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Kingdom Come: Deliverance ★★★☆☆

It’s got swords and sandals, but is it too much to handle?

It’s fair to say that Kingdom Come: Deliverance was released in the wake of quite a substantial hype train, with over a million pounds pledged on Kickstarter by fans hungry for a medieval adventure on the scale of Skyrim but not crap like For Honor (sorry, Honor Hombres). The game promised a lot: a combat system based on real swordplay techniques, an organic world that lives and breathes with or without the player and the prospect of a realism driven gameplay experience, with diseases, fatigue and even washing yourself (a foreign concept to many, I know).

But would this realistic take on medieval hack and slash tropes pay off? Let’s all do our best to avoid the Black Death as we dive in to find out.

The Good

The first thing you’ll find when you jump into Kingdom Come: Deliverance is that the developers at Warhorse have created a fleshed out, well realised depiction of late Medieval Europe. Everything feels visceral, often brutal and everything you’d want from a period RPG. The unparalleled attention to detail is so meticulous that a day foraging in the woods will leave dirt on your clothes, meaning NPCs (non-playable characters to you normies out there) will look less favourably upon you and your shabby apparel.  

What’s more, the strive for realism extends to the game’s polished, well crafted combat system that has a steep but thoroughly rewarding learning curve. You start off more likely to injure yourself with a sword than any would-be assailant, and work your way until you’re a force to be reckoned with who can take on the toughest knights in the realm. What’s unique and refreshing is that this is done without the necessity for increased stats, magic potions or spells, but rather your own real world intuition and ability to adapt. Just don’t expect an easy ride!

The Bad 

With that being said, what’s not so polished is the graphics and overall engine. Unless you’re rocking the most elite systems, textures dropping in and out can somewhat spoil the immersion and the further you delve into KC:D, the more you’ll become aware of its criminally obtrusive glitches. With no autosave function, getting stuck in a broken texture is enough to see many a controller broken.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there’s a worrying lack of diversity amongst the character models within the game. The argument that this was a decision made in the name of historical accuracy is rendered suspect when one considers that Asian merchants were known to be travelling throughout Europe during this period. Hence, this supposed whitewashing can be attributed to at be lazy character design, and at worst racism. Even when the benefit of doubt is liberally applied, this is still a huge notch against the game, and one that is hard to ignore as you play.

The Verdict

Kingdom Come: Deliverance isn’t Skyrim 2.0, if that’s what you want, don’t get it. It doesn’t have the engine, the graphics or the accessibility - but that’s OK. To give credit to Warhorse on this one, they are trying to bring something to the game market that really hasn’t been executed before - a historical simulation in a story and action driven game. 

A flawed masterpiece that will hopefully be improved, in terms of inclusivity as well as mechanically, with future patches.

★★★☆☆

Sir Thomas Baker

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American Made ★★★★☆

You’re making a film about a happy-go-lucky thrillseeker who’s got a natural charisma and is rather into flying planes. Who’s going to be the star? Tom Cruise, of course!

‘American Made’, directed by Doug Liman is an entertaining look at the life of Barry Seal, a TWA pilot who’s good at his job but also pretty bored of it. After being hired by the CIA to take secret photos of Soviet insurgents in South America from a plane, he ends up in the world of drug smuggling, gaining not only too much money for the space in his house but also the thrill of the ride as he risks it all with every flight. We witness Seal as he, like the opportunist that he is, goes along with every new scenario that gets thrown his way. There’s some element of truthfulness to it), but don’t treat the film as a documentary as it most definitely isn’t.

The role of Seal was made for Cruise - he’s effectively playing himself again, but he does it so well that we can’t complain. The character is a nice nod to his ‘Top Gun’ days, and all scenes with Cruise flying a plane are actually real which is pretty cool when you watch them. Yes, Seal looked nothing like Cruise in real life (he was actually pretty large) but the personality side of things is on point the whole way through.

As well as Cruise, we also see some great performances by Sarah Wright who plays his wife Lucy, and Domhnall Gleeson as the CIA case officer Monty Schafer who originally picks Seal up for the job. Mauricio Mejía gave a very good performance as Pablo Escobar - if I was him I would have been nervous of comparison considering Wagner Moura’s recent performance of Escobar in Netflix hit ‘Narcos’, but Mejía does a great job and it’s eerie how similar their interpretations are at times.

I particularly liked the modern filming style, which was interesting considering how well the mood of the late 70s and early 80s had been set with such a brilliant soundtrack and styled cinematography. The film has a lot of voiceover narration from Cruise but it’s also narrated visually, both by flash forward scenes to Seal recording himself talking, and quickfire images that represent the generally mood of the characters as each different thing happens. Both performance and filming are very energetic, making it a really easy film to watch as it’s so fast-paced. Even with all the interesting twists and turns, it doesn’t take too much brain power to follow which makes a nice change from a lot of the heavier films that have come over the past year.

The fact that there’s not so much to think about means it won’t be for everyone - although it’s very entertaining and there’s a lot of humour, the only meaning I got from it was pretty much just “Every man is out for himself”, which isn’t particularly inspiring. That’s not necessarily an issue though, depending on what you’re looking from an action film. Although I’m usually all for the deep and meaningful action I actually really enjoyed this one - it doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and that’s what makes it stand out.

