Reviews: Kick-Ass, How to Train Your Dragon, Top Gun, Enter the Dragon

Kick-Ass
Originality is something that is hard to come by. Not necessarily because people can’t be bothered to come up with new ideas, but because there have been so many different films released, it’s extremely difficult to produce something that wholly original. But every now and then, you get one that stands out from the rest. Kick-Ass is that film.

An extremely potent blend of violence, comedy, and action, Kick-Ass does exactly what it says on the tin. The story revolves around Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a comic reading high school reject, who decides he’s going to make a difference. He dons some green spandex, and becomes the superhero the community desperately needs; Kick-Ass. He soon finds out he’s not alone though, and is joined by father/daughter team of Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage), as well as Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

Not only does the film succeed in being one of the most violent and funniest main stream productions of the last few years, it also packs an overwhelmingly original story, some amazing performances, and some brilliant cinematography.

It’s easiest to think about like this. The base of the film could be described as a teen comedy, revolving around discovering your identity, and overcoming social constraints in order to make the girl of your dreams recognize you for who you are. The ultra-violent super hero overlay is what makes the film stand out though. In an unprecedented mix, we are given a monumental achievement in writing and cinematography, which will humour, shock, and delight you, making Kick-Ass the number one film to see in 2010.

Miss it at your peril!

Rating: 5/5.

Verdict: The good.

How to Train Your Dragon
With 3D cinema proving to be the next big innovation for the film industry, everyone is jumping on the band wagon. How to Train Your Dragon is the latest animated outing from DreamWorks, and by far their best yet, blowing previous title holder Shrek out of the water.

The film is based on the novel of the same name, and set on the imaginary Viking island of Berk, where (to paraphrase the opening few lines), the pests aren’t mice or mosquitoes; but dragons.

The hero of the story is Hiccup, another hapless protagonist with a thirst for success, but unfortunately lacking the necessary tools to get there. Upon shooting down an elusive Night Fury dragon during an attack, he learns that everyone has dragons all wrong, and they just want to be loved. Aww.

The script is beautifully written, providing light hearted comedy for all ages, and an extremely enjoyable story. Whereas the 2D version doesn't take anything away for the film, the 3D version is absolutely stunning, which coupled with the big screen, creates a visually stunning experience. How to Train Your Dragon is something for all the family, and with an intelligent story, and as well as some colourful characters, it is one of the most pleasing animated films of all time.

Rating: 4/5.

Verdict: The good.

Top Gun
If you look at ‘guilty pleasure’ in the dictionary, I’m sure Top Gun will be under there somewhere. This film has it all. Cheesy music, cheesy lines, cheesy story; what is there not to love? Cruise comprises the role of Maverick, a fighter pilot with disregard for authority and rules, living in the shadow of his old man. He and his buddy Goose (Anthony Edwards) are sent to Top Gun, a school for the top fighter pilots in the world, in which they learn to lost art of aerial combat.

But we’re not in the 80s anymore. A lot of the elements in the film don’t hold constant, and not surprisingly there are several cringe inducing moments, namely a topless greased up volley ball game with Cruise and Kilmer. But at the risk of contradicting myself, it’s these moments that make the film so likable.

As a film, it’s nowhere near perfect, but as a bit of light hearted entertainment for a Saturday night, to provide you and some mates with a few laughs and a slice of 80’s cool, you can’t really go wrong.

Rating: 3/5.

Verdict: The average.

Enter the Dragon
If you only ever see one martial arts film in your life, make sure it’s this one. Bruce tragically passed away before the film was released, but it still stands as a monumental bridge between Eastern and Western cultures, along with one of finest showcases of his legendary ability. The acting is poor in places, and the script has its moments, but sometimes these factors are just irrelevant, due to the sheer magnitude behind what the film has done.

The fight scenes are the clear highlight of the movie, and show just how phenomenal a martial artist Lee was. His talent was unparalleled, and even with the rise of Jackie Chan in the 80s, and now Donnie Yen, he will always be remembered as the best, despite his mere 5 title filmography. The choreography is superb, and there is great use of visual disorientation, particularly in the final show down with Han, which acts as a thrilling conclusion to the film.

So whereas Enter the Dragon isn’t a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, it has some of the finest choreographed fight scenes of all time, as well as some of Lee’s fabled philosophical views, which combine to make it the flagship for the martial arts genre.

Rating: 4/5.

Verdict: The good.

Back to Business!

I can safely say this has been the busiest and most stressful few weeks of my life. Way too many things have gone wrong recently, but they’re starting to look up again now. I won’t go into all of them, but your laptop dying 3 days before a deadline date, taking one of your 3000 word essays with it, is not a situation I would advise getting yourself into.

On the flip side I doubt I’ll ever have motivation issues again.

But now it’s all over, I’ve got everything handed in, had a great night out with the Newcastle University English society, and only have one exam on June 1st to deal with. Result.

The coming week is going to see plenty of film watching, with a Godfather marathon planned (with subsequent reviews of all 3 films) planned for Wednesday, and a trip to the Tyneside Cinema to see a free screening of Run Lola Run.

I was going to review a bunch of films I watched a while ago, but so much stuff has passed through my head since then, I’m going to do a bunch of others instead. So yeah, sorry for all the delays, but everything is back on track now.

Dean