Review Category: Movie

After a five-year development period, and with numerous changes at the top of the creative team during that time, it’s fair to say that we here at STARBURST Towers were concerned that this film could be heading into ‘difficult second movie’ territory.

Luckily, our fears are unfounded, and the years that have passed since the last outing of the crew from Bricksburg has allowed the world, both in and out of the movie to move on. It’s also mercifully allowed Finn, our real human brick controller and his sister Bianca, glimpsed as a toddler in the first movie, to grow up. It feels as if the movie has given both of them more to do this time round and convincing, heart-felt performances are crafted by both Jadon Sand and Brooklynn Prince. The passing of time also means that Bianca has all but left her Duplo behind, meaning the large bricks, portrayed as monstrous horrors from another world, have been all but abandoned as a character concept by the end of the first reel.

It’s difficult to divulge much about the plot without revealing massive spoilers, but we can report that returning lead mini-fig Emmet (Chris Pratt) is going on a journey, both literal and philosophical, to save his friends and himself from the ‘Systar System’ and the evil machinations of anthropomorphic ‘shape-shifter’ Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi, being played with obvious relish by Tiffany Haddish. The chief brick-builders behind the scenes have noted the popularity of Will Arnett’s Batman, who again takes a lead role here – a fact which is lightly made fun of in at least two scenes. Younger viewers will delight in the technicolour plot and fun music – one of the tunes is actually called Catchy Song, whilst adults will be playing ‘spot the meta reference’ throughout.

The fun elements from the last film, of part numbers floating onto screen as models are built during chase sequences and of entire kits being shown for mere seconds are all present and correct – the models shown in one sequence when new character Rex Dangervest explains his backstory are astounding, and bound to lead to cries of ‘where can I get that?’ (we’re pining for Doc Brown’s DeLorean already). Where we would criticise, if we must, is that at times everything felt slightly too well-constructed, too clean, and on occasion, a fraction too self-indulgent.

Those small niggles aside, this is surreal, genre-defying genius, with the most astonishing and beautiful animation. It will delight the whole family, and prove, despite the brutal realities of life that can accost you, that with co-operation and a positive attitude, everything can, once again, be awesome.

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: MIKE MITCHELL / SCREENPLAY: PHIL LORD, CHRISTOPHER MILLER / STARRING: CHRIS PRATT, ELIZABETH BANKS, WILL ARNETT, TIFFANY HADDISH, STEPHANIE BEATRIZ / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 8TH

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

“This is not going to go the way you think.” Good advice for budding Jedi trainees as well anyone heading into one of M. Night Shyamalan films. Doubly so for Glass, which has the unenviable task of not just being a sequel to Shyamalan’s 2016 supernaturally-tinged psychological thriller Split, but also Unbreakable, his ‘serious’ meditation on the super-hero genre from 2000.

After ‘The Horde’, the collection of multiple personalities inhabiting Kevin Wendell Crumb (McAvoy) kidnaps another set of victims to sacrifice to his superhuman 24th personality, ‘The Beast’, Bruce Willis’ David Dunn seeks him out in his own superhero alter ego of the rain poncho-wearing Overseer. Helped by his now grown-up son Joseph who in a nice touch is played the same actor from Unbreakable Spencer Treat Clark, before they can subdue The Horde both are captured by the mysterious Dr Ellie Staple (Paulson). Staple, who seems to know far too much about both of them, takes both David and The Horde to a special psychiatric hospital where her third patient, Elijah Price AKA Mr Glass has been kept sedated since Unbreakable.

What follows threatens at times to explode into a full superhero slug-fest before Shyamalan’s plans and the Blumhouse budget keeps things grounded. This may feel unsatisfying at times but as with many of Shyamalan’s films, once ‘the twist’ has been revealed most of these concerns disappear. Most.

In this case, there’s less of a twist in the tale and more a reveal that the whole film has been in service of a particular concept and message, and it’s a pretty good one, but Shyamalan does take his sweet time getting there.

There are a few too many scenes of Paulson monologuing to her charges about how delusional they are, and while The Horde has been cowed by a special set of lights, Dunn could probably just bend some steel and prove her wrong. Also for a film called Glass, Jackson’s Elijah Price has far too little screen time. Yes, he is on screen quite a bit but Mr Glass doesn’t really make his presence felt until quite late in the game and when he does it just makes you want more of him in the film. McAvoy and Willis are also pretty great, although McAvoy’s gurning, while changing personalities does get overused a bit. Seeing Willis return to a role after so much time is a treat, however, especially when supplemented with flashbacks to the original film.

Glass isn’t trying to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s very much a ‘classic’ M. Night Shyamalan film, even down to the director’s cameo. Even here he seems to have learned from past mistakes and manages to elicit (intentional) laughter as opposed to groans.

Glass isn’t a superhero film as much as it’s a sequel to the understated world of Unbreakable and a loving ode to the world of comic books. Approach it knowing that, and you’ll most likely enjoy it.