★★★★☆

Hannah Read

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Ōkami HD ★★★★★

Late into the PlayStation 2's life-cycle, it began to showcase games that were thought way beyond the console's capabilities. God of War 2 was an amazing visual spectacle, running at 60 frames and capable of outputting at 720p (remember, this is over 10 years ago). GTA: San Andreas had a ridiculously large open world with endless amounts of silliness to be had. Shadow of the Colossus showing a level of scale, equal to its mournful sorrow. Devil May Cry 3 had... umm... a crazy difficulty level. And then there was Ōkami. Whenever the debate of “are games art?”, is subjected, it's generally Ōkami that gets held aloft as the level 99 shield. - The graceful sword is usually Journey.

Hideki Kamiya (best known for Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry and Bayonetta), while he himself didn't work directly on, was highly inspired by the level of detail in Resident Evil 4 and wanted to make a game of the polar opposite, in vibe, but with the same level of visual fidelity. He formed Clover Studio, under the wing of Capcom, and set about doing just that. For a fair way through development, the game took on a more realistic approach, but due to this being a strain on the machine and not working, quite as planned, it was dropped for a more Japanese ink wash art style known as "Sumi-e". This decision was definitely more fitting of the game's overall setting and way of storytelling and also gave Ōkami its own unique visual style. While there had been "Cel-Shaded" games before, Ōkami is more of an ink and watercolour affair.

The game’s plot plays heavily on Japanese Spiritual and Legendary folklore. You play as the white wolf Amaterasu, The Goddess of the Sun, who’s summoned by, Sakuya, the guardian of Kamiki village after the demon Orochi is foolishly freed by Susano, the ancestor of the Nagi, A legendary swordsman who beat the eight-headed demon, 100 years prior. The first half of the game has you restoring the beauty and nature to the land of Nippon (Japan).

Ōkami’s (aforementioned) change in art style inspired many of the game's core mechanics, such as the Celestial Brush. Sort of like the game's Swiss army knife of paint brushes. At the press of a button, the Celestial Brush freezes the game's action and allows you to paint over the scene, in real time. This is used in combat, puzzle solving and just for toying around and interacting with the environment. As you progress through the story you unlock dozens of new abilities and ways to use the Celestial brush. From using it as a slash attack on enemies, painting in bridges or rivers to cross, manipulating elements like wind or just making it sunny to cheer people up.

The game plays like a, much more, mellow Zelda, Including having its own irritating exposition and navigation device named Issun, who acts as a chatty, ignorant, C3PO to Amaterasu’s R2D2 like exchanges. Amaterasu gains access to more areas of the world as she unlocks more of her powers. The game is deceptively longer than it first appears to be, especially if you're trying to collect everything. A much-welcomed addition to this version is the ability to finally skip cutscenes and diatribes of text... there is a lot of text... Issun and the people of Nippon like to explain things, about three times over, and everything speaks in that late 90's, N64 Banjo Kazooie, noises as a language, sort of way. Sometimes it's nice to just chill and feed the little animals.

Technically this is just a further update upon the PlayStation 3 HD Remaster. The game now runs at a smooth, locked 30fps at 4k on PS4 Pro and 30fps at 1080p on a standard PlayStation 4. There is also a 4:3 mode, in case someone wants to play it in a square on their modern TV. There's no benefit or reason for doing this other than playing in Ōkami's original screen ratio; but well done for giving the option, I guess.

Ōkami is not a game for everyone, but if you like large adventure games such as Psychonauts, Horizon or Zelda (yeah, those three don’t really fit together) then you should find this to your liking. The art style has helped save the game from the curse of ageing too drastically but, the update doesn't really add enough to make this a must-have for those who’ve already played it, especially if you already owned the Xbox 360/PS3 HD port, then there's not much new for you here.

★★★★★

Bry Wyatt

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Only the Brave ★★★★☆

Sometimes, we need to be inspired. There’s a lot of sadness and hate in this world, but there’s a lot of courage and love. In recent years, stories of heroism and bravery have taken the cinema by storm and it seems like not a month goes by without another true story film where an ordinary person does the extraordinary. Here we find ourselves at the beginning of 2018, and in the past few months alone, we’ve had films like Stronger, The 15:17 To Paris and Only The Brave on our screens. Let’s have a look at the latter. While this film is based on a historical event and I disagree with the premise that you can ‘spoil’ a true story, I should mention that important plot points will be discussed in this review.

The film tells the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group within the Prescott Fire Department who specifically fought forest fires. On June 30, 2013, 19 members of the 20-strong group died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association, it was the greatest loss of life for firefighters in a wildfire since 1933, the deadliest wildfire of any kind since 1991, and the greatest loss of firefighters in the United States since the September 11 attacks. Naturally, this upsetting yet inspiring story has Hollywood written all over it. With Joseph Kosinski (director of Tron: Legacy and the upcoming Top Gun sequel) at the helm, this was one of those films that could’ve gone either way. It could’ve been a touching and poignant study of these brave fallen heroes, or it could’ve been a disrespectful Hollywoodisation – turning the loss of lives into an action blockbuster.

