Dredd

                                            "You have been judged. The sentence, is death."

We have come a long way since Stallone's Judge Dredd in 1995. He was considered as the only option, a good one, at that particular time. The only problem with the result of that movie was the lack of relation towards the comics, referencing nothing other than a PG take on what was considered a production that obeyed the rules of Sly Stallone.

Thankfully the resurrection of Dredd begins at the hands of director (Pete Travis) who not only revives the character, but sticks to the 3000 AD concept that the comics portrayed so beautifully.

The storyline is a simple gritty concept showing the aftermath of a once an inhabitable city, is now run by both law and lawless. The authority that over looks the dead city strings into the hands of judges; a law with no boundaries as the lack of remorse is witnessed using a one man Jury, or a sentence of execution if necessary. As we all know, Dredd (Karl Urban) is one who darkens the days of the drug underworld, patrolling the futuristic ruin of a city he portrays it as.

With routine call-outs, it is no ordinary day as Dredd is introduced to Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) a rookie cop assigned to Dredd to carry along side his line of work as he tends to play witness to her dedication by throwing her into the deep end, the worst end...

Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) is the feeder, a wanna-be dictator who overlooks the city from just one of many towers. A scarred and demented human being, Ma-ma controls the residents of her block, a location considered a no-go for the authorities. It is when two bodies are found at the area that Dredd sees this a fortunate day for Anderson as she makes the decision for both to investigate. The decision results in a grim battle against the worst drug mules in the city as the parasites of Ma-ma's block seek to protect an operation, leading to a war greater than Dredd could of expected.

The movie provides a small cast that help deliver a fantastic piece of entertainment. Its comparison to "The Raid" is quite appropriate as it does indeed take place in one building, but trading the martial arts for some straight up gun-slinging proved a delightful result. Not expecting to be wowed by much, Karl Urban's Dredd supplied an element of a dark soul-less body with an over usage of cheesy one-liners topped off with endless violence. The overall character of Dredd was a joy to witness. From the off you anticipate, just like the raid, the closer he gets to the finish-line, the higher you grin!. I watched with glee as Dredd tore through bodies with clever yet hilarious weaponry.

The sequences were beautiful to watch as Karl Urban's slow motion concept is highly original introducing it to the scenes when it really mattered.

Fans of the Judge Dredd franchise (can't say I was) would be pleased with this re-hash and more importantly the revamping of the character itself. The writers smartly chose to keep on the helmet as it is a brave move that goes unnoticed because of the jaw-line and personality portrayed on screen. Sticking to apparent comic book logic, this is something I believe the fans and audience wanted to see.

Those seeking a fine storyline full of drama and sensibility may keep their torso in one place. This isn't a taste for everyone. I believe anyone who chooses to see this flick to purposely slate it should not bother. Leave that brain you hide with your skull at home and enjoy it for what it is. If so, you will remember how ridiculously hilarious Dredd truly was, and supposed to be. I find I am opening my mind with these kind of flicks. In order to truly see it for what it is, you have to.

Overall; a fantastic welcoming for a character that was almost forbidden a return to our screens. Karl Urban's Dredd is guaranteed to make you laugh while you hide the shocking face of what you had just witnessed. Strictly 18's! YEEEAH!

7.5/10

Total Recall

Another year, another remake. Supporting a bit less testosterone, Colin Farrell plays a regenerated Douglas Quaid; a factory worker who dreams of escaping the reality of the mundane events in life. Set in a futuristic world, parts of the planet has been declared inhabitable. Quaid is curious of his surroundings believing there is more to life than making routine journeys to a job that pays less than the minimum wage.

Desperate to fulfil a getaway, it is when Rekall's advertisement torments the mind of Quaid, coming to a regrettable conclusion. Rekall is known for it's mind-trip concept that inserts a fantasy into the brain resulting in, what appears to be an accurate human memory. In the case of Douglas Quaid, the dream of portraying a Spy for an agency seems appealing.

So for those who remember the 90's version will know that the plot begins with Quaid's appointment with Rekall going horribly wrong, resulting in a cat and mouse chase between him and the law.

