Trailer Talk: Dinosaurs, Dresses and Droids

Seventh Son

Again, like the first trailer, they advertise the crew more than the director and actors. An interesting decision for this delayed film, and its attempts of promoting itself have gone halfheartedly. Poor show by Legendary and Universal.

The DUFF

Many are comparing this as the next generation's Mean Girls, and it's understandable why - following the group standards of the film and pursuing them further by modernising it. However, it also appears to be cliché, unfunny and incredibly predictable. Maybe it'll do as well as Mean Girls, but I'm not interested in seeing it,

Peanuts

I adored the first teaser released a few months ago, and it is a film I look forward to, but there is something a little off  about this newer trailer - namely the pop music. It starts off rather traditionally, and the appearance of the whole gang in the cinema was delightful, but the sudden change of tone was rather uncharacteristic for the series. Maybe it's just to appeal to new audiences, which makes sense, but it is an interesting decision to sell the film with modern elements when it's staying true to form,

Cinderella

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. whether it be through Disney's animated classic or from the original fairy tale. But this new rendition by Kenneth Branagh doesn't shy away from telling the entire story anyway, with additional footage of Cinderella's first mother, and it does appear a bit naff. Aside from a strong performance by Cate Blanchett and possibly Lily James, there doesn't appear to be much sustenance to it, like fellow adaptations Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent, so it could be another disappointment for this new genre of film.

Pitch Perfect 2

I haven't seen the 2012 first installment to this surprise hit, but this sequel is taking the original gang, lead by Anna Kendrick, across the globe with a storyline which seems somewhat similar to the first (going by trailers and clips) except without the boy-v-girl scenario (boys are now the opposing countries). Not much to laugh at as someone not in the designated demographic, but it'll likely do big because of its global appeal - unless it pulls a Muppets Most Wanted and falters in comparison to the original,

Strange Magic

George Lucas is back directing Epic 2: Land of the Fairies! Seemingly. It looks a lot like 2013's Epic, but a bit more stylised and worse characters. It may look visually good in terms of designs, but everything else falls a little flat, such as the comedy and the overall story.

The Interview

Still not into this film. It could get Kim Jong Un off their backs, but apparently it hasn't.

Pan

This doesn't feel like Peter Pan. This feels more like a mix of Oliver Twist and a generic adventure, with an odd feel to it and some meh performances by the likes of Hugh Jackman. It doesn't seem right, which may be why the studios are going this, but it's not the best way to go with it.

Jurassic World

Pushed ahead to avoid a clash with a fellow sequel to a classic trilogy, Jurassic World brings the original park public in a big way in what looks like a very impressive film. It's great to see the idea John Hammond (the late Richard Attenborough) brought into fruition, and the new feel to the film is astonishing. There's been criticism about the CGI and the idea of the mutated dinosaur, but to me both are impressive enough to guarantee a viewing. Plus, Chris Pratt is on a roll with no sign of stopping.

Home

Dreamworks Animation is in a bit of a rut as of late. With the last few films failing to reach the expected praise and box office receivings, alongside failed attempts to be bought by the likes of Hasbro, they've been trying hard to pick themselves up. One example of this is the switch between this and Penguins of Madagascar, banking on the popularity of the Madagascar series to save them. With that up in the air, they still need to promote their next film, Home, which is barely appealing. Bad casting, poor humour and odd character designs, it doesn't shout "See me!" like it hopes it would. A pity.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

I am excited for this film. Yes, the special effects still have a lot of cleaning to do before its January/February release, but the comedy and performances look stellar and I'm still intrigued by the limbless henchman who appears in all the new posters. I am pumped.

Unfinished Business

Not at all appealing. I worry for the future of Vince Vaughn's career.

Shaun the Sheep: The Movie

The trailer you've all been waiting for! A very comedic feature-length escapade for the herd, with even more appeal for the film than the previous trailers. It could fail, but I really hope not.

