OJ's Movie Review - Solo: A Star Wars Story

The second Star Wars anthology film has arrived after a very rocky production period. But did it survive?

   From the beginning, I don't think fans were particularly looking forward to this movie. Then Phil Lord and Chris Miller were attached and we had hope, and then they were infamously unattached and it was at that moment we knew this wasn't going to go well. But seasoned director Ron Howard does, however, manage to deliver a cohesive and quite entertaining film despite the problems. It certainly wasn't like 2015's Fant4stic where it was incredibly obvious that the studio had chopped and refilmed 50% of the movie which ended up a complete disastrous mess. Here, Solo keeps continuity and kept me entertained, at least on a first watch anyway.

   The story was as you would expect a Han Solo origin movie to be; we have our main man played surprisingly well by Alden Ehrenreich, he starts a smuggler's life, meets Chewie and has a bit of an adventure in a fresh Millenium Falcon. There aren't any real problems in the plot really; it's just a paint-by-numbers Star Wars movie. So I think watching it for the first time you can enjoy it on the very base fact you're in this universe again which is fun and we do get an interesting look at the underbelly of society a bit more than we're used to. I've not rewatched it yet but to be honest, I don't feel the need to for a while; it was a checklist of various Han Solo attributes and how he aquired them and now I know, I don't feel any different about the character really. So plot-wise I'd say they played it safe which doesn't surprise me after the controversial Last Jedi, but there are a few narrative points they could've have fleshed out a bit more and I personally wasn't a big fan of the ending.

   The cast I actually enjoyed quite a lot. As I mentioned Ehrenreich plays Solo pretty well, I mean he's no carbon copy but he didn't have to be. He still has the odd familiar mannerism and way he says certain things which I liked but he still had his own sort of personality in there too. We have Paul Bettany in there as our villain and I actually liked him a lot; he was a sort of gangster boss who was serious but also a little unhinged which made me chuckle a few times so that was entertaining. And then we have Woody Harrelson's character who was okay but could really have been played by anyone. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Social Justice Warrior of a droid was played well I thought but I wasn't a huge fan of the way they went with it - there seems to be a lot of sassy droids in this universe. A great character was Lando Calrissian played by Donald Glover; he was great, and really felt like a young Billy Dee Williams but really didn't have as much screentime as I would've thought.

   I would like to mention that the musical score I really enjoyed, especially whenever the Marauder characters appeared, I really liked what John Powel composed for those scenes. And also the practical effects were really impressive. They didn't look fake but they also had the same sort of feel and vibe as the original trilogy so those two aspects really added to my personal enjoyment.

In the end, I'd say I genuinely enjoyed Solo: A Star Wars Story but really I don't think was necessary at all and probably one to skip for the layman. I hope LucasFilm don't continue to do origins for well-known characters and rather expand on lesser-known stories like Rogue One or how about completely new ones? That's an idea.

7/0

OJ's Movie Review - Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Episode VIII is upon us and it's time to find out if all our Snoke theories were right.

So Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a massive film back in 2015, became one of the highest grossing films of all time and was mainly well-received with the common criticism being that it was too similar to A New Hope. Here in The Last Jedi, that criticism is nowhere to be found. I admit, some moments were very similar to past films but as a whole this a very different sort of Star Wars.

Plot-wise, I can't say much because frankly I didn't know much going in and that's the best way to see it. It essentially takes place directly after the previous film so you know some of it will be set on that island with Rey and Luke. I have to say those scenes were some of my favorites in the entire film; I can't believe how perfectly Mark Hamill has become Luke Skywalker again, his acting was on top form and dare I say, this was one of his best performances. His arc was an interesting and controversial one but I enjoyed it a lot and am glad he returned to the franchise. Daisy Ridley's Rey was also a joy to watch again but despite being in a two-and-a-half hour film, I feel her character needs a little more development; I mean there is an arc for her in this and I was drawn in by it but I almost feel she was a little short-changed in the third act. Just some other comments on the cast, I'd say I thought Carrie Fisher did a much better job here than I felt she performed in The Force Awakens and was glad to see her do such a great performance in her last film. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac are back and although they did a fine job acting, I thought the Poe Dameron character became less likable to me for some reason. Laura Dern's Admiral Holdo was a surprisingly interesting character and lead to one of the most amazing scenes I've seen in a Star Wars film, no small part down to director Rian Johnson as well. And the final actor I will mention, and possibly becoming one of my favorite characters is Adam Driver as Kylo Ren; wow this guy can act. He stole some great scenes and I really want to look into more of his filmography.