Thankfully, for the families of the fallen men, this is a respectful (albeit supposedly semi-fictional) look at the lives of these men. Over the film’s first 2 hours, we get to know each and everyone of them. We learn who they are. We learn why they fight fires. We learn about their families, who depends on them, and who they depend on in return. Then, we witness their harrowing and upsetting deaths. Surrounded by a fierce fire with no way out, they all perish together. Think the incinerator scene from Toy Story 3, without the last-second heroics of the aliens. It’s a punch in the heart, especially with the following scenes of family grief and an end credit montage showing us the real fighters.

But an understanding of their sacrifice is important, and inspiring. While there might not be a big ‘point’ to the film as such, it certainly makes you think and makes you feel. This is a powerful cinematic eulogy for the fallen men, if nothing else – and powerful it is. It may not be an unforgettable film, but it is a passionate and poignant tribute. Difficult to watch, yes. But if you don’t walk away from it inspired, then there’s something wrong with you. The film is visually stunning – a blend of CGI and practical effects give the powerful flames life, and as a viewer, you will feel the heat firing out of your television. The stellar cast – Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly – are all on fine form, and the direction is top-notch. There’s really nothing wrong with the technical or filmmaking side of Only The Brave.

But viewers should beware. This is an emotionally-shattering experience that will leave you a blubbering wreck, whether you like it or not. You will come to feel like you know these men – and learning they’re gone with their families in the film’s climax will hit you hard. The film is hard-hitting, but important. In today’s day and age, we should never forget the bravery of everyday heroes who sacrifice their lives for anything. While we continue to live, we should always remember them. 

Only The Brave is a powerful tribute to 19 heroes.

I dedicate this review to anyone who continues to risk their life to help others, in any capacity. You are all heroes, and the world is lucky to have you.

★★★★☆

Sam Love

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Murder on the Orient Express ★☆☆☆☆

It was at a screening of Blade Runner 2049 that I had my first interaction with Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express. The trailer was, on the surface, fine – we had some lovely shots of the train, some cracking period costumes and a generally elegant feel. Then Imagine Dragons’ Believer invaded the soundscape. Hmmm. Not a great choice for an Agatha Christie thriller, but I get it, you want to look cool ‘4 the kidz’. Then Kenneth Branagh spoke, and revealed his moustache. The audience laughed. Here was one of our finest actors seemingly doing his finest impression of Inspector Clouseau – and not even Peter Sellers. This is more Steve Martin. How the heck was this trailer going to sell the film as a moody thriller if an audience was laughing at the main character?

Watching the film itself is a similar experience. It’s worth noting, first of all, that Kenneth Branagh is the director of this adaptation, so his casting of himself in the iconic lead is nothing short of egotistical. Branagh, or Kenny B/The Branflake as Mindhorn would call him, is a legendary actor and one of this country’s treasures. And if you were Kenneth Branagh, and you were making a Poirot film, of course you would cast yourself as Poirot. But the problem is…Branagh is a shit Poirot. A really shit Poirot. And behind the camera, Branagh isn’t much better. The film bounces wildly between attempts at straight-outta-film-school cocksure swagger and elegant British thrills, never succeeding in either and certainly never settling on one. 

The film isn’t all bad. The visuals are rather nice – although perhaps sometimes a little overly reliant on CGI when a real train surely wouldn’t have been too much trouble. The costumes, hair and make up are fine. The film’s look, on the whole, is perfectly adequate for a period piece like this – but it doesn’t feel particularly cinematic. And the story itself, of course, is superb. Agatha Christie knew what she was doing with her storytelling. But the film itself just felt rushed, forced and forgettable. 

The film boasts a killer cast (pun intended, chortle chortle) but with so many characters, nobody is given enough development for us to care about a single one of them. Recent BBC adaptations have told Christie’s tales over several hours, but Branagh’s attempt is only 1 hour and 45 minutes. There simply isn’t enough time to give each of the 15-strong main cast any time to do anything memorable.

I simply cannot recommend this adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, especially when there are several far better ones already available. Kenneth Branagh has let himself down enormously with this overblown and up-its-own-arse production that, in summary, just feels wholly unnecessary. Branagh is now confirmed to be directing and starring in Death on the Nile in 2019, with the hope of starting up an Agatha Christie cinematic universe. Great. Lucky us… This Murder on the Orient Express will make you wish you were the victim.

★☆☆☆☆

Sam Love

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Gotham By Gaslight ★★★★☆

I don’t see enough focus on the Batman animations in mainstream media - there’s a lot of hype about the films, of course, but the only people I know who watch the animated versions are die-hard fans. It’s similar with a lot of fandoms but it’s also a shame, as people end up missing out on some really great films.

The latest animation from the Batman franchise is ‘Gotham, By Gaslight’ (directed by Sam Liu and written by James Grieg), a slightly more unusual take on the traditional animations as this time round it’s set in the Victorian era and done as a murder mystery. Jack the Ripper is on the loose killing woman after woman in all manner of brutal ways, in an effort to cleanse society. The police force are at a loss and the general public are scared, leaving Batman (Bruce Greenward) to try and sort it out. He’s not on his own though, as Selina Kyle (Jennifer Carpenter) also steps in to help him uncover the mystery murderer and stop him from taking the lives of innocents.