Stars Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Oh yeah, this film is coming out. I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of the Star Wars franchise or JJ Abrams, and the viral videos haven't captured my interest, but this does look genuinely good. For a tease of a film coming out in well over a year, it gives off the right amount of detail to keep anticipation rising, with the overall look looking far superior to the original trilogies whilst still feeling like a part of the series. Kudos to you Abrams, you've actually impressed me.

Trailer Talk: Machina, Minions and Mortdecai

Avengers: Age of Ultron

So soon after the leak of the first trailer, Marvel rectified the lack of trailer during Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D by placing a newer trailer, with an additional scene added to the beginning as seen in the Comic Con showings earlier this year. It's a good scene as it shows how the characters bounce off one another - something we didn't see after the events of the first movie. It's short but sweet and partially amusing.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One

The film itself comes out this coming Friday, so this mini trailer presents itself as a last little push to gain viewers, and as such adds little interest to non-fans like myself. It still looks as generic as the previous trailers, and now that reviews are coming in to say it's not particularly good it's safe to say that no ticket will be purchased.

Ex Machina

This film got many aflutter with anticipation, and it is understandable why. It has good visuals, you have Oscar Isaacs and Domhnall Gleeson as the two male leads with what could be two good characters, and Alicia Vikander is strong as the cybernetic organism. It does feel all too familiar though, with the cyborg manipulating Gleeson into thinking all is not as it seems, but perhaps future trailers will expand more on the original aspects.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

I still find this film interesting for reasons other than wanting to watch it. The animation is still strong, some of the humour is an improvement over the previous trailer - particularly the secondary characters joke - and the human characters still appear to be bland (poor Antonio Banderas). The opening reminds me of the earlier teasers for the 2004 feature film with the submarine segments, but aside from that there's little more to add.

Furious 7

I've never been interested in the Fast and Furious franchise. I've only seen the fifth instalment and it wasn't particularly as exciting as my fellow viewers saw it. I understand the strong following, as it is a basic action film with big muscles, fast cars and women in bikinis, and the next film has the addition of a partially missing Paul Walker through his untimely death, so it's likely that the film will thrive in the box office. But surely a seventh instalment is too far?

Minions

Much like with the Fast and Furious franchise, I've understood the love for the Minions but never had myself. Add a move to spin-off territory where many lovable characters can falter, which could kill the Despicable Me franchise - but it surprisingly doesn't. The Geoffrey Rush soundalike (I'm unsure whether it's actually him or not) adds great vocals to the trailer while there are some good gags throughout - particularly the vampire scene  -alongside some nice animation and character designs. It may well stand out from its original series to begin its own franchise.

Penguins of Madagascar

I'm surprised that this film is slowly perking my interest. Some of the gags are improving, the animation is good and the new characters seem likeable. There is little new to the other trailers, but it may well be a surprise hit.

Chappie

This may appear to be a standard movie, with many comparisons to Short Circuit when the trailer came out. But with Neill Blomkamp's stunning visuals and Sharlto Copley's great vocals as the lead robot, it looks like a swell ride. It may not be as original is it hopes to be, but it looks like a thrilling adventure which I'd be more than happy to come along with.

Into the Woods

At one point, this film was considered to be an Oscar contender, but comments of this have faltered after months of silence on Disney's behalf. But with its Christmas release date incoming, it was about time for a proper trailer, and it does looks good. The songs sung strongly, performances appealing, and visually good. There is still a chance of it failing, but the prospects do look slim.

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

When I witnessed this trailer on the big screen in front of Interstellar, I was enthralled by it. I didn't have high interests in the first two instalments - they were good but not great - but this could rectify that with its bombastic manner. It's big, it's epic, and it could be a thrilling conclusion to Peter Jackson's Middle Earth tales.

Paddington

This is our first glimpse of a Colin Firth-less Paddington Bear, being replaced by current Q Ben Whishaw, and it doesn't look good. Not only does Whishaw's vocals not fit the iconic bear, but the story itself appears to be a mess. Jokes falter, human characters lack personality or interest, and it's oddly edited. Poor Paddington.

