Jurassic Park 3

Cast: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Trevor Morgan, Alessandro Nivola, Laura Dern and Michael Jeter.

Director: Joe Johnston

Release Date: 2001

Genre: Action/Adventure Sci Fi

Running Time: 1hr 32 minutes

Format: Blu-Ray

Rating: 12

Synopsis: 

A decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr Alan Grant to go to Isla Sorna, resulting in an unexpected landing. and unexpected new inhabitants on the Island.

Unlike the other two films, the third installment was not based on a book. Joe Johnston takes us through the next chapter in the ever so popular franchise. Paul Kirby (Macy) and his wife Amanda, convince Dr. Alan Grant to fly over Isla Sorna with them to be their guide, however there's a slight twist, their son Eric has gone missing, on the Island. Dr. Grant convinces paleontologist Billy to join him on the ride. Dr Grant however isn't aware that they want to land on the Island. Bad idea right? Very. Although Sam Neill didn't make an appearance in "The Lost World", we've gathered that perhaps a few years have passed since the events in that movie took place. Ellie is now married with children, Dr Grant finds himself at University's still discussing the events of Jurassic Park.

Sam Neil's performance is very good, sadly though he's the strongest out of all the actors. It's lovely to see how his character has progressed from a paleontologist on a dig site, to a best selling author, who's now known all around the world. Amanda (Tea Leoni) and Paul (Macy), just want to find their young son Eric, however they are rather ignorant in not understanding quite how dangerous Isla Sorna is. Tea' Leoni's performance unfortunately isn't one of her best, although it isn't awful, she does appear to be overacting in some scenes, sadly making them look cheesier then what they are. For a couple who are divorced there is quite a lot of chemistry between Amanda and Paul, was that intentional? Eric mentions at one point that his parents don't get on with one another. Could have fooled me. Trevor Morgan who plays Eric, delivers a good performance, I love the friendships that he builds with Dr Grant as the film progresses.

The storyline itself isn't too bad, essentially it follows on from "The Lost World" although it is not made clear what happened to the island between then and now. In the novel of "The Lost World" it is understood that people were aloud to visit the island, however is it not made clear at the end of the film that no one should return to the Island? How is it that Eric ended up even remotely close to Isla Sorna? Perhaps we are introduced to the action far too soon? The majority of the movie involves the characters just trying to get off the island, landing themselves in more and more trouble the more they continue.

Onto the positives. The use of animtronix are absolutely fantastic, there isn't a single scene in the film where you wouldn't be convinced the dinosaurs were real. They look fantastically realistic. Very well shot there are fantastic close ups of the actors and the dinosaurs together look excellent on screen. The cinematography sadly isn't at it's best, the production design being the most impressive out of the two. Mainly shot in Hawaii, the scenery is gorgeous, I love the use of production design to bring the two together perfectly. Sadly the same cannot be said about the Blu-Ray, unfortunately just like "The Lost World" the Blu-Ray quality is terrible. There is an awful lot of grain. This too was in the same box set as the first film. The first of which looked amazing on Blu-Ray. Were they lazy when it came to the last two movies? It's a shame the movie didn't look it's best.

2/5 stars out of 5

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Juliane Moore, Richard Attenborough, Vince Vaughn and Vanessa Lee Chester.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1997

Genre: Adventure Sc Fi

Running Time: 2hrs 9 minutes

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

A research team is sent to Jurassic Park site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Based on the popular novel of the same name. Four years have passed since the horrifying occurrences that took place in the first film. This time John Hammond is persuading Ian Malcolm (Goldbloom) to attend another island, Isla Sorna. Isla Sorna originally bread dinosaurs before bringing them over to Isla Nuba, Jurassic Park. John Hammond however still wants his dinosaurs to be seen in good light before they are exploited. Steven Spielberg makes a comeback once again with this sequel. Jeff Goldblum returns as mathematician Ian Malcolm, we find that  on returning back to America those who survived the tragic events of "Jurassic Park" were not believed. Malcolm being one of them. Once Malcolm finds his paleontologist girlfriend Sarah is on the island alone, and that his daughter is along for the ride, he decides he must go! Nick Van Owen (Vaughn) also joins them on the island as a field photographer. In all honesty this isn't one of Steven Spielberg's best movies.

