Mother! Movie Review

Released: 15th September 2017 (US and UK)

Length: 121 Minutes

Certificate: 18

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domnhall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson and Kristen Wiig

While many films today opt for a tried-and-true formula designed to appeal to as many audiences as possible and up the profits, others go against the grind to deliver an often-controversial film-going experience. After some diversions, Darren Aronofsky has returned to his unnerving style with “Mother!”, a film whose harrowing depths are just as impactful as its performances.

Taking place entirely within a countryside house, Mother! follows a couple played by Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem (whose names, along with the rest of the cast are deliberately undefined by the narrative) who look to bring happiness and life to their home. When another couple arrives at the house (played by Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer) and start to make things quite awkward, their intrusion mutates into a crowded problem which begins to tear the house and the characters within to pieces. What starts out as a seemingly normal tale quickly becomes something much more complicated, taking place entirely from Lawrence’s perspective. The plot of “Mother!” cannot be explained on literal terms; instead, without giving anything away, the film takes on an allegorical focus that is best left discovered on your own; the tension between the characters continues to build and boil over into full-on hostility. By the final act, I was left speechless by how intense the film was, the way it piled on so much horrific imagery, warping its opening act into something sadistic.

The characters of “Mother!” may not have much depth or background to them, but this is also intentional, allowing the performances to engage the audience. Jennifer Lawrence is phenomenal here; the break-down and sheer horror she conveys as the house goes downhill is masterfully acted; this is contrasted against Javier Bardem’s more calmer mannerisms; he means well but his intentions often lead to ever-worsening outcomes. The house becomes a character in itself, showing visible injury and a decaying effect as things go on. The visitors to the house stand as opposites to Lawrence’s character, pictures of excess that eventually devolve into the worst aspects of humanity. The only issue with the characters is that by the time the third act comes about, many of the main roles are pushed aside, particularly those played by the Gleeson brothers, their role in the film’s imagery and action reduced significantly; the quantity of people on screen at once drastically increases which only adds to the chaos that envelopes the house.

The visuals of “Mother!” feel deceivingly ordinary at first, taking on an intimate approach and closely following Jennifer Lawrence around much of the house, with only a few camera positioning tricks delivering a few starling moments. Through it all the film is silent, placing more emphasis on action happening visually. It keeps up this status quo, that sense of normality, but as the film dives into the surreal, the camerawork and effects become more twisted, morphing parts of the setting into some truly disturbing images. From here, everything goes sideways as the film’s symbolic trappings take hold; as Lawrence moves through the house, each room morphs into a nasty image which grows more grotesque, reaching a crescendo of gory disgust. This is where the film makes its ultimate mark on the audience, something few films can match.

“Mother!” is like nothing else you’ll see this year; just like Aranofsky’s previous work it’s sinister and boldly unflinching in its efforts to shock the audience. This kind of overwhelming thematic bombardment won’t sit well with everyone, but for those looking for a drastically different alternative to the big blockbusters, this easily reaches the top of the list.

Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)

Kingsman: The Golden Circle Movie Review

Released: 20th September 2017

Length: 141 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal and Jeff Bridges

2015’s Kingsman: The Secret Service defied all the doubters upon release, creating an adaptation that really struck a chord on release. With plenty of anticipation built up for the sequel, The Golden Circle faces an uphill battle to make the second entry as memorable as the first.

Sometime after the events of the first film, the Kingsman; comprised of the young Eggsy (Taron Egerton), Roxanne (Sophie Cookson) and Merlin (Mark Strong) find themselves under attack. A technical breach at the hands of failed Kingsman Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft) causes their headquarters to be wiped out. Seemingly the last remaining agents, Eggsy and Merlin turn to the Statesmen, their American cousins named after alcoholic spirits, and they head out to unravel the schemes of The Golden Circle. Kicking off with the action right away, The Golden Circle sets the audience up for the same energised flair as the original, only to boil down to a less engaging narrative. The sequel simply doesn’t have the momentum or drive of the first; in fact, the pacing feels very stop-and-start. Using the same formula by swapping between protagonist and antagonist, it jarringly swings between action and dramatic moments with one sequence taking place in Italy feeling meaningless to the overall plot. The film is a bit too long as well, with a last-minute twist also thrown in to further pad out the action. Because of this jumbled pacing and lack of build-up, you won’t be as invested as before.