Night of the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Hmm. There isn't much new to this trailer aside from an outdated joke about funny cat videos. I still think it's good that the series is going in new directions, but if the comedy had improved alongside it it could be the best in the series. By the looks of it, it won't be.

Mortdecai

With this, The Lone Ranger and his recent attempt to present an award, it does appear that Johnny Depp is beginning to fall in terms of quality. There's little humour to laugh at here, and the story is a mix of confused foreigners and oversexualised women. Pass.

Insurgent

I don't think I've ever laughed at something so unintentionally unfunny this much in all my life.It's as if they've blended the originally bland Tris (Shailene Woodley) with a bouncy ball thanks to the poor visuals and bad acting from Tris and her mother's parts. I didn't think it was possible to be worse than the first Divergent film but I've been proven wrong.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Insta-pass! Unfunny, unneeded, only made to keep Kevin James' career afloat. Next!

Fifty Shades of Grey

I still think this film is unnecessary, made only to seep the financial success of the books which too quickly faltered. I doubt anyone will publicly go out to see it, which will of course affect the film's box office. The trailer is more or less the same as the last, and I still don't want to see it.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (again)

The third trailer in three weeks. Sounds very off for a film originally shrouded in secrecy. Again, it's mainly the first trailer again but with a few more clips and soundbites, and a bit more coverage on Samsung's product placement, but it's overall unneeded. We already look forward to the film, we don't need to be given the same trailer over and over again with mild differences to be proven otherwise. Calm down Marvel.

Interstellar (2014) Movie Review

Christopher Nolan is quite possibly the biggest director working in the industry right now. After scoring big with the Dark Knight Trilogy, particularly with 2008’s The Dark Knight earning near-complete praise (it currently sits at #4 on IMDb’s top 250 film list) and a posthumous Best Supporting Actor win for Heath Ledger as the Joker – the first and only award to date in the category for a superhero film. With 2010’s Inception also doing incredibly well proving he can do big-budget originals as well as adaptations. But with the release of The Dark Knight Rises came mixed results; Nolan’s fans became overprotective of the film if it got a bad review, but there was still vocal cries stating that the film was worse than the previous instalments or just terrible. It has overall strong reviews, but it gave off the notions that the infamous director had started to fumble. Add the lukewarm response to last year’s Man of Steel – which he produced – and his lifelong cinematographer Wally Pfister failing to succeed as director on the Nolan-produced Transcendence, it means that Interstellar could well have a lot riding on it.

But not all is lost, having bagged two recent Oscar-winnings actors in the form of Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway as the two leads. McConaughey is undoubtedly the best of the entire cast, continuing the McConaissance with ease in his biggest role to date. The Texan is superb in all environments; from in the comfort of his character’s home with his family or in the deepest confines of space. His character – Cooper – brings the story along with great ease and is a good anchor for the more emotional moments like his contact back to Earth. It’s unlikely he’ll earn an Oscar nomination so soon after his win, especially with so many good male performances coming this year, but some recognition is definitely required. Hathaway as Amelia Brand is also good, but she does suffer a slight identity midway through for the sake of the plot. It’s a very noticeable change, and is quickly redacted in later events, but the placement has obvious intentions. The remainder of the space crew are good enough, particularly David Gyasi as Romily as the main scientist of the bunch, and the robotic duo of TARS and CASE (voiced by Bill Irwin and Josh Stewart respectively) are both visually stunning and great characters, even if they mainly explain what happens or help the human crew when under threat. There’s also an appearance by Matt Damon, but his role is one shrouded in secrecy so the same will apply here aside from being good in the role. It was a little distracting figuring out that it was Damon in the role, so beware of that.

