Movie Review: Total Recall (2012)

'What is real and what is Recall?'

It's safe to say that Summer 2012 at the cinema box office has been a real good time, providing us with everything from Superhero reboots to vulgar and offensive cuddly teddy bears. Summer is now drawing to a close and it will soon be time to bring out the gloves and hats from the bottom of my wardrobe. But beforehand Hollywood has decided to conclude the summer with a remake to one of my favourite flicks, attempting to conclude this already stellar summer season on a high note.

Fan's of the original film will be thankful to know that this new iteration most certainly ain't a train-wreck. Scattered throughout the film are some really nice, clever throwbacks and references to the original 90's classic, which will surely put a rye smile on fan's faces. The premise of the story however is mostly the same, those who have seen the original and are somewhat familiar with it will know exactly how the story will play out, whilst those who are newcomers may ultimately be confused and wonder what the hell is going on.

There's no new twists or surprises for fans to look forward to but in the films defence the story does present a few new elements that are rather interesting. The plot no longer centres around Mars, in fact there is no Mars, just Earth and a gravity lift between Britain and Australia known as 'the fall'. Not to spoil much but its a rather original concept (definitely the most original idea in the Movie)  but really could have been fleshed out a bit more to make this flick something really special. 'The Fall' could have presented some real political dilemmas within the films plot, however these are never fully realised or developed, instead 'The Fall' only serves the purpose of playing out the original films plot, which is a real shame.

The environments within the movie look really cool, but borrow rather heavily from the likes of Blade Runner, Minority Report and I'Robot. The people within the universe they have created seem if anything bland and lifeless, gone are the crazy mutants of the first movie (except one), though this could have something to do with the Earth setting, and in general gone are the crazy set pieces and 'WTF' moments of the first film. However its not just the supporting characters that could have done with some development, its the protagonists as well, they just seem so bland and uninteresting to the point that your not really interested in what they are doing or indeed if they succeed in their plans.
 What can't be faulted however is the films action sequences, most of them are pretty well thought out, in particular I enjoyed the first fight between Quaid (Colin Farrell) and his Wife (Kate Beckinsdale) as well as a really good Car chase scene halfway through the movie.

To conclude, its a decent Sci-Fi flick, and worth at least a watch, fans will appreciate the references and the action sequences, but may find the lack of character and story predictability a little harder to swallow. Newcomers on the other hand will likely love this and enjoy every second of it. If anything I hope it helps in attracting some new interest in the original film that I would consider a masterpiece.

I give Total Recall a 6/10

Movie Review: Brave

Pixar attempt to 'change their fate' after the poor critical reception of Cars 2 in their new film Brave!

It's no secret that I'm a big Disney Fan, so much so in fact, even as I write this review I'm sporting my favorite Mickey Mouse T-shirt and Drinking from my Mike Wasowski Mug. Usually I'm eagerly anticipating a Disney Pixar film, though after last summers Critical flop that was Car's 2, I was rather nervous as to whether Pixar was going to drop the ball again. However I put on a 'brave' face and prepared myself for the worst, what I got however thankfully was a very enjoyable Family Flick.

Like most critics and reviewers have said, where the film really shines is in its first half. Essentially the first half of the film is completely character driven, I found myself getting really emotionally attached to some of the characters and their motives. In particular I could relate to the Mother and Daughter relationship of Protagonist, Merida (Kelly Macdonald) and Elinor (Emma Thompson) and some of the scenarios that were presented with these characters early on in the movie.

Whilst the first act of the movie has a rather serious undertone, it is cleverly balanced with some comedic relief that is reminiscent of some of the humor presented in Classic Disney Movies from the early 90's. Mainly thanks to the outrageously funny Billy Connolly, who plays Merida's Father, Fergus, and also thanks to Merida's Brothers, the triplets. I genuinely got more laughs in this Movie in its first 10 minutes, than I did for the Entire run-time of last years Cars 2. So major props to Pixar for getting that right.

Having said that, the film is not without its flaws, after such a strong opening half to the film, after a particular major plot point (which i will refrain from spoiling) the Films enjoyment and quality does start to wane a bit.

The overall second half of the film, seems rushed compared to the first half. The character development is kind of thrown out of the window when we are presented with a really bland, really undeveloped Villain, who is given only a little back-story and that's it. Because of this, the second act of the film never presents any real threat or any real form of urgency or issue, every plot point just seems to come together coincidentally and never really presents any closure on some of the events that happened in the opening act as the film draws to it's typical cliche' fairytale conclusion.

That's not to say the second half of the Film is a complete disaster, it still has its highlights and is thankfully saved by the humor and excellent visuals that are consistent throughout the whole film. Visually the film is stunning (as to be expected with Pixar) the Scottish landscapes are really beautiful and highly detailed, and the character design presents the usual Pixar quirks and features that are all so familiar, that everyone loves. Definitely see this one in 3D!

Overall Brave is yet another superb film entry in Pixar's Library, by no means is it their best work, but it most certainly isn't their worst! After Car's 2 (which most would consider a disappointment and Pixar's worst) It's great to see that Pixar hasn't quite lost their touch yet, Kids will love it, and Fans should enjoy it too, but may find it a little harder to overlook some of its more glaring flaws.

I give Brave a 7.5/10