As I said, Rian Johnson directed this film and you really can tell he's doing something different. Some of the camera work is beautiful and has reached a higher artistic level for the Star Wars franchise. He also wrote the film as well and I think that's where a lot of the fan divisiveness has come from. Rian makes some strong story decisions that affect some beloved characters as well as the greater Universe. I myself am onboard with most of his decisions but one or two did annoy me however I'll see if I feel the same way after Episode IX. The third act of the film though is by far the best part of the whole movie, I had no idea what to expect and it delivered some moments that are sure to become iconic.

I'll talk about some of the problems I had with the film now. One minor thing straight off the bat is that some of the humor was a little modern and not very Star Warsy; there is a joke almost right at the start and it did not work for me at all. Another problem I had was the Finn & Rose plot, not the plot itself, I enjoyed where they went and what they did, but the message and moral it tried to give, although good, was a little heavy-handed and not really what I expected in a Star Wars film. And finally, the main thing I did not enjoy was that some parts of the film were set on a particular ship with Poe, Leia, and Holdo and for me, those scenes really slowed down the movie and is a real drag on rewatch.

In the end, I'd say I enjoyed Star Wars: The Last Jedi a lot more than I was expecting but I completely understand those with a more negative opinion.

8/10 

OJ's Movie Review - Thor: Ragnarok

The Thor films have been kind of average so far; can a quirky New Zealander change all that?

Thor: Ragnarok is the third film in its own series and Thor's fifth appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. This time it's directed by Taika Watiti and also features the Hulk as a main character. For starters I'd like to say I love Taikia's work; his film Hunt for the Wilderpeople is hilarious to me and any interview you watch of his is a joy to behold. He has a very unique style of film so I can see why Marvel chose him to inject some energy and humor into this series. And he does do that. Ragnarok is the most entertained I've been while watching a Thor movie but it's not without its problems.

  Story-wise, there is a very quick set-up. You can tell that Taika and producer Kevin Feige wanted to completely dismantle what had been built up in the previous Thor films. I can understand why they wanted to do that but just seeing mythology, characters, and arcs that have been established since 2011 be wiped away or brushed under the carpet was a little disheartening, and this was all during the first act. It was very quick and we were going from scene to scene and location to location very quickly mopping up old plot threads and setting up what this movie was going to be. Once that had happened, and Thor was on the planet Sakar, it became more enjoyable for me. The rest of the movie showcased Taika's style of humor perfectly and had me laughing out loud plenty of times. It did seem a bit like two films at times with one set on Sakar and the other on Asgard as the story kept flipping from one to the other but I was entertained enough with the characters.

  Chris Hemsworth has always played Thor brilliantly and we get to see a lot more of his comedic talent here. Mark Ruffalo is always a highlight of any film for me and seeing him here was great both as Banner and the Hulk experiencing this mad Universe. Tom Hiddleston's Loki, of course, appears again and although the character has perhaps lost some of his popularity since everybody loved him in The Avengers, I enjoyed seeing him because I like Tom Hiddleston as an actor. Two new characters I absolutely loved in this film though, were Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster who is hilarious; Goldblum barely has to act, his own wacky charisma comes through perfectly. And Korg, voiced by Taika Watiti himself had some of the best lines. I'd definitely say the characters were the best part of this film for me.

In the end, I'd say I really enjoyed Thor: Ragnarok. The story is pretty basic and some of the green-screen wasn't great during the re-shoots but I loved the aesthetic and the characters. I laughed a lot too even though I felt some of the emotional beats were lost due to quick jokes. I still look forward to following Taika's work and I'm looking forward to seeing where the character of Thor himself is taken too.

7/10

OJ's Movie Review - Wonder Woman

She can save the world, but can she save the DCEU?

