OJ's Movie Review - X-Men: Days of Future Past

Do you realize that since the release of the first X-Men film both Spider-Man and Superman have been rebooted, twice?


First it was a trilogy, then there was a prequel, and then a separate prequel, and then a spin-off from the trilogy and now we have... a reboot? X-Men: Days of Future Past is the 7th movie in the X-Men franchise, a franchise that's been on our screens for fourteen years; it's had some ups, it's had some downs, but it has certainly been a unique series. This year we get to see not only the original cast but also the refreshed younger cast. Of course the film involves time travel but this time it's quite different from mainstream sci-fi time travel, the movie doesn't dwell on it too much, if at all; the main focus is definitely the characters, I noticed two or three times that it showed more character interactions and dialogue than previous X-Men films, I mean of course there are the fight sequences and the big special effect scenes but the story definitely drove it a lot. Talking of the story I heard going in that this movie fixed every continuity error of the past films and was like a huge refresh; now after seeing it I was a bit taken back by how they did it; they do in a sense fix all the problems but in quite a big way, that's all I'll say not going into spoilers. One thing that did fascinate me with the movie was the look and feel, the parts set in the future, although not many, were for me the highlight, they were the most action-packed and the most emotional; the past has those things too but not as strong I don't think, although I did enjoy when they made it look like scenes were filmed on an old 70's camera. Obviously it was great seeing all the cast again and each one did a fantastic role, Hugh Jackman will always own Wolverine and although he took a bit more of a backseat in this one he still is entertaining to watch. In the end, I don't think it is the best X-Men film ever but I'D SEE IT AGAIN.

OJ's Movie Review - Godzilla

Story, visual effects and all-round feel of the movie have improved drastically since the 1998 version, but still fans aren't happy?

When I first heard they were remaking Godzilla I thought to myself that the Roland Emmerich one wasn't too bad and that there were better films to be made. Of course I was using memories from my childhood sitting on the sofa watching a huge dinosaur-thing smashing around New York. Come to 2014 though and through various leaks, posters, announcements etc. I'm starting to get into the Zilla mood, and then one day I saw the teaser trailer. The best trailer I've ever sen in my life. That brought me on board for definite. So after seeing the movie and hearing how divided the fans are I was a tad disappointed, not by the movie, just how many didn't like it. To me this new Godzilla was a very atmospheric movie, the feel of it can sometimes send shivers down your spine, the sounds it creates and the music by far make it what it is. The film also grounds itself into realism too, don't go in expecting Pacific Rim, this is very different regarding execution, it doesn't show Godzilla every five minutes, it focuses a lot on the human story, almost as if the giant destructive forces of nature now appearing were like a back-drop. That I think that is where it lost a lot of its fans; I myself thought it was interesting way to go and didn't mind it. Don't get me wrong you do see full shots of Godzilla and what he does which are some of the best scenes in cinema, the CGI is barley worth mentioning as of course it's going to be fantastic. As a film critic though I do have to share my negative points and that was that one or two times there are instances where unrealistic things happen concerning locating a massive creature (or lack of) which do take you out of the movie. Other than that and what I would say quite an abrupt ending Godzilla 2014 was TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - Arrow season 2

Couldnt work out if Arrow fell into sci-fi? Well now you have your answer.

The first series of Arrow was quite enjoyable, the plot was mysterious enough to keep me interested but didn't drag on enough to annoy me. The same carries on into its second run but much better! Obviously a lot had to have changed since the season 1 finale and it goes into much more depth on a lot of the characters. The individual plots I think have gotten better and its fun to catch all the DC easter eggs it references for you; there are definitly a few episodes which flesh out certain characters which makes you all the more invested into what happens to them. The over all story arc is different from the last one in the way that it involves both present day and the flashbacks to past to create a long backstory. Nearing the finale it kept getting more intense and rested at a satisfying conclusion. In season 2 we got to meet the whole reason I started watching Arrow and that was the Flash; he does indeed appear (not yet with powers) and I loved all of his scenes, I hope more crossovers will be done as his spin-off series does look brilliant. In the end Oliver Queen's second year as the Arrow is TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - Person of Interest season 3

I don't know why this series isn't getting more popular, it is absolutely fantastic.

