Sunday 4 January 2009

Film reviews, 1-4th January

Twilight
Yes, I went to see it. It's awesome. I really didn't expect to enjoy it quite so much, but it surprised me. The acting is good, the story is a classic, the effects are cringey at times, but it's still fantastic. 8/10

The Spirit
Visually, this film doesn't disappoint. It looks almost as good as Sin City. Almost. However, the story is bland, the acting barely covers the lack of a strong plot, and the real appeal is seeing the variety of beautiful women in various states of undress. It had so much potential, but it just doesn't hit the mark. 5/10

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Guillermo del Toro's labour of love, and it shows. The level of detail in crowd scenes, the individual monsters, the story and the visual splendour are reminiscent of the first film, only slightly better. The humour is perfectly placed, nothing feels forced, and the 'monster' characters somehow feel more real than the humans. 7/10

Eastern Promises
I expected this to have a definite cringe-factor - non-Russians playing Russian parts could easily have backfired. Viggo Mortensen is a revelation, tough but with a clear moral centre. The violence is not excessive, and the story is believable. The characters are well-played and easy to connect with - the villains seem the more villainous for their obvious human flaws. Interesting and well-made, but not entirely my thing. 6/10

1 comment:

Unknown said...

For a review that's pretty glowing, your final score of Eastern Promises doesn't really connect- seems like your only justification for its 6/10 is that it's not your thing! :)