Action
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the latest and (supposedly) final entry in the long-running espionage film series, with an impressive and lengthy run that spans almost 30 years. Tom Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie and crew are all hoping to go out with a bang! Before heading into Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, I sat and watched the entire Mission: Impossible f...
The Accountant 2 Review
After nearly a decade of waiting, the highly anticipated sequel to 2016’s The Accountant has finally arrived. Director Gavin O’Connor (The Accountant) brings back all the familiar faces in this action-packed follow-up to the original, hoping to up the stakes whilst keeping true to what made the 2016 action thriller so popular. I’m a massive fan of The Accountant (2016). Its slick, gritty and bruta...
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review
Jeff Fowler and his familiar fast band of hyperactive heroes return to Aussie cinemas this boxing day, with Sonic The Hedgehog 3. A surprisingly decent animated action flick with enough juice to please everyone. Some mild spoilers to follow. Don’t worry if you’ve missed the first and second entries in this franchise, adapted from the Sega video game series. The story opens with enough information ...
Gladiator II Review
Ridley Scott marks his return to Ancient Rome with Gladiator II – twenty four years after the release of his Oscar-winning Gladiator (2000). With a plot following directly on from the 2000 epic, Scott provides a sequel aiming to captivate a new generation of moviegoers – while hoping to live up to the high standards set by its predecessor. Having rewatched Gladiator in preparation for ...
Venom: The Last Dance Review
This is not your average superhero movie, this is not trying to be. This is violent, this is cringe, this is silly, this is fun. This is Venom. Hinted to be this iteration of Venom’s last hurrah, Venom: The Last Dance is co-written by director Kelly Marcel and lead actor Tom Hardy. Marcel has been the lead writer for the past two Venom movies and she maintains the same incredibly unique tone whil...
Hellboy: The Crooked Man Review
As a keen fan of the Hellboy films, I was thrilled when I heard that the franchise was getting another instalment with Hellboy: The Crooked Man. My excitement compounded with the news that the plot of the film was lifted directly from the Dark Horse Comic books by Mike Mignola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Golden and director Brian Taylor. Surely this delightfully detailed folk-hor...
Transformers One Review
While audiences might be approaching the release of Transformers One with trepidation, after being burnt out by the repetitive trend of more explosions than plot in recent films from the franchise, however like the Transformers slogan, there is definitely more than meets the eye with this film. Welcome to the origin story of our favourite arch nemeses, Optimus Prime and Megatron. From the outset ...
Ka Whawhai Tonu Review
Struggle without End. Director Mike Jonathan (Cinematographer, The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari) recreates the historic battle of Ōrākau Pā, Aotearoa,1864. Where local Maori tribes unite in a last stand against Colonial forces’ ongoing confiscation of land, desecration and general campaign of violent disrespect. Ka Whawhai Tonu is predictably grim in its presentation of Maori strength and s...
Twisters Review
Twisters lands in Australian cinemas this week, nearly 30 years after the previous instalment in the Universal Studios franchise. Here’s hoping that this new film isn’t just a nostalgic trip down memory lane, but instead a worthy successor to its blockbuster predecessor. My experience with the original Twisters is pretty minimal. I saw the film years ago when I was young, but I didn...
Bad Boys: Ride or Die Review
Between thirty to forty years ago, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer dominated the summer blockbuster landscape with a long list of knockout action thrillers. Highlights featuring the likes of Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Dangerous Minds, The Rock and Bad Boys. The two later films directed by then breakout auteur, Michael Bay (how the mighty have fallen). Flash forward to today and Ba...
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Review
Strap in scavs! On May 23rd Aussie auteur George Miller once again fangs audiences across the post apocalyptic central Australian wasteland. Expanding the rebooted universe established with 2015’s Fury Road, Furiosa gives us the full life and times of the titular antiheroine. Well, the important bits anyway. Her rise from unwilling captive snatched away from goodness, to mute feral. To praetorian ...
The Fall Guy Review
Hoping to capitalise off the global phenomenon that was Barbenheimer, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are back on our screens to kick off the summer movie season with Universal Pictures’ The Fall Guy. Loosely inspired by the 1980’s stuntman-themed TV show of the same name, The Fall Guy promises an action-packed, romance-filled insight into the underappreciated industry of stunt work. From the outset...