The Iron Lady: Review of Atomic Blonde

Atomic Blonde

Director: David Leitch

By Alex Watson

There are few actresses on the planet better at kicking ass than Charlize Theron. Set against a thumping 80's soundtrack, Atomic Blonde is a gloriously pompous ride with a heroine to die for. Referred to as the female version of John Wick, director David Leitch (also John Wick's co-director) brings an effortless cool to proceedings. While the story might falter slightly during a lopsided third act, the entertainment factor never once goes below thrilling.

In 1989 Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is a British MI6 agent sent to Berlin to investigate the murder of a British agent by KGB. In the last days before the Berlin Wall falls, the city is ripe with corruption and murder. Forced to work with dishevelled agent David Percival (James McAvoy), Broughton must work hard to get back a vital list of double agents that has gone missing. If KGB gets their hands on it, it will mean a cold war extension.

Despite its setting during the final days of the Cold War, Leitch doesn't overload the story with political themes. Atomic Blonde is a wonderfully straight forward story of revenge, Broughton is a cunning heroine from the very beginning. Secretly mourning the death of her lover and fellow agent. This trip is as much about getting square as it is neutralizing the threat. Watching her crawl out of a bathtub of ice cubes covered in bruises gives only a hint of what she is capable of. Jumping back and forth from an interrogation with her superior Eric Gray (Toby Jones) and shady CIA man Emmett Kurzfield (John Goodman), we learn quickly that she is an unreliable narrator. However, she is also a sleek and ruthless killer who can also put on the charm in a heartbeat. In short, this is one compelling lady who can break bones and hearts in equal measure.

Percival is an operative who brings his own set of problems. An MI6 golden boy gone wrong, he is a continually hungover liability with 'bad Sinead O'Connor hair'. His agenda is to simply make money and swimming between East and West Berlin has him frequently dodging bullets. Also on the horizon are French operative Delphine (Sofia Boutella), who takes a romantic interest in Lorraine. The first half of Leitch's movie is all about fine tuning, but his style is very fluid and stylish one and this benefits the movie greatly. Along with Lorraine's ruthless and sexy edge, the film glides along on rails. Set in a cold and frozen Berlin, the danger she faces is well portrayed. Any one of the allies she makes could double cross her in the blink of an eye. Berlin is a city where rules have long since departed and every man and women are for themselves. Leitch's set piece direction, in particular, shines brightly, especially during an ambitious 8 minute one take fight scene. A ferocious display of punches, kicks and bullets- Lorraine is like a caged animal released as she fights against a multitude of enemies. Leitch follows this up with a breathless car chase in reverse- this is an early candidate for scene of the year.

What holds back Atomic Blonde is its writing because although the story is free of any needlessly long explanations, there are also too many unanswered questions. Lorraine is a ballsy character but certain elements to her character are left unexplained, likewise Percival and his descent into black marketing. Writer Kurt Johnstad seems to go for a level of intelligence the movie just doesn't have and the frequent twists and turns become unbearable towards the end. While for the most part, this is a well-polished affair, there are still specks that need cleaning up. When you have been given a rip-roaring ride like Leitch's movie, such errors are easily forgiven.

Charlize Theron proves she is Hollywood's main lady when it comes to playing tough female leads. Her Lorraine has a wonderful sly touch to her and the sheer amount of layers Theron adds are astounding. Morally ambiguous from the get-go, Theron turns in a multi talented performance that is as sexy as it is cutthroat. Lorraine might not have the same strength as Furiosa but she is every bit as tough. McAvoy is able to match his A-list co-star with a sneaky and slimy performance as Percival. The Scottish actor keeps this character's intentions secret throughout and it's a supporting turn that is always evolving.

Atomic Blonde provides cinema with the best female heroine of 2017 and is a movie to just sit back and enjoy- just try not to ask too many questions.

Walk Like An Egyptian: Review of The Mummy

The Mummy

Director: Alex Kurtzman

By Alex Watson

Already this summer's worst reviewed movie, The Mummy reboot is a mess that even Tom Cruise can't save. With a poor script and a wonky narrative, Alex Kurtzman doesn't earn any points in the director's chair. The Dark Universe is unlikely to get kick started with this lazy first effort. It also begs the question of needing to reboot this franchise in the first place?

Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is a US Army soldier who seems more into looting than serving with distinction. Along with his partner Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) and archaeologist Jennifer Halsey (Annabelle Wallis), the trio discovers an old mummy tomb in modern day Iraq. Unfortunately, Nick awakens the power thirsty Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) who now sees Nick as her chosen one to bring the god of death to earth.

Possibly the greatest offence of The Mummy reboot is how Kurtzman takes what could have been a solid action/adventure story and turns into a bad rehash of Fatal Attraction. From the very beginning, the story wanders all over the place- Nick's position in the US Army is never explained and we're never quite sure why he hasn't been tossed out? There's also a confusion about how much Kurtzman is playing this for laughs? There's a clear intent to entertain throughout and there is a silliness to everything. This element comes across in some utterly bizarre ways, see the zombie Vail side story which is never as funny as it wants to be.

The introduction of Ahmanet could have been a game changer as she makes full use of her alluring presence. Sadly the movie relegates to her to the role of jealous stalker. Determined to make Nick her sacrifice for the greater good and bring the god Set to reign down destruction, this story has potential. The movie, however, seems more concerned with being another 'Cruise on the run' picture and Kurtzman has his star sprinting all over London. Mixing and match different Dark Universe characters is of vital importance to this picture- so it's no surprise to see Russell Crowe pop up as Dr Henry Jekyll. This does provide some real intrigue as he waxes lyrical about great evils while barely containing his own personal difficulty. When his 'friend' Eddie Hyde is revealed, Kurtzman does give us a great round of fisticuffs for our trouble.

