Lionbeard
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
13 years
Reviews
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Awful.
Absolutely awful. I'll give it three stars for CGI, but a 0 for plot, interesting characters and script. I didn't expect much, but I got even less.
Explosions, explosions and more explosions, for about 3/4 the film's absurd run-time of 165 minutes.
The characters were 1-dimensional, stereotypical and bland, there was no depth and I couldn't have cared less if any of them died, bar two: the surfer guy and the bald guy, who brought the only spark of life to the otherwise completely dull script. I can't even remember their names, that's how bad this movie was.
The bad guys sucked; the dinosaurs sucked; everything sucked.
Don't waste your money. Re-watch the first one.
Explosions, explosions and more explosions, for about 3/4 the film's absurd run-time of 165 minutes.
The characters were 1-dimensional, stereotypical and bland, there was no depth and I couldn't have cared less if any of them died, bar two: the surfer guy and the bald guy, who brought the only spark of life to the otherwise completely dull script. I can't even remember their names, that's how bad this movie was.
The bad guys sucked; the dinosaurs sucked; everything sucked.
Don't waste your money. Re-watch the first one.
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Australia's Best Crime-Drama?
I've been putting this film off for months at a time now, simply because I'd been chasing bigger titles with international names, and I genuinely regret doing so.
Animal Kingdom follows 17 year old Josh (James Frecheville) as he watches his mother overdose on Heroin and subsequently die, and is then forced to move in with his estranged grandmother (Jackie Weaver) and his four uncles, who form the glue of a Melbourne-based crime syndicate. As Josh irreversibly winds his way down the dark path that his uncles have paved for him, a kindly police investigator (Guy Pearce) attempts to reach out to the boy and save him from his inevitable demise.
This film is absolutely phenomenal. Whilst Frenchville often times seemed like he'd just had a lobotomy, his quiet nature proved, in turn, to be a vessel in which to further understand the power distance between him and his uncles; Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), in particular, who stood out to be the bona fide antagonist and villain in the film.
The audience follows Josh through a story of tragic loss, vengeance and climactic justice (if you could call it that).
Overall, Animal Kingdom is an outstanding result for Australian Film with exceptional performances by Weaver, Pearce and Mendelsohn, fantastic cinematography and a gripping plot from start to finish.
Animal Kingdom follows 17 year old Josh (James Frecheville) as he watches his mother overdose on Heroin and subsequently die, and is then forced to move in with his estranged grandmother (Jackie Weaver) and his four uncles, who form the glue of a Melbourne-based crime syndicate. As Josh irreversibly winds his way down the dark path that his uncles have paved for him, a kindly police investigator (Guy Pearce) attempts to reach out to the boy and save him from his inevitable demise.
This film is absolutely phenomenal. Whilst Frenchville often times seemed like he'd just had a lobotomy, his quiet nature proved, in turn, to be a vessel in which to further understand the power distance between him and his uncles; Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), in particular, who stood out to be the bona fide antagonist and villain in the film.
The audience follows Josh through a story of tragic loss, vengeance and climactic justice (if you could call it that).
Overall, Animal Kingdom is an outstanding result for Australian Film with exceptional performances by Weaver, Pearce and Mendelsohn, fantastic cinematography and a gripping plot from start to finish.
Tron: Legacy (2010)
One of the best films of 2010, hands down.
If you want to read a lengthy review of Disney's latest masterpiece, you'll have to look elsewhere. I can sum this movie up in just one word: fantastic.
I went into the cinema really not expecting too much; from the ads, I'd presumed it would be a poor recreation of an 80's film/game, however, not 10 minutes in and my jaw had dropped. During the initial scenes of the film, I actually questioned the life-likeness of one of the characters. The CGI was absolutely incredible, it made me think twice about if it was real or not. The story wasn't ground-breaking, but the effects, cinematography and gripping fight scenes, accompanied by Daft Punk's breathtaking soundtrack, really had me clinging to the edge of my seat. I never found myself looking around at the other people in the cinema; I was completely and utterly immersed in Flynn's digital world.