   So here we are, back in the DC Cinematic Universe that, so far, hasn't been greatly received but maybe that's all about to change. Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as the titular character and also boasts the cast of Chris Pine, Danny Huston, Connie Nielson, and Robin Wright. These all do great in the film but by far, Gal and Chris steal the show, their chemistry, interactions, and characters are a real joy to watch. Gal Gadot's Diana is such an interesting character as this powerful, but nieve Amazon woman experiencing early 20th century Europe. She conveys strength, humor, and emotion really well and looks great in the action scenes. Chris Pine is classic Chris Pine which is a bonus to any movie whether it's a science-fiction space franchise or a Lindsy Lohan chick flick, and so here in Wonder Woman, he delivers another entertaining character in Steve Trevor.

   The other cast include Steve's group of merry men he must team up with and I have to say I enjoyed them quite a bit, they each had a distinct personality and even their own little personal battles to deal with. On the villain front, I can't say much because of spoilers but I really enjoyed Danny Huston and Elana Anaya's evil duo, they reminded me a lot of classic 60s villains for some reason. And this movie does that a few times, it gives you the sense of classic movies, whether it's the nods to 1970s Superman or just the slowed down nature of the plot, Wonder Woman just felt familiar and comfortable.

   Plot-wise, as I say, had quieter moments and they didn't pack it full of action which made a nice change to the usual format; it really mad us feel for these characters and care when things happen. The beginning had a bit of an unsteady pace and the climax was a bit generic CGI battle but because the characters were so investing I didn't mind as much. And just seeing the aesthetic of ancient Greek culture mixing with World War I was an interesting visual in itself.

  In the end, I feel Wonder Woman is a real step-up for DC, whether it was the director, Patty Jenkins, the writers or a mix of a few things. The film isn't perfect but I'd be lying if I said I did not enjoy it.

8/10

OJ's Movie Review - The LEGO Batman Movie

Turns out everything is awesome!

The LEGO Batman Movie is, of course. the spin-off to the popular 2014 animation The LEGO Movie. This time, though, it's all about Batman! I didn't know what to expect when I heard this was being made but when those trailers arrived I knew I was in. I enjoyed The LEGO Batman Movie a lot more than I thought I would; it's full of so many things I wasn't expecting that I just couldn't help but love it. I wouldn't say the cast is as stellar as it's predecessor but the script certainly carries it along with joke after joke, and references and easter eggs that you're probably not going to pick up all of them upon first viewing. Not to say the cast is bad in any way; Will Arnett as Batman and Zac Galifianakis as the Joker are genius casting; the lines these two come out with are amazing and I just loved when each of them were on screen.

     And although a movie called "The LEGO Batman Movie" sounds like it's for kids, I think the older ones will certainly get a kick out of this like I did, especially if you're a film buff or a Batman fan. As I said before, the mentions and appearances you get in this are fantastic. But of course no film can carry itself on quips alone, The LEGO Batman Movie does have a story and although it's quite a familiar one and perhaps even similar in ways to The LEGO Movie, I still enjoyed seeing all the LEGO visuals and the top-notch animation that still looks like they filmed real LEGO pieces. There were some heartfelt drama in there too and I think it sends a good message which is what these type of films should do anyway.

   So all-in-all, I really enjoyed The LEGO Batman Movie, from literally the opening logos to the brilliant soundtrack, for me, it gets an 8/10.

8/10

OJ's Movie Review - The Little Prince

I've had my eye on this film for a while; it's been to various different film festivals and even got a wide release in France but only last week was it finally released in the UK with the help of Netflix.

