Oblivion - Review

Tom Cruise's latest film released "Oblivion" was a strange but gripping film. The film gave me many questions to ask myself. Although it comes across very complex, the story soon becomes clear and obviously, all is revealed at the end.

Below you will find the film poster. By looking at this poster I processed many different thoughts about what the film would be about and what is happening in the poster. The first idea that came into my head was that "Oblivion" could be about a post apocalyptic Earth with one remaining survivor.

The storyline of "Oblivion" is based on a graphic novel.

The plot:

"A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining recourses begins to question what he really knows about his mission and himself" (IMDb)

After reading the plot to this film, it dragged me in to think about why the character would be questioning not just his mission but himself. I also found myself wondering why the character is on a mission to extract all of Earth's remaining recourses. So after reading the plot and viewing the official trailer for the film, please see further down the page, I decided to go and watch it.



Below please find the link for the official trailer for "Oblivion".

Below is a very small quotation from a Hollywood reporter taken from the "IMDb" website. By reading this review from a Hollywood reporter I was even more intrigued to see this movie.

"Oblivion is an absolutely gorgeous film dramatically caught between it's aspirations for poetic romanticism and the demands of heavy sci-fi action." (The Hollywood Reporter, IMDb)

The small quotation above places wonderful visions in the readers head of beautiful scenery and special effects. It also makes the reader think of sci-fi action, which is very exciting to big sci-fi fans.


The director of this film is called Joseph Kodinski, fairly new to the directing role in Hollywood. He is also known for the film "TRON: Legacy" which was released in 2010, it is also another Sci-Fi movie. Joseph was chosen by Steven Lisberger who directed the original "TRON" in 1982. Lisberger was also the producer of the 2010 "TRON: Legacy" film.

Being a big sci-fi fan, when I went to watch "Oblivion" I had very high hopes. Unfortunately I found myself being slowly let down as the film progressed. Don't get me wrong, it was a good movie and yet again Tom Cruise played a fantastic character but I believe that it was hyped up to be something much better than it truly was.

When the film began it instantly showed off the spectacular special effects and scenery. The scenery showed fantastic views of a place once the habitat of the human race. This gave the film great potential settings for dangerous encounters and for plenty of adventure. Very early on in the film you meet the two main characters and what their mission is. The mission itself sounds very dangerous which could have built up to far more excitement and also could have imposed a lot more tension during the film.

The film did not give much away in relation to what happened to Earth and who caused it. The characters memories were wiped before they started their mission so they did not remember anything before it. This caused "Jack Harper" (Tom Cruise) to question what he is really doing there and who he really is.

The film throws a few massive twists at you, forcing you to rethink about what is happening and what the end result of the film might be. By having these twists thrown at you, it keeps the film interesting and also keeps hold of the audiences focus and interest.

In conclusion I would recommend anyone to go and watch this movie if they can. It offers a good sci-fi adventure and has many mysteries which will make you put your thinking caps on. You will also be amazed by the special effects and graphics used throughout this film, which is always a nice bonus in my opinion. I hope if you are reading this you will consider watching "Oblivion" and you have found my review helpful in your decision. Thank you.

Written by Ryan Slade, Media Student, 18.

Personal Rating: 7/10

Iron Man 3 - Review

Iron man 3 was released today (25th April 2013) in the UK. This is the third film in the iron man saga, created by Marvel. It stars famous Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. and once again he plays a fantastic role as "Tony Stark" and most obviously, Iron Man. Again, this Iron Man film is an explosive and action filled feature. Along with all the action and violence, there is also plenty of comedy included. Iron Man 3 introduces an old villain from the retro Marvel comic books, The Mandarin.

 

 

 

 

The Plot

 

 

Tony Stark's world is turned upside down by a universal terrorist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). This puts his lovers life "Pepper" in danger as well as his own as he is under attack by The Mandarin's army of what seems to be indestructible soldiers. Tony Stark has to build not only his Iron Man suits, but his own personality and strength as he fights back against The Mandarin to save the one he loves and the world.

 

At every turn on Tony Starks Journey there is a new danger and challenge, he also finds himself having anxiety attacks. In this feature we will find out if the man makes the Iron suit, or does the Iron suit make the man?