Ian Malcolm's character is very toned down in comparison to the first, more down to earth. His daughter and his girlfriend are his priority, which makes for a pretty overwhelming experience on Isla Sorna. Ian, Sarah, Nick and Eddie must do everything they can to prevent the dinosaurs returning to America to be exposed. Can you imagine if dinosaurs still existed? We're at the bottom of the food chain, why would you introduce humans to them? A dinosaur zoo? Probably not the best of ideas? Julianne Moore delivers a good performance as Malcolm's love interest. Somewhat of a free spirit, her relationship with Ian is quite genuine. Again though, not one of her best performances. The characters don't really give a lot away! Although the storyline is entertaining, it's nowhere near as action packed as the first film. Has anyone else noticed an "Indiana Jones" reference half way through the movie? I believe there are a couple of them. Just like the first, it has it's bloodthirsty moments. The problem for me personally, was that they spent far too long on the island, scenes just dragged and dragged. A little bit of action, but not much. I won't lie, watching a dinosaur go through San Diego is pretty cool! It's a little bit like watching a scene from Godzilla.

Visually, it's not fantastic, however the cinematography for its' time was incredibly impressive. The use of animatronix is amazing. Just like "Jurassic Park" the dinosaurs look remarkably real. The special effects team deserve a lot of praise. Isla Sorna is a very impressive looking set, it certainly looks very genuine and real. The second installment to "Jurassic Park" certainly isn't a triumphant however it's not the worse film ever made either. I honestly don't think it has the same wonderful quality that the first film had. The pace is rather slow at times, which is a shame because the storyline really is on point! The most disappointing factor is the awful Blu-Ray transfer. After buying all three movies in a Blu-Ray box set I'm sorry to say the only impressive looking movie is the first film. There's an awful lot of grain which is a shame. It had the potential to look really good! John Williams returns once again, however I don't think his score has the same feel as the first film did. Sequels don't always work.

3/5 stars

Jurassic Park

Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1993

Genre: Adventure/Sci Fi

Running Time: 2hrs 7 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis: 

Advancements in scientific technology have aloud John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to create an island full of living dinosaurs. John has invited four people and his two grandchildren to join him at Jurassic Park for a preview. Will everything go to plan though? Dinosaurs vs. 20th century!

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Michael Critcheon. Director Steven Spielberg delivers one of the most breathtaking and fascinating films of the early nineteen nighties. Not only has Spielberg managed to pull off a spectacular looking film, he's also, unlike most film directors managed to stick closely to the original novel in terms of the thrilling storyline. So, for those who are not familiar. Billionaire Philanthropist John Hammond (Attenborough) has developed an amusement Park on Isla Nuba called Jurassic Park. An island full of living dinosaurs that have been cloned from prehistoric DNA. Jurassic Park, is the first of its kind. Excited about the journey he's about to embark on, he invites palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant (Neil) and Palaeontologist Dr Ellie Sattler (Dern) along for the ride to tour and hopefully endorse the park. Mathematician Dr Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), Hammond's lawyer Donald Genaro (Ferraro) and Hammond two young grandchildren are also brought in tour the park. Little do they know though that Jurassic Park's computer expert Dennis Nedry has disabled the park's security system in order to steal embryos, enabling the prehistoric creatures to escape their electrified enclosures.

The late Richard Attenborough delivers one of his most iconic performances as Jurassic Park creator John Hammond. Beautifully soft spoken and sweet natured, Attenborough fills the role excellently. They always say you should never work with children or animals in movies, however in this case Ariana Richards should really be praised for her terrific performance as Lex. It's a shame, despite their experience that some of the more professional adult performers deliver worst performances. Jeff Goldblum delivers a more humorous performance as cocky mathematician Ian Malcolm, although it's good, he delivers most of his lines in a sarcastic tone. Is it never quite understood what significance his character really has to the story, other then potentially helping Hammond with his financial income. Sam Neill stars as Paleontologist Dr Alan Grant, convinced that if he endorses Jurassic Park, his dig on Montana will be funded for a further three years, Grant soon finds himself in way over his head. Neill delivers a tremendous performance, beautifully enthusiastic, he shows a real love for dinosaurs. Samuel L. Jackson is an actor that normally finds himself under the radar with "Jurassic Park" due to his small role as computer wizard Arnold. Despite his small role, Jackson delivers a very good performance and brings terrific humour to the storyline.

