Aquaman

The latest DC film follows a few that the critics and some fans didn't like that much (I did like them) so this film had a fair amount of expectation on its shoulders that it would get the DC Verse back on track.

The story is of a boy born from parents who are from the land and the sea, His mother is an Atlantean who fell in love with a lighthouse keeper who rescued her when she washed ashore on the rocks.

The young boy, Arthur, grew up and come into powers that allow him to breath underwater and gave him super strength and the ability to move very fast underwater.

His powers were used on screen in the Justice League movie and now he gets his own, big budget film. Was it worth the wait? I would say yes, although it wasn't perfect it was as good as any of the Marvel single character films.

The film is CGI heavy but as it is based underwater that is understandable. The CGI is colourful and rather impressive although the effects used on some faces whilst they are underwater is slightly strange although it doesnt detract from the film.

Is the film worth seeing? I would say yes, if you remember the comics, as I do, then the final scenes when he dons the classic costume (updated of course) it makes it all worthwhile.

Spiderman - Into the Spider-verse

I wasnt sure if this film would be any good, I am a lifelong fan of the webslinger, his comic stories were some of the first that I read as a kid.

My fears were ill founded as this turned out to be a rip-roaring tale that was well written and wonderfully drawn with a great voice cast.

The story starts with the monstrous King Pin running an experiment with a nuclear collider under New York. This drags other Spider People into the universe of Miles Morales, a young college boy recently bitten by a radioactive spider and who's powers are only just starting to show.

He quickly meets Peter Parker, the classic Spiderman, and they find Spider Gwen (Gwen Stacey), Spiderman-Noir, Peni Parker and Peter Porker and enlists their help in fighting King Pin and his allies.

The film is certainly worth seeing if you love the Marvel comics as it is just like them in many ways, plus you dont want to miss Stan Lees cameo or the dedication just after the first main titles at the end.

Avengers - Infinity Wars

For anyone new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe here is a very quick recap. Infinity Wars is the culmination of several series of films starring Tony Starks Iron Man, Thor God of Thunder, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America and The Black Panther.

Many of the characters came together in The Avengers Assemble and then were joined by other characters in Avengers Age of Ultron When Scarlet Witch and her brother, initially enemies of the Avengers, and Vision were introduced. We saw the breakdown of Shield in the Captain America films and the rise of Wakanda in Black Panther. The Avengers were shattered in Captain America Civil War that pitched friends Iron Man and Captain America against each other.

Thor and the Hulk have their own story in Thor Ragnarok which sees the Asgardians escaping the destruction of Asgard known as Ragnarok
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So with all the Avengers and their friends scattered now comes Thanos the warlord and his search for the Infinity Stones that are the most powerful objects in the universe.

Thanos wishes to collect them all in a gauntlet that will give him the power to kill half the population of the entire universe.

Along the way he will encounter all the Avengers in different places and the Avengers are joined by the Guardians of the Galaxy as they fight to stop Thanos getting the stones.

The films war scenes are wonderfully done especially the battle in Wakanda and there are thrills and surprises galore none of which I will reveal here.

The film does not disappoint and delivers some memorable scenes as well as a super villain who will actually get you to sympathize with him in a strange way which is mostly down to the acting skills of Josh Brolin.

I am not going into any details about the film as you really need to go see it yourself.

This is definitely a must see.

Pacific Rim Uprising

This sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2013 movie is not as slick as the original but it does the job quite well.

The plot follows on from the originals giant monsters called Kaiju invading the Earth and destroying mankinds cities, being fought by giant robots called Jaegers piloted by two people and armed to the teeth.

In the original film it was found that these monsters come from another universe and the breach that they use to reach the Earth is under the Pacific Ocean. The breach is closed by detonating a nuclear power plant on one of the Jaegers after the bomb they were going to use is detonated to kill the remaining Kaiju.

The fight saw Marshal Stacker Pentecost killed and he becomes a war hero.

In the sequel Pentecost's son, a former Jaeger pilot, is the main protagonist who lives his life in the wreak of the cities leveled by the Kaiju and gets money by stealing Jaeger parts for those wishing to build their own Jaegers, which is of course illegal.

