The Aeronauts (2019)

Posted on November 17, 2019November 17, 2019 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The Aeronauts – Film Review

Cast: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Rebecca Front

Director: Tom Harper

Synopsis: Using a only a hot air balloon, a pilot and a meteorologist attempt to go higher than anyone in history, in the pursuit of making groundbreaking discoveries….

Review: Every day, our daily lives can be dictated by this unpredictable phenomenon known as the weather. Though we now have the capabilities to predict the weather, it was not always so. As a species humanity is on a seemingly never expanding quest for scientific knowledge and truth. But, how far does one go to make new scientific discoveries? The answer for two people, is to hop on a hot air balloon and go to unprecedented, exceedingly dangerous heights, higher than anyone in history.

Meteorologist James Glaisher (Redmayne) is convinced that humanity has the capability to predict the weather. The only problem is, none of his peers see this as even remotely possible. Determined to prove his theory, whilst simultaneously making ground-breaking scientific discoveries, he seeks a hot air balloon to go into the heavens and to confirm his theories. However, the person capable of taking him to such heights is Amelia Rennes (Jones), a woman who due to a tragic incident in her past, is initially, a little reluctant to get back into a hot air balloon.

Having proved that they have wonderful chemistry together in The Theory of Everything, it’s a pleasure to see Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne back on screen together. Once again, they make a very effective on screen duo. Redmayne is no stranger to playing a man with a brilliant scientific mind and once again, he does an admirable job portraying a scientist who is driven to make new discoveries. However, his ambition is just not possible without Amelia Rennes. Due to that horrible moment in her past, she very much represents the heart and soul of the film. In that situation, it takes incredible courage to take that step back into a balloon, and thanks to Jones’s fantastic performance, her journey is a critical component of their daring feat.

**Lovely view up here, just don’t look down…**

Visually, as the pair of them make their ascent through the sky to frightening heights, every technical aspect of the film-making soars. From the breathtaking visuals, to the phenomenal cinematography combined with Harper’s meticulous direction, and a superb score from Steven Price. It’s all executed perfectly, and it puts the audience right in the basket of the balloon with these two people direction, going to heights that you could never have even imagined, all while maybe raising the heart-rate especially if you have a fear of heights. However, the tension begins to build as the risk of catastrophe striking rises the higher up into the atmosphere they go.

What frustratingly threatens to burst the balloon of this story is the film’s narrative structure. It chooses to jumps backwards and forwards between their pulsating balloon adventure, and events in the past that led the pair of them to attempt this daring feat. Though the flashbacks are not without moments of intrigue and drama, such as the tragic incident in Amelia’s past. The decision to tell the story in this manner, hampers the the film’s ability to build and maintain the enthralling momentum that their journey generates. Though when it is focused on the balloon’s ascent, descent, and the subsequent fight for survival, is when the film soars the highest.

Like with any film that is based on a true story, certain liberties are taken with the true to life events. The most notable being, that Amelia Wren as a character is fictitious and has been incorporated into this story. While this could be problematic for some viewers, it does not serve as an overwhelmingly troublesome distraction. Principally because, at a time when women were seldom involved in the world of science, to have a strong female who takes charge in such an escapade sends a positive message. Even in today’s society, the sky is the limit and nothing should stop any woman from wanting to pursue a career in science.

Breathtaking visuals and a solid pair of performances from Redmayne, and especially Jones, is when the films soars the highest. However, it’s prevented from reaching the spectacular heights it was aiming for due to its problematic narrative structure.

2010-2019, Film Review

A Monster Calls (2016)

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

A Monster Calls – Film Review

Cast: Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson

Director: J.A. Bayona

Synopsis: A young boy, battling with bullies and his mother’s terminal illness, finds an unlikely companion in a gigantic living tree, who teaches the boy tales about life.

Review: Growing up, no matter who you are, no matter your circumstances, is tough. Of course some may have it easier than others, but all of us as we leave our early years behind us enter a tricky phase in our lives, a period that is not exactly simple to negotiate. Now imagine if you’re in a situation where you’re frequently getting picked on at school, and your life at home is well difficult too, which again is something it is possible many out there have gone through. Yet what if, during these tricky and testing times, you were visited by a giant talking tree monster who came to you when you needed someone to talk to? That’s something certainly no one has ever had to experience, unless you’re the main character in this interesting delve into the fantasy genre, spliced with heartbreaking family drama.

Conor (MacDougall) is the boy in question battling all of these difficult situations in his life. Picked on by bullies, and with his mother (Jones) terminally ill due to cancer, his only solace is the titular “monster” a walking talking tree voiced and mo-capped by Liam Neeson, who in the dead of night, comes to Conor to tell him stories, all the while seeking to make the boy’s life happier. From a screenplay by Patrick Ness who also wrote the novel on which this is based, director J.A. Bayona steers this mesh of fantasy and real life drama and tragedy, into an extremely imaginative tale, that’s visually quite tremendous to watch, and gets some beautiful and emotional performances from its cast.