As for the survivors on Earth, we go across two-three timelines as they try and survive the dying of the light. Starting with Cooper’s kids at their youngest we have Mackenzie Foy and Timothée Chalamet as Murphy and Tom. Alas, Tom has little impact in this segment as the force of love throughout the film is towards Murphy instead, so poor Chalamet does his best with the limited lines given to him, whilst young Foy, whose most noteworthy work prior to Interstellar was Breaking Dawn Part Two where she would later share 2 Razzies with the rest of the cast, mixes her acting range between okay and good. Understandable for a young actor with little experience, but perhaps the role was too much of a jump for her. Michael Caine as Professor Brand, the kick-starter of the whole project, is more of an exposition revealer than a full-blown character as he explains just about everything that is going to happen. Basically, repeating his role of Alfred in The Dark Knight Rises; but as ever he does a terrific job. John Lithgow also has an appearance as Cooper’s father-in-law, but he doesn’t add much to the overall story.

Fast forward a few decades and Cooper’s children have grown up into Casey Affleck and Jessica Chastain. Again, Murphy gets more focus as Brand’s protégé, but this time round Tom represents the old-fashioned way he was brought up by staying in the same house he grew up in – the fact that we humans don’t like severe change and would like to continue things as they were – and as such Affleck is very sinister in the role. Meanwhile Chastain is superb as the scientist who won’t give up but somewhat has already. Again, much of her role is shrouded in secrecy so it’ll be left secret.

Perhaps the main highlight for the film is its visuals, as it’s absolutely beautiful to watch. Nolan uses a blend of visual and special effects, with the prop work particularly standing out as great marvels. It was already known that he works well with visuals, and Interstellar is no exception. Sound design is also well done thanks to sticking the logic and keeping shots placed in space silent. It follows the same pathway as Gravity did a year prior, but features less of the loud vibration. One criticism is that at times the sound is a little noisy for a 2D standard showing (god knows how it would have been in IMAX surround sound), but apparently it’s an issue which varies across cinemas worldwide, so it’s essentially a game of Russian Roulette for your ears.

The biggest criticism the film has received is that the plot focuses less on the scientific know-how that Nolan has previously been famous for and gone with a silly outlook on love, and whilst I have complained about love’s use in its instances in Doctor Who, here it’s okay. It does contrive too much and is a bit too ridiculous for the story, especially the way it comes across, but it isn’t as big of a deal as you’d expect. It’s sprinkled across the film in little hints and teases (one of which unfortunately being easy to predict) and doesn’t harm the final product as much as expected. The only thing which really harms the film is its length though, clocking in at nearly 3 hours. There’s plenty to cut and at times the film does stop to a standstill, so with a few scenes removed it would benefit the overall quality.

Interstellar is a film which follows in the footsteps of Inception, Avatar and Gravity before it – the science fiction nominee for Best Picture. But it’s a nomination well deserved, as while it does outstay its welcome and some roles are just exposition you do have a thrilling adventure through space and time. “Do not go gently into that good night” Interstellar, with your 8/10.

The Imitation Game (2014) Movie Review

The life of mathematician Alan Turing is a remarkable but unfortunately tragic one. Despite his hard work in decoding the German messages – a task which took him and his team years, many of which reaching no results – he wasn’t allowed to release the information of what happened at Bletchley Park to anyone and was later prosecuted for his sexuality. His prosecution has been under much debate since his conviction in 1952, with the Queen giving him a Royal Pardon just last year. As such, it’s good timing that the Weinstein Company have added their Oscar shine over a feature-length retelling of Turing’s life, in particular focusing on the project at Bletchley Park. It’s not the first retelling of a member of the code cracking team, as 2001 focussed Thomas Jericho in Enigma, although featuring a highly fictional side to the story by being based on a book as opposed to the actual events.

