Hello again, sorry it has been a long time but a lot of things have gotten in the way of me posting something and to be honest I just got a bit lazy about it.
Anyways, I'm back now with my top 5 movies of the summer, lets jump in at No.5.
Number 5:
Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This movie had a lot to live up to being the sequel to the 4th highest grossing movie of all time (just beaten this summer to the number 3 slot but Jurassic World) and the movie that has essential caused the expansion in modern cinema.
Sadly it wasn't as good as the original due to the fact that its cultural impact has been virtually non-existent so far and also that it had some pretty critical flaws.
One such flaw was it's pacing, it was way too fast, events in the film just kept developing so fast it didn't leave enough time for you to really take in what was going on, which in turn caused somewhat a disconnect between what was happening on screen and the viewer.
The main villain, Ultron, was a missed opportunity as well, he had a good backstory and very interesting character traits that could have made him truly terrifying but because of how much was crammed into the run time (no thanks to that cave section with Thor the studio executives wanted so badly) that he never had enough development to really live up to his comic book counterpart.
However despite these flaws, Age of Ulton was a vastly entertaining movie with exciting action, razor-sharp dialogue and the best character interactions of the series. It also made a surprise hit out of Hawkeye which was a welcome surprise.
Number 4:
Ant-Man
In at number 4 we have another Marvel flick, Ant-Man.
As lots of people know, this move went through lots of troubled development and even changing directors half way through and yet still managed to produce a fantastic movie and what I deem to be one of the best Marvel movies yet.
It is a much smaller story that previous phase 2 Marvel movies which really works well with the themes and lets the excellent characters shine.
Paul Rudd is great as Scott Lang, although doesn't get quite enough of his signature humor in there. The real star was Micheal Pena as Luis and really stole most of the laughs.
The villain of Yellow Jack however is sadly forgettable in the sea of excellent characters but other than that no real major complaints, to see more go to my full review for Ant-Man.
Number 3:
Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
This movie is pretty much the epitome of a fun action blockbuster. Its action is absolutely top notch, sometimes a bit heavy on CGI however, and while the plot may be the same sort of thing that is in every spy movie these days, it doesn't even matter because the real core of this movie is its characters.
The stand out point to this movie would be Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. She commands every scene she is in and has tonnes of charisma, even to the point where she can somewhat steal the limelight from Tom Cruise when they are both on screen.
This movie also has excellent pacing and manages to be packed with awesome stunts and still be able to build to a climactic ending that is incredibly suspenseful and even though you know the heroes are going to win, you do doubt it at some points.
There are a few downsides though, such as the previously mentioned over use of CGI in certain scenes that I feel could have been accomplished practically and the somewhat lackluster plot but it's just too much damn fun to care about those things.
Number 2:
Inside Out
Possibly a surprising entry to this list but it was what I would consider only one of two outstanding movies we have had this summer.
It was a very thoughtful story exploring the emotions of a growing child that pretty much anybody over a certain age can relate too somewhat.
Normally with Pixar movies I feel the message is hammered home to viciously to make the kids understand but in Inside Out it was subtly conveyed through one conversation and a few visuals in the ending of the movie.
It is also a fantastic looking movie, the colours are vibrant and the worlds are imaginative. The characters are well designed and have good depth and personality and there interactions are just joyous. The story also builds up well to a finale that is genuinely emotional and makes you just yearn for these characters to be able to work it all out, in a movie where the outcome is obvious that is some powerful film making.
I can only think of a few downsides to this film, but they are more personal preference than anything else really.
For one I thought that Sadness was annoying and secondly the fact it was a kids film meant the events had to move too quickly to keep them interested and it was just a bit tiring most of the time and I just yearned for a slower bit I could catch my breath in.
These don't detract from the film too much and don't stop it being a amazing adventure that anyone in the family can enjoy.
Oh the mini-movie that comes before is utter garbage though.
Number 1:
Mad Max: Fury Road
How can it not be. Action. Stunts. Explosions. Eye-popping visuals. This movie has everything.
Some have complained about the lack of plot however, and whilst I can see why people are saying that I for one think its perfect. It sets up the scene for the beautiful action and lets the characters flourish with what little dialogue they have (which was also a great choice). And throughout the movie things keep developing to keep it moving along at a brisk pace.
One of the less talked about scenes is the one at the end of the second act where the action has stopped and the characters are just talking. I personally think this is the greatest scene in the movie as it gives so much depth to the characters and give a breather from the relentless violence. It also makes the action scene following it more intense as you are now even more invested in it due to your connection to Furiosa, Max etc being heightened by the previous scene.
The use of almost all practical effects was also a genius move, it give the car wrecks real weight and gravitas that wouldn't have been possible if it was CGI. I also makes the movie look a whole lot better, especially with the bright shader that has been placed over the majority of the shots.
Overall this is a pretty much a flawless movie and I can't recommend it enough. GO SEE IT!
I'm going to leave a link to a video i found very interesting about the cinematography of Fury Road, it's and interesting watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wCrdINidls
Hope you guys enjoyed the new post, sorry about the wait. I'm hoping to do these more often again now, my next post will either be about Legend or Everest.
Thanks for reading!
-Joe
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