The Lego Movie

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I

I love Lego- I feel no need to lie about it. There is nothing in the world more satisfying than slowly watching lots of little bits coming together to create one big model. That being said, just because I like building Lego (like David Beckham, Guy Martin and Richard Hammond, jusayin) doesn't mean I'll like a film made out of the stuff. You don't get a sense of humour or storytelling when you're building a Lego bike say- it's something the film-makers needed to create for this film. Fortunately they have created something that really works and turns the Lego Movie from being a 90 minute toy advert to a legitimately funny, heartfelt film.

The film starts by introducing us to the Lego world through construction worker Emmet, your average mini-figure that you wouldn't look twice at in the Tesco toy aisle. It follows his journey as he discovers he's a master builder and if it sounds like its a bit kiddy it's because the story is. Without spoiling it though- there is something much deeper going on in the Lego Movie that turns it from being just a goofy kids film to something much more clever. You'll have to watch it to find it what I mean.

The humour is also hilarious and as much as some of the jokes fall flat a lot of The Lego Movie is laugh out loud funny. The first half hour in particular when the world being made out of Lego is still a novelty is particularly great. The way the Lego horses walk, things exploding in plastic fire and stop-motion brick mushroom clouds and the general naivety of Emmet all warrant a laugh. That's not to mention all the hilarious licensed character interactions. Batman is a bit of douche, The Green Lantern is seen as the little brother no one wants to hang out with and Dumbledore and Gandalf quarrel with each other. It's like something you'd do with your Lego toys as a child.

There's big names lending their voices here as well and I doubt they would have gotten involved if they thought the Lego Movie wasn't going to be a success. You hear the voices of Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell and Liam Neeson but to be honest they don't really have to be there. It sounds stupid to complain about big actors starring in films but in the cases of some characters in the Lego movie I just found it a little distracting. The Lego cop in the film isn't a Lego cop, it's just Lego Liam Neeson.

The film also loses steam once your mind adjusts to the Lego world. It's incredible what's been made, even with the CGI input, but once you're used to it the Lego based humour doesn't hit you the same. The action and fight scenes are also a bit rubbish near the end which wouldn't be a problem if there just a few of them but unfortunately there are. I also lost interest in the story entirely half way through and looking back it was is if the film makers were just filling run-time before that ending.

THAT ending though really saves the film however and leaves you with a movie with a strong hilarious start, weak-ish middle and heartfelt clever ending. Everything is awesome? Not quite, but it definitely silences all the voices that said 'they're making a Lego Movie, that'll be crap' a year ago. Not perfect but an impressive result for a film based around little plastic bricks.

7/10

Robocop

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INmtQXUXez8

I've not seen the original Robocop but whenever I'm asked if I have it's always said with a big smile on the person's face followed by a description of a ridiculous scene that happened in the film. I think Robocop 2014 knows the reputation the original has of a silly 80s OTT action film and tries to continue the light-heartedness here. Sadly the film makers didn't seem quite sure on how serious to make the new film and the end product ends up feeling a little confused.

Robocop for those unaware is the story of man who is almost killed in an explosion and his brain put into a robot's...body? Well he's given robot parts anyway. The story starts to get surprisingly clever early on as the question is asked could robots ever fully police a city or is a human element required to maintain order. It's an interesting thought and if explored a little further it could be great. It's just a little odd as it contradicts with the film's later silliness.

There's large action scenes with jaunty rock soundtracks, vocals an'all, over the top explosions and quick hub displays that give suspects' statuses as 'totally stoned' and other fun captions. There's also areas of the film where you're not sure if it's a pisstake or trying to be taken seriously. Seeing main character Alex as just a head and lungs looks ridiculous and warrants a laugh but I'm not entirely sure if it was intended to be that way.

No matter what way you look at it, as a legitimate action film or 'kinda parody' its pretty average stuff. The action scenes are fun, fast and loud but nothing spectacular. The most interesting part of the film is the robots replacing humans theme but it kinda gets lost behind the light-heartedness of Robocop himself. The family element is okay but rather bland and I struggled to take it seriously.

Perormance wise all the big actors give solid enough performances but nothing really stands out. Joel Kinnaman puts on a convincing enough robot voice and otherwise plays the standard movie good-guy. Micheal Keaton is in the film but his role isn't the most important. I would have liked to see more of him really as he had potential to be quite interesting. The character I remember most is Samuel L Jackson who plays a patriotic TV presenter and has the time of his life doing so. He could quite easily not be in the film but I'm glad he was.

It's by no means a travesty but it's just a shame that Robocop seems to suffering from an identity crisis. If it had gone all out B-movie spoof I feel we'd have a better film and if it had taken itself a little more seriously I also think the end product would be better. The mix in tone doesn't really work however and it's all a bit forgettable. In it's favour it's at least a little bit of fun.

6/10

Jack Ryan- Shadow Recruit

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9KAnx4EvaE

Not to boast, but my viewing of Jack Ryan was probably better than yours. Whereas all the other films I review are viewed in (the no means bad seats of) Cineworld- Jack Ryan got the premier screen- Dubai treatment. Luckily it wasn't just the ridiculously nice setting that made Jack Ryan a good day out.

Jack Ryan- Shadow Recruit is a big action-ey international spy thriller and feels like a younger brother of Mission Impossible. It's not as epic and flashy in terms of stunts and set-pieces but there's still gunfire and the occasional explosion to keep the adrenaline going.

Chris Pine plays the likable protagonist and as much as he's not the most interesting of characters he does feel very human. This is an origin story and a highlight scene is where Ryan goes through the emotional turmoil of killing a man for the first time. You see the kill has shaken him up a bit and it's what makes Jack Ryan different from say Bond or Ethan Hunt.

This isn't to say that Jack Reacher is by any means a masterpiece however. As much as it's all good fun all the action has been done before and at points feels comically cliched. There are car chases, fights in hotel rooms and to top it off a bomb with a timer that ticks second by second down to zero. As a popcorn film it's excellent. But it's not going to stick with you for days.

In terms of a villain, Kenneth Branagh does a good job of playing the stereotypical Russian baddy, continuing the tradition of action movie cliches. He's pretty menacing but not exactly terrifying. He is just your average comic book bad guy but in this film it's a nice fit.

Jack Ryan is the movie you think of when someone says 'we went out for tea then saw a movie'. It feels familiar, the action all looks nice and exciting and you leave thinking 'yeah that was pretty good, now what will I do next today'. It's a thrill ride but not the one in the theme park with an hour long queue.

7/10