Selma (2015) Film Review

Selma has been something of an unloved member of the Best Picture crowd. Despite its near-universal positive reviews, it barely scrapped two nominations at the Oscars - Best Picture and Best Original Song - and it's unlikely that it'll win either. A great pity, as this Martin Luther King biopic - a first for the influential spokesperson -  would have been a strong contender in a multitude of categories. And add the news events of the past year, in particularly the Ferguson events  

The story of Selma goes that, despite the right to vote being given to them by then-President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), black citizens in the South are unable to vote due to racial discrimination. Add a recent tragedy which claimed the life of four girls with little recognition, King (David Oyelowo) and his band of protesters travel to Selma, Alabama to encourage a non-violent revolt against the system, with violent outbursts from the white citizens causing major issues with their protest. Multiple march attempts come and go with support growing, especially following a massacre which was televised live, but the quest for equality was always going to be a hard one. 

The story is certainly a noteworthy one because of how similar the events are to how they've been in the past year. You see attacks by the police, including a noteworthy death of one particular character, and you can see the parallels to that of Ferguson. Of course, this wasn't an intention choice, but the similarities are there. However, that's not to say that the film's story is constantly engaging, thanks to a smaller, almost insignificant subplot regarding the state of King's marriage to his wife (Carmen Ejogo) which tries to come across as important but fails to reach those levels. First highlighted by FBI Director J Edgar (with Leonardo DiCaprio replaced with Dylan Baker in this fleeting appearance), it has very few resonances onto the overall story, so the lack of coverage explains the lack of care that particular storyline has. 

Whilst it's easy to commend Ava DuVarney for her strong sense of direction, or her and Paul Webb's strong screenplay which managed to expertly recreate the freedom fighter without breaking the expensive copyright and not include any of his famous speeches, the strongest element of Selma is David Oyelowo's magnificent performance as King Jr. You wouldn't believe it from the outset, but he truly is a marvel in the role, and it could be considered a crime that he (and DuVarney) weren't nominated in the end for their roles. Meanwhile, Wilkinson is rather good as the President, Tim Roth makes an intentionally funny George Wallace - not because of his character but more his accent - and each member of King's team, including Cuba Gooding, Jr and Common, are very impressive, if not a little forgettable. Oprah Winfery is rather underused when considering how much she's pushing the film (although she is also a producer) as is Ejogo, but each to their own. 

Selma is an eye-opening film, especially following recent events, but it's not a film without its faults. Yes it has a strong lead performance and it is visually appealing, but the first act is a slow goer and the second isn't any better. It takes a while to get going when things should already have grabbed us from the moment we see those four girls at the start. It's far from a bad film, but it needed more to be a great one. 7/10. 

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) Film Review

With two successful comic book adaptations under his belt with 2010's Kick-Ass and the following year's X-Men: First Class, it was expected that director Matthew Vaughn would continue to stretch across further adaptations instead of sticking around for X-Men: Days of Future Past. But instead of going for traditional comic book fare and going for a superhero story, Vaughn returned to the works of Mark Millar to present a film parodying the classic formulas of spy movies - a prospect that spawned a trilogy of Austin Powers films years before. But with delays from late 2014 to early 2015, and trailers in dire need of some sprucing up in terms of special effects, could this Service deliver?

In this more-serious take of those parodies, Colin Firth's classy Harry Hart takes on lower-class Taron Egerton (Eggsy) as a potential candidate to become a Kingsman - an espionage organisation dedicated to getting rid of any worldwide threats - after Eggsy's father sacrificed himself for Hart. With a treacherous training process to undergo, Eggsy must push past his urban background and the stereotypes to become part of the elite operation to take down the 'villainous' Richmond Valentine (Samuel L Jackson) and his formidable henchman Gazelle (Sofia Boutella), who believe that the best way to save the world is getting rid of "the virus" - humanity. There's also a minor subplot revolving around the upbringing Eggsy and his younger sister have had since his mother (Samantha Womack) entered a relationship with the abusive Geoff Bell, but is only present in a few instances. It is done rather well despite its short appearance, and does lead to a satisfying conclusion.  

Whilst it could be argued that the student-mentor dynamic has been done to death, here it's given a new lease of life by having it also follow the Pretty Woman/My Fair Lady approach of turning a delinquent into a upper-class hero. It also helps that, unlike fellow teen spy film Stormbreaker, not only is there an actual sense of threat with each and every challenge the trainees face but also its cast is filled with an all-star cast. And when it comes to Valentine's plan, it's so bonkers that it's ingenious, leading to some great action sequences - particularly in a scene with the fictional equivalent of the Westboro Baptist Church which is presented as though it was a single shot. In fact, a number of the action sequences do, which helps sell that comic book-esque feel. Thanks to Vaughn's experience with the genre, you do feel like the source material is in safe hands, whilst being great fun for newer audiences thanks to its pure wit and slightly-gruesome imagery.

In one of his first major screenroles (he also had an appearance in Testament of Youth earlier this year), welsh newcomer Taron Egerton is a delight as the scruffy teen with an attitude, instantly winning audiences over as soon as he steals a car to hilarious consequences - it's a scene that would make Mater from Cars jealous. His character does break during the third act in a controversial scene which, whilst hilarious, is out of place in comparison to the rest of the film involving a kidnapped Scandinavian Princess (Hanna Alström), but aside from that there is consistent character growth and is fully likable throughout. As is Colin Firth, breaking away from his standard roles as historical or romantic figures to a role unexpected to be any good with him in place. His execution is spot on, and suits the character well. As fellow leads of the Kingsman secret service, you also have a on-par performance by Michael Caine alongside a great little part for Mark Strong as the tough but fair trainer Merlin, who truly shines in that third act. As for the fellow trainees, other newcomer Sophie Cookson is very good with what she gets whilst leaving plenty of room to grow in future sequels (oh please let there be sequels!), whilst her male company are rightfully bland and troublesome, particularly Edward Holcroft as main stooge Charlie. 