Unlike most directors who get it wrong every single time. Steven Spielberg had author Michael Crichton write the screenplay and have serious input in terms of how the film looked and felt. This not only ensured that the film looked magnificent, but that Spielberg really captured and got deep understanding for how Crichton envisioned everything to look. Although a few changes were made to keep a "12" rating, the majority of the film is very true to the original novel. The beauty of "Jurassic Park" is that not only does it entertain, it also educates it's audiences too. I think there is something deeply fascinating about palaeontology. Despite there being plenty of fossils left by these magnificent creatures, there is still so much that we don't know. The film is beautifully shot and truly spectacular for the time in which it was made. Spielberg broke the novel down into storyboards. Mechanical creatures were made to determine the look of the dinosaurs. Terfficialy shot through the use of stop motion animation, animatronics and stunning CGI.

Award winning composer John Williams, produced the stunning score for the film. The theme has become somewhat iconic over the years, it's crazy to believe it was produced almost twenty-five years ago. Williams has not only composed one of the most iconic scores and theme to date, but created a score that allows audiences to feel emotion and intense thrills religiously throughout the film. You will never find another movie quite as good as this one!

5/5 stars

Ex Machina

Cast: Domhall Gleeson, Corey Johnson, Oscar Issac, Alicia Vikander and Sonoya Mizuno

Director: Alex Garland

Release Date: 2015

Running Time: 1hr 48 minutes

Genre: Mystery/Sci fi

Rating: 15

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis: 

Caleb is a programmer for the world's biggest internet company, he wins a competition to spend a week in a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan the CEO of the company. Caleb is asked to participate in a top secret experiment with Nathan, he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence.

Ex Machina = From the machine

Alex Garland hit author of the adventure novel "The Beach" directs this wonderful Sci Fi thriller. Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) is a programmer for the biggest internet company in the world when he wins a competition to spend a week in a private mountain retreat owned by CEO Nathan. Whilst Caleb is there he's asked to participate in a top secret experiment with Nathan, his task? To interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence. If all of Garland's movies are as good as this one, I'm really looking forward to the next! Domhall Gleeson is someone you may recognize more from "Harry Potter" as one of the Weasley brothers. He's not the most talented actor in the world, however his performance is still very very good. Ex Machina is a movie you have to be extremely patient with, it's set in one place and at any given moment shows potentially only one actor on screen. It does however add to the mystery of the story beautifully.

What I love most about this movie is the fact that the characters are very mysterious. As a member of the audience you are given next to no information on Caleb, apart from the fact that he's a programmer for a huge company. You aren't told anything about Nathan, all you know is he owns the company and owns a massive piece of land, where he's been working on something very secretive. Alicia Vikander is absolutely fabulous, if you thought Arnold Schwarzenegger's performance portraying a cyborg in "Terminator" was good, wait till you see her performance in this, with the incredible use of special effects and cinematography, it's hard to believe Vikander is anything but a robot. Garland wants you to ask a lot of questions when watching this movie and even at the end he doesn't want you to have them answered.

Ex Machina is a gorgeous looking movie. Despite it being set in the middle of nowhere, cinematographer Rob Hardy has truly captured the beauty of Norway. The mansion that you see in the film is actually a hotel in Norway called the Juvet Landscape hotel. The production department were absolutely spot on when choosing a location for their movie, or a building to show Ava in, because it adds to the storyline beautifully. It's mysterious and secluded, it's hard to believe the place even exists, it's truly futuristic and considering the movie is to do with artificial intelligence it works wonderfully with the storyline. The lighting in this film really adds to the setting and the tone of the film, mysterious and dark, only showing light when truly needed in certain scenes it really adds so much mystery to the film, which is excellent.

Ben Salisbury has created one of the most beautiful scores for 2014, just like the set design, the soundtrack is also very mysterious and works with the storyline and actors perfectly. The music that is presented on screen when we're introduced to Ava is absolutely beautiful, how would you react if you were suddenly introduced to artificial intelligence? Director Alex Garland has really thought about everything aspect when it comes to this movie, the music works beautifully with the actors, the set design, the production design, you can practically hear the score telling a story on it's own. It's touching and beautiful just like the storyline. Don't be put off by the trailers, Ex Machina can easily look like a boring movie to naked eye, this is easily one of the most stunning looking Sci Films to date. Alex Garland has truly surprised his audiences with his skills, not only a gifted author but a very talented director too. Absolutely stunning, an absolute must have for any Sci Fi nut. The ending will truly make your jaw drop and make you question everything! Absolutely perfect.