One thing to say right out of the gate is that Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance is immensely captivating, and is the best thing to come out of the film. Saying that, he isn’t exactly breaking new ground as he’s done similar performances in Sherlock and Star Trek Into Darkness just with additional emotions and a slight stammer. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it is a difficult manner of speech to do, moreso if you have to do it in various ways like Cumberbatch is, but perhaps due to this heightened expertise with this type of character does he just push himself ahead of the curve. He is a great actor, and well suited for the role of Alan Turing, but it isn’t much new for the actor when looking through his résumé. Someone who should earn the same amount of praise is Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, the sole female on the team who works on the project in her spare time (due to being a woman). She’s a great presence and does well in holding her own against co-star Cumberbatch, but there is a section of the film in which she falls into generic love interest. While an event which did happen in the actual story and it doesn’t falter the overall quality, it is something which seems all too cliché within the medium. It’s something which occurs quickly, but is a noticeable part of the final film.

The rest of the team aren’t very noticeable, aside from some drama in the early stages of the Bletchley Park events. They don’t take too kindly to Turing and his actions, and tend to stay separate from him in and out of the workplace, but in the end turn to support him and his decisions. They have little impact outside of that until the later stages, but actors Matthew Goode, Allen Leech and Matthew Beard are likable enough in their roles. They may have somewhat forgettable names, but it’s an issue which doesn’t matter when you’re too immersed in the actual events happening to them. Two actors who get more recognition with smaller screen time are Charles Dance and Mark Strong as the two heads for the control of operation. As characters, it’s a repetitive ‘stop-him-let-him-continue’ tale that they lead, but thanks to their performances it elevates these moments into that of actual suspense. They also bring in a good deal of comedy, which adds more to the overall quality of the film due to how uplifting it can be after a darker moment. There’s also a side plot revolving around Rory Kinnear as a police inspector when allegations begin to arise about Turning’s homosexuality – an area which doesn’t get enough coverage aside from these scenes and those set in the late 1920s/early 1930s. He does a good enough job, but his scenes are somewhat limited and terms of exposure and actual importance in the full film. Some areas could be cut, but his and Cumberbatch’s conversation during interrogation does carry the story along while allowing for all three time periods to tell Turing’s life story.

The direction of Morten Tyldum, a Norwegian director in his first English-speaking feature, is that of slight speciality, in which there are moments are absolute beauty and then that of absolute simplicity. Whilst nothing that will garner him a Best Director nod come award season, it is elegant enough to push the overall look – next to the costume and set design – further. The script is the main highlight behind the scenes; originally voted the best unproduced script on the Black List in 2011 (other films from the list include Slumdog Millionaire, The King’s Speech and Argo, all of which later winning Best Picture at the Oscars), it is filled to the brim with bounteous dialogue with an easy enough story ranging from Turing’s childhood to the later years of his short-lived life. It’s strong enough to garner a Best Adapted Screenplay nod – and hopefully a win.

The Imitation Game is a marvellous film. Whilst its style of storytelling is a general form for award movies, it pushes ahead against its contemporaries as an enjoyable and emotional ride, and its final subtitles as the film draws to the close show just how attached you become Alan Turing despite how much of an outsider he is. The performances are strong, the writing is excellent and the direction, while at times playing itself rather safe, is a great view of the story. An Oscar-worthy picture and a possible win for lead Benedict Cumberbatch. 9/10.

The Imitation Game is released in the UK on 14th November, and the US on November 28th.

Doctor Who Series 8 Reviews - Death in Heaven (E12)

WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

There’s no denying I had a big problem with last week’s Dark Water. From the unneeded death of Danny Pink to the sex change of the Master, it was all a big mess leaving no hope for the hour-long conclusion seen tonight. And while Death in Heaven was somewhat of an improvement, it was still ultimately a letdown when considering it’s the big finale for the series.

