of scale. On the other hand the music that plays in these sequences, while authentic to the fantasy genre can be a bit irregular at times, cutting out at random intervals. Despite these gripes the world of Middle Earth remains a spectacle and easily one of the best settings of the fantasy genre.

It still has some problems but ‘’The Desolation of Smaug’’ makes a marked improvement on the original, bringing more action, more drama and better pacing. I eagerly await the final chapter of the trilogy.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Movie Review

In 2011 Suzanne Collins’ wildly popular series of novels made its way onto the big screen with the original Hunger Games. Standing as one of the better film adaptations outside of Harry Potter, a sequel was inevitable; Catching Fire is more than a worthy successor, it’s a phenomenal sequel to what was already a solid film.

‘’Catching Fire’’, picking up from where ‘’The Hunger Games’’ left off continues the struggle between the twelve districts and the totalitarian capital government. Despite surviving the 74^th Hunger Games the struggles of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) are far from over; the sinister President Snow (Donald Sutherland) along with his new cohort Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) have a plan to manipulate and beat the innocent populations into submission whilst at the same time, avoiding inciting the masses to rise up against them. It’s an elaborate scheme that serves to intensify the already oppressive treatment of the twelve districts. Despite the 12A rating, Catching Fire is an incredibly brutal movie; civilians are mercilessly beaten and executed in the streets and there’s a greater level of destruction being carried out by the Capitol this time around. Since getting into the series as a whole I can’t help but feel that it employs several historical ‘’what if?’’ scenarios; if the Nazis or any other dictatorship had control of the world, they would be probably doing the same thing to everyone beneath  them which makes the world of ‘’Catching Fire’’ every bit as bleak as the original. This theme, combined with the worsening state of Katniss and her people provides a great deal of build-up and that’s before we get to the newly upgraded and twice as deadly 75^th Hunger Games.

The setup is the same as before; twenty four young people are selected to take part in a fight to the death, only this time the stakes have been upped enormously. Where the first film offered reprieves every now and again, this time the characters are always on edge, always in some sort of danger and are pretty much always fighting for survival. Toxic gas, carnivorous mammals and weather hazards all seek to claim the lives of the tributes this time and to top it off the tributes themselves are all previous winners of the Games, making them substantially more deadly than the opponents who came before. The plotline of Catching Fire, much like the book it is based on results in a film that is far more tense and frenetic than it’s predecessor. If there’s one gripe with the plot, it’s that the ending (while it does follow the book well) is a bit abrupt and could have had more impact but when the rest of the plot firmly grips the audience from start to finish, this is easily forgiven.

With a darker plotline comes more struggles for the characters to endure and the cast of ‘’Catching Fire’’ rises to the challenge effortlessly. Jennifer Lawrence continues to be incredible as Katniss, bringing an immense amount of emotion to a character who is at witness to unbelievable amounts of brutality and oppression as a result of her actions in the previous film. Though you may suspect conflict to erupt between Peeta and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) in this instalment, quite the opposite occurs as they both band together in the face of oppression; their performances are fully consistent but they never take the spotlight off Katniss for too long. A lot of effort has also gone into introducing new characters to the fray as well; Heavensbee is suave yet calculating in the way he works with Snow throughout the film while the new tributes all possesses unique characteristics and skills from the intelligent Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) to the slightly psychopathic Joanna (Jena Malone) who both have their own roles to play in surviving the games. The other supporting characters remain memorable and some go through a good deal of development; Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), the tribute overseer in District 12 who was seemingly religiously dedicated to the Capitol becomes more sympathetic whereas Haymitch Abernathy becomes more than an advisor as he finds much responsibility thrust upon him. Above all else the characters of ‘’Catching Fire’’ hold are all solidly implemented into the film and are never lost in the ever-moving plotline.

‘’Catching Fire’’ continues the series expert use of contrast in its settings; the districts are run down, broken and possessed with a grim tone that highlights the struggles of the characters. This is a stark contrast with the bright and colourful Capitol City; which is comprised of towering buildings and numerous high-class citizens who bathe in luxury and wealth. Despite the blinding pace of the plot, every action packed moment is filmed and framed well, never giving an unclear view. The soundtrack contains a surprising variety of tracks from a range of artists but it is Coldplay’s ‘‘Atlas’’, which makes the biggest impression during the end credits, perfectly foreshadowing the films to come.

  

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes the foundations by the original and elevates them to a brilliant level. Film adaptations simply don’t get much better than this.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

November 2013: The busiest month yet...

It's been quite a while since my last post so I thought I'd give a fairly substantial update on what's been going in November down in Bournemouth; a ton of stuff...