I'm surprised this film hasn't been promoted more; even if you haven't read the book it's based on (like me) the film boasts a fantastic cast with the likes of Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, James Franco and more. The animation style is similar to that of Pixar, which is interwoven with stunning stop-motion moments. So in general this film has a lot going for it.
  For the most part, I really liked The Little Prince. As I say, the cast do an amazing job, each role is brought to life with very unique voices and delivery. You can have a film with unknown cast and sometimes that works quite well but sometimes when you hear these voices and you instantly recognise them, it gives you as sense of comfort and familiarity; and the lines delivered by ones such as Jeff Bridges and James Franco make them really stick with you. Like a lot of good animated films, The Little Prince gives you a lot of mottos and life lessons to remember; some of the ones in this movie though, I felt didn't come across as clearly as intended. Something would be happening and I was left wondering exactly what it was trying to tell me, and that's the thing with this movie, there seems to be a lot of metaphors, all of which are presented beautifully, but are left up for interpretation. So in terms of cast and dialogue, I really thought the film was something special.
  I mentioned the animation before and I'll just elaborate. The majority of the film is computer animated and although not as detailed as the more popular animation studios can give, which is to be expected, the look and style were enjoyable enough and it seems like they took a few notes from Pixar, which is never a bad thing. The animation though is nothing compared to the visually stunning stop-motion sequences that are presented. It's nothing like I've seen before and was by far the most interesting parts of the film; a visual experience.
   I'll move onto the story now. The summary of which is a little girl moves to a new house with her very controlling, almost OCD, mother and meets her neighbour, an old man who has a hoarding problem that tells her about his supposed experience he had in the Sahara desert. The first two thirds I really enjoyed, some could argue it's a bit slow, but for me I enjoyed the storytelling element and the sometimes very real depictions of life spliced in with the wildly imaginative metaphors. The friendship between the little girl and the old man was a charming and entertaining watch, and the stop-motion story always had me invested. The third act however took quite a turn in the narrative, the tone changed somewhat and I was constantly waiting for some degree of explanation. I felt it got a little too mixed up into what was real, what was metaphorical, and it didn't quite give closure to some of the plot threads. According to some Internet articles both the book and the film try to base it's logic on a child's imagination so I suppose in that way it makes sense...in a nonsensical kind of way.
  In the end, The Little Prince was a visually stunning film with a great script and voice work but the narrative was a little shaky, especially towards the third act.

8/10

OJ's Movie Review - The Good Dinosaur

Pixar Animation - the studio that has given us top-quality movies such as Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Inside Out, now brings us....this?

The Good Dinosaur is a film that has been in the making for four years. Being a Pixar movie I was excited, and it was about dinosaurs which I love; then due to a lot of story problems and various people leaving the project, it was eventually pushed all the way back to November 2015. Now it's here and I get to review it.
  To start off I'll go straight for the things I enjoyed about The Good Dinosaur. The animation is some of the best animation I have seen in my life; the textures, the rain, the landscapes, everything about the look of this movie is stunning, some of which is so well-done it looks real. It is all shown brilliantly as well through the directing, which Wikipedia tells me was done by Peter Sohn, a long-time employee of Pixar.
  Now for the things I did not enjoy about The Good Dinosaur. If you go into this movie, do not expect award-winning material or a unique family experience, like we've come to expect from Pixar. Instead get ready for a bland, cliché and sometimes inappropriate story. It's about a young dinosaur called Arlo who is separated from his family and must find his way home, this could be interesting and give us some fun adventures but for me, it just wasn't. Despite the fact that it took forever to get going, Arlo's journey was the same thing over and over again which is that he is scared by something, and then more scared and then scared by something else and is constantly followed by a human boy who for some reason acts like a dog. I may be to harsh but there were very few scenes I found entertaining, don't get me wrong, they were some, but few and far between. Also, for a movie about dinosaurs it doesn't actually feature that many dinosaurs, and the ones our main character, Arlo, does meet are walking stereotypes we've seen hundreds of times. And I don't want to spoil it but does the line "I drowned him in my blood" belong in a kids movie? I don't have kids so I'm just throwing that out there.
In the end, it pains me to say that Pixar's The Good Dinosaur did not overcome it's behind the scenes disasters and so I have to give it...

4.5/10

OJ's Movie Review - Inside Out

Pixar films have been a bit 'meh' since Toy Story 3, but now they're back on top form with their latest
instant classic.

Inside Out is the story of an eleven-year-old girl called Riley who has just moved house but the majority of the film takes place in her mind and centres on her five main emotions. This idea itself is already a unique one and they do very clever things with it. It shows you how and why your brain does things, but in a really fun and entertaining way.
   Although you have the bright colours and fantastical settings, it isn't always a kids film, there are quite a few jokes in there that I think everyone will laugh at, of course you get ones especially for children but it doesn't rely on them which is what is so good about Pixar. They also always have a deeper meaning in their films, a moral that stays with you, and this is no exception. Like some of their other films, this one also pulls on the heart strings at times and gives you some good emotional drama. I won't spoil the story as a lot of it was a surprise but it was an entertaining adventure inside Riley's head and a realistic depiction of life in the real world so as a whole, interesting all-round.
  Acting-wise, I wasn't familiar with the majority of the cast but they did great in their roles, two highlights being Anger and Sadness, and of course the minor appearance of Disney's own John Ratzenberger.
  In the end I'm glad Pixar is back to producing high quality films (although I wasn't that impressed with the short film at the beginning to this one) and look forward to The Good Dinosaur.

