Happymonk

While Oblivion is perhaps the worst film I have seen this year thus far, it is still enjoyable and presents us a competent Sci-fi story that feels like it has been pulled from the 1970s full of twists and turns. Sometimes the film feels like its trying to be smarter than it is however, and I have never been too fond of Tom Cruise as an actor. My main complaint of the film however, is that the cinematography at times feels too false and feels like a television programme, while this likely will not be a problem for most people, it cheapened the feel of the film for me and kind of took me out of the experience. The effects are great and you do at least feel something for at least some of the characters throughout the film, although at times it feels like it is just going through the motions. All in all however, the film is enjoyable and the storyline is actually good and makes you think to some extent. Decent, 69/100.

Jack the Giant Slayer can be described very simply and effectively in one word: fun. It won't win any awards or be remembered, but that doesn't matter, it provided the core reason we go to the cinema, to have fun and to be taken into a different world. The acting on all fronts was actually good and really brought the film to life, I went into the film fearing it would contain really mundane acting that drains the life of the film, but I was proven wrong. It was silly and never took itself too seriously, which is really the only way the film could have succeeded, it's a film about Jack and the Beanstalk for crying out loud. The bottom line is this, if you're looking for a fun family film that you can just watch, Jack the Giant Slayer is a good way to spend an evening. The reason I have not given the film a higher rating is because it didn't blow me away, it just took me by surprise that I actually enjoyed it. Fun, 74/100.

Wreck-It Ralph is the best Disney movie since The Emperor's New Groove, which is a big deal for me to say, as The Emperor's New Groove is one of my favourite films of all time. Wreck-It Ralph is a gamer's dream film, all the nods to video games are fantastic and it really feels like a personal love letter to games and the arcade. The film is at times hilarious, heartfelt and exciting, all the ingredients for a truly memorable Disney film, while not quite all the jokes are funny, the vast majority of them had me laughing. Rich Moore has crafted the quintessential video game movie and has made it enjoyable to anyone, seriously, everyone in the family will like it (as long as they don't recoil at the sight of anything colourful). The best movie of 2013 so far, Wreck-It Ralph had me in stitches. Thank-you Rich Moore, 93/100.

This movie succeeds where all films should but often don't: it wholly **** you in to it's world and story with such finesse that you think you are actually there. The film achieves this in several key areas, firstly, the acting is truly fantastic from everyone involved, not enough credit goes to all the more minor roles in the film who truly transport us into their world. Second, it is beautifully shot and very well choreographed, especially considering it is a film in which people talk in rooms for over 2 hours, this is impressive. Third, the script is great, it is gripping, sometimes funny and it really sets the mood of the film as one not to be missed. All in all though, if what you want in a film is action, this film is not for you, if you're looking for drama, intrigue and suspense to entertain, this film is for you. An expertly crafted film from Spielberg that really puts you in the world of the characters, especially impressive considering the world of the film is history. If you like slow moving character films, great. If not, do yourself a favour and look elsewhere. Fantastic, 90/100.

This film is not as good as everyone said it was. It is quite bland, seemed somewhat lifeless and was backed up by a lacking storyline. But, it was quite good fun; despite the problems I had with the story, the acting was of a pretty high standard from most of the cast, particularly from the main antagonist of the film, who was creepy, strong and weak at all the right times, perhaps a little stale at times however. The music was forgettable, the action was good, but not outstanding, and even though every character got a good amount of time in the limelight, it felt like Iron Man and Black Widow's film. The film is very conventionally shot, no nice camera tricks or spectacular shots appeared in the movie, this is not so much a negative of the film: but it certainly could have been better. Overall though, The Avengers is a fun film, that will definitely appeal more to fans of the Avengers, but both the Amazing Spiderman and the Dark Knight Rises present a more appealing superhero movie for 2012. Decent fun, but flawed. 68/100.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Battleship has the prestigious award of the worst film I saw in the cinema of 2012. Battleship is very CGI heavy. which is something you should come to expect from the genre of this film (which I like to call, trying to be Transformers). But here is something amazing, the film is quite a lot better than the Transformers movies for a couple of reasons: The premise is so ridiculous it almost works and the action sequences are better and less random to watch than the scenes of a similar nature that appear in Transformers. This is about as good as a film based on Battleship could be (especially considering they pulled in Rihanna for her unholy acting talent!). Droll, 50/100.