Eventually Jake Pentecost is  reunited with the Jaeger program where a new enemy is being fought by the uprated Jaegers.

A new drone system and a rather aloof Japanese scientist and industrialist are the potential enemies but that might not be quite right.

It is an action packed film led by John Boyega as Jake who is familiar due to playing Finn in the recent Star Wars movies. Here he leads the film and he is very capable of doing so. Supported by Cailee Spaeny playing Amara Namani and Scott Eastwood as Nate Lambert a fellow Jaeger pilot to Jake.

The Jaegers are awesome and the monsters are rather larger especially the final beasty, this leads to the normal destruction of the cities which is the normal reason for a monster feature.

The original scientists Dr. Newton Geiszler and Dr. Hermann Gottlieb are back but in slightly different roles and they are pivotal to the plot.

I actually enjoyed the film although it will not be winning any awards it should impress as far as its special effects go and the acting is reasonably good and you warm to the main characters quite easily.

If you liked the original film you will like this one and do remember not to leave when the Pacific Rim Uprising logo is displayed at the end of the film because there is a short pre-credit scene that sets up the next film which could easily be better than the 2 previous ones.

Go and see it in the cinema as it needs to be seen on a big screen.

Harry Potter Studio Tour

In 2016, for our anniversary, my Daughters announced that they were taking the Wife and myself to the Harry Potter studio Tour and now, 2 years later, we have finally been.

I am a great fan of the books and films, the Wife less so, and we were looking forward to the visit with little knowledge of what to expect.

When you enter the studios you walk along a long, winding corridor decorated in the style of the Marauders Map which Harry used to get around Hogwarts without being caught.

The first area is a large canteen and shop which is useful as you have a strict entry time on your tickets. This is to prevent overcrowding and it works very well.

Harrys bedroom under the stairs

To keep you amused as you queue to enter the introduction areas there is the set used when filming Harry in his bedroom under the stairs.

The queue moves fairly quickly and you move into the first of two presentation areas where you are given instructions to not touch anything or to go beyond the barriers. You also get some background to the films and what the tour is all about.

The Grand Hall with Dumbledore giving a speach

These areas act as further buffers to avoid overcrowding later in the tour. Although it was busy when we went it was never crowded so this idea does work, mind you we didnt visit during the summer peak.

One of the costumes on display

After the presentation it is on into the Great Hall which is the actual set used in the film which was dismantled and transported to its current location for the tour.

It is an impressive place and it is hard to believe that it is not a real stone building but some of the magic is explained as you move outside the hall to see the scafolding holding it all up.

Once in  the tour proper you see many various sets, props, costumes and much of the techniques used to create them.

The entrance to Dumbledores office

Much of the sets are standalone even though they were supposed to be part of a huge building.

The props were made not only to appear in the film but also to give the cast something to imagine as they were acting. Dobby for instance was simply a green ball on a green stick that the actors used as a reference for where his head was, the character being added as CGI later in the film process.

The Triwizard Cup and Harry's egg

However at his death scene the filmakers found that the cast had a hard time being emotional about a green ball on a stick and so they created a life size Dobby for Harry to hold which made it much easier for them to understand.

A Thestral model for the animators

Several other creatures were made, such as the dementors, to give the cast an idea of what they were acting alongside.

Creatures, props and locations were meticulously designed, first by draughtsmen in the case of the sets and props or digital artists for the creatures. These were then made into 3d models, some full size and some, in the case of buildings and sets,in white card in a small scale. These models could be used to work out movement, camera angles and tracking shots.

Hogwarts Express pulled by Hogwarts Castle

Many shots used real life locations such as Hogwarts station which was filmed at Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and at the St Pancras station which was used instead of Kings Cross as at the time Kings Cross was undergoing refurbishment.

The night bus

Several vehicles were created for the film including several Ford Anglias and the famous triple decker Knight Bus created from 2 London buses.

Weasleys Wizard Wheezes on Diagonally

The houses on Privet Drive were real, a modern housing estate stood in for the location although interior shots were done on sound stages.