Bringing in a heap of great cast members, the Kingsman sequel has all the ingredients to expand on its world, but unlike its predecessor The Golden Circle doesn’t manage to flesh them out nearly as much or give them interesting arc. From the offset, we see Roxy killed off without so much as a hint of participation and from here there aren’t many other worthwhile characters to fill her place. Channing Tatum’s Tequila shows up to introduce the Statesmen, only to be reduced to a very minor role and Pedro Pascal’s Whiskey is great in the action sequences but his character development is extremely rushed. Julianne Moore as the antagonist is the weakest of all though; she does little other than hang about in her secret hideaway with her main gimmick being an attachment to fifties diners and culture. On the other hand, though, the three main actors all do a really decent job; Taron’s smooth, charismatic Eggsy is again worth rooting for, his relationship with Swedish Princess Tilde (which launched at the end of the first film) slotting into the narrative quite well and Mark Strong’s Merlin is a brilliant source of both support and discipline. I won’t give too much away about Colin Firth’s reappearance, the connection between him and Eggsy is again very strong. It’s just too bad that the other characters are either pushed aside or too basic to make a full impression, despite the new recruits all doing as well as they portray them.

The hyperactive, rapidly shot action is still in full effect here, even if its context is muddled. Warping around the action with a deft hand, the camerawork succeeds at highlighting the craziness of the action which involves a collection of gunplay, wicked gadgetry and hand-to-hand stunt-work. Although an increased use of computer effects does place the sequences below the first film; there’s nothing quite so crazy as the church scene in the original Kingsman and the tension has been somewhat deflated. Elton John’s cameo appearance results in the film’s best action scene towards the end, a final dash set to the rhythm of “Saturday Night’s alright for fighting”. While the action is serviceable, the series hasn’t lost any of its visual identity; the ritzy, elaborate sets and fancy costumes are once again instrumental in conveying the series identity. A hefty use of “Take me home country roads” grounds the Statesmen in Kentucky and the globe-trotting plot, despite its hackneyed pacing, also brings a variety of great looking settings from icy mountains to boiling jungles. This variation, combined with an updated look from the other side of the pond allows Kingsmen to keep its spot in the widely contested spy genre.

The Golden Circle had a difficult act to follow and ultimately ends up falling short on plot and character development; it’s very much like 2013’s Kick-Ass 2 in this regard, sequels that live in the shadow of the originals. There’s still plenty here to enjoy; the over-the-top action is still wildly entertaining and the main performances still work but if you were expecting a film as good as the first, it’s a little disappointing.

Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)

Kingsman: The Secret Service Movie Review

Released: 29th January 2015 (UK)

Length: 129 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Sofia Boutella, Sophie Cookson, Mark Strong and Michael Caine

In the world of comic culture, creator and writer Mark Millar has created worthy additions to popular franchises alongside new projects ripe for expanding on in other media. Kingsman: The Secret Service is the latest of Millar’s original works to be adapted and it’s another winner, delivering a wilder, less inhibited take on the spy genre.

Beginning in the Middle-East, Kingsman: The Secret Service follows Harry Hart (Colin Firth) a military man with more than a few extra experiences under his belt. When fellow comrade Lee Unwin sacrifices himself, Harry feels he owes his son Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) a further opportunity. Seventeen years later, Harry finds Eggsy again and introduces him to the Kingsmen, a secret agency of superspies. As the young man goes through training, he learns the value of class and responsibility. Meanwhile multimillionaire Richard Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) plots to trick the world through a delivery of behaviour-altering microchips. Going into Kingsman, you’ll think this is typical spy movie fare, perhaps in the same vein as Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series with some cruder humour thrown in. But what makes it work so well is the narrative point of view and accelerated pacing; you discover and experience the Kingsman agency with Eggsy and as he undergoes training and changes his own image, the villain’s plan also moves forward; these two narrative focuses combine to create an infectious forward momentum that builds and builds over the course of the film. Apart from a few slower moments focusing on the bond between Eggsy and Harry, Kingsman: The Secret Service rarely slows down, ensuring that you remain rooted to your seat throughout. Issues-wise, the only one I had was Eggsy’s father who only gets a brief mention in the film’s opening. He could have been woven into the plot more to add further development to Eggsy’s family moments.

