'X-Men: Days Of Future Past' review by Captain Raptor

'X-Men: Days Of Future Past' review by Captain Raptor

I've outlined my thoughts on the X-Men franchise as a whole in my previous review of The Wolverine (check here if you haven't read it), and suffice it to say that Days Of Future Past has had me (as well as the vast majority of the geek community) salivating with excitement since its announcement. The return of Bryan Singer? All the popular and best-acted characters from the franchise thus far? The addition of Peter Dinklage? This couldn't be a more heavenly prospect. 

The inclusion of pretty much all of the franchise's major characters is both a blessing and a curse. It's pure joy to see them all next to each other, and everybody gets their moments to shine. It even repairs some past mistakes by giving Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde (which, in a more just universe, would have been my favourite thing in the world ever) some interesting and dramatic material. The problem with trying to squeeze everybody in is that great characters such as Beast or Ian McKellen's elderly Magneto really don't have much to do, and provide far less excitement and fun than we've come to expect from the characters. There aren't any bad performances, but there aren't any truly spectacular ones either due to everybody's limited screentime. It's telling that despite all the returning favourites, the highlight of the film is probably newcomer Evan Peters' hilarious performance as Quicksilver, either due to a lack of expectation or because he's a fresh new element. Speaking of fresh new elements, Peter Dinklage makes a welcome addition to proceedings, adding sprinklings of pathos and menace to what could have been a thoroughly bland role. The dramatic performances are all strong but the highest praise in that area deserves to go to James McAvoy, particularly for his first scene, showing great range in the time that he has.

The things that the X-Men films have always excelled at are just as good as they've ever been: the wit is on-point, the writers excellent employ their one permitted use of the word 'fuck', and the action is awesome in both senses of the word, incorporating jaw-dropping, large scale destruction as well as up-close-and-personal combat to full effect. The story and the logic that drives it is a little preposterous, but that really comes with the mantle of a superhero movie. As is the case with the better X-men films, the fantastical (but admittedly somewhat ridiculous) plot is undercut with messages about prejudice and acceptance, that whilst not being groundbreaking or complex still have the potential to be touching, or at the very least engaging. Singer's touch doesn't feel as definitive as it did in his earlier films, and a fair proportion of the film feels like repetition (the scene in which Mystique infiltrates the corporate building of her enemy feels like an almost exact duplicate of the similar scene in X2), but that's partially the consequence of being the seventh film in a franchise that's had five directors.

Considering the multitude of components that this film is trying to juggle, X-Men Days Of Future Past does a remarkable job of remaining straightforward and entertaining. That said, it could still do with being a little longer to allow the audience to indulge in a more vibrant or complex film. Aside from this, the film does very little wrong, and it's certainly the best X-men film for over a decade. It's every bit as funny and action-packed as I'd hoped for, even if it's a smidgen less epic and dramatic than I'd have liked. Strong performances abound from both the old and the new, and Singer easily demonstrates why he's a perfect fit for the series. It's truly wonderful to see the gang like this, all together and all thoroughly entertaining. This should enrapture fans on every level, and I should dare say introduce more than a few new ones to a wonderful, wonderful world.

'Memento' review by Captain Raptor

'Memento' review by Captain Raptor

In conclusion, Memento is an intelligent and masterfully executed film that will arouse every passion in your brain even if it evokes very little in the heart. It would have been nice to see stronger characterisation or more emotive performances, but Memento's unique storytelling methods and fascinating narrative are a real treat, rivalled by very little else that I've seen. It's not something to watch casually, and (you might see this as a good or a bad thing) it demands a lot more from the audience than most films, but it's a really rewarding watch.

All the other elements are functional, if not astounding. All the cast put in solid performances, but none of them are anything particularly special (although I was surprised to see the extent of the acting ability of Stephen Tobolowsky, Groundhog Day's own Ned Ryerson). Guy Pearce was convincing as the memory-lapsing lead, but this might have more to do with his naturally confused-looking face. The characters aren't hugely memorable, or very highly developed, but they all serve their purpose well enough. This isn't much of an emotive film, and the need to pay close attention to what's happening means that there isn't a lot of time to explore feelings. Speaking of which, I'm feeling this review coming to an end...

