'Inside Out' review by Captain Raptor

'Inside Out' review by Jake Boyle

There are very few things that are unquestionable. Conventional wisdom is often wrong; as the great Agent K so wonderfully put it "1,500 years ago everybody knew that the Earth was the centre of the universe. 500 years ago, everybody knew that the Earth was flat. And 15 minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet". There are, however, a few universal truths. Pixar films are awesome. They just are. Anybody who disagrees has never been a child and is some strange pod person who should not be trusted. 

Making a film about anthropomorphised emotions is a pretty crafty move, because the constant discussions of feelings and inner conflict means that a highly emotional tone automatically runs through the film, and the elements being discussed are pretty much the core of the human experience, so it's difficult not to feel sympathy. Obviously the film isn't some form of psychological drama; as heartfelt and touching as some moments are, it's still primarily goofy and sugary, the two blended together so as not to become irritating. The concept is nicely executed, and the visualisations of the human mind as a machine is genuinely interesting, as well as providing a lot of good jokes. The animation is of as high a quality as we've come to expect, but there's nothing exceptional about it. The character design, however, is fantastic, especially for Anger, and it's nice to see some new inventions coming out of Pixar's stable. Most of the film's best humour comes from the explorations of its concept, bizarre enough when actually experienced that there's no shortage of material, but the jokes that come from simpler dialogue and interactions are still passable enough.

The voice acting for Inside Out is simply superlative. Casting Amy Poehler as the physical embodiment of joy was an incredibly smart decision, her cheer and energy here putting Leslie Knope to shame. Phyllis Smith and Lewis Black both do perfect jobs of bringing their characters to life, each nailing their assigned emotion's tonality. Once you look past the setting, the actual story being told is predictable but it is told with conviction, and the message at the heart of the film is something that quite a few adults could benefit from having reiterated, not just children. None of the scenes have any of the gut-punching sadness of that moment from Toy Story 3, but the frequency of deep emotion in this film and the maturity with which they are handled still puts Inside Out in contention for Pixar's most affecting film. Occasionally some of the sentiment doesn't entirely work (there's a few intendedly cute moments between the family that just seem slightly awkward) but the feelings that are successfully conveyed are potent enough that anybody who remains stoic is another of the aforementioned pod people.

Inside Out is a very sweet film, gently funny and on occasion uproarious, but the primary strength is undeniably the unabashed and occasionally tearful emotional exploration. The concept at the core of the film is a strong one that is carried out competently, assisted in no small part by wonderful visuals and brilliant voice acting. The characters, plot and dialogue aren't so strong that Inside Out can stand side-by-side with other Pixar classics, but the experience is an enjoyable and genuinely uplifting one that should delight anybody with a heart, regardless of age. 

'Jurassic World' review by Captain Raptor

'Jurassic World' review by Jake Boyle

Okay, so, full disclosure. I've never seen any of the Jurassic Park movies. My interest in this film is based solely on seeing Chris Pratt ride a motorbike whilst leading a pack of velociraptors, because that is the single greatest idea any filmmaker has ever had. The thing I found most enjoyable about Jurassic World was just the execution of its concept, so it's worth bearing in mind that the thing that most impressed me about this film is something the rest of the world got acquainted with in 1993, and you should deflate any enthusiasm accordingly for adjustment.

Old Uncle Steven might only be on executive producing duties, but there's an undeniably Spielbergian quality to this film - precocious children and healthy sprinklings of suspense abound. Newcomer to Hollywood Colin Trevorrow understands that spectacle quickly becomes meaningless unless you have to wait for it, so no dinosaurs are properly seen until the 20th minute or so, and no real action with them for about twice as long. The time building up to that, while not exhilarating, passes along well enough - the characters are one-dimensional but there's enough of them that they never become weary, and the beautiful locales and sets provide plenty of visual stimulation by themselves. Jurassic World is a good-looking film in all aspects, with the CGI dinos being the obvious star feature. The fancy new dinosaur isn't any more impressive or scary in appearance than a common or garden T-Rex, but the slow reveal of its destructive abilities and behaviours make it suitably intriguing and a very believable threat. There are moments when proceedings do feel a little too stretched or ridiculous (which is saying something given that the central plot is about a dinosaur theme park), such as two young boys outrunning a genetically enhanced killing machine, or the cunning plan of Vincent D'Onofrio (on decent form as a snarling, smarmy security officer) to use raptors for military purposes. The dialogue on the reoccurring theme of family and togetherness is initially a little nauseating, but it grows on you as the film goes on.

