Film Reviews by GJ

A better film than say , Thor love and thunder , however it feels like an episode 3 of a 6 part streaming series. It assumes you know about - or more importantly - care about the main characters or the civilisations they encounter. Neither of whom are introduced, but rather thrown at you .

I've watched previous films and series that introduce these characters but the direction and editing in this film is so flat and uninspired that you're left with very little and are forced to endure yet another villain with a British accent and main characters afflicted with cutesy Americanisms, spread among a litany of cardboard characterisations . The only bright spot is the inclusion of Kamala Khans family who elevate the film somewhat. Captain Marvel herself is relegated to a support and Bree Larson phones in her performance . Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambo puts more into her role and comes off as the most engaging of the main trio. Iman Vellani as Kamala khan shows her talent but her character is oddly annoying in this film .

The fight scenes and special effects are some of the best in the MCU, but you've seen it all before . At this point, the light show, obvious music cues and breakneck editing are used to paper over the cracks in narrative and production. As for the dance scene; it's pretty pointless and probably included to create publicity for a troubled production.

While not the MCUs worst by any means , Ths Marvels is a mid season, middle of the road 'episode' that I hope recoups it's expenditure and doesn't derail the careers of those at the forefront .

Funny thing about franchises – at what point do you replicate or innovate? How much of the original movie do you put into your next project? This is a clear remake of 1979's Alien, but it proved to be a successful one due to box office and reviews. I personally didn't enjoy the almost shot-for-shot setup of some scenes or the use of previous actors' images or even lines of dialogue. A technically well-made film with good acting and direction that keeps the tension building, but the film sadly plateaus and transforms into Xenomorph 101.

James Gunn certainly understands the current fickleness of public perception and media/industrial/governmental manipulation. This Superman is an often surreal adventure where everyone acts in an almost childlike way in a world crammed full with toys and little consequence. There is the obligatory and disturbing sight of city blocks crashing down with the filmmakers knowing full well Not Everyone got out of the way. I'm not sure I'd like to visit this universe again anytime soon. David Corenswet is very good as Superman ; playing him with a kind of Tom Hanks naivety. Perhaps if the characters would mature a little , then James Gunn may have a great film next time , instead of just an ok one.

Flow features exquisite artwork and animation and brings to life brave and relatable beings. It is a film of many meanings, and for me, it is about surmounting your fears and reaching out for your dreams but always being aware of the reality that surrounds you.

A modern classic and deserving of its accolades.

One thought when watching this – How did Colin Farrell NOT win the Emmy ... Admittedly I've not seen Stephen Graham's Innocence (which won ), but on a scale of 1 to 10, Graham's performance in that will have to be an 11 to win out.

From what ive seen so far , The Penguin is an amazing production – can the rest of the series maintain this quality? Would a season 2 ever reach this level? The writing , the direction and the acting are top-notch, and to bring well-established fictional characters to a new life is an amazing feat. I must admit , I glazed over these characters in The Batman movie and if they continue in this streaming series , Then I hope the Penguin's world stays far away from the disjointed, somewhat clichéd world of the main DC Universe.

Exposition Heavy , somewhat cliched . Some good action sequences, but the film is somewhat reminiscent of Daniel Craig's Spectre with its European locales and car stunts .

Although technically proficient , there are a LOT of scenes of characters explaining what is going on. I think the Gabriel character was pretty pointless except as a device to bring an end to some of the characters in the movie.

Fun Fact ( I think ) part of the airport scene was filmed in Birmingham new station - how do i know ? I was having a quick snack and this crowd appeared in front of me and everyone was looking up excitedly pointing at these two people . I heard the name 'Tom Cruise' and later read that the upcoming movie was indeed filmed there.

One of the weakest of the franchise (I havent seen number 2 ) I hope the next film is more grounded , with a few more surprises in terms of plot execution.

To be fair , Season 5 is one of the better seasons of Star Trek Discovery. Most of the episodes in this season have their thrills and interesting plotlines. However, it falls part in the final episode. I rolled my eyes so much they almost came out of mysockets.. There must be so much pressure to conclude a storyline that might have progressed into a season 6 and 7 . Visually its stunning - This season featured some of the best special effects of any Star Trek. However, the final episode feels kind of pointless and serves purely as a tribute to Michael Burnham - which in my opinion was never warranted. Although she has almost all the screen time, Burnham was never a compelling character and all the other characters end up muted and speak in cliche after cliche.

Although Season 5 was decent enough, I can see why they finished this series early and I wonder how Discovery will be viewed in years to come.

What happens when a film with merit is impacted severely by real world controversy ..

This movie should have been a success at the box office : it is well made , enjoyable, heart-warming , respects its audience and yet ..it will be remembered for the troubles involving its main lead.

Flash is a much better film than its MCU counterpart Dr Strange Multiverse of Madness . You are generally interested in the characters and much more effort is put into this film.