The characters of Kingsman are stereotypical but the main performances all carry a great likeability to them. What makes Eggsy so magnetic is his connections to family and ability to rise above his low roots; he starts off as a troublemaker but thanks to Harry’s guidance, he becomes something more; as the agent puts it “becoming superior to your previous self”. Add to that a  the Kingsmen with a classic British wit. Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine is what happens when you cross an old-fashioned Bond villain with the nerdy culture of today; an often-hilarious bad guy whose nervous disposition to violence is brilliantly contrasted against Sofia Boutella’s impressive physical performance in the fight scenes. The other facet to the characterisation is that it creates a vast divide between rich and poor and the way the two bounce off each other creates many unexpected gags. This is especially evident with the side characters, with the privileged Charlie Hesketh being especially suitably snobbish. But the other characters that make up the Kingsmen are also well-portrayed; Sophie Cookson’s Agent Roxy who pairs up with Eggsy in training and Mark Strong’s Merlin who serves as a trainer and techie are both particularly engaging.

Leaping from comic panels to the big screen, The Secret Service is based in a sort of hyper-reality where a rapid, warped shooting style is paired with crazy over-the-top violence. Compared with the gritty nature of its contemporaries, Kingsman is a breath of fresh air. During the action, the camera will rip around, occasionally zeroing in on weapons and facial expressions to convey its impact. On top of that, the action is often set to the beat of popular tracks, seamlessly blending its cartoonish tone with wacky comedy. CGI is kept to a minimum here and the film manages to walk a line between camp and tense very skilfully. The best action scene by far is a fantastic church brawl towards the end of the second act that words alone can’t do justice; it’s easily one of the best sequences in recent film history. The film’s sets and costumes are also exquisitely produced, tying in with that suave, gentlemanly tone of the agency. Some of the film’s references to James Bond feel a bit heavy-handed at times, but with the film’s roots channelling that series, it’s not really an issue. The music features a couple of pounding British pop songs as well as a set of heroic notes that transfer into the action and reflect Eggsy’s transformation from young delinquent to suave agent effortlessly.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is bursting with style, flair and above all else, awesome entertainment, carving itself a firm place among the likes of James Bond and Jason Bourne; from the moment Eggsy joins the titular agency, you’ll be invested, excited and blown away by its superb pacing and insane action.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen Game Review

Released: August 29th 2017

Developer: Fireaxis Games

Publisher: 2K Games

Price: £34.99

Certificate: 16

Formats: PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Format Played: PC

XCOM 2 stood out last year as one of the best and most demanding strategy games on the modern gaming market. For the 2017 expansion, Jake Solomon and Fireaxis sought to go above and beyond typical downloadable content to deliver a cohesive and wholesome package.

War of the Chosen is priced just below that of a traditional AAA PC release and yet it features a tremendous amount of content; the revamped campaign starts with three new soldier types and their respective factions. Reapers are masters of stealth and scouting, Skirmishers specialise in mobility and close-range combat and the Templars feature a slew of special psionic abilities that allow for a more aggressive approach. After an introduction through a new story mission, these factions will become a crucial part of the resistance effort. Covert operations allow your troops to take on a wide variety of actions from sabotaging the Avatar project to give you some much needed time to even hiring fresh staff and deliver bonus upgrades to your troops. As you gain influence with each faction, they contribute to a new card system which grants even more tactical options; this could be adding more movement options for missions on the ground or increasing the speed of construction at your base. But with new allies come new nemeses and the XCOM 2 expansion brings in the Chosen, three mighty alien disciples that dog your progress throughout the campaign. They have a chance of showing up on missions, ambushing covert actions and sabotaging your operations in many ways. On top of all that, they grow tougher over the course of the game, gathering more abilities. They’re a brutal challenge that ensures things never become unbalanced; managing to take one of them down feels suitably awe-inspiring.

But it doesn’t stop there; soldiers now form bonds with each-other than can be levelled up the more missions they go on together; pairing up two powerful soldiers and putting them in the new training centre room as they rank up can deliver some powerful attack combos alongside the ability to grant extra action points and negate negative effects. The panic effect (which saw soldiers miss a turn) from the base game has also been revamped; a collection of negative traits including fear of specific enemies can either be resisted or cause the soldier to go berserk or overly-cautious. These can be removed with the Infirmary room aboard the Avenger which has also been upgraded with the new “Breakthrough” options in the research field; occasionally Dr Tygan will point out a random area of research only available for a limited time which you can choose to proceed with or ignore. The final feature of War of the Chosen is the way it implements previous DLCs; Alien rulers such as the Viper King and Berserker Queen now guard ADVENT facilities and robotic Spark Units can now be constructed at your mobile base. All told, War of the Chosen is absolutely bursting with new features; there’s even a challenge mode with weekly leader boards which offers standalone missions to test your strategy skills.