First up was the Gabrielle Aplin English Rain concert on the 12th. Believe it or not, this was actually my first ever concert; yes, after all these years of missing out back home in Aylesbury I went down the O2 Academy with my flatmates Rebecca and Max. Suffice to say it was a great event and I can't wait to go to more soon. For those of you who don't know, Gabrielle Aplin rose to fame last year when she did a cover of ''The Power of Love'' for the John Lewis Christmas advert. She's an incredibly talented singer with a very soothing voice. You can check out her website here: http://www.gabrielleaplin.co.uk/

There's been a lot of things going on with media in general here at Bournemouth University. I've signed up for various writing outlets to get my work spread further, including The Rock Newspaper, Nerve Magazine and The Rock Online. The work WILL go in but there's been quite a few delays where pictures are concerned.

As part of my News and Online unit I went with my friend John to the Xbox One midnight launch last week to do my first fully fledged report. The concerns I had for being mugged that evening were quickly overcome by some really detailed interviews with both customers and Game staff, plenty of pictures and even a few tips from some pro photographers on how to best capture the moment. I am now in the process of typing up the report to go up on Bournemouth Buzz and will also be doing the same for the launch of the PlayStation 4 tomorrow.

And finally there was my birthday just yesterday; combine that with a fellow flatmate's birthday today and you get a full-on joint party in my flat filled with drinking games. Like the Gabrielle Aplin concert this was again sort of a first for me, having a ton of people around for my birthday. Things got rowdy quickly but at the end of the day people came and enjoyed themselves just as much as I did. You only get one birthday in halls after all.

That's it for now; my next review will likely be ''The Hunger Games Catching Fire'' when I get around to seeing that. See you soon :)

Gravity Movie Review

Alfonso Cuaron has established himself as a highly artistic and visionary director with a variety of great films and prestigious awards under his belt. About twenty two years since he last took on duties for all four major areas of filmmaking (Directing, Producing, Writing, and Editing) Cuaron returns to the silver screen with ‘’Gravity’’; an awe-inspiring film that more than bests most modern science fiction films.

A mission is underway with the crew of the Explorer Space Shuttle when a debris storm shatters the spacecraft and severing all contact with Earth, leaving the survivors in a struggle to land back on solid ground. As you can probably tell, Gravity’s plot is incredibly simple and easy to grasp; we’ve seen the likes of Cast Away and 127 Hours in addition to several other survival stories set in space but this one sets itself apart with a foreboding and lonely mood. After the initial destruction of the Explorer, Stone and Kowalski are the only survivors and can only rely on each other to get back to Earth. The journey is long and perilous with several locations playing a role throughout the action. The film drifts from tense situations in which space debris continues to impede the character’s progress to moments of calmness which allow both them and audience to contemplate their situation and whether or not they will manage to get back to Earth. Gravity maintains this structure throughout its run time which keeps the audience engaged and ensures that there’s never a dull moment where you’ll be waiting for something to happen.

There may be two big names printed on the poster but Gravity is really all about Ryan Stone’s (Sandra Bullock) journey across space to return home. Bullock’s performance is very well rounded and emotive and even though we don’t learn too much about her background there’s no need for it; a surprisingly detailed character arc is present in the way she transforms from vulnerable and frightened into a capable and determined woman. Complimenting her performance is George Clooney as Matt Kowalski. As the leader of the team he cares deeply for the safety of the crew but he is also quite relaxed and cheerful in the way he interacts with Stone. Ultimately Clooney’s performance in the film is simple and they keep him no longer than necessary; rather than distracting from Stone’s struggle, his behaviour and mannerisms seem to transfer onto her, strengthening her resolve to return to Earth, making him all the more likeable for the screen time he is given.

The cinematography in Gravity headed by Emmanuel Lubezki is simply staggering in the way it immerses the audience in both the setting and the character’s struggles. When the characters are spinning or climbing around space stations the camera will do the same, seamlessly translating the feeling of disorientation onto the audience and always giving a clear view of the action. Numerous zoomed in focus shots brilliantly convey how the forces in space affect both objects and the elements; these contrast with the long shots of the hurtling debris, which only adds to the tension as several man made spacecraft are smashed to pieces throughout the film. Despite the immense threat of being lost in space, Gravity also uses many wide and beautiful shots of the Earth combined with an almost eerie silence to create a serene and exquisite atmosphere. You really feel that the creators of the film took the time to find out about how space works and how to best absorb the audience and it pays off in heaps for the technical presentation.

Of all the science fiction films released this year ‘’Gravity’’ is the shooting star in the sky; with Sandra Bullock’s outstanding lead performance, superb tension and all around beautiful cinematography all gelling together to produce a truly astounding movie on every front.

Rating: 5/5 Stars 

Alien Movie Review

In celebration of Halloween this year I'm taking a look at a particularly scary movie that still stands up more than thirty years later. It received the most votes (well, one vote!) and here it is, my review of Alien.

Science fiction movies have achieved popularity for decades with some franchises that have kept a substantial fan following; one of these is ‘’Alien’’.  It all started back in 1979 with an outstanding science fiction film that broke new ground and elevated director Ridley Scott to super-stardom.

