Blunt Reviews Presents: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

I’m often accused of being a film snob who doesn’t know how to have fun. I was told to watch this film because I’d hate it. I watched it and absolutely loved it. From the casting choices and the hilarious screenplay, right down to the directing of the action sequences, this film had me smiling from ear to ear throughout. Every element was on point and it was an enjoyable experience from start to finish. Even the soundtrack had me smiling as I witnessed these visually stunning alien landscapes accompanied by some classic songs. It was just brilliant!

Blunt Reviews Presents: Chappie (2015)

After District 9 and Elysium, writer and director Neill Blomkamp returns with Chappie, which centres around a future world where a standard robot police officer is reset and given freedom. It is an interesting premise, however the delivery is a little weak. The thing about Blomkamp is that he started off so strongly with District 9 which was a really gritty science fiction film, whereas Chappie feels like he was playing it too safely. It needed more of a kick in the right direction and just seems to fizzle out without developing properly. I enjoyed it, but it is flawed.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Maps to the Stars (2014)

David Cronenberg returns to the director’s chair with this gritty look into the Hollywood lifestyle and the ugly side of fame. With it’s intertwining tales and fantastic screenplay by Bruce Wagner Maps to the Stars was utterly fantastic. Julianne Moore steals the show in a role that should have not only have received nominations but awards too yet somehow went overlooked. The tone of the film is similar to Cronenberg’s newer films, such as Cosmopolis, however this is definitely his best piece from recent years, a truly shocking yet outstanding film that was undoubtedly one of last year’s greatest.

Blunt Reviews Presents: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

As much as I love Peter Jackson and the Tolkien universe, this really did feel like the end. I enjoyed the film and I still admire Jackson as a fantasy filmmaker, but there was so much excess it did feel like a lot of footage could have been cut out. The battle sequences were headache inducing and they were not as good as previous battles we’ve seen elsewhere in Tolkien adaptations. I’m still part of the folk who believe Guillermo Del Toro should have made The Hobbit films and stuck with two, but what we have already could be worse.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

This was a film I sat down to watch, completely ready to moan about how bad it was. And to my surprise it was actually rather good. Obviously it has plot holes galore and some elements are completely ludicrous, but at the same time it is a really well directed action film and one of the best stand alone Marvel films we’ve had for a long time. After the disappointment of The First Avenger, this was the film needed to show how awesome Captain America can be. It is ultimately a guilty pleasure but a good one at that.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Jurassic World (2015)

I don’t care about the box office figures, this film should have been better. The first half was strong and set itself up to be a solid film, but the second half loses its way and reseeds into stupidity, with too much stuff and loud nonsense and not enough substance. It ignores what the original film stood for, and most infuriatingly the disgusting gender politics of film make it unforgivable.

To amend the words of Dr. Ian Malcolm: the filmmakers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.

Blunt Reviews Presents: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Matthew Vaughn returns to deliver a spy film for a modern audience, with slick action sequences and numerous nods towards James Bond films. It’s stylish and the action sequences are executed rather well, making it an experience similar to Kick Ass just not as good. Generally it’s a solid film with a strong cast that’s well directed, and the screenplay is funny to an extent. However there are still too many jokes that are misjudged, crossing the line into being less funny and more crass, most notably regarding a female character towards the end, which really lets the film down.