The core gameplay of War of the Chosen remains unchanged, it’s still about moving your soldiers across the map, making effective use of concealment to set up ambushes alongside two action points to kill (or at the very least disable) the aliens. But the new facets in the expansion give way to more mission variety which makes for a more unpredictable campaign all-around. Several supply raids now see you tussling with ADVENT over who can extract the most crates by marking them for pickup and some underground missions might have you assassinating a key ADVENT commander. The retaliation missions (in which you defend your resistance havens from alien attack) have been massively improved with basic resistance soldiers that help fight the aliens on-site, but my personal favourites are the stealth rescue operations; occasionally a soldier may be captured by the Chosen and you’ll have to break them out. This results in a much slower paced mission where if you play your cards right, an extraction can be carried out without needing to engage the enemy at all. One enemy you will inevitably engage are The Lost; essentially zombie hordes decaying from years of alien radiation, this foe can be dangerous in groups but if you place your shots carefully, you’ll be refunded action points to thin the herd and push forward; the Lost will attack aliens too so it’s often worth letting them fight it out on occasion. ADVENT may have commissioned new enemies with the psionic Priests, flame-throwing Purifiers and sinister Spectres but when the titular Chosen join the fight, your heart will often drop as things get even tougher; their central strategy involves knocking soldiers into a daze so they can take valuable knowledge or worse, capture them and retreat from the field. This will call for a more diverse set of tactics; it’s worth sending your Reaper ahead to scout out enemies first or use the Skirmisher’s grapple hook to reach a higher position. Varying up the gameplay even more are SITREPS; these are positive or negative effects which spice up missions by bringing in The Lost or giving your squad the ability to re-enter concealment. Difficulty wise, the unforgiving side of combat is de-emphasised towards the start of the campaign to allow newcomers to get to grips with the new faction units but things quickly heat up after being introduced to the new factions.

Fireaxis has also worked to improve the technical performance for War of the Chosen; all the in-game action happens much more quickly now with more fluid animations and drastically reduced slowdown. In a way, this can make the proceedings even more intense as enemy attacks, particularly ones that kill one of your soldiers in a single hit feel more abrupt and lethal. I did come across a few game crashes when undertaking retaliation missions and installing mods but they didn’t occur too much to damage the flow and were easily fixable. Some new war and battle themes create a more epic feeling on each mission and the modding scene on the Steam workshop remains open with more content continuing to flow into the game. It’s great to see the developers take player feedback onboard and produce a more stable and flowing title.

Aside from a few crashes mainly caused by mods, War of the Chosen delivers phenomenal value, oodles of new gameplay facets and sharpens the original game’s strategic tactics to a razor-sharp edge. In short, it will likely go down as the best gaming expansion of 2017.

Rating: 9.5/10 (Superb)

(Images used for the purposes of review and criticism under fair use)

Controversy Clocking Episode 10: Bethesda's Downward Spiral

Bethesda Softworks has held popularity in the gaming industry for a while now, their first mainstream hit being The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006, but like many companies in the current generation of gaming, it seems they’re slowly succumbing to some of the worst business practices in the industry. It can be argued that Bethesda has been going downhill since 2015 when a controversial move to place paid mods onto Steam was met with an enormous community backlash. The paid mods were quickly retracted from the workshop which speaks volumes of the PC crowd’s ability to spark change in attitudes from developers.

The second strike came soon after Fallout 4 was released; while the game achieved decent reviews and strong sales, the more long-standing fans of the franchise (myself included) were very disappointed at how the game streamlined the role-playing mechanics on top of having some lacklustre writing. When compared with Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas and the older isometric titles, Fallout 4 simply wasn’t a role-playing title; it was a competent shooter with shallow elements of player choice and little of substance in its open world. At the very least, the game was still open to modding but most ended up returning to New Vegas because of its larger substance for expansion. Even seven years on, modders continue to work on Obsidian’s title; The Frontier, one of more ambitious full-game conversions is set for release within a year or so. On top of that, Bethesda has been rather restrictive of the Fallout license lately, refusing to lend it out to Obsidian or any other RPG developer who could take the series back to its choice-driven roots. Bethesda also made headlines for the wrong reasons when it changed its review policy in 2016, giving out its games to reviewers just one day before release, meaning they wouldn't have time to give a reasonable impression.