I went into this movie without knowing anything about it, one word sums it up: beautiful. The story was very good and just the right amount of heartwarming, the acting was also good. But the real star of the show here was the effects, which were completely out of this world, very vibrant colours really brightening the screen and brought to life in breathtaking 3D, which is the only way to watch this film and truly appreciate it. The soundtrack is forgetful, but the story and visuals are most definitely not. It was hard to watch at times, funny and sad, I really feel strongly for Richard Parker, perhaps the star of the show. Amazing, 90/100.

The Hobbit was a fantastic movie that hit all the right notes, while perhaps hitting a couple of bum ones. First things first, the majority of critics did not know what they were on about: the only reason it got as bad reviews as it did was because of the reason that it's a prequel (although the book actually came a long while before) that is split into three parts. I must admit, I was very dubious of this film, I was when I heard it was going to be two parts all those moons ago, even more so when I heard it would be three; the film exceeded my expectations by quite a margin. Let's get this out of the way straight away, the acting is great from all involved, with Martin Freeman making quite the splash as Bilbo. At times I felt the film strayed a little too much from the source material, but not enough to not love every second of the (around) three hours of run time, but this was necessary (and interesting enough) to spread the relatively small book over three long films. If you are expecting a very dark tone like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, be warned, this is a lot more light-hearted, Peter Jackson has done a great job at making the Hobbit feel unique at the same time as definitely a part of the Lord of the Rings series. The film is very special effects heavy, perhaps too special effects heavy for some (it was at times), but not to the point of being overly distracting or unnecessary. The film felt nostalgic, new, and magical all at the same time, helped overwhelmingly by the soundtrack, cinematography and acting. It was fantastic to see Middle-Earh again on the big screen, putting a smile on my face for pretty much the whole film. The negatives though, characters returning from the Lord of the Rings trilogy did feel a little forced and unnecessary, as all of their respective scenes lasted too long, old Bilbo and Frodo were there for too long! But, no way near long enough to ruin the film on any level, overall, I'm very pleased the film turned out as well as it did and am very much looking forward to parts two and three. Wonderful: 94/100.

The latest entry to the long-running James Bond series has perhaps hit a high note for the series as a whole, which is fitting, considering it was made for the 50th anniversary of the franchise. Pretty much everything feels right about this movie, the acting is superb from all involved, but I think Javier Bardem's turn as the ever famous Bond villain, in this film Silva, steals the show magnificently: he's just the right amount creepy and eerie as he is camp, liking him to Heath Ledger's Joker is perhaps some of the best praise I can give him (shame he does not have an Oscar nomination, although he does have a BAFTA nomination). The film starts in a very exciting fight and chase scene, but the rest of the film is not as high octane as the opening scene, which is good as it really lets you get to see the characters properly. While most of the old Bond films have him going to exotic places to get the bad guy, Skyfall spends most of its run time in England, and the end of the film in Scotland, again, perfect for the 50th anniversary thing they had going, the scenes outside of England are just as good as ever, particularly the scenes in Shanghai, containing some of the best cinematography I have ever seen. This is not found only in Shanghai, for one of the film's crowning glories is how beautifully shot it really is. On the 50th anniversary topic, several nods are made to what happened in the older films: a lot of these, sadly, went over my head, as I have not seen many Bond films at all. It does deal with the timeline as well as it could, showing an old institution, which is changing with the times, but sticking to its roots was a fine indication of where the series is headed in the future. Exciting, beautiful, tense and disturbing can all be used to describe Skyfall, whose only problem in my book is that the final showdown was a little lackluster in places compared to the rest of the film, helped only by Silva's creepy arrival. The best Bond film? Perhaps. 92/100.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Brave is an odd one from Pixar, they have never made a movie quite like this one before. Which is strange as it is really rather traditional, but seeing as Pixar has never done traditional before it makes "Brave" really stand out. Due to this fact it is hard to rank Brave up along with the rest of Pixar's films, as it is just too different. Now, the film strongly reminds me of "How To Train Your Dragon", which is no bad thing, but the humour is much more in the veins of the "Aardman cartoons" in its style. Without giving anything away, Brave is about a girl and her mum, learning to love each other: another classic storyline. As per usual in Pixar films Brave's voice acting is top of the line, offering the best of Scottish talent in great and finely tuned characters. There is one problem really, we didn't really get enough time with many of the characters which is a bit of a wasted opportunity as they are all fantastic and many of them provide the comedy throughout the film (like one of the other tribe's son's voice is impossible to comprehend, a very funny recurring joke, as no one else in the film can understand him either). All in all I don't think it's one of Pixar's best, but it does oddly stand out if you know about Pixar films, it is a little too short however, which is a shame as an extra 15 minutes would have worked wonders. 87/100.

