Commence Primary Ignition: Review of Rogue One

Rogue One

Director: Gareth Edwards

By Alex Watson

Venturing into Star Wars spin-off territory seemed like a dangerous thing at first but Rogue One shows us what wonderful nostalgia these tales can bring. Director Gareth Edwards directs this piece with a lot of love and affection and his control of the final act will warm Star Wars fans hearts. Losing none of its magic or its ability to give us characters we deeply care for, having stand-alone pictures could be a glorious thing. Set right before the events A New Hope, the questions fans were dying to find out are superbly brought forward and Edwards brilliantly joins the dots.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is the wayward daughter of Imperial scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen). After learning of an upcoming weapons test, the Rebellion soon learns that their new space station The Death Star is capable of destroying entire planets. Anxious to find the key to destroying this station, Jyn is forced into the path of Rebel Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Imperial defector Bhodi Rook (Riz Ahmed) and their sharp-tongued robot K2S0 (Alan Tudyk).

Perhaps the strongest element to Rogue One is its premise, early on Jyn sees her mother murdered and father reclaimed by villainous Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). She is not for the rebellion and is just a criminal floating through life. When she is coerced by Mal Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) to join the Rebellion she begins to see the bigger picture. Originally tasked with convincing Rebel extremist Saw Guerrera (Forest Whitaker) to aid their risky venture- Jyn is trust into the path of Cassian. During this sequence, we see a whole new side to the Rebels. Guerrera is a man who believes in making Imperial cooperators suffer and his approach makes him a feared man. There are no lightsabers drawn (well thats not exactly true but I will avoid spoilers) and most of the battles take place on the ground. Particularly when blind warrior Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) gets involved in a thrilling shoot-out on the planet Jedha. Edwards isn't concerned with stretching the story out and his no-nonsense approach works wonders for Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy's well-paced script.

The new central cast is remarkably likeable, but have their limelight stolen by the hilarious K2SO. Coming off as C-3PO's sardonic relative, his calm and assured tone and clever wit is endlessly hilarious. A reprogrammed Imperial droid, KS20's is blunt and observant with a love of stats, but surprisingly deep in some places. Cassian and Jyn but heads almost immediately as their missions differ on many levels. Jyn merely wants to rescue her beloved father, while the Rebels perceive him as a big threat to their safety. Both have paid the price to get to this point, but neither can succeed without the other. Bhodi is a likeable character, but his risky move to defect from the Empire is not fully explained. Lurking in the shadows, Krennic comes across as a smug overachiever that is desperate to be recognised. The Empire merely views him as a nuisance, but unfortunately, his creation of the Death Star has been key to crushing rebel scum. Gareth Edwards makes the reappearance of Darth Vader a chilling and memorable one. Only on-screen for a matter of minutes, hearing James Earl Jones' iconic voice will send shivers down your spine.

Rogue One's mightiest achievement comes during its beautiful and exhilarating third act which is a love letter to all Star Wars fans everywhere. Stunningly recreating an X-Wing/Tie Fighter dog fighter during the film's climax and the reintroduction of several forgotten characters will have us all punching the air in joy. The effects are a visual treat for the eyes and we are transported back to that happy and joyful feeling we once had watching AT-AT's reigning havoc upon Hoth. All the answers we ever wanted are there and they feel utterly conceivable. While the story might dip in places and the decision to digitally recreate some treasured old characters might not appear particularly wise, we never feel short changed in this saga. Many narrow-minded fans whined about having a female hero, but Jyn feels worthy of anchoring it. Cool under pressure and willing to go the extra mile, she gives Rey a run for her money. truth this one is a team effort and how they combine to repeatedly stump Empire attacks is smartly put together.

As Jyn Felicity Jones shows her blockbuster potential. Before you would never have considered for this type of part, but through a gutsy turn Jones fits well into this universe. Diego Luna is equally impressive as the conflicted Cassian, but this is very much Alan Tudyk's picture. Sporting a brutally honest sense of humour, KS20 provides much more than the comic relief. After his excellent voice work as Sonny in I-Robot, Tudyk should just voice every robot in cinema from now on. Ben Mendelsohn makes for a good villain to play off against and Krennic is like watching a spoiled child in charge of the most powerful weapon in the Galaxy.

Rogue One has produced the best outcome we could wish for in this new era of Star Wars prequels. We now have hope for the upcoming Han Solo picture because if all spin-offs are like this one, we can breathe easy. Start counting the minutes to December 15, 2017 everyone! Episode VIII is coming.

Strange Days: Review of Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange

Director: Scott Derrickson

By Alex Watson

While it may appear like Inception on acid at points, Doctor Strange is a thoroughly entertaining new Marvel adventure. With a stand out turn by the reliable Benedict Cumberbatch, this tale of sorcery is one that continually surprises us. Derrickson also has the psychedelic element down and over the course of the movie he drags his audiences to dimensions they couldn't possibly dream of. Watching this in 3D is worth the admission fee alone.