But in 2017, Bethesda really went off the rails, making moves that disappointed its fanbase immensely. The company’s E3 conference this year was drab and uninteresting, an indication of things to come. Dragging Skyrim out after six years was underwhelming at best, but it was Creation Club, Bethesda’s second attempt at paid mods, that set off their downward trajectory. Fallout 4 reviews on Steam plummeted to overwhelmingly negative after Bethesda introduced its microtransaction system, which required a 2GB patch. Many players were quick to state their anger at Creation Club and the modding community felt cheated; after years of fixing Bethesda’s games and producing content for free, the company now wishes to split their efforts and monetise something which has been a cornerstone to the company’s success. The launch of Creation Club was a disaster, offering horribly basic mods which can easily be downloaded for free on the Nexus among other sites. The vitriol against paid mods has been so strong that one user made a mod that removes creation club news from Fallout 4’s main menu. Many believe that Bethesda’s Creation Club is only the beginning of planned monetisation, a slow absorbing of all mods and user-generated content into micro-DLCs for increased profits. Time and again, Bethesda has repeated the phrase: “It isn’t paid mods” but there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary and the way they’re handling the backlash is causing even more anger from fans.

Where does Bethesda go from here? Do we put the blame on them as a game studio or their larger owner ZeniMax Media for falling into the same greedy practices that plague the industry? One by one, the big developers seem to be falling prey to the profit driven demands of game production. Arguably the best thing to do is pull the plug on Creation Club completely, reopen the Fallout franchise to Obsidian and pledge to both update their development engine and do better when it comes to game engines and overall polish in the games they produce. This would reassure their fans while also working to restore their damaged reputation as a company. If not, they may end up joining the ranks of other disliked companies whose titles, while well-produced are viewed with scepticism.

R3: The Peter Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch

Released: Between 2011 and 2017 (Published by Gollancz in the UK)

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Number of Pages: 2,336 (All books)

Books (In order of appearance): Rivers of London, Moon over Soho, Whispers Underground, Broken Homes, Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree

Gaining some recognition by critics and The Sunday Times, the Peter Grant series has become Ben Aaronovitch’s biggest contribution to the literature scene, alongside a few ventures into the Doctor Who series. Seeing the first book, Rivers of London, featured in a bookstore I picked it up and got reading.

The series follows the investigations of Peter Grant, a London Metropolitan Police Officer who finds himself drawn into a secret world of magic upon encountering a ghost. Taken on as an apprentice by the last remaining English wizard Deputy Constable Thomas Nightingale, Grant stumbles across a set of crimes that are far more complicated than regular police work. These also put him into contact with numerous mythical creatures from River Gods to Fairies and suspicious individuals who hide behind masks.

Taking place entirely in the first person, the reader is open to Grant’s inner thoughts; Aaronovitch relays the action but there’s also many moments where the protagonist will go off to the side and quickly explain something to us, be it police protocol or a nugget of humorous sarcasm that mixes up the traditional action. The intrigue comes through as the investigations expand and each book is imbued with just the right amount of variation to give them a unique hook. The second book, Moon over Soho, homes in on the London Jazz scene, using Peter’s music-playing father as an anchor point. Things get bloody as well with more than a few moments of dismemberment sure to create some winces and in general each of the six novels is very adult in its framing.

While Harry Potter featured an entire wizarding world hidden behind some recognisable landmarks, the Peter Grant series is a lot more grounded, layering magic elements in and around the city rather than developing a full eco-system and lore. This is shown through Nightingale’s own history, having made use of his magical prowess alongside other practitioners in World War Two and other past events. Each book reveals a little more about the fantastical creatures living out of sight, often introducing them in a defined setting such as the London Underground or some of the rougher neighbourhoods around the outskirts of the city. By the time you reach the sixth book, the series has covered just about every social avenue of the UK capital and some parts just outside the bounds.

Taking on a grounded approach does come with a few shortcomings though; you shouldn’t go in expecting character arcs that come full circle or many shocking twists or turns. Despite all the shenanigans involving magical creatures and the wreaking of various spots around London, it aims to form a realistic picture of police investigation, bringing all the slower paperwork and back-and-forth conversations that come with the job. It was Broken Homes that ended up having the biggest surprise for me and by the end of The Hanging Tree, things felt rather inconclusive. The series attempts to be more true-to-life but the encounters with the eventually-revealed antagonist can land with a dull thud at several points across the six books, particularly with the way things wrap up.