The Amazing Spiderman might just about live up to it's name. It is a definite step up from the stuffy Spiderman 3, but I don't think it quite reached the heights of Spiderman 1 and 2. The plot is similar to that of Spiderman 1, but it doesn't suffer because of this: as it moves along at quite a brisk pace to lead into Spidey's climatic battle with the Lizard. The Lizard was a good choice for the movie, as many people would not have heard of him before, but he is not quite distinguished enough from the Green Goblin for my liking (even though he is a different character his themes and actions are slightly too similar to those of the Green Goblin in Spiderman 1). The acting is good all round, and Andrew Gafield's Spiderman seems closer to the source material than Tobey Maguire's, pulling one-liners from every direction and appears more awkward as a person, which is a good thing. Now that they've got the back story over with they can really focus on a very exciting sequel, which I am very much looking forward in anticipation, 83/100.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Batman Begins is a great film, but not fantastic. The acting is very good, the musical score is good and the villains in Ras Al Ghul and Scarecrow are both well thought out and portrayed well throughout the film. The main problem with the film is that it starts very slowly, but it does ultimately build up to something quite exciting and tense. But something else is missing from the film, which could have made it truly the classic film it should be, and I can't quite put my finger what that is.

This is the Batman film for the ages (with the 60s Adam West one as well). It is very dark, gritty and very distressing to watch: You really do feel all the pain felt by each character from each bone-crunching punch to every gun shot. Batman himself is perfect in the film, perhaps the best portrayal of the character I have seen or read and you do seriously feel his pain. But what makes this pain? The Joker. I know how many times it has been said before, but Heath Ledger's Joker makes the film what it was, and still is. This is one of the best movies ever made and really deserves all the positive attention it gets. From the perfect portrayal of its characters to the realism thrown in (boat scene, and questions about utilitarianism) and to the amazing special effects, this truly is cinema/ movie mastery at its best.

Cars 2 is Pixar's worst film to date, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It is a good film, but not a lot more, as some of the comedy isn't very funny and the plot isn't exactly top of the line. My main complaint of the film however is that it feels disjointed, giving you no time to get adjusted to "Lightning's" storyline, while also at times not giving you enough time to really get into "Mater's" storyline. It's odd that they shifted the focus of the main protagonist to Mater, which, while isn't necessarily bad, some will find it very off-putting. The film is fun, and this is where it holds up, making it a 6/10, also it has a good plot twist that I did not see happening at all. All in all, it's a fun film that shouldn't be overlooked, but it should really be called something like "Cars: it's Materin' Time!" as the story revolves around Mater, giving a fun Spy based film with explosions and everything, but certainly no Pixar masterpiece like we should be getting given their track record.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Another hit for Aardman! While maybe not as good as Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit or Arthur Christmas, it is better than Flushed Away and holds it own very well against other animated films. It's animation is superb, it's dialogue (while not hilarious) is well written and funny, and the voice acting is good. There's something about it which didn't quite make it an instant classic, something which I can't quite put my finger on... This is a shame as obviously lots of love and hard work have gone into this film. If you haven't yet watched the film, do so, as everyone in your family will probably enjoy it.