The movie's primary achievement lies in its triumphant storytelling. The protagonist's inability to form new memories means that, much like the audience, in every scene he doesn't know what's previously happened. We start not so much with unanswered questions but with no clear idea of what is happening. Then we get unanswered questions, and then we get confusing answers, and all in all the film is a wonderful, enthralling mix of intrigue, twists, lies and half-truths. It's trademark Nolan intelligence, framed well by his constant ally, director of photography Wally Pfister, especially in the opening scene that's played entirely in reverse. Things do get quite confusing, and I'd be lying if I said I was totally confident about what had happened, but that's undoubtedly intentional, and the challenging narrative just piques the viewer's interest.

If you weren't aware, Memento is a film that takes place in reverse chronological order. It ends with conflict resolution, and each succeeding scene shows the events leading up to the scene you just watched. It's directed by Christopher Nolan, because who else would make a non-linear memory-based ambiguous thriller? He's one of my favourite directors, even though I've only seen about half of his body of work, so I jumped at the chance to see another of his acclaimed movies, especially in advance of this year's Interstellar. So, on with the review.

'Bad Neighbours' review by Captain Raptor

'Bad Neighbours' review by Captain Raptor

A crude, partially improvised comedy wherein Seth Rogen plays a childish man. Must be Tuesday. By no stretch of the imagination is Bad Neighbours breaking open the idea bank, but something I learnt last year was that the road most traveled can often be the funniest one, due to We're The Millers' surprising surpassing of the more original but ultimately less entertaining The World's End and Rogen's own previous effort. An amusing trailer and positive press sealed the deal, and so onwards I went.

True to form, Seth Rogen is Seth Rogen, and whether you like or dislike him is unlikely to be altered by his performance here. I felt he was funny, but the highest praise must undoubtedly go to Rose Byrne, who gleefully ups the ante on the petty warfare between fraternity and family at every turn. Her delivery is impeccable and it's especially pleasing given the R-rated comedy genre's tendency to relegate all wives to nagging reactionary characters. Zac Efron is funnier than you might expect but he's nothing special, and he's somewhat undercut by strong support from secondary frat boys Jerrod Carmichael and Dave Franco. The cast gel together extraordinarily well and they're a joy to watch, but they're only enabled to do this by a riotous script from newcomers Andrew J Cohen and Brendan O'Brien. The comedy is provided far more by events than it is by dialogue, and while these events are often extremely lewd, there's enough of the film devoted to other elements (perhaps most pleasing is the scene involving a 'Robert De Niro party') that it never dissolves into pure puerility. 

Perhaps one of the things that make Bad Neighbours so enjoyable is that there's a genuine warmth behind the chaos and dick jokes. All the characters are presented as sympathetic, and the film fleetingly touches on the issues of growing old, stagnating relationships and fear of the future. Director Nicholas Stoller never allows this to interrupt the flow or put a dampener on the fun, but it adds some arguably needed intelligence to the backdrop as well as enabling the viewer to relate to the otherwise mostly one-dimensional characters that populate this film. With a firm base to start from, the anarchic back-and-forth of the escalating pranks has a sense of structure rather than just feeling like a set of sketches. It's not a perfect film by any means - it's quite slow to begin with, a few of the jokes are really obvious, and although Rogen and Byrne's baby acts as the major plot motivation, the script seems to pretty much forget it exists at times - but once it gets going it's consistently funny throughout, without ever really losing its sense of purpose.

Bad Neighbours is a very funny film, which ultimately overshadows any other flaws it has. It pulls no punches, and the filthiness is nicely blended in with other types of humour rather than being the sole arrow in the film's quiver. A strong, charismatic cast makes the most of the script's frantic fun, and Rose Byrne's spirited performance is a particular treat. It's quite silly, but unabashedly so, and the jokes have an occasional darker or smarter streak that prevent the more tried-and-tested material from stagnating. It doesn't break new ground, but it doesn't try to - its aim is a simple one, and it's one that it fully accomplishes.