Meanwhile, you get a hilarious performance by Samuel L Jackson as a billionaire villain who can't stand the sight of blood. You may think it’s a gimmick that gets old fast, but it never outstays its welcome, nor does his additional lisp. It may throw some out of the film, but it fits in all too well thanks to Jackson. Sofia Boutella is just as strong as she is agile, with each sequence involving her killer prosthetics limbs being both gross and engrossing whilst keeping her presence out there in each scene she's in. As far as antagonists go, these two are the oddest pair but all the more excellent. There is also a short but sweet guest appearance by Mark Hamill - whose real life persona was involved in the storyline from the original comic series - as a precursor to all the events that happen. It's a minimalist performance but it still has the right effect.

The film does have the unfortunate issue of needing additional work done on its special effects, as it's clear in a number of segments that a few more hours of rendering would be needed to polish them up. Whilst a majority of the action scenes work a charm, particularly Eggsy's 'get out of jail free' card during the third act (which could already be one of the funniest moments of 2015), other times are less enjoyable because the CGI is all too prominent. I had my fears during the trailers thanks to that Firth flip - which is rectified in the final film - and sadly they were true. 

That being said, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a fast-paced action-packed romp filled with fun sequences and great performances. The CGI may be all over the place and it's possible that a number of the female characters were short-changed, but that doesn't stop high-quality entertainment. 8/10.

Ex Machina (2015) Film Review

In a year filled with robot movies, it's probably good for Ex Machina, a small budget sci-fi thriller, to come out ahead of the pack and leave its mark before both Chappie and Avengers: Age of Ultron make their big debuts later this year. But whilst it's clearly the smallest film of its type to be released this year, it's arguably the most ambitious in terms of scope and visual effects. Its trailers captivated audiences, and its two male lead are in the public eye as being part of the upcoming Stars Wars: The Force Awakens (which will likely feature robots too), but will all of this account for a strong film? 

Domhnall Gleeson stars as Caleb, a coder working for a Google-like corporation ran by Nathan (Oscar Isaac). When he wins a company lottery to meet the mysterious man and stay at his research facility for a week, he discovers he was brought along to be the human subject of a Turing Test - which was mentioned repeatedly in last year's The Imitation Game. The thing he's testing? Ava (Alicia Vikander), an artificial intelligence with human features but quite clearly a robot. Of course, Caleb is amazed by the notion of A.I and of Ava, but it's clear that something isn't quite right. But is the problem Ava, her creator or Caleb himself? 

It may not be the most original notion that not all is as it seems - it's practically a necessity for films these days - but the way it's done in Ex Machina is really well. For a majority of the film, you expect it to be a certain character, until the carpet is pulled from under your feet and you don't know who to trust. The only snag is that to reach that point you do have to wait for about an hour for that to start, as before that it's a one-sided argument. Perhaps that's where there's some smart manipulation, but if so it's very well hidden. But when the third act and all its twists and turns do eventually turn up, it is a particularly strong area of the film. It won't hold up on repeat viewings, but for what it is on first viewing is thrilling.  

That isn't to say those first two acts aren't engaging though, as it leaves ample time not only for the development of this storyline but also gives us an idea of what all three of these characters are like. Because of how minute the number of cast members are (any additional roles outside of the main three and Sonoya Mizuno are brief if anything) it leaves plenty of space for these characters to be understood by the audience, especially Gleeson as Caleb who guides us through this new world. Gleeson is strong in the lead role, even if his American accent needs some sprucing up, and his character is likable if not a little gullible. Isaac is arguably the both the darkest and the funniest character out of the trio as he keeps things very close to his chest whilst still being relatively lively - the highlight of the movie draws between his explanation of Ghostbusters and his hilarious dancing with Mizuno. The strongest performance has to go to Vikander as the ambiguous Ava, which is helped immensely by the incredible visual effects done on her body. Her movements and speech patterns really sell the idea that she is a robot, and at only one point does she not come across as such (although there is reason for it), but through that performance comes a strong character. Whilst she is visibly a robot - which Caleb question as to why undergo a Turing test if it's clear she's a robot -  you question whether she does actually have the capacity to be human-like, which in turn helps sell this idea. And once that final act comes along, she's all the more interesting and intriguing. 

As a first-time director, Alex Garland does do a pretty good job at presentation, often mimicking other filmmakers to create some wonderful shots. However, there is often an issue with the camera focus, as at times certain areas in the shots look unintentionally blurry which does pull you out of the film. Perhaps he needs a bit more practise before returning for another stab at it, but as a screenwriter he does do a great job. The real kings of the piece are the production team though; not only for the work on Ava's body, but also on the set pieces and locations chosen for the film. In that sense, it is great to look at and does bring this near-futuristic world into something realistic - almost in the same sense as last year's Her. 

Ex Machina may feel like a long journey to get to the great third act, but it’s  journey well-done. The screenplay is strong, the cast excellent and the overall look of the feature marvellous. The first hour does drag as it speeds through the process of Caleb getting there in order to get things started before screeching to a halt, but it doesn't stop this film from constantly entertaining. 7/10.