Blu-Ray Special Features:

The Story: 

Alex Garland and the actors talk about the storyline. A very short featurette.

The Cast: 

A short featurette of the actors chatting about their characters.

The Design:

A look at the production design and location for Ex Machina with Director Alex Garland

Creating Ava: 

A look at creating, robot Ava.

The special features aren't that great sadly, the featurettes are only a couple of minutes long which is a shame.

5/5 stars

The Terminator

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Earl Boen and Paul Winfield

Director: James Cameron

Release Date: 1984

Running Time: 1hr 47 minutes

Genre: Sci Fi

Format: DVD

Synopsis: 

A seemingly indestructible humanoid cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assistante a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs. 

A baleful cyborg is sent from the future on a deadly mission to kill Sarah Connor (Hamilton), his mission is to prevent her from giving birth to her son John Connor who will end up becoming head of the resistance in the year 2029. Soldier Kyle Reese (Beihn) is also sent from the 2029,  his mission, to protect Sarah from the deadly cybernetic organism. Reese must see that Sarah survives! Director James Cameron delivers one of the most terrifying films of the early eighties. The hair-raising story about machines that rise from the ashes of a nuclear war will chill you to your very bones. Fantastically written, it's no surprise that Cameron's Sci Fi thriller is still a hit with audiences today.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the spine-chilling cyborg Terminator. Schwarzenegger is remarkably robotic in movement and in characterisation. Emotionless, his performance is wonderfully convincing. The Terminator's only mission is to hunt down and kill Sarah Connor, nothing or noone will stop him in his path. Linda Hamilton stars as Sarah Connor, a young waitress who has no idea what her future has in store for her. Reese must be the one to travel through time to tell her who she goes onto be. A soldier. Hamilton and Beihn certainly share chemistry on screen with one another, making their friendship convincing. Beihn is terrific as soldier Kyle Reese, equally as determined (as is the terminator to kill her) to save Sarah Connor so she can one day give birth to her son John.

Cameron directed and wrote the picture, leaving plenty of room for surprises. The idea to not allow the storyline to go back and forth between past and future allows audiences to really understand the premise of the story, something unfortunately that went terribly wrong in"Terminator Genisys", in confusing audiences too early on in the film. The story holds a fantastic balance of suspense, humour and drama. Creative in art and design, the story of "Terminator" will never be recreated in the same fashion, with outstanding special effects and a trembling score that explains the story scene by scene, this really is one of the best sci fi films to ever be created. Director James Cameron will be the only person to bring us the next chapter in the story.

5/5 stars

Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Samuel L Jackson, Rupert Everett and Judi Dench

Director: Tim Burton

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 2hrs 6min

Rating: 12

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis: 

When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that stretches across time, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, however the danger deepens after he gets to know the residents and learns about their powers. 

Based on the novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs. Distinguished director Tim Burton, brings the enchanted story to life! My original intention was to read the novel before the film came out. I however, thought I'd take a risk and watch the film first. If I am honest, I'm glad I did, although the novel is excellent, Tim Burton really brought colour and emotion to the film. In terms of book adaptations, Burton has done a magnificent job in keeping to the original storyline. Personally for me, this is what really made the film work. There's nothing worse than reading a terrific novel and finding a director has completely ruined it making a film adaptation that doesn't stay true to the book. Hopefully, this will be the first in a trilogy. Jacob (Butterfield) has always known that he's been different, however when he learns of a children's home in Wales is actually real, he embarks on a journey to find his grandfather's friends in the hope they can help. The people that he finds though are a little bit peculiar.

Asa Butterfield stars as Jake, a young lad that is convinced his grandfather was killed by a monstrous creature, that only he can see. Butterfield delivers a good performance, however his American accent is pretty poor. Although this is true to the book in which Jake is American, I think it would have been a good idea to have an American play the part, rather than a British actor play Jake. His American accent feels forced, rather than natural. Butterfield sadly doesn't deliver a tremendous amount of characterisation to his role. Eva Green really is the one who steals the show as Miss Peregrine, although far more different then how she is originally described in the book, there is something wonderfully elegant about how the way Green delivers her performance. Sexy and charming, Green is perfect as Miss Peregrine.

