Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Movie Review

Director: Thor Freudenthal

UK Release Date: 7th August 2013

Running Time: 106 minutes

Starring: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Douglas Smith, Levin Rambin, Brandon T. Jackson,  Stanley Tucci

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" follows directly on from the first film in the Percy Jackson film franchise, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010). Directed by Thor Freudenthal the film is based on Rick Riordan's book of the same name. Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario reprise the roles they portrayed in the first film while some characters are portrayed by different actors which is often strange for a film series like this.

The safe place where Percy (Lerman) and his fellow friends, Grover (Jackson) and Annabeth (Daddrio) live, falls under attack but with the help of others, they must go on a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Sea of Monsters to save everything they know.  With enemies to contend with and a prophecy predicting the rise of an ancient evil Percy has to believe, fight and trust in people he would not normally to have any chance of saving Olympus and the world.

The movie is certainly action packed while remaining fun at the same time.  It is easy to watch, quick paced and benefits from the storyline consisting of mythical Gods that are always interesting for an audience to engage with.  Although it is aimed at a younger audience, it is a film that can be enjoyed by adults as well although is not one that should be taken seriously.  A lot of the graphics are very disappointing and downgrade the film's look and feel.  This was something that was very frustrating to see as for a film that is so mythical, it is important for mythical creatures to be shown on the screen in an exciting and engaging manner.  

Except from being quite entertaining "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" does not offer much else.  The plot is basic and can be followed with ease. It is not the worse sequel to a film you will ever see but it is way out of the leagues of the big hitters like films from The Hunger Games and Twilight film franchises. It is fresh to see a cast that is primarily young and this does work in the films favour in terms of keeping it entertaining and action packed while remaining light-hearted. 

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" is an okay film at best. It is limited due to its straightforward storyline and young cast yet this helps shape the film into what it is. It will be interesting to see if a third film is made, as it is set up nicely at the end but it would be good to see the film taken in a alternative direction or to try something different.  It is an enjoyable film which requires little effort to watch but is by no means a big hitter.

M+F Rating: 6/10

Reviewed by M+F Reviews.

Midnight in Paris Movie Review: Elegant and Sweet

Director: Woody Allen

UK Release Date: 7th October 2011

Running Time: 94 minutes

Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, Tom Hiddleston, Marrion Coltillard

We had not heard much about "Midnight in Paris" but decided to watch it anyway and we are certainly glad we did.  A lovely film that is simple, elegant and a pleasure to watch. Owen Wilson stars as the main character Gil, who is trying his hand at writing while in Paris.  Struggling with his novel, he uses Paris as inspiration and mysteriously finds himself going back to 1920's Paris at midnight every day.  While doing this, Gil meets characters such as F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo).

We really enjoyed watching this film as it is not too intense.  Yes, there is obviously some sort of time travel involved but it is portrayed within the magic which is Paris.  We are never concerned with or question how Gil can go back in time, we just accept it.  It really is a nice story and Wilson is perfect for the role considering his own, soft and gentle way of acting. 

The storyline was good and we liked how it linked into real life characters like Hemingway and Fitzgerald.  The film is ultimately a rom-com yet it features less on this aspect compared to other films.  Rachel McAdams plays Gil's fiance and gives a good performance in a role that sees similarities between her character in "Mean Girls" (2004).  This is not your typical rom-com film which is pleasant as it gives the film a sense of seriousness and credibility.  

"Midnight in Paris" is a wonderful film and can be enjoyed by many. Written and directed by Woody Allen it is a great film that highlights the beauty of Paris and is complimented by good characters who are played by respected actors giving the film a different sort of depth that the storyline does not have.  This portrays onto the screen very well as you feel like the film is deep emotionally and it lets you relate to the main character while not requiring a huge amount of thought or thinking to understand what is going on.  It truly is an innocent film that is very satisfying to watch.

M+F Rating: 7/10

Reviewed by M+F Reviews.

The Wolverine Review: Mutant's Should Stick Together

 

 

Director: James Mangold

 

UK Release Date: 25th July 2013

 

Running Time: 126 minutes

 

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Tao Okamoto

 

First of all, it is important to note for this film to make any real sense it would be worth watching the X-Men films (yes, we do recommend all of them - come on, we do love films!). However if you are not keen on watching all of them, you should at least view X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) as this film picks up where it left off. 

 

Hugh Jackman returns as our favourite angry motorbike rider, Logan in this action packed movie.  In case you need another introduction for who Jackman plays, here is one of our favourite quotes of the film:

 

"What kind of monster are you...?

The Wolverine!!" 



That's right Logan is The Wolverine and faces a nemesis in the form of Viper, a skin shredding, venom spitting, snake like female mutant.  But that's not all - he is also up against a very large adamantium (for those who are not X-men fans, adamantium is the metal that Wolverine's claws and skeleton are made out of) built robot, manned by none other than the character he saves at the start of the film.  In true X-men and Wolverine style the film features lots of action, and in this case it happens to take the form of martial arts fighting.  This is down to where the majority of the story takes place - in Japan. 

 

If you are a Jackman fan then you will certainly want to watch this film.  The actor is pumped up for the majority of the film and this is a testament to how hard he would have had to work to get in to shape for this film. What is disappointing is that the rest of the cast and storyline fail to live up to the standards we should expect from a Marvel X-men related film.  Having said that, the film did rate better in a critical sense compared to its predecessor X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).  For a film of this billing it was disappointing not to see any other large named actors on the screen. This is not to take away from the rest of the cast - it just felt like the film lacked the usual punch compared to other X-Men films. 

 

 

 

The storyline was somewhat disappointing for us at M+F Reviews but we do think it could have been a hell of a lot worse.  If it was not for Jackman or the typical comic one-liners that often creep into films of similar genre (or other Marvel films) this film would have been a huge let down.  It was quite easy to predict what was going to happen throughout with no real effort and you could quite easily have watched this film without paying too much attention to detail.

 

We did have very high hopes for The Wolverine and maybe that's why we feel it was not as good because we expected too much - something that any film fanatic would have experienced sometime or another.  The film was not all bad though and had good action scenes and a few graphical scenes that we liked and you should look out for:

• Wolverine cutting into his own chest with his claws.
• Viper shredding her skin and hair.
• Wolverine being brought down by countless (no exaggeration) arrows.

We really enjoyed these scenes and felt they gave the film a bit more kick - which it did generally lack with The Wolverine being the only big name mutant on the screen.  It would have been great to see The Wolverine along side other well known mutants and exploring there relationships - something that could have been done while still diving into the troubled life and mind of the Wolverine himself. We do understand this is a Wolverine spin off and not a full X-Men film but one or two extra mutants would not have gone a miss.

 

The Wolverine is a film that you should watch as part of the X-Men film series but it is not one of the better movies.  However, it can still be enjoyed especially if you like martial arts and lots of action.  Jackman shows his raw strength as an actor (and his physical fitness) by holding this movie together. With news of a third film in the X-Men: Wolverine franchise it will certainly be interesting to see what direction they take it in and whether they add any other big name mutants to the cast (our recommendation). Do watch The Wolverine if you have not already and make up your own mind up it is still an enjoyable and easy film to watch.

 

M+F Rating: 5/10 

 

 

 

Reviewed by M+F Reviews.