 

 

 

 

The Director

  

 

 

 

Shane Black is seen as one of the pioneer screenwriters for the action genre. He is known for directing "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and for writing films such as Lethal weapon 1, 2, 3 and 4. Stepping up the job of writing and directing a film like "Iron Man 3" is a big challenge and Shane Black will have to live up to all the Iron Man fans expectations for the latest feature in the saga.

 

Personally I think that Black created a great Iron Man movie and made the movie live up to its high expectations. He created a fast paced, violent and action packed movie.

 

 

 

Trailer

 

 

Below you will find a trailer for "Iron Man 3". From this trailer I picked up that it would be full on action packed film. It shows Tony Starks big fancy house on the cliffside being destroyed by helicopters shooting missiles. The trailer also shows that there is going to be a lot of Iron Man suits but the question I found myself asking watching the trailer was, are they fighting for Tony Stark or against him?

 

The trailer shows an interesting scene which involves Tony Stark lying on hospital bed about to be operated on. Could this be the end of Iron Man? Is Tony Stark defeated?

 

See what you think from this trailer:

 



 

 

 

 

 

Personal Opinion

My personal opinion on this film was, well, fantastic! I really enjoyed "Iron Man 3". It was filled with action and excitement. Although I was expecting something very diferent after seeing the trailers and teasers, I was still very impressed by this Marvel masterpiece.

Being a fan of Iron Man already, I had high expectations for this movie and to be honest, I was a bit sceptical about this director. I was not let down though.

This feature had spectacular visual effects and explosive scenes. When Tony Starks house was destroyed by The Manderin's soldiers in their helicopters I was stunned by the jaw dropping effects. Iron Man 3 also had great cinematography included in it, as seen in the trailer above.

The storyline itself was grippingly intense, it just kept you hooked and waiting for the next scene and also what The Manderin would attack next. As a new addition to the Iron Man films, The Manderin, who comes from the orignal Marvel comic books, does not really resmble how his character was in the comic books. This may be dissapointing for the life long Iron Man fans who have read every single comic book. At the same time as there may be some dissapointment, fans may also find The
Manderin hilarious! You will understand what I mean when you see the film for yourself.
 

I would seriously advise seeing "Iron Man 3" but make sure that you have seen "Iron Man 1 and 2" before you go ahead and watch this movie.

You will not be dissapointed.

Thanks for reading.

Personal Rating:   8/10

Olympus Has Fallen - Review

"Olympus Has Fallen" is a full on action packed extrvaganza. If you love action and lots of violence this, is the film for you.This movie however, is not for the faint hearted. There is plenty of blood and gore. This feature lived up to every expectation I had for it, explosive, fast action.

The director for "Olympus Has Fallen" is Antoine Fuqua who is also known for directing "Shooter" and "Training Day". As well as being a great director for action packed movies, Antoine Fuqua won young generators Coolio's song "Gangsta Paradise". This may prove to you, as it did to me, that Fuqua is a talented guy, and has a lot of different skills and ideas.

The plot

A former presidential guard Mike Banning (Gerrard Butler) finds himself fighting off terrorists that have taken over the White House. Being a former presidential guard he knew the White House inside out, every secret passage way and every exit. He uses his knowledge to kill the terrorists in his attempt to rescue the president who is being held capture in the bunker below.

Quote from a critic writing for "Total Film" below.

"Literally the only man keeping the US from utter and total destruction is the redoubtable Banning, the only man left alive to skulk around the White House and save the President."

Personal opinion

My personal opinion on this movie would be, well, mental! It is a ultra violent, gun slinging, draw dropping action sequel! It is predictable, but most of the all action movies are right? In this case who cares about it being predictable, all you want to see is more shooting and blowing chunks out of the famous White House!

Once again Butler plays a great action hero, if your a fan of his other films, such as "Machine Gun Preacher" and "Law Abiding Citizen", you will love "Olympus has Fallen".

A great action feature and definitely worth a watch, personal advice, wait until it comes out on DVD!

Thanks for reading.

Personal rating: 6/10