sequel tagged posts

May 11, 2017, Posted in  Reviews Comments: No comments

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: John Logan, Dante Harper (screenplay) Jack Paglen, Michael Green (story)

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Guy Pearce

Cert: 15

Running time: 122mins

Year: 2017

What’s the story: Crew members of a space vessel carrying colonists to a new world investigate a mysterious transmission emanating from an uncharted planet. The reception they receive is not friendly.

What’s the verdict: A long time since we’ve been loving the alien. But, Ridley Scott’s 1979 original and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel are sci-fi masterpieces, so hope remains the next Alien movie will facehug your affections.

2012’s Prometheus saw Scott back and calling the shots. The result was an incoherent mess...

January 20, 2017, Posted in  Reviews Comments: No comments

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: John Hodge (screenplay), Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting & Porno novels)

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Anjela Nedyalkova

Cert: 18

Running time: 117mins

Year: 2017

What’s the story: Twenty years after Mark Renton (McGregor) stole £16,000 from his friends, he returns to Edinburgh from Amsterdam. Recovering junky Spud (Bremner) is happy to see him, and Simon aka Sick Boy (Lee Miller), running a failing pub, tries to get Mark involved in a plan to open a massage parlour. But, the psychopathic Begbie, out of prison after a long stretch, seeks revenge.

What’s the verdict: “Nostalgia is why you’re here.” So Sick Boy, now known as Simon, spits at Renton on a trip to the Scottish countryside.

Twenty-one years after the ...

May 21, 2016, Posted in  Reviews Comments: No comments

Director: Bryan Singer

Writer: Simon Kinberg

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Oscar Isaac, Evan Peters, Olivia Munn, Ben Hardy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Rose Byrne

Cert: 12

Running time: 144mins

Year: 2016

What’s the story: In 1983, Apocalypse, the first mutant, is reborn into the world and is intent on destroying it. Mutants under Charles Xavier’s tutelage must band together to defeat the genocidal villain.

What’s the verdict: While DC movies flounder and the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its juggernaut-like trajectory toward world domination, it is easy to forget the X-Men franchise.

Despite the series delivering only one true dud (2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and actually having a five...

August 21, 2014, Posted in  Reviews

Director: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller

Writer: Frank Miller

Cast: Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Jessica Alba, Powers Boothe, Dennis Haysbert, Jeremy Piven, Jamie Chung

Cert: 18

Running Time: 102 mins

Year: 2014

The lowdown: Nine years after the original adaptation of Frank Miller’s neo-noir graphic novels comes the long-awaited sequel, promising more monochrome mayhem. Mickey Rourke’s one-man army Marv and Jessica Alba’s sweet-hearted stripper Nancy return, joined by (amongst many others) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Eva Green as the titular dame. Expect balletic beheadings, ocular extractions and a plethora of perfect female flesh, but don’t expect anything new.

The full verdict: When Sin City burst on to our eyeballs in 2005 it was a gritty, gru...

August 11, 2014, Posted in  Reviews

Director: Patrick Hughes

Writer: Sylvester Stallone, Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Jet Li, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammer, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz, Glen Powell, Terry Crews

Cert: 12

Running time: 126mins

Year: 2014

The lowdown: Sly gets the band back together for another no-brow barrage of (old)boys and their toys mayhem, joined by newcomers Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Kelsey Grammer and Harrison Ford. But, it’s Mel Gibson who steals the show as a big, bad international arms dealer the over-the-hill action men must bring down.

The full verdict: Like the first two instalments, The Expendables 3 has a plot...

June 4, 2014, Posted in  Reviews

Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Writers: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, Rodney Rothman

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell, Amber Stevens, Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman

Cert: 15

Running time: 112mins

Year: 2014

The lowdown: Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill return as Jenko and Schmidt, graduating to college after successfully busting high school back in 21 Jump Street. That film was 2012’s biggest surprise, so we’re happy to report the sequel earns 1^st Class Honours in dumb, undisciplined, but smart n’ savvy, rude n’ lewd hilarity. It’s proudly the same as before, but with added bromance, soul-searching, frat houses and football. And a bigger budget. Go on… get arrested by the laugh-riot police.

The full verdict: “Do the same thing as before”.

So orders...

April 16, 2014, Posted in  Reviews

Director: Marc Webb

Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Ocri, Jeff Pinker

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Sally Field, Denis Leary, Paul Giamatti, BJ Novak, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott

Cert: 12

Running time: 142mins

Year: 2014

The lowdown: Aptly named director Marc Webb spins a sequel superior to his déjà-vu afflicted 2012 reboot. A fresh story, new villain courtesy of Jamie Foxx’s Electro, enhanced action set-pieces and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s chemistry make this reminiscent of Sam Raimi’s original trilogy. Shame that a lurch into ill-advised darker territory scuppers much of the good work, leaving you feeling you’ve been duped into caring about all the brightly coloured motion and emotion.

The full verdict: Note to filmmakers...

June 23, 2013, Posted in  Reviews Comments: No comments

Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan, Benjamin Bratt, Ken Jeong, Russell Brand

Cert: U

Running time: 98 mins

Year: 2013

The lowdown: Steve Carell’s reformed supervillain returns with minions and triumvirate of cute moppets in tow for a riotous sequel to the surprise 2010 hit.  What plot there is revolves around Gru’s investigation into the theft of an experimental serum that transforms animals (and people, and minions) into ravenous, psychotic (purple-furred) beasties.  But, as with producer Chris Meladandri’s Ice Age series, the story is a mere launch pad for inventive comic skits guaranteed to tickle your inner minion...