Jumanji: The Next Level

Official Australian release date: 26/12/19. Viewed: 26/12/19.

Director: Jake Kasdan

Actors: Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart

Genre: Action / Comedy

Rating: PG

  

‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ is technically the fourth ‘Jumanji’ film, but the second of the new sequels, with all the main four back – Martha/Ruby (Gillan), Bethany/Sheldon (Black), Spencer/Bravestone (Johnson) and Fridge/Franklin (Hart). They obviously get sucked into the game again, but for a stupid reason – and this time, Eddie (DeVito), Milo (Glover) and Ming (Awkwafina) are along for the ride too.

The concept is pretty much the same, with most of the comedy coming from the actors playing the “real life” versions of themselves, which is funny when it’s The Rock acting like Dany DeVito. Kevin Hart talking really slow like Danny Glover is great to watch. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, as Eddie & Milo come to terms with the video game they’re in. It’s also good to have Nigel (Darby) and Alex (Hanks) back and Awkwafina is funny as usual, but doesn’t get too much screen time.

Some new settings, with the desert when they first enter the game and snowy mountains for the final act. It’s obviously left open for another film, but it does fly by and seems like less than 2 hours. It’s fun and easy to like, with not that many flaws, once you suspend believability. I think focusing on Martha & Spencer is OK and the story of Milo & Eddie is very nice. The Rock has less to do and the first half is mostly carried by Black and Gillan, which works for the film.

Overall: Good, fast-paced family comedy.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars. 

Ip Man 4: The Finale

Official Australian release date: 20/12/19. Viewed: 23/12/19.

Director: Wilson Yip

Actors: Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Van Ness, Yue Wu

Genre: Action / Drama

Rating: M

  

‘Ip Man 4: The Finale’ is the final film in Yip’s saga of kung fu Master Ip (Yen)’s journey of taking his Wing Chun teachings across China, and this time to America. Not sure there needed to be a fourth film, but they wanted to shoehorn some of Bruce Lee (Chan) into it, as he was Ip Man’s most famous student. Ip Man travels to San Francisco to find a boarding school for his son, so he can learn independence.

Once in America, Ip Man is confronted with adversity from other kung fu masters, led by Wan Zong Hua (Wu), the tai chi master – they don’t like Bruce Lee trying to teach non-Chinese people kung fu. Ip Man must prove himself is an impressive battle with Hua, as Bruce Lee has to do in an alleyway fight scene.

The political commentary comes from a young marine, Hartman (Ness), who wants to incorporate Wing Chun into the US Marines’ hand-to-hand combat training. This is not appreciated by Geddes (Adkins), the racist Sargent who then becomes the main villain and beats Hua and then has the final fight with Ip Man. It’s a bit predictable by the final act, but it’s very impressive to see Yen’s skills and see what he can still do as a 56 year old.

Overall: Solid conclusion to kung fu saga.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars. 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Official Australian release date: 19/12/19. Viewed: 19/12/19.

Director: J.J. Abrams

Actors: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac

Genre: Sci-Fi / Action

Rating: M

  

‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (Episode IX) is the final piece of the trilogy of trilogies that comprise the Star Wars film phenomenon. It’s hard to sum up the film objectively, as there’s so much history, emotion and identity associated with the films – I can only imagine what it’s like for people who saw the original trilogy in cinemas. I doubt this is the last time we’ll see the opening title crawl & trumpets, but it will be the end of the Skywalker saga. It’s a massive shame Carrie Fisher didn’t film all her scenes before she passed away, but Leia still has an important role in the film   

Similar to the last two films, the plot centres on Rey (Ridley), Poe (Isaac) and Finn (Boyega) as they try to stop Kylo Ren (Driver) and the First Order. I don’t think it’s a surprise to say the Emperor (McDiarmid) is back in this film – via cloning and the Dark Side – adding to the direness of the Resistance’s situation, as they have to fight more than they bargained for. There’s plenty of cameos from old hands and new, and a small but suitable role for Luke (Hamill) one last time. The glue holding the story together is the interactions between Rey & Kylo, their ability to communicate even when not in the same place and whether Kylo will return to the light or if Rey will fall to the dark.

The overall palette is dark & foreboding, with the Unknown Regions planet the Emperor is on being the setting for the third act, with plenty of clouds, stone and lighting. But, as ever in Star Wars, hope is never lost, so long as they stick together and help one another. Plenty of nice moments throughout – I almost cried at a moment with Chewie – and the film does well to tie up 42 years of shared film history. It’s by no means the best film, but is certainly not the worst of the series. Will see how it ages as a ending over the next 30 years before comparing it to ‘Return of the Jedi’!

Overall: Fitting finale that holds true to the Star Wars ethos.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Knives Out

Official Australian release date: 28/11/19. Viewed: 24/11/19.

Director: Rian Johnson

Actors: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans

Genre: Crime / Comedy

Rating: M

  

‘Knives Out’ is a mostly-light-hearted timeless ensemble “whodunnit?” Essentially, Blanc (Craig), Elliott (Stanfield) and Wagner (Segan) are investigating the death of the patriarch of the Thrombey family, Harlan (Plummer). Thankfully, there’s plenty of flashbacks in the first hour, so Plummer does get some screen time. We then meet the extended family and start to unravel various potential motives and inconsistencies in their stories.