Bewildered to the out-come of Quaid's apparent appointment, it is when a task force barges through the building of Rekall looking to retain Quaid. So it is from there we get to grips of Quaid's abilities as he too is confused by his amazing reflexes. We follow Quaid's path as he goes into hiding, while at the same time his focus is to try and discover who he truly is.

Desperate for help, his surroundings appear deceiving as just like Sharon Stone's portrayal in the 90's, Lori (Kate Beckinsale) is the apparent wife of Quaid, the bitch of Recall 2012.

Total Recall offers a fine introduction, eye-ball popping free. It quickly offers a similar concept but a different landscape completely. It is the New York of the future; constantly smothered with the citizens of the remaining, while being patrolled by robotic troops of the law. The noise is endless while you get the feeling through-out the distraction, there is a lot going on behind closed doors, i.e the resistance; a vigilante group who could hold the key to Quaid's answers and possible survival.

Offering to help Quaid is Melina (Jessica Biel), a member of the resistance fighting against the dictatorship of Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston). Cohaagen is a ruthless leader of a law corrupted system; a task force sweating on the fact that Quaid, considered a liability, becomes top priority as he puts his trust in Lori and her cohorts to capture the fugitive that is Douglas Quaid.

Total Recall offers some fine action sequences with a plot that succeeds in sticking to its roots but almost identical at times. It blanks the dusty red kill zone that we had come to know as mars, resulting in a refreshing change of scenary. The characters in the movie pull off well as you find yourself rooting for Colin Farrell's Quaid, revealing a performance which most times in his career has turned sour.

I adored the futuristic style of Len Wisemen's Total Recall, creating some realistic fight scenes and floating car chases. Len Wiseman has thrown in some humorous references to the original, sticking with the smallest of characters including the three boobed lady and Quaid's deceiving friend, Harry (Bokeem Woodbine).

This remake was surprisingly enjoyable...in small parts, considering the fact I rate Colin Farrell very low in terms of movie choices. (Or maybe it's his acting?). Len Wiseman's Total Recall is nothing special. By that I mean it is enjoyable in terms of a science fiction action movie. It could be included with one of very few remakes that supplied a slice of entertainment, just as the original had done. Although the 80's-90's Arnie era is laughable and quite cheesy, the performances in this return resembles that of the original in relation to the mediocre acting.

There are very few cast members that help to make this an easy watch. Colin Farrell, whom to this date has yet to pick a movie with a challenge, has come out of this flick in fortunate circumstances as he could do no wrong as your basic survivor slash hero.

Someone who is worth a mention is Bryan Cranston, who sadly appears as an extended cameo, although it was still excellent to see him portray a pure bad ass...Breaking Bad "cough!"

Overall; Sticking to pieces of the original supplied me with the entertainment I went in to expect. A better watch than "The Bourne Legacy" that's for sure, but will never match that of Arnie's classic. (apologies for the comparison)

6.5/10

The Expendables 2 Review

In 2010 Sylvester Stallone reunited the child within me, and I am not talking Disney fantasies. The Expendables was quite significant in terms of all those big names in one explosive whirlwind leading to a nostalgic spotlight in relation to the 80's action genre. What was a mindless concept from Sly, it was obvious he carried the gruesome portrayal of Rambo (2008) and brought it to the streets which consisted of explosive scenes and disturbed characters.

Expectations were high for the sequel. Was there a chance that Arnold Schwarzenegger would play a bigger part this time around? Chuck Norris and Van Damme were also popping up in trailers. It looked exciting on paper so let's find out.

So after an introduction of pure carnage and to be frank, quite ridiculous stunts, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is cornered by Church (Bruce Willis) as he once again seeks to assemble Barney and the gang for a routine mission that goes excitingly wrong. 

According to Church, Barney cost him 10 million from the previous mission so this would be the last of any dealings between Barney's mercenaries and Church. A sense of portrayal is exposed when Christmas (Jason Statham), Gunner (Dolph Lundgren) Hale (Terry Crews) and Co are found to be set up, resulting in immediate pay back and a path of destruction from the guys. The "Villain", who is titled eh, Villain, is the legendary (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Jean plays the role of a heartless Russian who is mindset on a cave full of heavy artillery leading to what he believes will create world war 2012. Yes, looking to start another world war...not on Sly's watch!