Recommended?

For a set of stories that take place in a modern London laced with all sorts of wit and cultural references, the Peter Grant series is worth a look, being more of interest to those of us who read Harry Potter at school. Each book is compact, never going beyond 500 words, which also makes it easily digestible for the travellers and commuters. Much of Peter’s perspective also ties in with the current work-driven lives we have and by taking place from his perspective, there’s some relatability to be found here. Peter’s private thoughts about his boss, opinions about the women in his life, and connections to his friends are all characteristics to hook onto. Though I ended up rooting for Nightingale a lot more thanks to his smooth manner and intelligent demeanour. This relatable side plus a dose of sarcasm does enough to make up for the somewhat disappointing narrative arc.

Book six, “The Hanging Tree” came out just under a year ago in the UK. A new story titled The Furthest Station (which takes place in-between Foxglove Summer and The Hanging Tree is set to release on September 28^th, 2017 and there was also talk of a TV series going around several years ago. But a seventh chapter in the magic police officer’s story is still a long way off. I’m hoping we can see a full conclusion at some point in the future.

"It" Movie Review

Released: 8th September 2017 (UK and United States)

Length: 135 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Andy Muschietti

Starring: Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Nicholas Hamilton

“It” is one of Stephen King’s longest, most popular novels and after its first adaptation in 1990 starring Tim Curie there was hardly an evil clown that came close to matching its fright-factor. After 27 years (which happens to coincide with the titular monster’s appearance) and a helping of fanfare online, the modern “It” has arrived and it’s sure to stand out among many horror films this year.

In the small American town of Derry, odd occurrences are afoot; random disappearances are going completely unchecked by the adults and many children are witnessing something sinister luring them away from safety. The main participants here are the Losers Club, some young kids who don’t quite fit in but still get by on their close friendships. This band of misfits soon comes together to take on the killer clown Pennywise and hopefully overcome their fears. “It” switches between ordinary life in Derry to moments where Pennywise attempts to take the children away to a horrible fate; the former cuts around to many different spots around the town which does develop the setting but the film wisely chooses to focus on the characters. We’re given a lot of time to learn about the group of youths, what scares them the most and the problems they have daily. Between family problems, bullies and disappearing children the film lays down plenty of development to get you to root for these kids and it really works. When conflict crops up between the characters, it feels genuine and the chemistry that forms in the group creates a compelling dynamic that carries into the final act without much issue.

Personality is a central focus for “It” with each of the children having their own quirks that work to set them apart. It’s rather similar to the Netflix show Stranger Things (Which is fitting as the young Finn Wolfhard came directly from that series, bringing some comic relief to this film). Each member of the Losers Club gets their own moment of fright from Pennywise; Jaeden Lieberher’s Bill, Jeremy Ray Taylor’s Ben and Sophia Lillis’ Beverly are particularly great with their personal problems being put on full show throughout the film. Not all the young people are quite so developed though; of all the cast members, it’s Wyatt Oleff and Chosen Jacobs who feel slightly underused despite them being well-portrayed. Then there’s the clown himself, played by Bill Skarsgård. He doesn’t show up too often, but when he does it’s especially chilling. When compared with Tim Curie, his voice is a lot smoother, slithering through his lines with a wickedly devilish demeanour. You can tell he enjoys preying on the children and exploiting their fears to a nasty effect. Outside of a few characters who could have been given a bit more material to gel with the group, the characters of “It” really stand out as some of the more likeable characters in the modern horror genre.

The way “It” was shot and edited also fuels its mission to deliver scares; keeping between mid and close range, the shots convey Pennywise’s presence while also keeping his illusions dynamic and seamless. There’s a brilliant collection of special effects that take the fears of the children and amplify them to some grotesque heights and this cuts down on the jump scares; a few startling moments pop up here and there but it’s the manipulation of reality and the environment that brings out some of the nastier moments. Yet even with all the visual trickery going on, it’s Pennywise’s make-up that might make the biggest impression; a fantastic update from the original with costume work straight out of the Renaissance to create his disconnect from the real world. The music also twists, going from whimsical one moment to grimly foreboding the next; there’s also plenty of sound cues where the kids push back against their difficulties, further upping the audience’s investment. With most of the scares coming visually and audibly with a good build-up, the 2017 “It” succeeds at generating fear in the audience.