The Mummy really suffers from its lack of focus and most of the story elements feel tacked on. Expecting to rely on heavy thrills, ironically it's this part that is missing the most. Constantly relying on flashbacks and hallucinations to tell its story, we wish the movie would just stick to one course. Though partly a homage to the B-movies of old, no amount of gloss can hide the cracks. Ahmanet should be wreaking havoc left, right and centre, not pining for a man she barely knows. The lack of action in what is supposed to be an action flick is very ironic. Despite some fine individual moments, such as Cruise undertaking a semi-thrilling underwater sequence, there just isn't enough to keep us occupied. Kurtzman is a fine blockbuster writer, but behind the lens exposes his shortcomings. This movie is perfect if you are looking just to disengage and enjoy for a couple hours- just try not to think too hard afterwards.

Tom Cruise does the best with what he is given, but sadly even he is not able to make this enjoyable. Nick Morton is a walk in the park character wise for this guy- especially since he gets to play the attractive ladies man. Cruise brings his regular charm and as usual is a solid presence, just a shame he wasn't required to bring much else. Sofia Boutella makes for a great and menacing villain and brings a nice grace to Ahmanet. Her seductive but dangerous style makes her rise above the riff-raff in this piece and presents an actress who is quietly making a name for herself. While Boutella is memorable, Annabelle Wallis comes off worse with a poorly written do-gooder role which has little persona outside her telling off Tom Cruise.

The Mummy will most likely generate enough revenue for a sequel- the big question is do we really want one? Maybe someone should give Brendan Fraser a call just in case!

The Final Frontier: Review of Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond

Director: Justin Lin

By Alex Watson

Star Trek Beyond is a fun and entertaining ride, but nonetheless, there are bumps during this voyage. After the backlash of Into Darkness, new director Justin Lin along with co-writers Simon Pegg and Doug Jung have paid close attention to fans criticisms. Confining the action mainly to the Enterprise crew being stranded on an uncharted planet stays true to the origins of Roddenberry. Director Lin has been a fine replacement for the departing Abrams and shows his flair for the exciting during the fine set pieces. The Enterprise may stray off course in places, but such mistakes can be forgiven.

James T Kirk (Chris Pine) is still debating his place in the world and his lengthy time in space makes him wonder if he still wants to be captain? When the Enterprise receives a distress call from deep space, the crew are suddenly ambushed by the vengeful Krall (Idris Elba), a creature who is out for Federation blood. Stranded on a foreign planet in the Nebula, Kirk and crew must navigate carefully to ensure their safety.

Star Trek Beyond is just a slice of good fun, it doesn't concern itself with overthinking its sometimes sloppy plot and just seeks to entertain. One major plus is that Lin gives the adequate screen to time to Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban) and Scotty (Simon Pegg) who each have given this franchise its humour and heart. Reduced to being little more than cameos in Into Darkness, in this installment, they show just how vital they are to this ship. Spock and Bones, in particular, make a fine double act when facing unstable odds together. Facing certain death together, Spock suddenly is teleported cue the doctor grumbling "Well that's just typical!" To a degree, this picture is all about characters wrestling with their demons, Kirk is still haunted by the memory of his late father and is pondering his next move. Spock is considering abandoning Star Fleet due to the death of someone particularly close to him- his loyalty conflicts with his determination to serve his fallen Vulcan's.

However, despite this being a thrilling outing this picture loses points due to a rather flat and underwritten villain. Krall looks the part and his cold-blooded and ruthlessness does excite during his daring first attack. Watching the Enterprise trying every manoeuvre in the manual to try and get away is vintage Lin and the resigned look on Kirk's face as he watches his beloved ships plunge into the depths is heartbreaking. Before long, the inconsistencies in Krall's character show through and this is the one place where Pegg and Jung's script becomes unstuck. We get that he hates the Federation, but for what reason exactly? When the big reveal happens our reaction is more one of confusion that shock. Also, this will lead to a series of questions about how precisely does he keep changing his look? Krall might have some fine monologues, but he lacks any plausible threat.

The action taking place in Star Trek: Beyond makes this worth the price of admission. One sequence guaranteed to thrill is during Krall daring attack on Star Fleet base Yorktown. Without giving too much away- Sabotage by the Beastie Boys is guaranteed to be featuring on many iPods on the way home. The addition of Nebula native Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) works wonders during the movie's middle sequence as her tech wizardry gives us the movies stand out sequence. Seeing Kirk riding an old style bike gives us a Great Escape style nostalgia as through Jaylah's clever device they execute a bold rescue on Krall's camp. Lin's picture might not be perfect, but he has recaptured the wit and the joyful feel that made the 2009 reboot so memorable. Kirk is firmly back in the captain's chair again and hopefully, any kinks will be fixed for the next installment.

Chris Pine once again is the standout and he has come to be the perfect choice as the conflicted Kirk. Showing us a cocky boy who has grown into a tough and assertive man, Kirk may still be a restless soul, but Pine gives him so much charm it is hard to notice. Zachary Quinto again show us just what depth he can add to Spock, here we see his more human side coming through as he feels regrets coming through and begins to wonder if his future lies with his friends? As Krall, Idris Elba is utterly wasted in a flat bad guy role. An actor able to conjure up menace at the drop of a hat (his voice alone in Jungle Book was terrifying), Elba is given little to do other than giving threatening speeches. Krall should have been a more physical and clever monster, instead, we are given a creature whose intentions make no sense.

Star Trek Beyond picks this franchise right back up, hopefully, Justin Lin will be there for any future outings because this is one commander Enterprise desperately needed.