The story is all over the place, desperately trying to be coherent but toppling over itself with every attempt. In one hand, you have the Doctor/Missy dynamic, something which I’ll touch upon later on but can easily be described as uninteresting. In the other you have the criminally underused UNIT team back following their stint in 50^th anniversary special Day of the Doctor, with Kate Stewart and Osgood (Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver), in which they come out of nowhere, add little to the story, then disappear again. Moffat does add some drama to their scenes, mainly with Osgood and her confrontation with Missy – a scene which could be improved if those guards could actually use their ears – but it’s just padding. It also adds Sanjeev Bhaskar in a role there only for additional stunt casting a la Foxes a few weeks ago with his ‘talk-and-dash’ tactic. Think of it as one of those villain capture moments in films such as Skyfall, The Dark Knight and The Avengers, just done poorly.

There’s also the Danny/Clara storyline, in which his cliffhanger of having his emotions removed was completely forgotten about. Heck, even the little boy who ran off from him suddenly came back acting like everything is fine between the two of them. Perhaps there were some scenes cut because of the cremation complaints made about Dark Water, but it doesn’t seem likely. Anyway, as expected Danny didn’t delete his emotions and somehow became a magic Cyberman. Why do I say a magic Cyberman? Because he not only appears to be one of two Cybermen to keep his emotions – which somehow means he has complete control of himself – but also has some form of teleportation as he manages to appear out of nowhere in every instance we see Cyber-Danny onscreen. Not the worst thing we see the Cybermen do in the episode, but an element which does require addressing. But their time together is very forced, very much in the same way that their relationship as a whole has been. Clara’s final goodbye to him drags on and you do wish the story would push through; a pity when considering that Samuel Anderson has done well with his multiple roles this season despite the quality of the writing.

Returning to the Doctor/Missy dynamic, there isn’t really anything to say aside from the fact that the Master, who Missy supposedly is, is not actually in the episode. When you look at Missy, you see nothing of the Master there, just another bog-standard Moffat villainess in the veins of Madame Kovarian, Ms Delphox and River Song. You don’t feel the 40 year connection between the characters aside from comments about their childhood, but even then they clash against the non-existent chemistry between the two characters. Add a forced snog between the two of them there only for the shippers, and it doesn’t add to a much-desired return for the villain, it just makes you crave a return to the old days. Heck, I’m sure Eric Roberts could do a better job. It doesn’t help that Missy (Michelle Gomez) is an unlikable villain as a whole, with her entire plan being an absolute waste of time – she attempts to kill the Doctor by destroying the plane he’s on thousands of feet above Belgium despite the Cybermen being a gift for him - and her sense of humour terrible (a cringeworthy moment to hear her sing). If there was some form of explanation of how she escaped from Gallifrey then it could be feasible that she is the real deal, but for now she’s just a poor man’s imitation of his former self.

Perhaps the worst thing to come out of this episode are the Cybermen, which is a major drop in quality when considering they initially had a smart plan in the form of taking the dead. When their designs were leaked online, there were many comments about them looking like Iron Man. And now that they fly in the same way, they’ve become a mockery of themselves than they were when under the penmanship of Neil Gaiman in Nightmare in Silver. They have also become full-on robots, being under direct command of Missy-Master the whole time (the squadron in The Five Doctors would be furious by such a motion) and later Danny-Cyberman who somehow survives full Cyber conversion again. There’s also further anger that the late Brigadier, who had a perfect goodbye in 2011’s The Wedding of River Song, pops out of nowhere as a Cyberman to inadvertently save the day. Many have complained about the notion, and it was particularly irritating when adding the constant references towards him throughout the episode – even featuring a literal shrine towards him on the plane – just for this small moment. It’s not what could be an insult to the character, but it is rather far-fetched for the show to reel him back in following the lovely goodbye he already received.

In comparison to Dark Water, this episode is a slight improvement. Peter Capaldi is great as a whole in the story even with the forceful nature of the Doctor at times, Jenna Coleman is left to her own devices when working around with Cyber-Danny, and the episode doesn’t consist with as many insults to the past as previously. That said it is still a majorly flawed story filled with the wrong decisions by Steven Moffat. He hasn’t coped well over the last year and the two parter has been clear evidence of this, combining various elements from the series and combining them into an incoherent mess. Slightly more bearable, and thankfully leaving no major questions for the next series aside from Gallifrey’s location, Death in Heaven leaves the series off with a small 3/10. 