It’s more of a thriller with horror elements than a straight fright-fest, but unlike many other contemporaries in the horror genre, the new “It” backs up its creepy moments with characters that you will care about and by putting this before cheap scares, the modern rendition is well worth investigating, even if you have a chronic fear of clowns…

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)

Detroit Movie Review

Released: 25th August 2017 (UK)

Length: 143 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jacob Latimore, Jason Mitchell, Hannah Murray, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack Reynor, Ben O'Toole and Anthony Mackie

Coming to widespread acclaim in 2009 with The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow has moved towards the framing of real events with an often-critical lens while also leading the charge for women filmmakers in the industry. Her second venture into adaptation, Detroit, continues her unflinching, politically charged examinations with outstanding results.

Taking place in Detroit’s 12^th Street Riot in 1967; the film focuses mainly on the Algiers Motel Incident which saw young black and white people brutalised and murdered by white law enforcement. Opening with an illustration to set the scene, we’re introduced to the highly internalised black culture, in which people banded together to cope with the tide of violence and the mostly white police force who rarely showed restraint in their crackdown efforts. From this springboard, a clear three-act structure takes place; the first establishes the characters and the social context they exist in, the second zeroes in on the brutality that took place at the hands of the authorities and the final act shows the aftermath of tragedy. Each act can be defined as its own storytelling tool, examining how the riots happened, what was done to the black population at the time and why it matters even today. For example, one scene follows The Dramatics band as they’re about to enter on stage to perform, only to be denied their chance as the riots become more intense. In one moment, the film summarises the sentiment African Americans had at the time, that feeling of having opportunities ripped away from them despite their passion. Much of the film is dramatized as there were few accounts of what took place at the Motel that night, but the film laces each part of its narrative with visceral performances. Once the second act centres on the Motel, it never turns away from the violence that takes place; it pins the action there and never relents.

The actors in Detroit do a superb job at portraying the two sides of the riots and their positions of power (or lack thereof) John Boyega plays Melvin Dismukes, a private security guard who aligns himself with the police and national guard; he does what he can to defuse the escalating situation but is often forced to stand by and watch. Boyega and the portrayals of other humbler servicemen work to deliver the more impactful moments of the narrative; in a barrage of hate and violence, the way some chose to act against it stick out the most. Caught in the middle of the chaos, the younger actors are often staggeringly emotive in the way they portray the victims. Algee Smith’s Larry Reed, the main singer of The Dynamics, captures a vivid and often heart-wrenching dehumanisation over the course of the film which really comes into its own in its film’s closing act. Treated no differently from the black victims, Hannah Murray and Kaitlyn Dever also capture the trauma of being caught in a heart-stopping situation seamlessly. On the opposite end, we have Will Poulter and Algee Smith as the police officers responsible for the sadistic interrogations; the loathsome way they dominate and antagonise African Americans caught up in the riots delivers a nerve-shredding tension that plants the audience firmly into their fear and desperation. From an intimidation standpoint, it reaches the same levels as R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket and J.K Simmons in Whiplash; anyone who sees Detroit will feel an immense disgust at their actions, which only grows as the incident rumbles on. There’s a look in their eyes (and sometimes in their superiors) that demonstrates the disdainful racism that ran rampant through the sixties.

The film’s rough subject matter is matched by its presentation; throughout the entire film the camera never sits still or lingers on one moment for too long, maintaining its feel as a pseudo-documentary with a few hints of real-world footage added in to anchor Detroit’s realistic setting. One technique comes in the first act; as the African American populous grows more angry and bitter at police brutality, the camera moves more quickly, cutting around more wildly to emphasise the explosion of violence that took place. The music by James Newton Howard works to pull the audience into both the central predicament and the Motown genre of the time. As Detroit reaches its final act, this personality and flair drains and the music dampens to an unenergetic low, symbolising the sense of tragedy and injustice that pervaded the lives of thousands.

Powerful and strikingly relevant, Detroit is another resonating effort from Kathryn Bigelow, whose steadfast commitment to framing history creates a film where intensity runs high and perspectives stand in stark contrast. It offers an intimate and often disturbing glimpse at one of the darkest chapters in American history.

Rating: 5/5 Stars (Exceptional)