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a cocky surgeon known for his magic hands and ability to perform risk operations. After suffering a major car accident, his hands are crushed and the nerves are damaged, leaving him unable to practice. Strange quickly runs out of money finding a cure, until he hears of a place in Nepal that can cure people. When he arrives he meets the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who along with Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) introduce him to a form of mystic arts.

Doctor Strange starts like any other origin tale, he is an arrogant doctor that burns through his cash on fast cars, expensive watches and thinks the good times won't end. He has a love/hate relationship with fellow Doctor Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) and she is possibly the one person who puts up with him. His car crash is an earth shattering one and Strange descends into near insanity trying to find a way to fix it. After being tipped off by a former patient, he heads to Kathmandu and looks for Kamar-Taj. Arriving here, the film begins to have fun with itself as Strange mocks the Ancient One and her beliefs. Moments later he is knocked out of his corporeal form and sucked into a dimension of vivid colours and crystals, this sequence is trippy to the core, especially when he arrives in a place where little hands start sprouting from his own hands. Arriving back to a smug smile from the Ancient One, you can literally feel his hand expand.

The principal threat comes from Kaecilius, a former student of Kamar-Taj who turned to the dark side of the arts. Seeking an alliance with a demonic force who promises eternal life, this where the story has its most fun. During these battles, we get some of the most awe-inspiring CG of 2016. Entire buildings change form, gateways to different locations are opened with the flick of a wrist and the possibilities are endless. A break from the Avengers norm, Derrickson seeks to give his audience a visual feast and we begin to question what we know of time and space. Big questions of the characters themselves also hang over the film, just how does The Ancient One keep her youthful appearance, will Strange be seduced by the prospect of eternal life? Although the story does drag in places, Derrickson is able to keep this picture on its toes.

Impressively for a third act, Doctor Strange is able to not to succumb to the typically overblown Marvel endings of late. Derrickson keeps things unpredictable during a Hong Kong set finale, where Strange attempts to go against what he has been taught to save the date. It also features one of the most unexpectedly hilarious sequences, keep a mental note of time loops during this movie it will come in handy. Strange is one character who you will grow to love despite his flaws because underneath his cocky exterior beats the heart of a true hero. This character in the wrong hands could have been a big mistake for Marvel, but Derrickson carries off with such finesse that it is hard to imagine this universe without him.

Benedict Cumberbatch shows his action hero chops and effectively carries off Strange's smug sense of humor. He succeeds admirably at building this character from the ground up during his recovery as he becomes a broken man in every sense of the word. Cumberbatch fits the character like a glove as he grows in confidence, so does his magical abilities. It will be fascinating to see what he does with more installments. Less fortunate are Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor, a great of great actors denied any kind of relevant screen time and given zero to do. Mads Mikkelsen also gets short changed as Kaecilius who is so underwritten that there is little threat to him. Mikkelsen is proven at playing villains and deserves better material.

Doctor Strange alongside  Captain America: Civil War is one of the stronger offerings Marvel will throw our way this year, this will be one piece that demands Blu-Ray purchase in future.

Best Movie Interrogation Scenes

Doctor Zhivago 

The encounter between Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) and unpredictable war criminal Strelnikov (Tom Courtenay) is one of David Lean's most tense scenes. While in transit away from Moscow, Zhivago accidentally stumbles into the path of Strelnikov's armoured train. What follows is a slowly simmering tension as the man he once knew as Pasha Antipov decides his fate.

Casino Royale 

In Daniel Craig's James Bond world, things can go down a dark path. His interrogation with baddie Le Chifre (Mads Mikkelsen) is one that is truly haunting. While some evil masterminds prefer more delicate methods of torture, this one-eyed villain is much more down to earth. Director Martin Campbell also inject some truly funny humor in the most unlikely of places. You'll never look at rope the same way again!

The Limey 

The high point of Terrence Stamp's career has been this effort from Steven Soderbergh. When ex-con Wilson travels to LA to investigate his daughters, he is meet with a frosty reception. After trying to get answers from some thugs in a warehouse, it appears that he has met a dead end. What these heavies underestimate is that a desperate man can be a deadly weapon! All together now... "TELL THEM I'M FUCKING COMING!"

Reservoir Dogs 

In what has become one of Tarantino's most notable scenes, Mr Blonde (Michael Madsen) decides to have some fun. His idea of torture is one that is both frightening and engrossing. Soundtracked to "Stuck in the Middle with You" people now shift in their seats when this tracks starts up. Tied to his chair and missing the information these characters dearly need, our cop hostage is powerless to escape.

LA Confidential 

When three black suspects are picked up for a murder at the Night Owl coffee shop, it looks an open and shut case. What one of the characters doesn't count on is the hot-head nature of Bud White (Russell Crowe). A fierce hater of woman beaters, when this suspect cries "I just wanted to lose my cherry!" White will turn a winning situation into something a whole lot scarier!