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How to Train Your Dragon 2 Review

20:04 | Labels:


Directed by: Dean DeBlois
Casts: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Release Date: 12 June 2014

This summer, Hiccup and his dragon-best friend Toothless return for bigger, bolder adventures in How to Train Your Dragon 2, taking place 5 years after the vikings of Berk made peace with the dragons. As the duo travel beyond their northern home to discover new lands and reptiles, their bond grow stronger in face of emerging dangers and turbulences. 

Praises: How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a prime example of a sequel done right, expanding on the formula which made the first one a success rather than repeating it. The much beloved young viking and his winged-companion continue to charm audiences with many "aww moments'"; couple that with some really heart-felt scenes it's near impossible to not leave the cinema hall without wiping a few tears off our eyes. 


Admitting to have drawn inspirations from Star Wars' The Empire Strikes Back, director/writer Dean DeBlois made this second chapter the bridge to the 3rd and possible conclusion of a planned trilogy, hence the darker shift of tone is highly noticeable. He did it in such a way that as the audiences of the first grows, so does the story and characters. Certain critics noted that it may be a tad bit too intense for younger audience but I hold my stand - to me the movie balanced its appeal to kids and adults evenly. 


Though I wouldn't blame them. The inclusion of Dragon Bludvist (who definitely sounds like "Bloodfist") as the chief villain itself sheds a grimmer light but one that I finds necessary to make the story better. He's a man who antagonises the dragons from his own earlier bitter encounters, however, unlike the vikings his hatred for the beasts rends him cruel and vicious and as a result becomes a megalomaniacal warmonger. His existence is opposite symbolism of Hiccup's peace-loving persona, which makes him a bad guy with actual weight to the story.  

From the trailers alone, we know that Hiccup's long-thought-to-be-dead mother is in fact well and alive. Wait, how? I will let you figure that yourself if you haven't already but Hiccup finally has it all - a complete family, a dragon buddy and the love of his life. How short-lived this happiness turned out to be and the subsequent repercussions truly magnify the emotional experience and serves as a stunning reminder that animation films can mess with our hearts as well as any live-action endeavour. 

Now now, it seems as though all I fascinate about is how serious everything is in this sequel. That's not the case really, for the film is a whole load of fun as well. DeBlois knows better not to let the sense of joy drop too low - after all it's what made the first so endearing to us. Many moments to laugh our hearts out, guffaw at the silliness of certain horny dragon-riders and seeing the world through the eyes of Hiccup and Toothless, How to Train Your Dragon 2 reinvigorate the child and youth in me.  

Vastly entertaining with breathtaking visuals and majestic scores, it is indisputable that this is the best animation film Dreamworks has churned out for quite some time and the best since Disney's Frozen last year. 

 Complains: I guess all that being said, I still prefer the first one slightly over this as seeing Hiccup and Toothless getting to know one another and their bond getting stronger - it felt a whole lot more personal to me. How to Train Your Dragon 2 hit extremely close to home, but still a notch lower than its predecessor. 

 Rating: 9.1/10
Hit or Miss: Even if everything else in the film fails (which they don't), Toothless is ridiculously loveable. Hit. 

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Kuroshitsuji Review

23:43 | Labels:


Directed by: Kentaro Otani & Keiichi Sato
Casts: Hiro Mizushima, Ayame Gouriki, Mizuki Yamamoto, Yuka
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Suspense
Release Date: 12 June 2014 (Malaysia)

Loosely adapted from the manga & anime of the same name, Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) follows the exploits of Shiori Genpo (Gouriki), head of the Genpo noble family and her tailcoat butler Sebastian (Mizushima) as they solve crimes as the Queen's "watchdogs", all while searching for the true murderer of Shiori's parents. 

I was a huge fan of the anime's first season (and would like to pretend the horrendous season 2 never existed) so I'm half-heartedly skeptical about how a live-action adaptation would play out. To make it easy on those who know zilch on the original story, Sebastian is a demon - vowed to serve Shiori until the point where she exact her revenge and henceforth consume her darkened soul. Sounds grim, but the main appeal of the original work is the relationship between the butler and his master. As Sebastian stands hungrily by his master's side to devour the precious soul, he can't help but also be simultaneously amused by his master's humane actions that is often accompanied by cold demeanours. 


