Spectre review

The twenty-fourth Bond film, and Sam Mendes’ second as director, sees James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a mission to uncover the secrets behind a powerful and mysterious organisation called Spectre. As this is happening, he and his colleagues must also deal with governmental figures intent on shutting down the OO section for good.

Spectre is a worthy follow-up to Skyfall.  Once again Sam Mendes’ direction is superb with highlights including a wonderfully gripping opening sequence in Mexico city. The story arc begun in Casino Royale is also once more brought into play and resolved in a way that is immensely satisfying.

Christoph Waltz is excellent as the villainous Franz Oberhauser. In his portrayal of a psychopath with a very personal grudge against Bond, he takes something from his role as Colonel Landa in Inglourious Basterds.

The Bond franchise has gone from strength to strength in recent years. With the bar now set so high, though, the question is where can Britain’s favourite secret agent go next?

Star Rating: 4/5

The Lobster review

In his English language debut, Greek director Yorgos Lathimos (Dogtooth) shows us a world where being single is taboo. ‘Loners,’ as they are called, are forced to stay in a hotel where they are given forty five days to find a partner. If they fail they will be turned into an animal of their choice.

One of the unlucky singletons starting his forty five days is David (Colin Farrell), a middle-aged Irishman who has recently separated from his wife. His choice of animal, should he fail to meet someone, is a lobster, reasoning that lobsters have long lifespans and are blue blooded, ‘like aristocrats.’

Farrell is refreshingly cast against type as the man trying to conform to society’s expectations. All of the cast, in fact, do an excellent job of capturing an awkwardness that doesn’t seem so much as brought about by the situation their characters are in as conditioned and bred into them.

Lathimos approaches the idea at the film’s centre with the right mixture of humour and horror

as he shows us human interactions stripped down to their most superficial aspects. In one scene, a man tries to form a bond with a woman by pretending to be a frequent victim of nosebleeds – she also has nosebleeds. While in another, David becomes obsessed with the short-sightedness he shares with another character. In the world of The Lobster it is these small similarities that are considered to be the basis of a successful relationship.

For those willing to suspend their disbelief for two hours, The Lobster is a witty and intriguing allegory on millennial attitudes to love and dating.

Star Rating: 4/5

Sicario review

The opening text of Sicario reveals that the word refers to ancient Jewish zealots and is also the Spanish for ‘assassin.’ Why this is relevant is only made painfully clear towards the film’s end.

The plot of director Denis Villeneuve’s fifth feature sees FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) drafted into a special task force to help take down a Mexican drug cartel. This task force is headed up by the shady pairing of defence adviser Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro). As the campaign against the cartel intensifies, Macer finds her ideals challenged by the brutal and unorthodox methods of those around her.

Sicario works as both a thriller and a commentary on the drug war consuming Mexico. In its depiction of the actions of the cartels and of the law enforcement agencies trying to combat them, the film pulls no punches. In one scene, Kate is driven past a bridge from which the dismembered bodies of the cartel’s victims hang. Although she is shocked, the agent with her can only speak admiringly of the cartel’s terror tactics and call them ‘brilliant.’

The idea that Kate is entering a different world with a very different set of rules to those she is used to is continually emphasised with Alejandro telling her: ‘This is the land of wolves now.’

Villeneuve also makes use of an interesting device by presenting us with a separate storyline running in parallel to the main one. In this, we see a Mexican police officer called Silvio as he recovers from his night shifts and interacts with his family. The true significance of this storyline is not clear until the film’s end yet it adds a different and very human perspective to the central narrative.

Another thing that makes Sicario effective is the strength of its performances: Emily Blunt is convincing and likeable as the protagonist, Josh Brolin is appropriately aloof and obnoxious, and Benicio Del Toro weaves a portrait of a restrained but rage-filled man whose true motivations remain a mystery until the film’s dénouement. Indeed, it is Del Toro who stands out the most and in his performance as Alejandro we certainly have a worthy contender for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.

Thought provoking, unrelenting, and brutal: Sicario may just be one of the most interesting films released this year.

Star Rating: 5/5

The Martian review

When a mission to Mars is disrupted by a large storm, one of its crew members Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is left stranded. With the next manned mission not expected for another four years, Watney is forced to use all his skills and ingenuity as a botanist and engineer in order to survive.

Great, you probably think, a film where a human being is pushed to their physiological and psychological limits while stranded on another planet. This could be a brilliant exploration of the strength of the human spirit. Indeed, The Martian could be this, but it isn’t.

The problems with the film are multifarious. For starters, its constant planet-hopping from Mars to Earth to Mars to Earth again kills any suspense or sense of peril. Is Watney ever going to return to Earth? Is he going to survive long enough to be rescued? Yes we know he is because we keep seeing all the head honchos at NASA plus their huge team of technicians working out how they’re going to bring him back. The conclusion of the film is never in doubt.

Then there is also the character of Watney. For a man who has death staring him in the face, he never seems to be short of a smile or something to joke about. This, of course, is supposed to make him endearing and likeable yet it also makes him seem more like a cardboard cut-out than a real human being. Among all the good humour he displays, shouldn’t there be at least a few moments of despair? A few moments when it looks like the dreadful realities of his situation might actually ‘break him?

That Watney doesn’t have any of these moments means for the majority of the film he looks about as inconvenienced as a man who’s broken down on the M25.

It’s not just Watney, though, but also the whole film that seems to be off in terms of tone. Even the film’s soundtrack is questionable, with ABBA's 'Waterloo' seeming an overly flippant song choice for one critical sequence. If Ridley Scott was directing a feature film version of the Great British Bake Off, the inclusion of such a song during the climax might be appropriate, but just before a man might lose his life? I’m not so sure.

If you’re looking for some light-hearted thrills, you might find The Martian to your liking. If you’re looking for something deeper and more interesting in the vein of Scott’s Blade Runner, however, expect to be disappointed.

Star Rating: 2/5