Person of Interest has finished it's third season. Last time we had the evolving plot of the corrupt cop group called HR. That story arc carries on into this quite heavily and comes to a climactic end mid-season. I think they finished it well and at the right time before it got to annoying and weighed down; the results of the HR plot affects the series quite a bit and although it surprised me I felt it has a powerful punch to any long-time viewer. In season 2 a character called Root showed up and became a sort of antagonist to the series; this time round though she is less of a villain and more of an obstacle that keeps appearing and then as the series progresses she comes more of a main character and also evolving into what you could call an ally to the team. In the end I really like her character and she adds a lot to the series. The main team themselves have some brilliant episodes, each member has a huge revelation or a big dive into their story arc. During the latter half of the series, two story arcs rise up concerning the machine which eventually come together to make an awesome finale, they did the end so well and so climactic I honestly had to check if there was a season 4 being made (there is) because the whole premise now has changed and that is very exciting.  One thing I can say is that Person of Interest does emotion really well, some of the scenes and the way it's shot is so well done it makes you the love the series more and more. Another thing it does well is definitely the humor, the comedic timing of this is fantastic, quick one-liners or a bit of dry humor really do make the series an enjoyable piece of entertainment. All-in-all with all these brilliant elements mixed in I think season 3 is the best season of Person of Interest and I'm giving it was TIME WELL SPENT.

OJ's TV Review - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 1

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a juggernaut of a franchise; can it translate well to television?

When I first heard that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was being made I was very excited; I couldn't wait to see how they were going to do it. I think nearly everybody loved Phil Coulson in the movies and were sad to see him go during The Avengers; now we have a entire TV series with him as the main character! Even the trailer look promising but that night I sat down and saw the first episode, it was unfortunately one of the biggest disappointments of 2013. I was expecting a clever spy thriller packed with awesome sci-fi concepts and Agent Coulson being cool; instead as the series went on all it was we got was stereotypical characters, cheesy dialogue and cliche scripts. Even a Nick Fury cameo didn't cut it for me. I am a Marvel fan though so I kept with it, I held hope and eventually it payed off. That's right, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. went on a break for a while and then episode 11 aired and this thing picked up. I was interested in the story, the lines were less cheEsy, the action got good. basically from that point each episode got better a better, towards the end I'd even say it had some strong emotion. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for me is a two-way split. First ten episodes were rocky and unentertaining shoving Avengers references down your throat like there was no tomorrow. After that it's a pretty fun ride; good fleshing out of the characters and even the ones tying into the movies didn't feel like it depended on them. After watching the whole series it is Very hard to rate it. After some thought though I'd give Marvel's first live-action television series a strong 7/10 - IT WAS OK+.

OJ's Movie Review - The Love Punch

A new British comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson arrived in cinema so I went to investigate.

So I this trailer a few weeks a go and I liked what I saw, it looked funny and entertaining. The movie itself isn't too bad either; the story is basically a divorced couple have to venture to France to steal a diamond because the owner has stole all their money via his company. The premise is nice and simple, a tad boring in places as they use one or two cliche scenes that you get in these types of films; the beginning is a bit slow and some of the jokes fall  a bit flat but by the time the plot gets going it's quite enjoyable, the humor is classic British humor mixed with some modern stuff as well which makes a nice blend of funny, the characters were a amusing to watch and although I wasn't invested in their troubles I enjoyed watching them go about the heist. The shots were nice as they showed lots of France and gave the feel of it with the French music played over the scenes. All-in-all I think the older generation will get more out of it that than others but as a young person I enjoyed the majority of it. IT WAS OK+

OJ's Movie Review - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Watch out Disney, Sony have upped their game!

In 2012 we got to see a reboot of Spider-Man's story, in my opinion it was better than the original trilogy and I love Andrew Garfield in the role. Now two years later we have a sequel and boy does it get better. First off let's talk cast; Andrew is still fantastic as Peter Parker, he also has great chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey. Jamie Fox as Electro was an amazing thing to watch too along with the other great cast members who all do a fantastic job (even Stan Lee with his cameo). The characters in this film were actually really interesting to watch, a lot of the story focuses on Electro and his origin which is fascinating, plausible (sci-fi wise) and downright creepy, I mean creepy; this film goes to places I wasn't expecting; some of the scenes were real freaky to watch, especially Electro and certainly the Green Goblin who was nightmarish to say the least. What added to the creepy and tension had to be the music, the music in this film is phenomenal; there are so many good parts where the music goes perfectly with the beautiful shots that the movie gives you. Talking about the score itself, whenever Electro does his thing and fires electric bolts and everything they go real heavy on the dubstep, a lot, I think that adds to film though in some way, I enjoyed it. The story itself I really liked as well, the ways they went surprised me a few times but were definitely fun to watch, (I didn't see it in 3D but from the scenes I saw at the cinema it would definitely be worth it). The only negative thing I would say about the film is that there are one or unrealistic scenes where I thought "That wouldnt happen", It doesnt ruin the movie but does take you out of it for a few seconds. I would say the ending will surprise a lot, and for more than just one reason. In conclusion I want to say The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the best Spider-Man film to date and is absolutely AWESOMENESS.

To see my review of the first movie, click here: http://bit.ly/1ihPMjU