Watching this was quite refreshing, as it’s a really good twist on the classic hero vs. villain story. Normally in a Batman movie, we know who the villain is, and the film spends its time exploring the motives as to why the villain does what they do. This time round it’s completely reversed - we know why Jack the Ripper does what he does, but we have no idea who he actually is. This makes for an interesting story and keeps you hooked until the killer is revealed. The only issue I really had with this was that, once Jack’s true identity became known, I wasn’t quite so invested in the story as it felt like it had already been resolved. 

Another way they made it different was the use of different characters, with other Batman characters like Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harvey Dent all playing a part. I actually really enjoyed the way they’d done this, as it felt all familiar. Some characters are killed off surprisingly early, which makes a change, and it made you constantly on edge knowing the writing could be so ruthless. I did find that the twist at the end was a tad too predictable, but then again perhaps I’ve just been watching too many Batman animations of late.

Onto the technical side, the animation was really very good, with a great drawing style and fluidity of movement. I also felt the voice acting was done well - this is something I often have a problem with, but both character and voice really gelled. It’s a style I’d love to see more of not just for Batman-focused plots but also animations centred around different DC superheroes.

‘Gotham, By Gaslight’ is a really easy and enjoyable watch, and thankfully there’s no inclusion of awkward scenes such as Bridget Jones-style gossip over the library counter, or completely out-of-character rooftop copulation. It wasn’t quite my favourite one (‘The Killing Joke’ is still rooted firmly at the top) but it’s definitely one to check out.

★★★★☆

Hannah Read

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Call Me By Your Name ★★★★★

At the end of 2017, The Guardian ran a poll amongst all their UK and US critics in an attempt to determine the best film of the year. A list was created of the UK critics’ choices, and another for the US. While the lists differed largely, one film took the number one spot in both lists. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and adapted from André Aciman’s novel by the legendary James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name is utterly deserving of the unanimous praise.

It's the summer of 1983, and 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) is spending the hot days “reading books, transcribing music, swimming at the river and going out at night”. Living with his family at their villa in Italy, he soon meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), a handsome doctoral student who's working as an intern for Elio's father (Michael Stuhlbarg). As the days go by, Elio and Oliver discover the beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

Let’s just get right down to it. Call Me By Your Name should’ve won Best Picture. Chalamet should’ve won Best Actor. Hammer or Stuhlbarg should’ve been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and one of them should’ve won. The only award the film took home was Best Adapted Screenplay which, although a top-tier award, is an insult to a film that deserved to take home a full house. But at the end of the day, it’s not about the awards. It is about longevity. Five points to anyone out there who can tell me what beat Citizen Kane to Best Picture. A film’s staying power is far stronger than the amount of Oscars it scoops, and Call Me By Your Name will surely have a long life. While Guadagnino and the cast have confirmed they’re all on board for the recently greenlit sequel, it certainly will not top this.

So what makes it so good? It is really difficult to put into words. This is a film that lives and breathes. Every character, and the stunning location, is so beautifully realised that it pulls you right into its world and doesn’t let you out. The six weeks that the film covers seem to go by in real-time when you’re watching the film, and that is not a negative. It’s not to say the film feels six weeks long. It’s to say that the absorbing power of the film is so incredibly strong that you can feel the smouldering heat form the Italian sun, and you can feel the emotion between every single character. When Oliver and Elio discuss how they met toward the end of the film, their reminiscence is shared with the audience. You, too, look back on their meeting many weeks ago, and are moved by how their relationship has blossomed.

Every frame of this film is beautiful. Every scene is perfect. Every line of dialogue is brilliant. Sufjan Stevens’ two songs written for the film are among his best work, and two of the most moving love songs you’ll ever hear. This film is a rollercoaster. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll feel every emotion in between. Call Me By Your Name is that rare film that is impossible to criticise. I couldn’t find an issue with it if I wanted to, and I certainly do not. This is a hypnotic film that deserves every bit of praise bestowed upon it. Watch it, and bask in its glory. You’ll be glad you did.

Call Me By Your Name is the best film of 2017.

★★★★★

Sam Love

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I, Tonya ★★★☆☆

Anybody who knows me (all three of you) know that I bloody love a good biopic. Despite often being inaccurate, they’re both informative and entertaining, and always lead me to follow-up research. That’s the sort of experience you don’t get out of a switch-your-brain-off action romp. But I’m always reluctant to enter one subgenre of the biopic family. Sport films. I hate sport. But some biopics put the sport in the backseat and focus entirely on the people, like 2017’s brilliant Battle of the Sexes which thankfully didn’t focus on the tennis. I, Tonya is a similar experience. This is not a skating film. Hell, The Playlist’s Kevin Jagernauth called it “the Goodfellas of figure skating”.

For those of you who don’t know Tonya’s story, it goes a little something like this. In 1991, talented figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) becomes the first American woman to complete a triple axel during a competition. She’s on top of the world. But in 1994, her world comes crashing down when her abusive ex-husband (Sebastian Stan) conspires to injure Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver), a fellow Olympic hopeful, in a poorly conceived attack that forces the young woman to withdraw from the national championship. Tonya's life and legacy instantly become tarnished as she's forever associated with one of the most infamous scandals in sports history. This is Tonya’s story, stylistically told. While not particularly original anymore, the film is told in a mockumentary format with fourth-wall breaking throughout, as Tonya will occasionally tell the audience that a certain event didn’t happen. It’s very 24 Hour Party People.