In what is only his second film role, MacDougall has much of the film riding on his shoulders, and for a young actor he rises to the challenge and does a tremendous job. He really conveys the unimaginable pain that someone in his position would be going through superbly well. Though his performance does wobble in parts, his emotion and rage against his circumstances ensure you feel for his character. Felicity Jones, on the back of Rogue One, gives also a very wounded and powerful performance as Conor’s mother. Though she is battling a terrible illness, she does her best to be positive and upbeat for her son’s benefit, and Jones could just potentially be a dark horse in this awards season race for best supporting actress. Signourney Weaver and Toby Kebbell do shine as Conor’s stern Grandmother and somewhat absentee Father respectively, but its Jones and MacDougall who are the leading lights, and they take home the acting plaudits.

There’s also the not so small matter of Neeson’s Tree Monster, a sort of Groot XL who can say a lot more than “I am Groot.” Through his booming voice and motion capture work, he brings the character to life brilliantly. Neeson has shown in the past he has quite the deep, powerful voice that has lent itself to the deity like figures of Zeus and Aslan, and as a tree like being, his voice and its deep tone is quite effective. It gives the tales that the Monster tells Conor really weight and ensures that they have the impact on the audience that undoubtedly the film makers wanted it to have. The tales themselves are told in a very intriguing manner, and doubt that it is extremely effective, at tugging at the audience heartstrings, and Bayona adapts the story beautifully, so much so that you might find it hard to fight back the tears once the credits begin to roll.

Visually breath-taking, combined with an emotional story that is not afraid to go in some dark and troubling places, that will hit home for anyone who has had a family member battling cancer, or experienced some rough years at school.

2010-2019, Film Review

Rogue One: A Star Wars story (2016)

Posted on December 16, 2016December 19, 2016 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Rogue One: A Star Wars story – Film Review

Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Riz Ahmad, Alan Tudyk, Forest Whittaker

Director: Gareth Edwards

Synopsis: Telling the tale of the brave rebels who upon hearing about the Empire’s construction of a deadly weapon capable of destroying entire planets, set out on a brave mission to find and steal the weapon’s plans.

Review: “There will be no episode 7” the words of one George Lucas back in 2005, and for a long time that looked as though Lucas’s stance would not change. This is of course until Disney came calling to the tune of 4 billion dollars, and last year Episode 7 did arrive courtesy of JJ Abrams and Disney. Of course Disney had no plans to stop at Episode 7, with as well as two films to complete the new trilogy, there would be as of right now, three anthology films to come as well, giving Star Wars fans across the galaxy one new film every year until 2020.

Of course, as Lucas himself found out, making a prequel or three can be a risky endeavour, so the new creative faces behind the resurgence of Star Wars decided to pitch a story that would not touch the existing saga, but one that would sit nicely between say a couple. In the case of Rogue One, it sits between Episodes III and IV, the focus is on a rag-tag group of rebels led by Jyn Erso (Jones) who make a daring move for the plans to the lethal Death Star weapon. The franchise has boasted plenty of great action down the years, but rarely have they ever felt like it was truly Star WARS. Well enter director Gareth Edwards and writers Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy who really put the war in Star Wars and then some!

Edwards proved he could handle action well like he did in 2014’s Godzilla reboot, and here he demonstrates his considerable talents once again. The action particularly in the third act is utterly compelling and just brilliant to watch in all of its glory. It’s almost like Saving Private Ryan, but in Space! Much like what Abrams did with Awakens, the world Edwards has also created just looks and feels like Star Wars, with a few familiar faces in there brought incredibly to life by the wonder that is CGI but of course some new characters, all of whom are compelling to watch, but some are more developed than others. The cinematography too is tremendous, and much like Awakens, there is a great emphasis on the use of practical sets, and not relying on Green Screen, bonus points if you can spot the use of a London Underground station as an Imperial base!

felicity-jones-jyn-erso-rogue-one-disguise — Image is property of Disney.

Jones is excellent as Jyn Erso, a character who has had a difficult past, but after a big discovery becomes personally connected with the story, she’s the lead and the most well developed, because she is a key part of the Imperial’s plans for reasons that will not be disclosed here, but there are others who absolutely shine as well. Cassian Andor (Luna) is excellent as the main support for Jyn, with Donnie Yen as a blind Rebel warrior at one with the force, and an absolute badass! Comic relief characters often come in droid shaped sizes, and this void is filled excellently by newbie K-2SO, voiced by Alan Tudyk. Beyond these guys, the rest of the crew are a little bit light on character development, but the aforementioned trio certainly aren’t. On the flip side there’s one key new villain in Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic, almost your typical pantomime villain, who sneers at just about everyone and anything. Of course one Darth Vader makes his presence known once again, largely thanks to James Earl Jones’s booming voice and it’s an absolute joy to see one of cinema’s best ever villains back on the big screen.

