Slaytanic1 Reviews

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Good fun

[6/10 · 15 June 2007]

Whilst the geek in me has issues with some of the changes in the original comic book plot I have to say I found this great popcorn fun.

It's a fairly light hearted, family romp with some superb effects and a cohesive plot. And it's that cohesive plot which really holds it together where other superhero sequels have failed. No unnecessary multiple villains or convoluted threads here, the film has a story to tell and tells it without getting bogged down by trying to do too much. The Fantastic Four themselves are all well characterized, especially the interplay between The Thing and Johnny Storm which is very reminiscent of the source material.

Certainly it's cheesy but it's *fun* and at the end of the day that's exactly what a comic book superhero film should be.

Inside Man (2006)

Nothing special...badly scripted

[5/10 · 30 April 2006]

Why are so many people raving about this one? I just cannot get past the ridiculous basic premise. Mr Chase has committed an awful deed in his past and the ( apparently ) only way of him being incriminated in the future is if he keeps hold of a piece of paper with the evidence on it. So...he keeps it. Come on!! Anyone with half a brain would have burnt it immediately! Bizarrely, some other reviewers in here have also noticed this yet still gone on to give the film top marks ( one person even says this was the best film ever *despite* this terrible plot flaw!! ) Aside from this...who is this guy leading the heist and why does he know so much about Mr Chase's past? If Mr Chase is aware that someone out there knows about his terrible past then surely that's even more reason to destroy the evidence? The whole story is so frustratingly vague, like reading a book with half the pages missing. Aside from this, none of the characters are at all fleshed out and the film totally lacked tension. Which leaves us having to concentrate on the ridiculous plot. Also, the end dragged interminably. I've given it 5 because it *looked* good, some of the performances were top notch and it made me laugh a few times.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Over-rated?

[4/10 · 23 January 2006]

Humour is such a subjective thing. I barely laughed at all during this film yet the vast majority on this site seemed to be rolling on the floor with tears pouring down their eyes from start to finish. So it seems I just have a different taste in humour, I don't know...My favourite comedy movies are Life of Brian, Naked Gun, Top Secret, The Holy Grail, Airplane, Shaun of the Dead, Some Like it Hot, Dr Strangelove...do I differ so radically from other's tastes? Anyway, taking the humour aside ( which is difficult, as it's a comedy film...hence my low score! ) it's hard to fault the performances or production. The film looks wonderful, the acting is superb throughout and it's obviously been done with a lot of heart and effort. But the corny, staged jokes and slapstick humour barely raised a giggle from me so it has to go down as a failure in my eyes.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Somewhat Dull

[2/10 · 6 January 2005]

As far as I'm aware this film portrays the last hours of Christ as written in the Bible accurately, but as a cinematic experience it is rather a dull affair. The scenes of torture and in particular Christ carrying the cross go on so long that you become totally numb to it all. Initially the violence seems quite graphic but after watching 20 minutes of someone stumbling through the desert and falling over you just become bored of it all, losing any sympathy for the character you may have built up. In truth that sympathy is hard to come by anyway as none of the character's are given any sort of introduction or depth, it 's purely our mythological/historical knowledge of them that's supposed to carry the characterisation's. Outside of committed Christians or sado-masochists I can't see who this film would appeal to - personally I'll stick with Life of Brian.

Undead (2003)

A let down

[3/10 · 13 January 2004]

I'd been looking forward to this for ages, but sadly it was a big let down. On the bright side it looked fabulous for a small budget movie with some great gore effects. Also, if you have a penchant for black humour there are a couple of laugh out loud moments. But the film itself is a massive bore populated by truly unlikeable characters. Zero characterisation, you don't give a fig for what happens to any of them. Indeed, some of them are so irritating you're hoping they hurry up and die to get them out of the way. The story was a mess with a jumbled ending that doesn't make much sense. I give it a 3/10, mainly for the effects.