But being very 24 Hour Party People is not a criticism, as that is one of the finest biopics out there! I, Tonya handles a fascinating tale very well, keeping us on the edge of our seats even as we know exactly where it’s going. And despite frequent (pitch black) humour, the film doesn’t shy away from the dark and upsetting elements of Tonya’s life – being a victim of abuse as both a child and an adult is powerfully portrayed, with Allison Janney on Oscar-winning form as Tonya’s villainous mother. The script is just perfect throughout, giving each of the cast something memorable to do. Special mention should go to Paul Walter Hauser who shines as Tonya’s bodyguard Shawn Eckhardt.

But I, Tonya isn’t the best film of the year, by any stretch. At its core, it is just a biopic, and not a particularly original one at that. Tonya’s story is fascinating. But like Spielberg’s The Post, the film itself can’t really live up to the history behind it. It’s an engrossing and entertaining watch, sure – but something about it doesn’t really elevate it to the dizzying heights of the better biopics in the genre. As the credits roll, you begin to forget the film – and by the following day, it is a distant memory. 

I, Tonya isn’t going to go down in history as one of the finest biopics, or even one of the finest sport films. But it is absolutely worth a watch for Robbie and Janney’s powerful and commanding performances, and an introduction to one of the most bizarre stories in sporting history. 

★★★☆☆

Sam Love

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Lady Bird ★★★★★

When I first started hearing the critical acclaim for Greta Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical directorial debut Lady Bird, I was sceptical and reluctant to give it the time of day. Despite briefly earning the accolade of the best reviewed film of all-time on Rotten Tomatoes, I wasn’t convinced. “Do we really need another coming of age dramedy?”, I thought to myself. It certainly is a crowded genre and there isn’t a huge amount you can do with it. But growing up is something we can all relate to, so as long as there are human beings on this planet, there will be coming of age stories. And you know what? Lady Bird deserves the praise. It is a modern classic.

The film follows Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), a teenager navigating a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of an eventful and poignant senior year of high school. Along the way she finds love, she finds a future, and she finds herself.

It may sound like something you’ve seen a thousand times before, and bits of it are predictable. I won’t lie to you and call it the most original film of the year. Not by a long shot. But there’s something about that is just inherently watchable, charming and enjoyable. First of all, Saoirse Ronan is just perfect in the role. Despite sharing the awards acclaim with Metcalf, this film belongs to Ronan. She’s incredible in every single scene, and fully deserving of the hype. Support is strong from Metcalf, along with Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts and Call Me By Your Name’s Timothée Chalamet. But praise should also go to the city of Sacramento that absolutely has presence as a character in this tale.

But it’s the well-observed screenplay that elevates Lady Bird from run-of-the-mill coming of age story to Oscar-frontrunner (despite walking away empty handed on the night, Lady Bird picked up 5 nominations). The painful insecurity, heartbreak and all-round shitty turmoil of adolescence is so perfectly portrayed that anybody who has gotten through their teenage years will be able to relate, whether male or female. Lady Bird might just be the best portrayal of growing up, infact. It’s not what is spoken, but what is unspoken. Some of the subtleties of this film can only be picked up by those who’ve been through it – which is anybody over the age of 20. If you’re just turning 13 now, make a note to watch Lady Bird at the end of your teenage years. It’s rather therapeutic.

And so, Lady Bird is one of those modern masterpieces that walked away empty handed on Oscar night. While Jordan Peele’s Get Out was the worthy winner of Best Original Screenplay, Lady Bird could’ve easily scooped that one – and it would’ve been well deserved. The poetic dialogue is beautiful and hilarious in equal measure, making Greta Gerwig (both writer and director) the star of the show. But the lack of Oscar success doesn’t matter. Who cares?! Lady Bird will be a masterpiece of the genre for many years to come, and will surely be revisited time and time again. I know I’ll be giving it another watch soon. Lady Bird is a modern classic, and an incredible vehicle for Ronan to show us just how good she really is.

★★★★★

Sam Love

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The Shape of Water ★★★★☆

Before we look at one of the year’s most talked about films, I should mention that spoilers lurk beneath the depths of this review. If you haven’t seen The Shape of Water yet and want to go in blind, do not read this review. You have been warned!

I’m not the first person to say this and I certainly won’t be the last. When I was watching The Shape of Water, something peculiar occurred to me. Underneath all of the beautiful imagery, gorgeous score and incredible acting, something was happening on screen. I leaned back into my chair and smiled to myself. Del Toro had managed the impossible. He had made something so bizarre seem so normal, so serious, so moving. He was awarded the Oscar for it. He touched our hearts with a film that features a woman rescuing a fish-man from captivity, and subsequently shagging him. Yes, a woman shags a fish.