8/10 Loved it.
I went into the cinema really not expecting too much; from the ads, I'd presumed it would be a poor recreation of an 80's film/game, however, not 10 minutes in and my jaw had dropped. During the initial scenes of the film, I actually questioned the life-likeness of one of the characters. The CGI was absolutely incredible, it made me think twice about if it was real or not. The story wasn't ground-breaking, but the effects, cinematography and gripping fight scenes, accompanied by Daft Punk's breathtaking soundtrack, really had me clinging to the edge of my seat. I never found myself looking around at the other people in the cinema; I was completely and utterly immersed in Flynn's digital world.
8/10 Loved it.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (2010)
Fun initially, though becomes repetitive early on
This game was one of the most anticipated releases of 2010 for me. I'd been watching the trailers on loop and downloading the wallpapers (which is very unlike me). There had been such a hype surrounding The Force Unleashed 2, that, when I actually got around to playing it - it seemed a little disappointing in some areas.
Aesthetically, this game is amazing. The graphics and physics engine really make it a lot of fun to play. Force-gripping Storm Troopers and then impaling them with your dual-wielded light-sabers never got old. The ability to collect and change your saber crystals, effectively enabling you to change your light-saber's colour, was also a fantastic touch which enabled me to give my character a more personal feel. In addition to the colour changes, each crystal had a unique effect. For example, equipping a green coloured crystal would enable your character to heal faster; a white crystal for force regeneration; an orange crystal to set your enemies on fire etc etc.
The downside, however, to this game, is the story itself. You begin the game on Kamino, the cloning planet, where you're told that you are a clone of The Force Unleashed 1's main character - Starkiller. After being declared a 'failure' by your master, Darth Vader, you escape his clutches by jumping out a window, and then commencing to face wave-after-wave of storm troopers. The idea is that your character attempts to discover, or perhaps, re-discover his identity.
Combat in The Force Unleashed 2 is initially a lot of fun, however, after facing the same enemies over and over, you quickly learn how to defeat them very easily, leading them to become more of a hindrance than a challenge. The boss fights are lengthy; unnecessarily so, and I found the game's cut-scenes, whilst impressively pre-rendered, were a bore to sit through as the 'Skip' option wasn't always available.
Overall, this is a great game if you're up for a bit of hack-n-slash before work, however, the combat's formulaic design, the lack of well developed plot and the length of story, left much to be desired. This game took me a total of around 3-4 hours to complete.
7/10
Aesthetically, this game is amazing. The graphics and physics engine really make it a lot of fun to play. Force-gripping Storm Troopers and then impaling them with your dual-wielded light-sabers never got old. The ability to collect and change your saber crystals, effectively enabling you to change your light-saber's colour, was also a fantastic touch which enabled me to give my character a more personal feel. In addition to the colour changes, each crystal had a unique effect. For example, equipping a green coloured crystal would enable your character to heal faster; a white crystal for force regeneration; an orange crystal to set your enemies on fire etc etc.
The downside, however, to this game, is the story itself. You begin the game on Kamino, the cloning planet, where you're told that you are a clone of The Force Unleashed 1's main character - Starkiller. After being declared a 'failure' by your master, Darth Vader, you escape his clutches by jumping out a window, and then commencing to face wave-after-wave of storm troopers. The idea is that your character attempts to discover, or perhaps, re-discover his identity.
Combat in The Force Unleashed 2 is initially a lot of fun, however, after facing the same enemies over and over, you quickly learn how to defeat them very easily, leading them to become more of a hindrance than a challenge. The boss fights are lengthy; unnecessarily so, and I found the game's cut-scenes, whilst impressively pre-rendered, were a bore to sit through as the 'Skip' option wasn't always available.
Overall, this is a great game if you're up for a bit of hack-n-slash before work, however, the combat's formulaic design, the lack of well developed plot and the length of story, left much to be desired. This game took me a total of around 3-4 hours to complete.
7/10