8.5/10

 

OJ's Movie Review - Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Don't lie to yourself, you want a Capuchin monkey too.

You know, Night at the Museum is one of those films where it's not a huge movie, it's not a blockbuster, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just generally not talked about in the film fan world as I've seen it. It is however regarded as a nice family film to sit down and enjoy, so was the second instalment, and this one isn't any different.
  We all know the premise; a special Egyptian tablet makes it possible for all the exhibits in the museum to come to life at night. What I'm glad about is that this third film is not a rehash of the previous two; it's predecessors had a similar theme of a main villain wanting the table,t which were different enough to enjoy but Secret of the Tomb does something completely different with it's plot and execution which is an awesome change I enjoyed a lot. Of course another thing we enjoy with these movies is the actual museum coming to life and they do some really cool stuff with that idea and it's awesome to see these historical figures interact with statues and even paintings!
    They brought us some new characters too which included Lancelot who steals so many scenes and has some great lines, I love that character; also we get Ben Kingsley as King Merenkahre who surprisingly didn't actually have much screen time for a big-name actor. Rebel Wilson as a British security guard didn't quite grab me as the other characters did, she was the comedic relief in what was already a comedy so her presence wasn't really needed and could come off as annoying. In the end Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was a fun ride just like the first two, it has some awesome surprises I wasn't expecting and all round a good family film.

8.5/10

R.I.P. Robin Williams

OJ's Game Review - Minecraft

An open-world survival game stylized entirely around blocks and pixels... but you already knew that.

So yes, Minecraft. There wasn't much to see after Interstellar and a few weeks ago I downloaded Minecraft for THE FIRST TIME EVER. Yes I know it's been out for like five years but now I've gotten round to it. I'd heard so much about Minecraft on the Internet, I knew what it looked like and there were a million 'let's plays' on YouTube but for some reason I never went to it. Now though, I cant get enough; Minecraft is addictive. 

     Basic premise is that you have to survive in this huge (infinite?) world where you have to mine for materials and then build houses and tools and fences etc. and that in itself is the kind of thing I enjoy, but the fact that it's all blocks just seems to make it more enjoyable to work with. Of course it's not just a place to build stuff, oh no; you have to survive! You have to eat to stay alive, try not to drown or fall off a cliff, and then at night time... monsters. I hate them all, yes, if your not careful this game can make you smash your computer out of rage. 

     Minecraft brings you the joy and satisfaction of building a life, it gives you the skill and cautiousness from being stalked by these creatures and the awe at the amazing landscapes, portals and detail. Also there is Creative Mode to let your imagination go wild and multiplayer so you can annoy your friends by destroying their house. In the end Minecrat is one of the best games out there in my opinion and I'm glad to have joined this Mining fandom!

6.5/10

OJ's Game Review - LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

I love Marvel. I love LEGO. What else is there to say?

So LEGO Marvel Super Heroes was released late 2013 which is when I bought it and planned to review it; unfortunately I didn't read the PC specifications and basically I couldn't play it on my then-current  laptop. So eventually I got a new laptop and here we are!

   This game is your basic LEGO game, you collect studs, you unlock characters, etc. But this time it's Marvel! These characters are awesome, you can fly, you can shrink, you can grow, throw fire, ice, electricity. It's just a roller coaster of powers that you love exploring. The mechanics are nice and smooth, easy to get a handle of. The animation is amazing, the movements of Spider-Man swinging or the transformation from Bruce Banner to the Hulk look incredible. Some of the characters can be a bit generic like construction workers or enemy minions but the majority of the people have unique powers from the X-Men, Avengers, Sinister Six, you have them all. 