The action is passable but nothing special, although the best was definitely saved until last with a Royal Rumble of prehistoric animals, while the humans gratifyingly don't get involved much. It's the human element that lets the film down a little - the film is packed with talented performers like Pratt, Lauren Lapkus and Omar Sy, but the characters are of fleeting interest at most, only held up by the coolness of what they do rather than the value of who they are. Jake Johnson does manage to rustle up a few laughs, but the sarcastic tech guy is a time-honoured role and it's been done far better before. They're never so dull as to inhibit an otherwise enjoyable moment (well, not frequently) but a little more personality and charm in the writing (or maybe an interesting alternative route with real pathos and emotion) could have made for a film that was both funnier and more engrossing. The film doesn't really excel at much, but neither are there any major weaknesses, and that's the beauty of having Chris Pratt hang out with dinosaurs - it's awesome no matter what you frame it with.

Jurassic World is of no higher quality than the average blockbuster, but it's distinct enough that it still feels exciting. For fans of the original, this might be a little disheartening, but for newcomers and the apathetic, it's a perfectly enjoyable, well-made movie that has a strong suit in minor suspense and incredible visuals. It's wonderful to see Pratt firmly cemented as a mainstream leading man and Treverrow makes a confident entrance into big-budget fare - but ultimately, despite being thoroughly fun and satisfying. that's probably the only lasting cultural impact this film will have, something that I am sure will keep the studio execs up at night, crying on their beds of money.

'Spy' review by Captain Raptor

'Spy' review by Jake Boyle

While they might not exactly be Scorsese and De Niro, Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy are cementing themselves as a formidable partnership. Or so I'm told. I've never seen either of their previous two movies and my experience with McCarthy comes only from This Is 40 and The Hangover III, both resolutely miserable attempts at comedy. Spy is the first film in years I've wanted to see purely through the strength of its trailer, even when combined with the bland name and seemingly tiresome premise.

The first half of the movie is a little sketchy, and the repeated jokes about how unglamorous McCarthy looks are only really made tolerable by her likeability as a leading lady. Midway through, the character suddenly gets much more violent and foul-mouthed, and then the real fun begins. Watching McCarthy lacerate henchmen with her fists and her acidic tongue (Metaphorically. Not like in X-Men) is a real treat to behold, especially because she dives into the more explicit elements with committed energy and aplomb. The other great joy of this film is a gloriously self-parodic turn from Jason Statham, exaggerating and belittling his entire image with a deadpan excellence unmatched by most comedians. However, it's McCarthy and Jude Law who acquit themselves as actual action stars here, and the film's fight scenes are well-choreographed and on a couple of occasions even pleasingly visceral. Law's performance is perfectly adequate but never anything to get excited about, and there are too many predictable twists surrounding his character to view him as anything that's really interesting. Spy as a whole never really attempts to escape a standard formula beyond its elements of ironic pastiche, and even some of those feel quite familiar. Sometimes it's not even parody, such as the distinctly Bond-esque, straight-faced opening credits, and brownie points are to be awarded for having the confidence to hold itself in a more serious, unironic contention for the odd moment or two.

It is still an unabashed comedy though, and every small moment of sentiment is really just a set-up for the ensuing punchline, the majority of which stick well enough. Allison Janney's delivery is just as superlative as has come to be expected of her by now, and Miranda Hart manages to hold her own in a room full of A-Listers. Peter Serafinowicz pulls a minor miracle by making his turn as a smarmy Don Juan-abe into something even vaguely bearable, let alone funny once or twice, and 50 Cent's appearance as himself provides a few strong moments of humour, but quite easily could have been much more amusing that it turned out being. A few of the jokes are pretty dumb but the puerility is outweighed by the dialogue and the parodying of quintessential spy movie tropes. Spare a thought, however, for Morena Baccarin, talented and on the rise yet relegated here to about seven lines and a pretty much pointless character. The occasional joke doesn't land and leads to some awkward instances, because there's not much to this film beyond the comedy to keep you interested, but some of the routines work so damn well (especially Statham's scenes) that they compensate plentifully for the weaker moments.

Spy gets its laughs confidently and frequently, and not only is Statham good in his comic turn but it's perhaps the greatest role of his entire career. McCarthy and Feig carry the proceedings though, and they do a solid job of it, crafting a movie that's funny, knowing when to be straight-faced and when to be provocative. It's a tad formulaic but not as much as the average action-comedy, and slightly dumb some of the time, but infrequently enough (and with enough good taste) that you never feel that creeping sense of shame for enjoying it. It's maybe not worth going out of your way to watch but Spy remains nonetheless a satisfactory and enjoyable experience.