When you get to the Hogwarts Express you are half way through the tour and just after that area there is a restaurant and rest area which we took advantage of. Here they sell butterbeer in custom tankards if you want one.

white card reference model of The Burrow

Just outside the restaurant, and visible through the windows, is the only outside area in the tour which contains the Knight Bus, the house on Privet Drive, the Potter house from Godricks Hollow, the Ford Anglia and Hagrids combination motorbike. Central to all this is a section of the Hogwarts Bridge and this is a prime sight for pictures, as the header picture to this article shows.

The rest of the tour consists of a lot of the model making and special effects secrets plus a real highlight of the tour, the chance to walk down Diagonally. All the shops are there with Olivanders and Wizard Wheezes certainly being the fan favorites.

But right at the end there is one of the most breathtaking things I have seen in a long time. Seeing at Hogwarts itself is featured many times, especially in the many flying sequences of the Quiddich games and in the fight with the dragon, the outside of the school had to be built somehow to make these sequences possible plus, of course, copious amounts of CGI.

To this end a large scale model of the school was built with exquisite detail and this now resides in its own room and is a trully wonderful thing to behold and a real testament to the model makers art.

A large scale model of Hogwarts

 And so the tour comes to an end but not before one more jaw dropping display. At first you think it is just a nice way to end the tour going out through a wand shop with its walls lined with wand boves until you realise that every box has a name on it and that these people were all involved in the films in some way or another and there are hundreds of boxes including one for a certain J.K.Rowling.

Is the tour worth going to? If you are even a passing fan of the Potter books then I would say yes, even if your not but have an interest in film making then I would say yes although a view of at least the first film would be useful in this case.

I am certainly going back again, probably over the festive season.

Black Panther

Black Panther was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Civil War and the hero, King T'Challa, made a big impact on the other super heroes in the process.

His home country in the heart of Africa is Wakanda, a place who's technical advancement leaves the rest of the world far behind mainly due to its huge reserves of the metal Vibranium, the material used to make Captain America's shield.

The Wakanda's guard their privacy and isolation fiercely and have kept the supplies of Vibranium to themselves which has caused many disagreements with those who wish to help the people of the wider world and that is what this film is all about.

Following the death of his father King T'Chaka, T'Challa himself becomes king and gains the mantle of Black Panther and Guardian of Wakanda as well as the support of the Dora Milaje, an army of female warriors led by Okoye. They are highly skilled in combat and fanatically loyal to the throne and the country.

Into this society comes an unexpected foe, joined by royal blood but determined to destroy the Wakandan way of life forever.

An old face from the Avengers, the South African smuggler Ulysses Klaue, plays a large part in this film, brilliantly played by Andy Serkis.

The film is easily one of the best in the ongoing Marvel Universe and builds us up nicely for the Infinity Wars films to come.

Chadwick Boseman and Michael Jordan are perfect in their roles and spark off each other in their battle for the throne, brilliant casting and great acting from both men as well as Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia the Kings would be lover, and Danai Gurira and the beautifully statuesque Okoye who both bring beauty and grace to their roles as well as a dont mess with this chick attitude.

The token white man is a nice twist in the film and, apart from Klaue, it is handled brilliantly by Martin Freeman who plays and American but with a very subtle accent. He turns out to be a rather good hero himself.

This film is a real effect fest as the advanced technology of Wakanda requires it but it is not reliant on this as it also has a really good story and a cracking cast plus a scene chewing turn from Serkis.

You really need to go and see this and I will easily give it 5 stars, unmissable for any comic book fans.

The Greatest Showman

The 2018 year started, for me, with this rather good musical based rather loosely on the life of P.T.Barnum.

It starts as it means to go on with a visually stunning musical piece based in one of Barnum's iconic circus rings which then fades into our heroes present circumstances as a scruffy young helper of his Father.

The story follows his rise and eventual fall as he creates his Museum of Oddities out of local 'celebrities' who he shows off in his circus ring accompanied by himself as Ringmaster in his scarlet coat.

The film has two love stories which are affected by the differences between the people involved although, in the best Hollywood tradition, it comes good in the end.

The cast is very good and the music is modern and interesting with some jaw dropping dance routines and it easily keeps your attention for its run time plus you do get to actually like the characters which is not always the case with modern films.

Its a great movie as long as you dont over analyze it and simply enjoy the ride. Go and see it.