Godzilla

In 1954 a creature stomped its way into Japanese cinemas that would become the most iconic movie monster to grace the silver screen. A franchise made up of 27 sequels and an American recut of the original later and Godzilla had undoubtedly earned it's place at the top of cinema's food chain; the king of the monsters. 1998 saw the first attempt at a US remake of the now classic film, a product that has gained notoriety as being one of the worst blockbusters of our generation and tainting an icon's cinematic legacy. Just under sixteen years later, and just in time for the original's 60th anniversary. Gareth Edwards has brought us a revitalised Godzilla film that not only honours it's original, it earns it's own spot beside it in the pantheon of great monster movies.

Godzilla
Gareth Edwards // 2014 // 123 mins

Divergent

Divergent
Neil Burger // 2014 // 139 mins

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer 
Bong Joon-ho // 2014 // 126 mins

Her

Her
Spike Jonze // 2013 // 126 mins

Elysium

2009's District 9 was one of the most exciting directorial debut's of not just the Science Fiction genre, but of any. Director Neill Blomkamp masterfully crafted a unique and entertaining action film that was also loaded with an astute social and political commentary. That the director set such a strong standard for himself makes his problematic follow up film, Elysium, all the more disappointing.

Elysium
Neill Blomkamp // 2013 // 109 mins

30 Days of Horror | Day 15

A Painfully Suspenseful Movie
Alien

I only watched Alien for the first time yesterday, and it is probably because it is so fresh in my mind that it seemed the perfect choice for today's post.

What Ridley Scott has done so well in Alien is craft an extremely claustrophobic atmosphere throughout the entire film, something that I was not at all expecting. Despite being set on a huge ship in the vastness of Space, the long corridors of the Nostromo become unnervingly enclosed once the titular space-beast gets loose and stalks the crew one by one. Even when the action takes place in larger areas, both inside and outside of the Nostromo, the darkness that dominates much of the film often tightly constrains the characters within a single part of the frame. I was anticipating grand, detailed sets and intricately crafted make up effects, and while those elements are certainly present, I was pleasantly surprised that they are often shrouded in darkness. This intensified the long sequences in which the crew try to locate the Alien, with the minimalist score also helping to create an unnerving atmosphere that builds up to nerve shattering scares almost every time.

Though I had never seen the film, I had a basic grasp of some of the major plot points and set-pieces and this proved to heighten the suspense even more as I endured the long build-ups with a fair idea of what was to come but no way of knowing just when it would occur. In a standard horror film the protagonist can run as far from the villain as possible but here there really isn't anywhere to run. The ship becomes a labyrinthine series of badly lit corridors that provide ample hiding places for the oversized monster, and watching these characters try and get away from an extra-terrestrial hide and seek champion is an incredibly suspenseful experience.

Avengers Assemble

At the time of writing this review I have seen (The) Avengers Assemble a total of four times, twice in 2D, once in 3D and my initial viewing in IMAX 3D. This film has become one of the biggest ever cinematic releases, garnering an incredible one and a half billion dollars, and has been lauded one of the greatest comic book films ever made. Here are my two cents.

Chronicle

Within recent yeas a distinctive style has emerged within cinema. Made hugely popular through The Blair Witch Project, the use of handheld cameras to present a story has thrived within the horror genre, however it has also proven effective when used within Sci-Fi and Action films, as evidenced in Cloverfield. Chronicle develops upon this style, amping it up the the nth degree.

*WARNING* Features descriptions and images which contain spoilers.

Prometheus

I have never seen a film from the Alien series all the way through, none of them have ever appealed to me. I'm not a huge fan of Sigourney Weaver and I'm not a huge fan of Sci-Fi films in general. Despite having no prior relationship with the Alien series, I have been hugely excited for the prequel for quite some time. Hyped up by an incredible cast and one of the best trailers of the year, I finally saw Prometheus last night.

*WARNING* Features descriptions and images which contain spoilers.