So it is from there we witness once again as Sly's expendables attempt to raise their credibility as well as save the day as they bump into Friends of old and older. (you know who).

The anticipation of the cameos we wait so eager for comes a lot sooner than expected. The action scenes and overall acting was genuinely poor. I prayed for a Schwarzenegger appearance to help make this better than it's predecessor. Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is an old friendly rival of Barney and coincidentally bump into each other through-out the film as this sequel shows it's stupidity as Trench and Booker (Chuck Norris) appear in the most random of places failing to explain any logic on how and why they are there?. Booker is the lone wolf who can't help but throw in his own Chuck Norris jokes every so often.

I enjoyed this film for what it is. And what is it? well it is an all out war of the best with a plot that was thought up in the space of 30 minutes or less. To see Arnold and Van Damme back on screen was amusing and exciting. With all these egos, and with their history, neither are ever short of a quote or two...or three!

The testosterone in this film is laughable and I couldn't help but think Sly is bigger than ever as one of his veins looks the equivalent to my left leg.

One cannot help to be entertained by the stupidity of this film as we witness the over-reaction of  splattered heads, cringe one liners and mundane comedy. Unfortunately, I personally enjoyed the previous more as their was a better character in the enemy and supplied that touch of drama with Micky Rourke's involvement. Jet Li's Yang who also went missing through the sequel...unexplained really. I suppose that defines a Stallone movie in 2012.

So with a Mickey mouse storyline and a wider cast, the Expendables 2 failed to live up to the entertaining scenes in the original. I was not hoping to be blown away by actors performances but as a fan of the majorities cast, I felt, once again, manipulated in terms of the apparent involvement of Arnold and the rest that was used to sell the film.

Overall: Enjoyable if you forget your brain like I did with it's promotion supplying a better hype than the overall movie.

Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol Review 2011

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible 4. The Fourth instalment, Ghost Protocol, sees the fall of the IMF organisation as Ethan seeks to recruit a team of experts to help prevent the launch of nuclear weapons from a Russian Terrorist.

The movie's plot begins with the bombing of the Kremlin in Russia were a Russian source pin-points America's IMF organisation as prime suspects. In a desperate bid to start a war between the two countries, Ethan (Cruise) as well as his boss feel it is best the IMF is abolished but sheds light on an opportunity for Ethan and a hand -picked crew to investigate and prevent further assaults from the Russian terrorist.

The cast in MI4 is a delight. As always, Ethan is accompanied by Benji (Simon Pegg) who is back to his old tricks as there is nothing standing in the way when he is involved. New to the series is Jeremy Renner who we know from Ben Affleck's The Town. Jeremy plays Brandt, a so called observer in the IMF. There is more than meets the eye with Brandt as he is a smart character but brings a lot of negativity to the crew. What would a Mission Impossible movie be without the hot female? Introducing Jane, played by Paula Patton. This is a woman that cannot be messed with! Delicate looks can be deceiving as she does more ass kicking in this movie than any other in the franchise.

Ghost Protocol is no hit and miss. This was a quality movie. In fact I believe the best in the series so far. (I say so far because Ethan will be back...I think). The action sequences were the best I have seen in a long time. MI4 avoids your typical blockbuster make no sense type a flick, this was a genuine entertaining film. We all dowelled on the Original Mission Impossible for so long, but now people will be surprised they might actually find Ghost Protocol the best of the bunch.

Certain Scenes like When Ethan is scales the Tallest Building in Dubai. Okay we all seen clips in the trailer previous, but that part in the movie was extraordinary! The whole time through that scene my mind was racing with the fact Tom Cruise performed that particular stunt? and the rest! Absolutely brilliant. There is a scene not long after when a massive sandstorm covers the area as Ethan is caught up in a game a cat and mouse.

Overall a fantastic movie. We might all agree on one thing, the fact that Mission Impossible 2 wasn't too bad and MI3 took the biscuit a bit. Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol is a quality return to what we will always remember Tom Cruise as...Ethan Hunt! (and roll the spy tune....)