Swimming away with 4 Oscars, The Shape of Water might just be the most bizarre Best Picture winner in the history of the Academy Awards. I’m not saying the film doesn’t deserve the praise, or indeed the awards. But we cannot ignore the fact that the film’s heroine is a fish-fucking janitor. Set in the early 1960s, we follow Elisa (Sally Hawkins) - a lonely mute woman who works as a cleaner for a top-secret facility in Baltimore. One day, she discovers a humanoid amphibian creature (Doug Jones) in a tank at the facility, and finds his living conditions to be a little nasty. After befriending the equally speechless creature, she decides to rescue him with the help of her charming closeted neighbour Giles (Richard Jenkins). They manage to get him back to Elisa’s apartment building, where he promptly beheads one of Giles’ cats and Elisa inexplicably decides to shag him in the bathroom. But wait! There’s a deranged military official on the hunt for the creature (a full-on Michael Shannon).

Okay, so maybe my brief rundown of the film misses out the film’s subtlety and beauty. I don’t want this review to sound negative, because the film is bloody good. We’ll get to why in a moment. But I just cannot accept the premise. Whether I was lonely or not, if I’d just taken an amphibian man out of a top-secret research facility, my first thought wouldn’t be to jump into bed with him. What if he impregnated her with monster babies, or killed her in an ecstatic state of sexual frenzy? She’s a bloody idiot to think having sex with him is a good idea, especially after she just saw him eat the head off a fucking cat. And even if she did decide to embark on this peculiar randy odyssey, did we, the audience, need to know? We don’t see Belle talking about getting it on with the Beast, so why do we need to see Elisa explain to her friend through sign-language how a fish-man’s dick works?

But this is Del Toro, and as I said at the beginning of my review, he makes it seem perfectly normal while you’re watching it. It’s only if you take a step back and really think about what you’re seeing, the bizarre nature of the film comes to light. But either way, it’s a great film. The visuals and production design are truly something to behold, Alexandre Desplat’s score is beautiful and the acting – from Hawkins, Jenkins, Shannon, Octavia Spencer and Michael Stuhlbarg – is sublime.

The Shape of Water is absolutely worth a watch. Is it the best film of the year? Not in my books. That award is bestowed upon Call Me By Your Name. But The Shape of Water is certainly the best film to look at, and the most brave and unique choice by the Academy in some time. To all those people who criticise the Academy for being elitist and only awarding films about slavery or disability, 2018 will always go down in history as the year they awarded the film about the woman who fucks fish.

The Shape of Water is one of the most original films you’ll see this year.

★★★★☆

Sam Love

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Thor: Ragnarok ★★★★★

I’m sorry, but I usually don’t like Marvel films. I’ve never been into the superhero genre. Well, I was, when I was 12. But since getting into a cynical state of adulthood, I’ve not revisited the genre often at all. In the last few months however, the genre has grabbed my interest again. Filmmakers like Ryan Coogler are jumping into the scene and twisting conventions on their heads, turning the MCU into something fresh and fun. But one man in particular is responsible for restoring my faith in the genre and giving us, in my opinion, one of the finest superhero films in cinema history. His name is Taika Waititi, and his creation is Thor: Ragnarok.

Set two years after the events of the last Avengers film, Ragnarok follows Thor as he finds himself up against a new threat – the goddess of death, Hela (Cate Blanchett). But he has many distractions and hurdles to overcome before he can defeat this foe, primarily being held prisoner on garbage planet Sakaar where he is forced into a gladiatorial match with old ally The Hulk. Narratively, Ragnarok is pretty run-of-the-mill superhero fare. Our hero must rise up and defeat a seemingly all-powerful baddie. But it’s not the story of Ragnarok that gives it its enormous charm. We could get a story like this anywhere. No, Ragnarok’s success lies entirely elsewhere.

As mentioned in the introduction of this review, Ragnarok was directed by Taika Waititi – the man behind modern classics Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows. If you’ve seen either of those films, you know the sort of humour you’re in for. And if you haven’t seen either of those films, stop reading this review and correct that. Yes, Ragnarok is packed full of that wonderful Waititian humour that immediately stands it out from the pack. Here’s a superhero film that can fully be identified as a comedy, and the jokes actually land. Ragnarok is bloody hilarious.

While it might seem like a somewhat jarring tonal shift to turn occasional comic relief into full-on comedy, it works. Ragnarok is a good old-fashioned bit of big screen fun that doesn’t take itself remotely seriously – and that is refreshing. Compare it if you will to The Dark Knight. While it’s obvious that The Dark Knight is the superior film, it’s a serious watch. And that isn’t a criticism. The Dark Knight is a modern masterpiece. But with a superhero film, I like a bit of fun. I like a bit of colour. Ragnarok delivers colour and fun in spades from the first scene to the last, and I haven’t had this much fun at the movies in a long time. The film might not be picking up any Oscars anytime soon, but it wouldn’t want them anyway. This was never a film interested in prestige. It’s a film interested in having a good time.

From the opening scene with a pounding “Immigrant Song” playing over a fiery battle, to the ridiculously colourful and over-the-top final showdown with the same song, Ragnarok is a film that has only one aim in mind. To make its audience laugh, cheer and punch the air with delight. 

Thor: Ragnarok is Marvel’s masterpiece. It’s all downhill from here.