The cast is huge and all solid – Marta (de Armas) as Harlan’s nurse, Linda (Lee Curtis) and Walt (Shannon) as Harlan’s children; Richard (Johnson), Joni (Collette) and Donna (Lindhome) as their partners; Randsom (Evans), Meg (Langford) and Jacob (Martell) as Harlan’s grandchildren. I think that the main 12 characters – needless to say, not everyone gets enough time to shine, as the focus is on Blanc and Marta trying to piece everything together.

This is Johnson’s first film since ‘The Last Jedi’ and it’s very assured – excellent set design and cinematography, with a simple score. The hose is literally a life-size Cluedo game. The film drags a tiny bit in the second act, but comes home strong. There’s plenty of fun had by the cast and Craig clearly relishes the non-Bond role – even if his Southern accent gets annoying at times! Satisfying ending – nothing revolutionary, but enjoyable. I think we’ll be seeing more of Ana de Armas in the future.

Overall: Fun and well-executed mystery.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Ford v Ferrari

Official Australian release date: 14/11/19. Viewed: 20/11/19.

Director: James Mangold

Actors: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas

Genre: Action / Drama

Rating: M

  

‘Ford v Ferrari’ – underwhelming title, but exceptionally put-together sports biopic about the 24-hour endurance Le Mans motor race in 1966. If that puts you off, the good news is that the film’s not all about racing – probably only ~30% – with much of the focus on Shelby (Damon), Miles (Bale) and Miles’ wife, Mollie (Balfe) and son, Peter (Jupe). There’s also the tension with Ferrari, where Ford executives Iacocca (Bernthal), Beebe (Lucas) and Ford (Letts) are trying to take the racing crown from Ferrari (Girone) and Agnelli (Cirfiera)

It’s nice to hear Bale using something close to his actual accent and the rapport he has with Damon carries the film. All the actors are good, but their relationship is what has you caring about what happens, rather than just the cars. The pacing is quick and it feels faster (pardon the pun) than 2.5 hours. This would be as good as, if not better than, ‘Rush’ and ‘Senna’.

Great directing from Mangold (coming off ‘Logan’) throughout, with a nice balance of family time, racing scenes and the car politics. The fact the 24-hour race is condensed to less than 20min and feels both quick and like it’s been a marathon is a true feat. If you don’t know the story, don’t Google it and let the ending be a surprise. There’s good editing, cinematography, authentic 60s cars and soundtrack throughout.

Overall: Well-made and enjoyable racing biopic.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Terminator: Dark Fate

Official Australian release date: 31/10/19. Viewed: 2/11/19.

Director: Tim Miller

Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes, Mackenzie Davis

Genre: Action / Sci-Fi

Rating: MA

  

‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ is the sixth film in the franchise, but effectively acts as a direct sequel to ‘Judgement Day’ and ignores everything that happened in ‘Rise of the Machines’, ‘Salvation’ and ‘Genisys’. Since it’s pretending those timelines never happened, it borrows ideas from each of them. Unfortunately, this film’s first few minutes also taint the whole point of T2.

It’s good to see Sarah Connor (Hamilton) back, and (eventually) Arnie as “Carl”. However, the main characters this time are Dani (Reyes) and Grace (Davis). Grace is an augmented human, sent back from the future to protect Dani, a Mexican factory worker. They’re hunted by a Rev-9 (Luna), a Terminator that can separate it’s nanites from its skeleton. Looks cool, but not revolutionary after ‘Genisys’. It’s essentially one big car/helicopter/plane chase.

Since this if from Miller (‘Deadpool’ director), there’s no real humour or fun, which is a shame. Plenty of explosions and good fight scenes, and both David and Reyes are solid, but Arnie has far too little screen time, the film has way too many clunky explanations for what’s happened to the future – pesky time travel! – but the biggest let down is how unoriginal most of it feels and how the Sarah/John Connor storyline that was set up in the other five films seems to be betrayed.

Overall: Good action, but not up to Terminator standards.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Zombieland: Double Tap

Official Australian release date: 17/10/19. Viewed: 19/10/19.

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Actors: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

Genre: Comedy / Horror

Rating: MA

  

‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ is perhaps an unasked-for sequel, but since it’s been 10 years and has the entire cast back, it doesn’t feel too forced. One of the opening scenes, in slow-motion with Metallica’s ‘Master of puppets’ playing is a great re-introduction, as is Columbus (Eisenberg)’s narration of the “evolved” zombies. He, Tallahassee (Harrelson), Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin) are now living comfortably in the White House, but things get too comfortable and a road trip ensues.

This is good, because it means new characters are introduced – the ditzy Madison (Deutch), the under-used Nevada (Dawson), and the almost-doppelgangers of Albuquerque (Wilson) and Flagstaff (Middleditch), which provide a great middle act. The stakes and horror/zombie levels aren’t really too high until the final act.

Still plenty of funny moments, new “rules” and tongue-poking at the zombie genre, while also holding true to lots of zombie-isms. Nothing too serious or groundbreaking happens, but it’s a solid, mostly-fun watch throughout – and almost worth it to see Harrelson dressed as Elvis! Also, an excellent mid-credit scene too.

Overall: Not as great as original, but still good fun.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.