I have not seen the original film, but this was a complete mess! The acting was terrible throughout, the story was very disjointed and a lot of the violence seemed unnecessary. Having said that, the film is just watchable due to it being funnily bad. I probably won't recommend this film to anyone who doesn't understand the "so bad it's good" genre of films.

John Carter is a blast. From the fast-paced action sequences to the brilliant special effects this truly is a very good film. However, some of the acting can seem a little stale at times, making what could have been a fantastic film merely a great one. It also seems to be aimed more at younger teenage boys, a more family-orientated film then. But it suprised me so much at how good it was, so everyone should go watch it, it's very fun.

What a movie to open the year with (the first new release I've seen this year)! It opens slowly, but builds into a truly fantastic climax that had me very excited throughout. The acting at times is very good and the story is actually quite emotional and can become hard to watch. When the characters get their powers and start to mess around with them is fun to watch as well. Now for the bad points of the film: Some of the dialogue is too cheesy and feels out of place (the ending in particular) and it takes a while to get interesting. From my experience the film splits opinions, upon reflecting on the film, I said the ending was very good, but my friends disagreed. Definitely go into this movie with an open mind, it helped me a lot.

Possibly the funniest of the Rush Hour films, but it has the worst plot of the three. If the plot were better and more up to the standards of the first two then this would be the best one. I was very wary of the film, thinking it looked like it would just be OK, when I first saw the film in the Cinema I thought it was OK but a real let-down like I expected it to be. But recently I watched all three of the Rush Hour films within about 2 weeks, and the third one is really no worse and I could really make a case for it being the best of the three.

Rush Hour 2 isn't quite as good as the first film (or third for that matter), but it is still rather funny at times and the plot is good enough to keep you watching until the end. I don't really know why it's the weakest of the three, but it just doesn't seem quite as good. Still very enjoyable and definitely worth a watch if you are a fan of the first film.

I love this film so much! it's really a classic. Which is weird considering Jackie Chan didn't even get it. The plotline is silly yet very fun, the combination of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker works really well. The film can be rather funny at times and is very light-hearted while mixing the serious story in at the same time. Everyone owes it to themselves to watch this film (and sequels). Grab some snacks and watch a very enjoyable film.

I should be giving this film a 3/10 based purely on the fact that it's pants. But I find that adding Jackie Chan to a film (no matter of it's quality) makes it better. He seems to bring a certain amount of fun to what would otherwise be a very bad (rather boring) film. It's the worst film I've seen with Jackie Chan in it though. I should hate it but I can't!

A Bug's Life is Pixar's second-worst film to date, which is quite a victory for Pixar considering I'm awarding it an 8/10. It just isn't quite as much of an instant classic as the other films made by Pixar are due to it not being quite as memorable. It is very good still, funny, well acted, well written and perfectly executed like all other of Pixar's films. I don't really know why I'd give it an 8, it just doesn't seem quite as good as other Pixar films. I recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a very good animated family film, as the story is relatively friendly to all ages and can produce laughs for people of pretty much any age, enjoy.

Monsters, Inc is a great film. What it is is funny, well animated and well written. What it isn't is Pixar's best, it's still a classic, but not up there with the best of the Pixar films. Mike, Scully and the gang are a memorable bunch, which is why I suppose Pixar are making a prequel to the film for 2013. The film is great but not superb, it shows that Pixar can yet again make a great film about just about anything that is great viewing for kids and adults alike.

Toy Story 3 has managed to do something very special, it has managed to surpass Toy Story 1 in terms of quality, moving up to become my favorite Pixar film to date. It has quite possibly the best plot in a film I have ever seen, the comedy is completely perfect and everything about it is just so perfect. I dunno what my favorite film is, but this is a serious contender.