Introducing Emma, Enoch, Olive, Horace, Fiona, Hugh, Claire, Bronwyn, Twin 1#, Twin 2#, Millard and Victor. Each peculiar child has a different gift. The children are all magnificent, there were a few differences in terms of the characters in the novel, but nothing that really stands out. I really love that we are shown each of their individual gifts throughout the film. It's almost as if Ransom Riggs wrote the novel for Tim Burton. The storyline alone is so full of imagination and creativity. Samuel L.Jackson stars as bad guy Barron, if I remember correctly he is never mentioned properly in the novel. For those who read the novel first, they made find some scenes a little bit confusing, as the creatures are never really spoken about in detail. In the film they are shown in all their glory, naturally for entertainment purposes. I was taken back when I learned how there is little to no information about them in the book. Tim Burton did a good job in describing the monstrous creatures.

Visually, the film is absolutely spectacular. After Jake enters through the loop to WW2, he enters into a world of euphoric colour and enchanting imagination. The special effects really are magnificent. Each and everyone of us has a different imagination, the beauty of film is that it can capture our imagination on screen. Author Ransom Riggs describes elements of the story beautifully, but Tim Burton really brings them to life, through stunning visuals! It's like being in a dream. Colourful, exciting, thrilling and full of entertainment. Composers Mike Higham and Matthew Margeson deliver a stunning score that speaks volumes about the story and the characters. Dark and enchanting, the score works beautifully alongside the magnificent visual effects. I particularly love the use of contemporary music during the closing credits with Florence and the Machine's fantastic "Wish you were here", it really lets the audience travel on this incredible journey with Jake and Emma. Tim Burton has once again proved he is a five star director, I really look forward to seeing the next two films in the series.

4/5 stars

Richie Rich

Cast: Macaulay Culkin, John Larroquette, Edward Herrmann, Christine Ebersole, Jonathon Hyde,
Michael McShane and Celcie Ross.

Director: Donald Petrie

Release Date: 1994

Running Time: 1hr 35

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis: 

Richie Rich (Macaulay Culkin) is the richest kid in the world, he has everything he wants, except companionship. While representing his father at a factory reopening, Richie see's a bunch of kids playing baseball, he wants to join in, unfortunately to them, he's just a spoilt rich kid. When Rich industries top executive Laurence Van Dough plots to kill the Rich family, Richie must take control of the family company with a help of a few new friends and save his parents.

Richie Rich (Culkin) is the richest kid in the world. Son of the richest man in the world Richard Rich (Edward Hermann), Richie has everything, except what he truly wants, friendship. Material possessions don't buy you happiness. His mother and father are always busy, attending business trips, phone calls with the President, they barely have any time for him. The Rich family are invited to London to see the Queen, however a bomb has been planted on their plane. Bad guy Lawrence Van-Dough wants the Rich fortune for himself. However there's a slight problem, Richie didn't get on the plane. After making some friends during a game of baseball, Richie must help and prove that his parents are alive.

The storyline sounds more aggressive then what it actually is. It's very lighthearted, not an ounce of violence. The device is initially mistaken for chocolates. Of course the movie wouldn't be good without a little bit of fun. In the midst of rescuing his parents, Richie introduces his friends to his dad's company and his mansion of fun. Roller-coasters, sling-shots, quad-bikes and Professor Keenbean. Starring "Home Alone's" finest Macaulay Culkin, as Richie, Culkin delivers a highly entertaining performance. Charismatic and smart. Culkin brings a lot of fun to his role as Richie. Johnathan Hyde is excellent as Richie's butler Herbert Cadbury. Posh and straight to the point, Hyde delivers a very good performance.

Michael McShane steals the show as Professor Keenbean. Hilariously funny, always finding himself in trouble. Every great family film comes with a bad guy, Lawrence Van-Dough, plays the notorious enemy to Richard Rich. Selfishly wanting the fortune for himself. Richie and his friends must prove to Cadbury that Lawrence is behind his parents plane crash. The friendship between Cadbury and Richie is excellent, it's authentic, genuine and warm. The production design is magnificent. If you were the richest kid in the world, what would you have? Richie has his own roller-caster, McDonalds, Jet Ski's and human sling-shot. The production designers really got creative when it came to making props for the film. Richie Rich's initials are on everything, it adds nicely to the storyline and to the tone of the film.

Award winning composer Alan Silverstri delivers a smashing soundtrack, that works fantastically with the storyline and the characters. It's bouncy, fun and lighthearted. Richie Rich is a family fun film. It's very tongue-in-cheek, very silly, easy going. Perfect for the whole family to sit down and watch.

5/5 stars