REVIEW: The Fifth Element – in 250 Words

Quirky and bizarre, ‘The Fifth Element’ could now be regarded as a cult-classic, although upon its release it polarized critics with some lauding it, but with others coming down fiercely. What’s it like then?

Gary Oldman

In the 23^rd Century, every 5,000 years a Great Evil appears and the only weapon that can defeat it consists of four stones and the fifth element. The Great Evil takes the shape of a black ball of fire capable of destroying all in its path. As it makes its way to Earth, we follow the heroes attempt to destroy it.

With a terrific cast consisting of Bruce Willis (Die Hard), Gary Oldman (Leon), Ian Holm (Alien) et al; it has the potential to be brilliant and to be fair, the mentioned three do a terrific job in their roles however, the film is let down by its failure to make up its mind of what it wants to be. At times you have to wonder if it’s a comedy, a sci-fi or just something else as it combines so many elements of different genres it ends up being a bit of a mess. In addition, Chris Tucker’s inexplicable performance is highly painful to watch and is a major cause of the film’s downfall.

At over 2 hours long, it’s a bit too much to take in but it is does have moments of brilliance but some atrocious ones too. You’ll either love it or loathe it – this reviewer is still undecided.

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REVIEW: The Cabin In The Woods – in 250 Words

Josh Whedon (Avengers Assemble) brings us ‘The Cabin in the Woods’, which has been praised for its originality and cleverness, making it a worthy entry into the tired genre of horror. Does it live up to the hype?

(from left) Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly

It follows five college students, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz and Jesse Wiliams, who decide to go away together and visit a quiet cabin in the woods; there’s no need to inform you of what happens next… What we’re informed of at the start is that they’re being watched and their fate is being controlled, but throughout you’re left guessing why. One thing that is for sure is that you will not have seen another film like this.

There is cliché after cliché with it actually intending to be a satirical comedy-horror film, which it has to be said, it successfully achieves as Whedon is, in a way, insulting the whole horror genre. Although it is enjoyable and with a great twist, there’s not really much else to shout about. The performances are good and there’s a great cameo in it, and although it was gripping, a second watch is unlikely to have the same effect.

There’s not a lot more that can be said without giving too much away however it’s definitely worth a watch, and probably everything you would expect. Whedon doesn’t quite ‘turn the genre on its head’ as some have said, but he adds something new to an exhausted genre. It’s worth a watch.

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REVIEW: Lawless – in 250 Words

Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce in a crime-drama, it all sounds very promising doesn’t it? Unfortunately, whilst this film is still watchable, it suffers from pacing issues, massive lack of character development and a villain who is so over the top it’s laughable.

(From left) – Jason Clarke, Shia LaBeouf & Tom Hardy

Set in Franklin Country, Virginia in 1931, it follows Hardy, Jason Clarke and Shia LaBeouf who are all brothers and run a moonshine business. Pearce comes in as the new Deputy (Charley Rakes) who is so unintentionally hilarious as a villain. He’s so over the top it’s laughable and a big shame because Pearce is usually a terrific actor.

Whilst the film is based on the book and a true story OK, it was still hard to really root for the brothers (or anyone) throughout the film as their decisions are rash and unexplained and on top of that, their performances weak. Hardy is usually great but just mumbles and grunts throughout, Shia LaBeouf still can’t act and tries so hard to convince us he can it’s quite cringe worthy and Jason Clarke is forgetful. Some scenes are enjoyable admittedly, and watching it was intriguing, although this was more out of hope that something would actually happen.

The end feels very rushed and the final scene is absolutely ludicrous when you consider what has preceded it for 100 minutes. Gary Oldman is also in this film, for about two scenes and so is massively underused – a big disappointment as again, he’s always fantastic.

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