GLASS / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN / SCREENPLAY: M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN / STARRING: JAMES MCAVOY, BRUCE WILLIS, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, SARAH PAULSON, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, CHARLAYNE WOODARD / RELEASE DATE: JAN 18TH

Expected Rating: 9 out of 10

There is something of an art to spoofing. While often unfairly labeled a poor man’s satire, a great spoof is a well-timed, immaculately planned and quite glorious thing. That’s what separates The Naked Gun’s from the Meet the Spartans and the Rowan Atkinson’s from the nameless teens who pube joked their way through all those lame Scary Movie cash-ins. Yet, sometimes, a film comes along with all the ingredients but – rather ironically in this case – not a clue what to do with them. Holmes & Watson is that film.

This re-teaming of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly ought to have been a sleuthing celebration of silly; instead it’s one of the most baffling cinematic turkeys of last year. The plot, such as it is, sees Sherlock Holmes (Farrell) faced with his greatest challenge yet, foiling an impending assassination of the Queen. Meanwhile, his trusted companion Dr. Watson (Reilly) finally hopes to do more than hold the magnifying glasses, as the game is afoot and takes the pair on an unexpected journey.

Holmes & Watson is head-scratchingly unfunny. Filled to busting with talent and potential that, say in the hands of Aardman animation, might flourish as well as it should, but here it all falls disappointingly flat. For the relatively brief 90-minute duration you find yourself fidgetingly feeling it’s double the length, as everything Etan Cohen’s script pulls out, fails to muster any semblance of a laugh. Already the film has become quite infamous for its bad reception and walkouts (there was one at our – admittedly sparse – screening) and it’s hardly surprising. The spark and mad chemistry of Ferrell and Reilly’s previous unions is extinguished by the dated script (save for the odd Donald Trump jab) and sequences that have been done before and immeasurably better.

The movie’s biggest crime though, aside from its casual abandonment of plot and point, is its absurd level of waste. The sets and period detail are exceptional, as are the costumes, but it’s all wasted as window dressing to piss poor gags and weirdly uncomfortable levels of cringe (a selfie sight gag) with ill-fitting music accompaniment. Then there’s the cast, which is rich in excellence and up for anything! Unforgivably though, there is sod all for any of them to do. Ferrell and Reilly attempt to lead by example but this Arthur Conan Doyle inspired comedy carnival is too much of a mess to save, and they are left wailing and flailing aimlessly (at one point literally). Rebecca Hall, Pam Ferris and Kelly MacDonald are cluelessly flung into scenes, Rob Brydon has virtually no chance to drop anything resembling a joke (or barely even a line), Steve Coogan is sinfully wasted in a stunningly brief fight scene (the film’s best bit actually) and the often unappreciated comic flair of Ralph Fiennes goes once more untapped and he’s entirely squandered as Moriarty. The cameos range from award winning actors to WWE wrestler and everyone tries to wrangle something out of this but they cannot save the day – nor can a music number penned by Alan Menken.

There were better jokes in the Holmes outings of Rathbone, Cumberbatch and Downey Jr. (the latter of which this takes biggest aim at) than there are here. This ridiculously, disappointingly and illogically unfunny film is one case even Sherlock Holmes cannot crack.

HOLMES & WATSON / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR: ETAN COHEN / SCREENPLAY: ETAN COHEN / STARRING: WILL FERRELL, JOHN C. REILLY, REBECCA HALL, RALPH FIENNES, STEVE COOGAN, ROB BRYDON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Expected Rating: 4 out of 10

Adam Robitel’s latest horror feature is yet another film that takes something that is usually considered to be safe (such as a doll, a Polaroid camera, or in this case, an escape room) and turns it into something the viewer should be afraid of. But is this an experience you’ll want to stay for, or will you want to break out?

A group of six strangers all receive a cryptic mystery box in their mailbox, inviting them all to a business named Mino’s Escape Room, in which they will earn $10,000 if they manage to make it out of the ‘world’s toughest rooms’. Once there, they soon begin to realise that what they at first thought was just an ordinary game is quickly turning into the most dangerous fight of their lives.

Throughout the story, there are several rooms that these individuals have to break out of in order to survive, and for the most part these sequences are all decently entertaining, the strangers having to band together and use their wits to survive. Almost every major puzzle is honestly quite thrilling, but it’s the characters themselves that are Escape Room’s biggest issue. With the exception of lead protagonist Zoey (Russell), each of them are frustratingly annoying in nearly every scene, making it difficult to get behind them. Also, some of the decisions they make will leave you baffled.

The standout sequence here is one that involves an upside-down bar, which genuinely makes you concerned for how these characters are going to make it out of this situation alive. But, as soon as this is over, it all goes downhill, resulting in a final thirty minutes that unfortunately comes across as unintentionally comical and almost impossible to take seriously. They also do some rather questionable things with our characters here.

How everything ultimately ties together in the end though is seriously awful. It was the biggest insult to anybody who genuinely loved the film beforehand, as it shamelessly sets up a sequel that few are likely to want. Though it has moments of true tension and is entertaining in parts, Escape Room’s poor characters and unintentional comedy ultimately make this an adventure not worth going on.

DIRECTOR: ADAM ROBITEL / SCREENPLAY: BRAGI F. SCHUT, MARIA MELNIK / STARRING: DEBORAH ANN WOLL, TAYLOR RUSSELL, TYLER LABINE, LOGAN MILLER / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 1ST