My Two Cents on: Toy Story 4

The Toy Story franchise is one of the biggest film series of all time, up there with Star Wars and James Bond in terms of durability. The first made a huge impact for the animation medium as the first fully-computer generated feature film, changing the world of animation to the point of Disney halting production on 2D animated movies (ending on a high note with 2011's Winnie the Pooh). The 1999 sequel, whilst originally forced upon them by Disney and struggling in its rushed production process, was a big success and arguably surpassed the original. After an 11 year break, Pixar brought the characters back for a billion-dollar earning escapade, earning 2 Oscar wins and a nomination for Best Picture. With this logic, the studio should be fine to go ahead with a fourth installment, confirmed for July 2017.

Except it isn't as simple as that.

I reviewed all three segments of the then-trilogy back in April and found them all excellent and worthy of the high praise they receive, While the first is the best of the series, the later entries are both worthy additions to the series, and Toy Story 3 is a great ending to the series. The short films that have followed, whether they be the 5 minute Toy Story Toons in front of various feature films or the television specials like Toy Story of Terror, have successfully filled audience appetites for additional adventures with the characters with them all having some level of success. They're suitable mini-follow up storylines which don't push the boat out too far by the level of the original films, but a fourth one may try and push it a little too far. From the little detail given about the next film's story, it revolves around romance - not a new area for the characters to follow following Toy Story 3 with Barbie/Ken and Buzz/Jessie, but as a main focus could fall where many other animated films have with their love-based films. The only notable good examples are Pixar's own WALL-E and Up. But the main point is that the third film ended on the perfect note. It was an absolute tearjerker for audiences globally, so going past that moment with a full 90-120 minute film is somewhat of a stretch even for the genius team behind the originals.

There's also the situation that it only adds more fire to the comments that Pixar has lost its way, as it's the fourth sequel currently in development (Finding Dory is scheduled for 2016, whilst The Incredibles 2 and Cars 3 have unconfirmed release dates) and the seventh of the decade (including Toy Story 3, Cars 2 and prequel Monsters University). While next year will consist of two original films for the studio, the last original film (Brave) didn't receive much praise despite its Oscar win, and comments on the teaser for Inside Out did give off some doubts. Sure, returning to a franchise may help financially and try and win some of those viewers back, but it could also tarnish the respect for both the series and the studio.

But it's not all bad news. On scripting duties are Rashida Jones of Parks and Recreation fame and Will McCormack who worked with her on Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012), apparently adding "a strong female voice in the writing of this" - going up against the recent complaints that Pixar films rarely pass the Bechdel Test - and John Lasseter is returning to the director's chair after skipping out on the third instalment (although Lee Unkrich did a stellar job) for Cars 2 with the plot idea being so good that he "just could not stop thinking about it". He thought the same with the Cars series, but that's beside the point. The original team are all back, there are skilled newbies joining and the animation will likely be brilliant. But the case of Pixar being back or just doing it for money is still debatable.

Doctor Who Series 8 Reviews - Dark Water (E11)

WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

I really don’t want to write this review. The thought of this episode makes me feel physically ill. The thought of what Steven Moffat has done to great characters written by great writers in the past and the present, what he’s done to reshape those characters in his image and degrade them for the sake of ‘entertainment’ is appalling. His previous solo stories from this series (Deep Breath and Listen) had already disappointed, but his latest turnout really takes the biscuit market. It’s an episode which doesn’t deserve a spot in the legacy of the Twelfth Doctor or the Cybermen, but especially ‘Missy’.