The second masterpiece from Pixar. While arguably not as good as it's predecessor, it contains many funny jokes, a loving plot and a well written and perfectly performed script. It doesn't age (which is nice) and is still one of the best animated films I have ever seen. Not quite as good as Toy Story 2, but is Pixar's 5th best film.

Pretty much everything about this film is the same in quality as the first film. The action sequences (of which there are many) are very well made, the script is pretty funny and the voice acting is pretty good for the most part. The one gripe I have with the film is that the plot is maybe not quite up to the first film's plot. But it is funnier, prettier and more action orientated than the first, which probably makes it the best of the two (even though they are both pretty much the same). What I say to Dreamworks is please don't mess up the third film, learn from your mistakes with Shrek 3, keep the standard up!

Another solid movie from Dreamworks, the animation doesn't seem to age (at least not as much as Madagascar), the jokes are mostly great, the voice acting is fantastic and the story seems to work very well. It's better than Madagascar, but not quite as good as the likes of Shrek (the first 2) or How To Train Your Dragon. A very awesome film nonetheless.

I don't think this film could appeal to anyone. It destroys the story (and general greatness) of the manga and anime series (Goku as a high-schooler who is too nervous to talk to girls, why?) too much to even be viewed as funny bad for fans of dragonball. It's too bad for kids, seriously, my younger brother, who is the target age for the film didn't like it. It will annoy anybody who even tries to watch it. I Can't fathom what brought the creators to get the license for a much-loved franchise and to completely kill anything that was good about it in a terrible film. Dragonball could make a good film, but this is most definitely NOT it. Why, just why?

Charming, emotional, hilarious, just some of the words that can be used to describe Disney/Pixar's Up. The opening of the film is the saddest thing I've ever seen in anything, and that's coming from a family film. Pixar continue to produce the best.

One of the worst films I have ever seen. The only reason it doesn't have a 0 is because I don't know if I could bring myself to give anything less then 1. I'd highly recommend that anybody with any shred of common sense steer well clear of this film. Get as far away as possible from this atrocity.

I love absolutely everything about this film. It is Pixar's finest standalone film, which is saying something. I love the story, comedy, voice acting, animation and the fact that (sorry) some of the characters actually look like they're from France. Seriously, I cannot fault this film.

It's another Aardman film, what's not to like? sure it's not up there with Wallace & Gromit or Chicken Run, but it's better than Flushed away. The story is nice, meaningful and relatively heartwarming; which is always good for a Christmas film. Some of the jokes may fall a bit flat, but that's not really much to complain about, I haven't seen anything where some jokes don't. I recommend this film to anyone wanting a fun Christmas film.

Why Dreamworks? Why? The first film is so much better, nothing is really that funny in this film, it seems a lot less sophisticated than the first. An amazing disappointment.

A fun movie. It's quite funny, the plot's all right and it's well voiced. It's not as good as Shrek, or anything Pixar have made but it is one of the better Dreamworks films. Falls short of greatness due to the fact that it is now starting to show it's age, which is a shame.

Dude, this is a classic. I can't think of anything negative to say about it. Just as good now I'm 17 as it was when I was 3. The timing, the script, the voice acting, the animation, the comedy and the story feel just about perfect.

Everything about the first film got better with the sequel, the acting is great, the storyline is great, the CGi is still looking quite good. The best of the X-Men trilogy easily.

I quite liked this film, it (mostly) got the feel of the X-men well. The acting was good and the storyline was decent. Not anything more than a 7 out of ten though, just doesn't seem right to give it a better score.

I was disappointed by this film. It just got incredibly silly, not something I expected from how good the first two films were (especially the second one). It was still OK, just severely disappointing.

I was slightly wary of this film after seeing the bad press and negativity surrounding it, but I have to say, it was pretty good. Definitely not as good as the first film, it is about on the same level as the second. The action sequences could have been handled better and some of the acting was quite stale. Blackbeard however was the biggest disappointment of the film; he wasn't Bristolian enough and didn't seem too evil. The film was not a disappointment but a surprise, I hope they make a sequel to improve on this one.