In the future a band of space truckers aboard the Nostromo are journeying back to Earth towing a mineral refinery for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation when a distress signal is picked up by the ship’s computer. Following orders from the company the crew sets down upon a desolate planet and come across a crashed alien ship. From there a simple exploration mission devolves into a bloodbath as the crew unwittingly unleashes a grotesque, demonic and all around unstoppable monster. What sets Alien apart from other science fiction movies is the slow and steady pacing of its plot; it takes it’s time to establish the futuristic setting and technology which immerses the audience into the film before the main action begins. The same applies to suspense and the film serves as one of the finest examples of this technique; far too many horror films today utilise jump-scares and skip the suspense entirely but Alien makes great efforts to conceal the creature through the film. The fact that the Alien is not seen very often, combined in tandem with the claustrophobic setting of the Nostromo takes full advantage of the feeling of uneasiness and gives the impression that the creature could be almost anywhere, ready to pounce. On top of this the characters are at a huge disadvantage; they can’t run or hide and they have no conventional weapons to use; they are forced to rely on each other and their own ingenuity, raising the unlikelihood of survival in an already bleak situation. Ultimately the plot of Alien is akin to a nightmare; the scares are frightening and unpredictable, the gore is hideous and shocking, and the futuristic setting is both fascinating and richly detailed.

Alien’s cast, far from the often under developed and lacklustre performances of modern horror cinema is excellent and for its time it brought together a well-rounded and professional collection of actors to bring the characters to life. These are incredibly developed characters indeed with every single cast member bringing their own traits to the table as well as making the characters quite relatable. Dallas (Tom Skerritt) is the capable captain, Ash (Ian Holm) is the blunt yet subtle officer, Kane (John Hurt) is more quiet and logical in his thinking, Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) and Parker (Yaphet Kotto) are the everyday co-workers who like to banter with one another, Lambert (Veronica Cartwright) is the more timid one who quickly loses her nerve when the Alien attacks and finally Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the strong and caring warrant officer who at the time of the film’s release, redefined how women were perceived in films. What makes the characters so developed and likeable is again down to the film’s slow beginning; it gives ample time for the audience to get to know them and care about their fates. Bolaji Badejo also deserves a special mention for delivering a truly sinister and disturbing performance inside the suit of the Alien itself; the way it crawls around, hides in the shadows and grips its victims as it comes in for the kill truly sets it apart as one of the most memorable movie monsters of all time.

Not only are the characters highly developed but so is the atmosphere; it’s all down to the highly unusual, sexual and mysterious set designs by H.R Giger.  The scene where the crew journey through the tunnel like caverns of the derelict ship and discover the huge ‘’space jockey’’ chair is one of the biggest spectacles in science fiction. The hand painted imagery raises numerous questions that enhance the film’s lore; what is that dead creature in the chair? What was its mission? How did the Alien eggs get inside the ship? It’s a mystery that compliments the Alien itself. The Nostromo also makes an impression through both setting and sound; most of the spaceship is made up of narrow corridors barely illuminated by flashing lights. This environment is often eerily quiet and the few sounds we do pick up are often warning sirens or the rattling of machinery; it paints a gloomy and isolated setting where the characters are constantly being hunted and stalked. Outside of these scare tactics the themes of space travel are explored vividly with the technology being highly interesting but never interfering with the character’s struggles throughout the film.

Taking the basic premise of a B-Movie and elevating it to relentlessly terrifying professionalism; Alien, even more than thirty years later remains the undisputed king of sci-fi horror. Everything from the suspense, the characters, the sets, and the horrific creature at its center is masterfully executed to serve as one of the all-time greatest science fiction movies ever made.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

First blog post and other stuff about ''The Cainage Critique''

Hello internet! I'm Rob Cain, a reviewer, writer and current first year student at Bournemouth university. I built this blog soon after arriving and am in the process of adding everything I've written to ''The Cainage Critique'' though unfortunately this is easier said than done due to the Blogger's annoying page limit of 20. Though I have found a trick to boost that number it still involves a lot of tedious deleting and re-uploading of pages.

Now that's out of the way what's next for the blog? I'll be adding a poll soon so you can vote on the next film or game you want me to review. For the time being (and my commitments as a student!) it'll work like this...

Movies: These should be cranked out quite well as they're aren't too expensive and I should be able to put aside some time at several weekends a month to go and see the latest flicks.

Games: Now games on the other hand will be more restricted and less frequent as these are often quite expensive and I'll only really be able to play them properly when I visit home. The format will be a choice between PS3 , PC or even some retro Wii or PS2 games as those are the systems I currently own.

Now to kick-start this blog a bit; you can find me at these addresses...
Twitter: @CainageCritique
BlogLovin: (Paste this link into your browser to follow me on BlogLovin!)
 <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11127471/?claim=t7s3s2nsxpj">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>