    It does have a plot mode which isn't bad. It has some good comedic lines and some of the cinematography was definitely influenced by the films. Also the music, the music in this game is really good, especially when you jump off the Helicarrier. The only down-side I would have to point out was the repetitiveness, because there are so many things to collect you have to redo levels over and over again which for me took some of the joy away. In the end though, this is the first LEGO game of this type I've bought and I am a satisfied customer.

9/10

OJ's BIT Review - A Trip To the Moon

For this special Back In Time review I will be looking at the first film ever made.

Originally called Voyage dans la Lune, this film was made in 1902 and is considered to be the first actual film made - of course the definition of film is up to you as the first ever motion picture was back in 1878 - but this is a movie specifically shot to entertain an audience, it had a plot, characters and special effects.
   The story consists of a group of astronomers (who seem to resemble wizards) who travel to the moon and then meet alien beings. Although compared to today's films it could seem quite boring this just shows how it all began, and to an audience in the early 20th century elements of this could be creepy and strange as it had never been done on this scale before. I think A Trip To the Moon just shows us how far we've come in the last century; just over 100 years of cinema and we have CGI, 3D, motion-capture, fantastic concepts that really did seem alien in 1902. This film has also inspired much pop culture media as well and the most well-known is probably the 2011 film Hugo which stars Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliés - the creator of A Trip To the Moon, that film in its own right is fantastic but it's nice to see the roots of cinema, and what it looked like. So if you've got about 12 minutes to spare then I recommend you watch this 1902 icon, you can find it on YouTube easily, then you can contemplate that you can watch footage that was shot over 100 years ago.

9/10

OJ's Game Review - Pause Ahead

So like my last game review this is another indie PC game you can play online. It does come with a warning though: "This game may be quite difficult. Play at your own risk!"

  Pause Ahead is a very clever game designed by Tadakuni Amano which uses clever concepts to complete the game. It's a platform game and has many levels including some secret ones you have to find. It also has a story too it, as the description says: 'You’ve woken up in a strange place with the eerie feeling that you’ve been here before. Conquer the treacherous traps by running, jumping and using your power of pausing to get ahead. Just remember: once you pause, there is nothing you can do to change your path. Let the chips fall where they may. Hopefully not directly onto a spike.' The tone of the game is quite creepy and very well done. The graphics are 8bit so you get an old style visual as well. And as for the gameplay, well sometimes it can be surprisingly easy and other times it can frustrate you to death. Along the way you can unlock up to 20 achievements and find some cool stuff. It's been likened to the game Portal a lot and people have even said they'd buy it if it was on Steam. In the end I thought this little game was a 8/10 - I'D PLAY IT AGAIN.

LINK: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/628969

OJ's Game Review - New Super Mario Bros. Wii

It's been out a while and I waited so I could get the cheaper one and I had to complete the game so finally: my review!

New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I enjoy Mario games a lot and have loved playing Mario Kart so when I saw this advertised I thought I must have it. And so as the months went on I finally bought it; I'd played it before at a friends house but not extensively and eventually when I inserted that disc into my Wii console I played every single day, that was January 14th (2013) and now all the way into February 19th I still have two Star Coins to get! So it is defiantly a challenge for me and probably for most others. I can't really review the plot because it's not about the plot, its about playing the game. All the plot really is is that Princess Peach is kidnapped and Mario has to save her from Bowser, there is a sort of plot twist towards the end but nothing major. The game play though is super fun; I played a bit of the Mario on the computer every now and again so I knew the mechanics of how to do things but on the TV it was a blast. I liked that you got to go to different worlds and then there were secret exits and other cool stuff. The enemies were harder than I imagined (you know what I mean for those of you on 9-5 without a penguin suit!) and some of the over-all levels where pretty tricky and I admit I had to call in a friend to help on one or two, but multi-player is lots of fun too. I liked the whole landscape and look of each world as well, my least favourite  though, is World 3, I don't know what It was, I just didn't enjoy it. But I've had loads of fun playing the game and hopefully will do in the future.

OJ Reviewing: Thor

Heimdall is an awesome character! No questions asked.

Thor. Initially I didn't want to see this movie because I thought it was all about magic and stuff which I hate but when I learnt it was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe I thought I'd see what it was like and to my surprise it is mostly Sci-Fi with elements of fantasy. I liked the outer space setting and different planets and that was really good; I liked the humour in this film as it is very good in most MCU films. The other characters where great and Phil Coulson was awesome giving us an Iron Man mention, and then Dr. Selvig references Hulk so that was interesting that they could tie it all together. There were a lot more special effects in this movie as there are aliens and wormholes and all that kinda thing which I like. So in the end It was a good film with brilliant special effects and an okay story.

