Wonder Woman Trailer Review | SDCC WEEK

Time to talk about the official Wonder Woman Trailer. SWEET LORD WHERE DOES ONE BEGIN? After all the hype from Batman vs Superman and the recent release of the new Justice League trailer, there are high expectations of the upcoming film which is due for release in 2017. It will be interesting to see what the director, Patty Jenkins, has come up with in bringing us the story of Wonder Woman’s origins.  Starring the amazing Gal Gadot whose previous career in the Israeli army certainly granted her the skill set to gracefully smash any action roles with her own stunts. So there is no surprise that Gadot is ideal for the part of playing the Amazonian princess Diana; after all, she is practically the real deal.

The costume has to be one of the best things about the new Wonder Woman. If you were/are a fan of Xena the Warrior Princess like I was, you will definitely appreciate the revamped dark leather armour suit. Not to mention that gorgeous blue dress Diana wears, where the sword looks a part of the dress (GENIUS!). I swear these are the BAMF goals that everyone needs to strive for.  And of course Wonder Woman can’t be Wonder Woman without her golden lasso and shield. Seriously, hats off to the costume department for managing to recreate those Amazonian/Greek mythology vibes while maintaining the Hero we all know and recognise.

The time period of the origin piece is rather interesting and while the war during which the film takes place is not established, rumours have stated it was either during WWI or WWII. Nevertheless, the ancient scenery from Diana’s Mediterranean home, contrasted with the latter parts of the film of her sparring in more modern war zones, definitely amplify the Hero’s otherworldly persona, and with such a wide timeline to work with there are so many possibilities for varying plot lines.

If scenes of bad ass warriors charging into the fray on horseback don’t cause you to have major feelings of going off and joining the Amazonians, then go sit in a corner and surround yourself in a bubble of reality. Pair that with an epic soundtrack and this movie is expected to become another hit of the DC franchise.  Here’s the new trailer to enjoy for yourself! J

~Cloudy Arts~

POOL, Dead. (SPOILER WARNING)

Just as I was beginning to think that the contemporary action films being released in the recent past were becoming repetitive and unoriginal, the release of Deadpool restored my faith in the ability to produce an unconventional and innovative film. With an incredibly refreshing anti-hero, fascinating non-linear structure explored through said anti-hero’s direct narration and an exceedingly witty screenplay laden with pop-culture references, Deadpool is nothing less than an energetic and entertaining film which exceeded many an expectation.

From the previews, I had anticipated nothing less than a snarky, quick-witted and hilariously crude Wade Wilson but, what I did not expect, was the sheer amount of genuine laughter that would emanate from the audience due to the often unexpected dialogue and consistent poignant references. For this, credit is undoubtedly due to the writers for a cohesive script and the creation of a rogue character who continuously kept the audience guessing.  

From the moment the opening titles began to run, crediting lead actor, Ryan Reynolds as “God’s perfect idiot”, and director Tim Miller as “an overpaid tool”, the audience was drawn into the comedic aura that underlies the entire film.

A far cry from Marvel’s previous films, Deadpool follows the story of the mercenary, Wade Wilson who was initially introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine with his mouth sewn shut. He initiates a plot for revenge against the cunning and deceptive Ajax played by Ed Skrein and his formidable muscle, Angel Dust, played by Gina Carano. 

Reynolds does a magnificent job in bringing to life the rowdy Wade who, when diagnosed with terminal cancer, seeks the assistance of a private organisation to save his life. Heading the procedure is Ajax, who utilises an abundance of torture techniques in an attempt to trigger Wade's dormant mutant genes, inevitably providing him with his superhuman abilities. During the process, Wade is horrifically and permanently disfigured, initiating his search for vengeance and desire to find Ajax in order to rectify the damage so that he might resume his life with his girlfriend, Vanessa, played by the stunning Morena Baccarin.

Despite the counter-culture notion of a film with an anti-hero as the protagonist, Wade himself claims that the film is yet another “love story”. Nevertheless, I was glad to see that the plot was not wholly overridden by the novelty of a stereotypical romance between a hero and a damsel.

I also immensely enjoyed the way in which producers attempted to include the audience through Wade’s narration and found that it was executed in such a way that was incredibly skilful and effective in eliciting the audience’s active engagement.

The only X-Men depicted in the film are Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, portrayed by Stefan Kapicic and Brianna Hildebrand respectively. Despite Wade's claims that the "studio couldn't afford" more X-Men, the two held their own and provided both humour and characteristics which were a pleasant balance to Wade’s overly crude and eccentric demeanour.

While I was initially apprehensive about the film’s intended departure from Deadpool’s story as it was introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, ultimately I was immensely satisfied with the film which I inevitably saw no less than three times since its Australian release. I cannot wait to see what is to come in the sequel, although I hope the studio will not be so stringent this time round (Wade’s words not mine!) and include more X-Men.

In the meantime, leave a comment about what you thought of the film or what you would love to see in the next Deadpool one.

~ Kiki ~

Everything you need to know to prepare yourself for Assassin's Creed!

The film adaptation of the much loved video-game franchise, Assassin’s Creed, will be released this year in December, 2016. While the film will not incorporate the lead characters’ stories from the games, it setting in 15th century Spain reflects its aim to explore unchartered territory with filming taking place in the beautiful, historical landscape of Malta. So far the games have been set in the Middle East, Italy, North America, the Caribbean, France and, most recently, in London. Therefore it it is probably best that the film is taken away from these previous locations as gamers would likely prefer to avoid a retelling of the stories that they have already explored in the game while non-gamers would not need to have much background and context to enjoy the film. Notable actors such as Michael Fassbender, best known for his roles in X-Men and Inglorious Bastard, will be playing the lead character, Callum Lynch, who discovers that he is the descendent of a 15th century Master Assassin named Aguilar.

Through the use of groundbreaking technology, the Animus device, Callum becomes genetically linked with his assassin ancestor and is enabled to encompass Aguilar’s memories and skills in order to combat the ongoing oppressive Templar organization of the modern world. In other words, the well known plotline of Assassin’s versus Templars will remain to be a key part of the storyline as well as the use of genetic memories to link the present to the past. Other prominent actors will appear in the film though their characters have not yet been disclosed. They include Jeremy Irons, known for Man in the Iron Mask and The Lion King, Marion Cotillard, who appears in The Dark Knight Rises and Inception, as well as Brendon Gleeson, best known for Harry Potter, Troy and Braveheart.

While I am super keen and excited to see how the adaptation is going to pan out, it is probably best to not put overly high expectations on the film, as there are two possible outcomes we can expect… a big hit or an utter flop. For the sake of the Creed let us hope that it is a big hit! We can sometimes be too critical of spin off films, especially when they attempt to create a world with which we are already so familiar and that we love so well, because often both crucial and minor elements of the storyline is left out in order to fit everything within a two-hour time frame. Nonetheless I don’t think anyone expected an Assassin’s Creed film to become an idea, let alone a reality produced with a leading cast. Either way we can be grateful that we get to see Fassbender in some pretty rockin’ assassin gear!

~ Cloudy Arts ~