I would recommend this as a an enjoyable sci-fi fantasy with recognisable and iconic characters but unfortuntately the film could never out-pace the real world.

What struck me about this season was the amount of effort—in terms of writing, character interplay, performances, and direction—that went into this season.

My appreciation grew from - this is ok - through to this is good - thtough to this is very good.

The characters were well drawn, each with believeable motivations, and the Superman Lore didn't intrude in a negative way.

It is a series constrained by budget, but what is available is put to great use. Full marks for the first season.

It was a much better film than Vol. 2 and the best Guardians outing since Vol. 1.

A well-made film by James Gunn, who understands the core elements of this series and always adds an unexpected touch to the action.

Top-focused performances from all around. I liked Zoe Saldana's edgier Gamora and warmed to Will Poulter's Adam Warlock.

Rocket Racoon was totally believable, and full marks to the SFX teams.

Should there be a Vol. 4? I would normally say no-please-no, but I think you could get this team back together again and squeeze in one more film.

Shazam 2 isn't a bad film. Its a very consistent film. It is neither jarringly bad nor remarkably good. You've seen it all before, particularly the visuals. People running, dragons, bored-looking guest stars, lightning bolts...

Zachary Levi gives it his all and clearly works out for the role. Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu phone in their roles unfortunately, and some of the 'young' cast look well into their mid to late 20s.

Also, the main character who is turning 18 in the movie seems remarkably naive and should have experienced a little more in life.

Perhaps these blockbusters should dwell a little bit more on relationships and plant their feet on the ground a bit more.

The villains could be a bit more sophisticated instead of opting for malignant-setting 4 and malevolent-setting 7 and throwing the odd fireball here and there.

Comic book movies are no longer doing the kind of business as previously expected, so there may be time to re-think, e.g., characters start off in streaming shows, and those that build a proper foundation make it to the big screen in 'event' movies, not just photocopies of other photocopied sci-fi, fantasy, or comic book efforts.

A superbly made film by Damian Szifron

An anthology of short stories, each increasing in scale and complexity of relationships and each ending with a sting in the tail.

Great performances and direction throughout, and an often grisly and gruesome ride.

It's been done before

The Fifth Element

Valerian

Flash Gordon

Avatar

Even , to a lesser extent , Buck Rogers

Technocolor savage people in a Technocolor world filled with crazy plants and animals

Some of the above films work better than others and maybe one or two have their moments , but Ant Man and the Wasp Quantumania isn't one of them.

After witnessing the 5000th special effect and cliched line in this movie , you are left with nothing but generic music cues to prompt you to care whats is going on .... Cue: this is mysterious , Cue: this is epic , Cue: you supposed to feel sorry for the recently deceased nice alien. Cue: all is lost . Cue: all is won.

The Pym/Lang family is actually a good team - except for the generic young genius who gets too much screen time to the detriment of the Wasp.

It is not a clever script, and the actors know that and do their best.

Modok is a ludicrous character - poorly executed and visualised. If there had been time and money to reshoot , i would have redone the Modok scenes

The visuals are impressive, but after 10 minutes, you switch off, and there are only a few moments where you can re-engage with what is on screen.

I don't think the Kang character is strong enough to pin 3 or 4 films on. Jonathan Majors is an impressive actor - though currently a controversial one - but his Kang needs someone else to play against . His moustach twirling Marlon Brando-esque character doesn't have any real purpose except to adhere different types of cool special effects to.

This is a weak MCU entry. I would have liked to have seen the Pym gang in a better adventure, but unfortunately, this is another misfire that hurts the MCU brand.

The Woman King is a piece of work that everyone associated with it can be proud of .

While not historically accurate, it draws upon African history to tell a rich , compelling story of warriors living in a world where human values are quashed in favour of commodities .

All the performances are excellent , most notably Viola Davis , Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch Sheila Atim and John Boyaga

In fact all the performances are top-notch , which is a credit to director Gina Prince-Bythewood.

She crafts a grand, heartfelt , fierce film that always keeps your attention.

A film well worth watching.

I think Black Adam suffers from trying to cater to a broad, undemanding audience, resulting in an underwhelming film. There is a better film in there somewhere

There is an underlying parallel to current real-world problems in the Middle East, which is commendable, but clunky generic characters and overblown action sequences drown any important comparisons that may have surfaced.

Dwayne Johnson , Pierce Bronson and Sarah Shahi do well to varying degrees, but the other characters are too generic for the other actors to work with.

The film begins poorly with rushed exposition and visuals, and I was tempted to hit fast forward. However, I held on and found the film watchable, though ultimately one-dimensional.

Unless superhero films can find a fresh source of inspiration coupled with decent writing, throwing millions of dollars at derivative efforts will ultimately fail, and the genre will come to an end much sooner than expected.