OJ Reviewing: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists

Or is it the Band of Misfits?...

The latest addition to the Ardman collection has been made! Starring a number of voice actors who are very
well known - to people in the UK. It has the story-line of a not-so-brilliant- Pirate Captain trying to get gold so he can win a trophy. I thought the comedy in this film was very good and some things I didn't expect, the whole film was jam-packed with British Cultural references so the rest of the world won't have a clue whats going on. I really liked it all and the characters were funny. The way things were done were very interesting and the whole premise was enjoyable to watch. Not quite a cinema film but do watch it if you happen to see it on because it has a little bit for the older audience than just the kids.
  Oh yes, did you spot the Blue Peter badge?

OJ Reviewing: John Carter

Disney? Come on!

  John Carter is the story of a man from the past who transported to Mars (yes, the planet) where people can breath but their density of their bones is different so the gravity doesn't effect them. Now the character of John was kind of cool, he was okay. The design for the aliens weren't too bad but it wasn't realistic; the plot is a little confusing and you don't quite know whats happening; there was a little humour but it was mostly sci-fi and special effects. The end was screaming for a sequel but I don't think it will happen at all. It didn't explain why they could breath or how they got there. If they do do a second one then I hope they expand on the history maybe. So the beginning was okay the middle was "meh" and the end was much better. Actually all the Earth scenes were the best. a disappointment for people who were looking forward to it I think. I don't particularly want to watch it again but that's just me.

OJ Reviewing: The Forgotten Echo

The final book in the Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn

  The biggest adventure yet. This book brings everything you ever learnt about The Museum's Secret and The Hidden World together and it makes sense! Thinks you didn't even think were important become linchpins! This novel references lots of things from the first two and it reveals many things and answers lots of questions that the last book should do. It felt a little more fantasy than sci-fi and historical than futuristic but its a very good adventure and absolutely non of it will make sense if you haven't read the first two. A brilliant finale to the Remarkable Adventures but I don't know if its just me there are 1 or 2 parts that confused me a little, Henry Chancellor is a great writer though and as I've said before his settings are outstanding. Now there the end; some people are going to really like it and then there are those who really don't, I personally didn't mind the ending, I quite liked it. But that's just me so what did you think? Was the ending a good finale or should never have been written? Comment below and tell me!

OJ Reviewing: The Hidden World

Great sequel; bigger, and badder.

 An awesome sequel to The Museum's Secret; it has been a year since Tom Scatterhorn's adventure and now he's back at the museum and there is a new exhibit that takes him into other worlds... I love the storyline of this book and some parts made me laugh and I like when books do that. There were even some creepy scenes that you didn't get in the first novel and they were good and then there a few mysteries and great descriptions of the creatures that you are really thankful don't exist. It is a much bigger adventure than the first which can sometimes take the realism away from it but I don't mind that because the whole plot is just great and it sucks you in all the way to the end. I still prefer The Museum's Secret but this is a Remarkable novel and I'm looking forward to future Henry Chancellor young adult novels.

OJ Reviewing: The Museum's Secret

The first book in The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn.

  I looked at the back of this book and the blurb didn't really quench my thirst or sound interesting but boy I couldn't have been more wrong. This plot is the most fantastic, bizarre and unpredictable story I've ever read. Tom Scatterhorn is a boy who goes to live at his Aunt and Uncle's museum and some strange things start to happen. The plot is told very well with a bit of suspense, humour and definitely mystery; even the first chapter your riping the book to get to the next page! I go along with Tom all the way and genuinely want to know what happens next. It's Henry Chancellor's first young adult book and he has done very well. One of my favourite books ever by far. I have to say as well that this I think is the most realistic (as it can be) out of the trilogy - I'm not saying the others are rubbish because they really aren't its just that I really like this one. The visuals that Chancellor gives you are outstanding and you can definitely feel the emotion and atmosphere. A very enjoyable read for sci-fi fans, mystery, adventure and just a tiny bit fantasy.