Monday 17 May 2010

Terminator: Salvation - Phil's Five Words for Films -

Terminator: Salvation As a huge fan of the first two 'T' films and having liked the way the third film tied up it's loose endings, I was not sure that another film in the franchise was really necessary to complete the story. So I have put off seeing 'T4' as I didn't want to trample on the memory of those early masterpieces. A lot has to happen between the end of the third film and the beginning of the first, but most of it is now predestined to have already happened - if you get the idea. The action takes place in a post-apocalyptic 2018 as the war against the machines rages and John Connor ( Christian Bale ) struggles to lead the human resistance. He also has to meet a young boy who will travel through time and become his father. There's no wonder he is always in such a bad mood. The plot is well constructed, the idea of Salvation is nicely worked in to the story, the casting of certain characters is excellent and the film flows nicely from beginning to end. The special effects are basic and despite the setting, the tone of the film is much less dark than any of the previous outings. There isn't the feeling of hopelessness or inevitability and the Arnie look-a-likes aren't so threatening. That's the problem with making a kid-friendly Terminator movie. The door is very much left open for 'T5' but this is not a bad film, it is just the weakest in the T-collection by a long way.


6 out of 10
Cert 12A ( uk )

Thursday 6 May 2010

Zombieland - Phil's Five Words for Films -

Zombieland Ah, the Zom-Com. I always look forward to a good mix of horror and comedy and wasn't let down here. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson team up to travel across America after a mutated form of 'mad cow' disease has wiped out the population and turned nearly everyone in to flesh craving, fast footed zombies. Together with Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, the four embark on a road trip to the safety of a west coast theme park. 'Zombie Kill of the Day' and Jesse's 'Rules for Survival' keep the chuckles coming and the gun-slinging, banjo-swinging, twinky craving Tallahassee ( Harrelson ) provides some great zombie dispatches. As the journey continues, it becomes more of a feel-good buddy movie that just happens to have loads of zombies in it. Warm, funny and charming with blood, guts and biting. More than anything though, it just looked like everyone enjoyed making the film and was pleased to be there and that really showed. Inventive and witty, pointless and good fun.


8 out of 10
Cert 15 (uk). 2009