★★★★★

Sam Love

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Justice League ★☆☆☆☆

It’s incredibly difficult to watch a DC superhero film and not compare it to a Marvel superhero film and vice-versa - sadly, there’s always some level of competition. Good news for Marvel then, as DC’s latest film, ‘Justice League’, is going to be pretty hard to lose against.

Set after the events of the newest ‘Wonder Woman’ film and ‘Batman vs. Superman’, the world is under threat yet again, this time by outstandingly mediocre villain Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), who plans to give world takeover one more chance with the use of his trusty Mother Boxes, which power together to form The Unity and transform the Earth into the image of his homeworld. After the death of Superman (Henry Cavill) the people have given up (somewhat mirroring the reception of the film, if I’m honest), and Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) need to come up with a plan, fast - with Steppenwolf locating two of the three Mother Boxes before a team is even assembled, it’s only a matter of time before the third and final box is in his hands.

I think the main problem lies with the backstory in this one, as we’ve really only had this with Batman and Wonder Woman so far. People may complain about Marvel’s drawn-out series of films but you really need it if you’re going to do something like this, as without sufficient backstory it feels clumsy and unrelatable. Take our new superheroes, for example - Aquaman (Jason Momoa) gets a five minute conversation with Batman as his backstory, and we’re given just a few scenes of the Flash (Ezra Miller) meeting with his Dad in prison to develop some sort of connection with him. All we know about Cyborg (Ray Fisher) is that he didn’t die but he should have done, which is pretty much all he seems to know as well. We’re expected to relate to these characters and want them to win, but it’s pretty difficult when we know as much about them as we do the minor characters.

Lack of backstory also means that the characters don’t gel in the way they have done with the Avengers - it seems to be that they meet for the first time as a group, and then within five minutes they’re all happy and can fight together with no issues (despite no fighting plan really being discussed). There aren’t any scenes showing team development and there also aren’t many conflicts to bring them together - each character settles into a stereotypical role and then that’s pretty much it. The great chemistry between Batman and Superman is lost this time round, and none of the other characters seem to find it.

Our antagonist, Steppenwolf, isn’t all that great either - we do get some backstory on him, but it’s overly formulaic in its delivery and his motives for wanting to take over the world are just so… boring. I don’t think anyone could relate to this guy at all, and the rest of the world was so patchy and shallow that I wouldn’t have been all that bothered if he’d managed to smite it all (at least the film would have ended sooner).

The best bits of the film were the scenes away from the action (such as Superman reuniting with Lois Lane (Amy Adams), but sadly there’s not much focus on this. Glaring plot holes are hard to ignore and the film feels disjointed as it skips all the juicy bits in favour of monotonous fighting scenes and poorly-produced CGI. Despite this, I felt that all of the slow-motion scenes were done really well, but that niggling feeling that I’d been transported back to a cinema in 2010 was just too hard to ignore.

For now at least, it looks as though Marvel are leading the way. Unlike DC, they’ve actually crafted a universe around their characters and there’s so much depth that it’s hard not to get pulled in. The same can’t be said for DC, where they seem to have created the ‘Justice League’ universe purely to give their superheroes something to do to pass the time. Although they can produce a damn good movie when the focus is on one character (as we’ve seen from ‘Wonder Woman’ and the ‘Batman’ franchise), the same can’t be said when they have to bring it all together. 1/5

★☆☆☆☆

Hannah Read

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi ★★★★★

Since becoming a Disney franchise, ‘Star Wars’ has made an excellent comeback, exciting existing fans and even making some new ones (myself included). ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ was a such a brilliant re-introduction that Disney had set themselves a tough act to follow with the latest film, which is the middle of a trilogy (which most likely will be followed by another trilogy, if the past is anything to go by).

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ follows on from the death of Han Solo and annihilation of the last remnants of the Galactic Republic. There’s only a handful of rebels left, though the First Order has had losses itself through the destruction of its planet Destroyer. Rey (Daisy Ridley) has finally managed to locate Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who is believed to be the only way of saving the galaxy and putting an end to the First Order and the increasingly dangerous Kylo Ren (Adam Driver).

It’s not as easy as it sounds though as Luke isn’t having any of it, so Rey has to find a way to change his mind whilst the rest of the rebels face attacks from the First Order. Their head count is getting smaller and smaller by the minute, and both Ren and General Hux (Domnhall Gleeson) aren’t planning on slowing down.

If you’ve read any other reviews of ‘The Last Jedi’ then you’ll know by now that it’s received a very mixed criticism - lots of fans love it, yet many superfans were turned off because it just didn’t feel much like the original ‘Star Wars’. They’ve both got a point - although I’m not a superfan and have limited knowledge of the originals, even I could sense the overbearing feeling of all things Disney as I watched it. It’s not completely different though, as there’s an interesting mix of both Disney and the style of Lucasfilm that, although bizarre at points, mostly works. It’s easy to get precious about a series that you’ve grown up with but, considering the feedback on ‘The Force Awakens’ (in particular how some felt it was a rehash of the very first ‘Star Wars’ film) I think we got a pretty good deal with this one.