Many took aim at Awakens for being too similar to A New Hope. For sure there are some obvious visual nods and throwbacks, to please the fans, but ultimately given the poor reception of the prequels it was the safe route to have taken to launch the new trilogy. Of course Rogue One does do something similar with neat little visual nods to certain characters but by the time the enthralling third act arrives, gone are the Star Wars familiarities, it’s all out war in every sense of the word, with reminiscent shots of World War II and epic battles occurring on the beaches of this planet, and the CGI remains at a very high standard, with Michael Giacchino stepping in as a late replacement for Alexandre Desplat, delivering another superb score, the first not composed by John Williams.

For Disney, their colossal investment to take control of this franchise is certainly looking to be a wise decision, and one that is looking set to pay off big time. The studio raked in the cash following the release of Force Awakens. Although it’s unlikely that Rogue One will make the 2 billion The Force Awakens made, there’s every chance that Rogue One will make some serious cash. Right now, The Force is strong with this franchise, and the all powerful Disney machine in many ways resembles the Galactic Empire in terms of its sheer power, but Disney certainly doesn’t seem to have any plans to build a giant planet killing weapon!

This is everything the prequels should have been but really weren’t. It manages to strike a great balance between everything you know and love about this franchise, whilst also going in some exciting new directions.

2010-2019, Film Review

The Theory of Everything (2014)

Posted on April 9, 2015May 29, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The Theory of Everything – Film Review

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Harry Lloyd, David Thewlis, Charlie Cox

Director: James Marsh

Synopsis: A look at the famous physicist Stephen Hawking, chartering his university years, his diagnosis, and how his illness begins to have a serious effect on his family and work

Review: The summer of 2014, the summer where we all poured a bucket of ice water on our heads donating money towards Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Yet its arguably most well known patient is one Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s finest living minds whose work has had a tremendous impact on the world of science. Through this moving biopic, with a screenplay adapted from the novel Travelling to Infinity: My life with Stephen by Jane Hawking, we see how the disease took hold of him and how his condition worsened as the years went by, but his spark of brilliance never waned despite the horrific and brutal nature of ALS that slowly withered his condition.

We see a young Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) in his university years before his illness really takes hold, and how he meets Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) While both are studying opposite subjects, they form an immediate bond that leads to an engagement and marriage. In the initial stages, it all seems so perfect, dancing by a pond, watching some fireworks illuminate the night sky with Stephen showing off his incredible intelligence. Yet their marriage has to undergo the most horrific of challenges that could very easily tear it apart, as his illness gradually gets worse and worse. Yet through all these tests, their bond despite all these intense tribulations is a hard one to break, and through that it delivers a very heart warming movie with drama, suspense and some terrific acting.

When you do not seen an actor in a film, instead you see a character who , it is obvious you are witnessing a special performance, and that is certainly the case with Eddie Redmayne. His performance as the famous physicist was nothing short of exceptional. As the illness worsens and deteriorates his condition further, resulting in more and more impairments, it is truly a sensational performance. Every time he loses a sense or feeling in his body, he has to act that way, and as such . Towards the end, you actually felt you were watching the great man himself, and this is recognised as the great professor thought that it was himself on screen. Equally on top form is Felicity Jones as Jane Hawking. Her undying love for her husband is the emotional rock that binds this story together, and even as the illness takes a greater hold, she does not wilt, but merely grows stronger. Their love goes through the sternest of challenges and both deliver wonderful performances that landed both Oscar nominations, and Redmayne duly scooped among many other awards, the Oscar for Best Leading Actor.

As the story unfolds, the genius of Hawking is explored. The theory of black holes and gravitational singularities, which constitutes arguably some of Hawking’s most important work is brought to the fore. Rather like Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, James Marsh weaves complex science and theories with romance, chemistry and how love has a tremendous power, that even a crippling disease such as motor neurone disease cannot contend with. While the former was filled with mind boggling scientific theories in almost every frame, the theme of love and compassion is more prevalent in this story. There is mention of the science and of Hawking’s work, but it is ultimately about his life and his family. The love and desire for each other is fierce as Hawking’s initial diagnosis of no more than two years left to live leaves their relationship on the rocks. Many black holes threaten to break the marriage down, but the bond between the two stands firm, because as Hawking himself says “however bad life may seem, where there is life, there is hope.” Though a little slow at times, through Anthony McCarten’s excellent screenplay, combined with a superb score by Jóhann Jóhannsson, the film is a superb account of one of the greatest minds alive today.