As the first episode to be split into two episodes since 2011’s The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People, Dark Water does succeed in returning to the old roots of ‘questions first, action later’, but the questioning part limps across the episode as though it was shot. The episode’s pace is slow and incoherent. One minute you have a character in sadness, the next they’re completely cheerful, the next sad again. It’s disjointed to the point that it makes the characters like they suffer a disorder, while the story can’t make its mind up whether it wants to go for emotional or shock value, and unfortunately that’s only one ingredient in this recipe for disaster.

Death has previously been a staple in Doctor Who, with characters dying continuously from the third ever episode onwards. These past few years, death has become minimal and a part of the “Everybody lives!” tagline first muttered by the Ninth Doctor in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, but this year marked a change as death became a bit prominent. But only for this one story to exist, as it focuses on the afterlife following the sudden death of Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson). Why? Because the plot needed him dead, as the editing for the scene of his ‘demise’ was poorly executed due to the fact that all he does is stand still for a good second before his casualty. It leads to a sequence with Clara (Jenna Coleman) blackmailing the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) into saving him a la Pete Tyler in Father’s Day through throwing away all his TARDIS keys into a volcano. Again, huge plot hole through the fact that the Doctor has the capacity to open the TARDIS doors with a finger click, but within the actual circumstances of the situation it does make logical sense for the Doctor to not do so.

Something which is well done in the episode is the plan for the Cybermen, in which they turn out to be using the dead as a means of invading. A smart enough plan if it wasn’t poorly executed with the usage of skeletons – an unnecessary requirement for these renditions of Cybermen, seeing as they have the capacity to remove limbs or make a hole in their wooden chests when fired through. Starting to sense a pattern going on here. If it weren’t for the ridiculous clues across the Nethersphere a la Deep Breath and the SS Madame de Pompadour, the Cybermen could be a great aspect for the episode, but sadly they get pushed aside by the mysterious Missy, a character we’ve been forced to follow over the course of 10 episodes before her reveal.

Ahh, Missy (Michelle Gomez), a character who’s had a number of viewers puzzled and others uninterested. Over the past week, and indeed this episode, it’s been promoted that we’ll find out who Missy is, and the waiting has also been a drag due to there being no actual mystery aside from her fleeting appearances over the series. Her quips have been more of the same from previous mysteries Tasha Lem and River Song, and it was discouraging to hear her say she was his boyfriend. But the reveal was perhaps the worst thing which could happen. Turns out she is the Master in a new incarnation. A character who’s been male for the last 40 years is now a woman. Now, whilst I’m all for a female Time Lord and maybe even a female Doctor, I don’t feel like this is how he/she should handled as a character. It’s almost an insult to his creators’ initial viewing as being “The Doctor’s Moriarty” as now she’s instead become the Irene Adler to his Sherlock...his third Irene Adler in the space of 4 years. It’s an insult to fans of the Doctor/Master dynamic, and what’s worse is that there is a perfectly good villainess Time Lord in the form of The Rani (portrayed by the late Kate O’Mara) just waiting to be used, and now she has no need to because of this decision. It’s an alteration to a character fans love to hate and it complete ruins what’s left of the episode.

The only saving grace that can be commented on is the performance of Capaldi and Coleman in their roles, but by this point it’s an easy task and the writing is so subpar that they need to use their abilities to push the episode up. Danny’s subplot about his time in the army was poorly handled and very rushed in order to get the relationship stuff in thus losing any impact it had intended on having, and he has so little screen time that it’s barely noticeable or rememberable.

Dark Water is a mess. An absolute mess. It’s predictable from the get-go, it tries to reincorporate elements from the past and one-up them in a terrible manner, the twist is insulting and a great enemy has been reduced to simple bodyguards. Dark Water is an episode which makes me say no to a future series like this. It has warranted me to tell potential viewers to not watch the current series because of how poorly done it’s been, and this episode is the cherry on the top. This episode is perhaps the worst I have ever seen; surpassing a story I can barely come to say by its proper title. I really hope Death in Heaven can improve this travesty, but at the rate the series has been I cannot say my expectations are high, as Dark Water deserves a terribly low score of 2/10.