If anything’s off it’s the Disney-style humour, which I felt was just slightly too frequent at points. There’s a couple of plot holes too, but nothing massively major and that’s really the only negative thing I can say about it. What it maybe lacks in consistency it completely makes up in acting, visuals, sound, and storyline, with it all tying seamlessly together like the last one did. There were some scenes I really wasn’t expecting, such as a major character dying, but this was nicely refreshing as that surprise is something that’s often lacking from movies today (maybe I watch too many films, but finding a film where I can’t predict it all within the first half an hour is, sadly, a rarity). 

The CGI is realistic and beautiful throughout, as are the real-life locations such as Luke’s hiding place, which is actually a real island off the coast of Ireland (yes, you can travel there - no, you won’t have to drink the milk of the Thala-Siren). One thing that really stuck with me in ‘The Force Awakens’ was the use of sound, and this time it’s no different - that heart-stopping noise of The Force is just as powerful as before. Again, the fighting scenes are truly gripping, although this time they’re even more brutal than before. I also can’t fault the acting, with Driver really making the role of Kylo Ren his own and demonstrating such conflict in a character that I don’t think anyone else could have played that role as well.

What really makes the film though is the selection of themes that it explores. Obviously the plot focuses on the war between the rebels and the First Order, but really ‘The Last Jedi’ is a wonderful take on both character conflict and self-discovery, and it’s these moments in the film that really make it. Yes, the action scenes are brilliant (and there are a lot of them) but those intimate yet wary conversations between Rey and Kylo are what really stick in your mind. 

I ended up watching ‘The Force Awakens’ four times overall and, although ‘The Last Jedi’ isn’t quite as breathtaking as its predecessor, I can still see myself enjoying it multiple times.

★★★★★

Hannah Read

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Star Wars: Battlefront 2

A long time ago, at an E3 far far away, the galactic conglomerate known as Extortion Acathexia teased its new promising, Sith in the making, Battlefront 2. This time assuring their loyal following that they (EA) had listened to all the feedback and criticisms surrounding the shortcomings of their lacking in features reboot; that had been rushed out prematurely to ride the hype wave of The Force Awakens.

"We hear you", Evidently Arseholes cried, as they showed clips of a new single player campaign told from, what could have been, the interesting perspective of the Empire... minor spoilers/... that lasts for all of couple of missions. I fully expected the switch in allegiance but Commander Iden Versio somehow becomes some fully trusted ally and Leia's right hand woman within the space of a cut-scene. /end minor spoilers.

The story then switches focus from Iden Versio and pads out the campaign with levels where you take control of a greatest hits cast, from the Star Wars universe. Most of the mission objectives are fairly mundane and play out in the same way. Head to to point and either capture it, defend it or hit a switch and defend it…. A bit like playing Destiny.

The ridiculously short campaign mode abruptly ends with no conclusion. No big last battle or boss fight, like Everyone's  Adversary are trying to pull off another Dead Space 3 scenario and leave the ending out as DLC. It was the most unannounced and sudden ending since Fable 3 managed to screw everyone over with their non coherent shifts in time or when Bungie had left out the third act of Halo 2.

Multiplayer is still the main draw of the game, playing much the same as its predecessor and all the Battlefield games. Blast your way to victory by defending or capturing points, as the only StormTroopers to ever hit anything. Flight mechanics have had a welcomed overhaul, by the talented folks at Criterion (best known for their Burnout franchise, that is still sadly in hibernation and long overdue a return). 

Graphically the game is astounding and possibly out does Battlefield 1, however, Battlefront 2 lacks the level of destructible terrain that game has. I’d often stop just to look around at level design or take in the amount of detail on a leaf…. Or the weird birds that seem to spawn in through the floor. This isn’t such a wise idea while playing online, though. People tend not to care about your sudden interest in the architecture of a building.

Addressing the Ortolan in the room, Expecting Acceptance teamed up with Emperor Palpatine and went full on Dark Side. To fill in those not following the backlash, basically, within the game you earn Loot boxes which unlock new equipment, special characters, weapons and boosts for your next round, online. Anyone could also purchase these with real world money, in the online store of your preferred platform of choice. (a gross thing for a company to be doing after charging you 50 squid for a product, in the first place). Giving an unfair advantage to that kid from Canada who keeps using his mum’s credit card - check the NHL 18 review - and has a more powerful rifle, Darth Maul and stat boosts, while poor xXgoodshot420Xx, who has gone in as fresh meat, with a standard pistol, stands no chance and needs to play the game for several hours before being in with a chance to unlock some of this… which brings us to another issue. You have no idea what's in the loot box. You could be spending your own money on these in game scratch cards and end up with useless crap.

Luckily, just like in the movies, the Elusive Acathexia’s plans were foiled. Gamers spoke out with their wallets and boycotted the game, at launch. Belgium have been the first Country to deem loot boxes as gambling and EA’s stock value dropped 8.7% (estimated at $3.1 billion) due to all the backlash from fans that ‘challenged everything’ and the good people of Earth prevail… At least for now. Economically Advantageous have “temporarily” removed the ability to purchase the loot boxes, with real money. What their eventual plans for them are is still unknown but will play a big factor into the longevity of the games lifespan.

What there is of a game is all incredibly good, it's just a shame the greed of Evil Accountants had to get in the way and ruin it. ‘It's in the game’, my arse. 

★★★☆☆

Bry Wyatt

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