Praises: Fanboy-ing aside, there are several stark differences between the anime and the live-action. For one, Sebastian's original master is Ciel Phantomhive - a Victorian era noble while here, it's Shiori, a noble living in a 21st century "Eastern Nation". Apart from the settings, the stories differ significantly; but Hiro Mizushima of Kamen Rider Kabuto fame managed to pull off a rather impressive Sebastian Michaelis, maintaining much of the character's charming charisma without making it feel cartoonish. 


A realistic Sebastian can be tricky (it's a flawless, handsome demon for Christ's sake!) but Mizushima makes it seem like an effortless stint and though he serves a different master here the love-hate relationship between Sebastian and Shiori mirrors the one with Ciel, thus not much to complain about. One of the many twists is that Shiori is actually a girl dressing up as a boy for the Genpo head can be of only from the male species, a comedic nod to the fact that Ciel looks quite much like a girl in the anime. I find this change rather hilarious and offers a refreshing take of a more emotionally compelling bond between the two. 


Much like the Phantomhive household, Shiori too has a clumsy, over-attached maid servant Rin and the quiet, tea-sipping old butler Tanaka. Both offered comedic reliefs while maintaining their role from the anime and despite shortage of two (namely an explosive-frenzy chef and a superhuman gardener) they filled up the void quite well, offering Shiori a sense of family-love that she has long lost. I can't get enough of their antics really, therefore I appreciate the excellent choice of Mizuki Yamamoto and Taro Shigaki for the respective parts. 


The film makers know well not to dish out a Sebastian that lacks class, elegance and  of course, speed  - I delight upon the fact that the demon butler moves with blinding agility both in battles and in service, something that mustn't be lost in translation. Another plus is that the action choreographies felt neat, demonstrating the demon's abilities without being way over the top. 


Plot wise, the film adopts a more current approach on social illness and themes of modern world and while I personally prefer the original 19th century London fix, these contemporary flavours can be quite exquisite. Fans of the anime/manga might be able to figure out the entire narrative before halfway through the film but still, the characters do smart things to thwart a seemingly smarter menace, giving a sense that the movie is constantly ahead of the audience. 

Complains: Unfortunately, the film loses its pace and momentum towards the climax. The final confrontation felt overly draggy, and just when you think it's over something else pops up to prolong it. I understand the need to emphasise the dramas in order to develop and flesh out  the characters but much of the intensity is lost in a stretched-out finale. 


It doesn't help that the villains are outright flat, one-dimensional characters that are utterly uninteresting. Hanae makes one helluva boring antagonist with a selfish motive sparked from deprivation of love; while her character aims to be tragic instead she came off as a spoiled whinny brat. There is at least one possible sequel given the way this film ended, so hopefully the film makers will get the baddies right next time. 


Jeez I almost forgot, there's the Undertaker.... a total waste of space. 

Rating: 6.8/10
Hit or Miss: Imaginative much but missing a few marks, Kuroshitsuji is best served with a pinch of salt. Marginally hit.

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Edge of Tomorrow Review

19:47 | Labels:


Directed by: Doug Liman
Casts: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Release Date: 29 May 2014

Alien forces dubbed "Mimics" launched a worldwide invasion on Earth, rendering humans defenceless and on the brink of destruction. Major William Cage is the face of the US military but has not seen a day of combat in his career. He unwillingly finds himself in the midst of a suicide mission - only to die minutes later before reliving the day over and over again in what seems to be a never-ending time loop. 

Praises: Slimy mechanical aliens. Grungy-looking battle suits. Lots of explosions and deaths. Time travel. Tom Cruise and his beautiful puzzled-eyes. Sounds like a pretty cheesy, messy, been-there-done-that kind of film right? I admit to not having much high expectations for Edge of Tomorrow but when the credits start rolling, I stood up and gave the film a double thumbs up. 

The overall plot felt clever, fast and evenly paced, innovative and intense, keeping me engaged throughout without losing momentum. Tom Cruise plays a military officer who is anything but a soldier. He is a PR figure, good with his speech, excellent with his persuasion. To put him on the battlefield guarantees a certain death, and true enough he didn't even last 5 minutes before meeting his Maker - or so we thought. I think it's fair to say we have more than enough of Tom Cruise being a skilled fighter/special agent; to see him confused, scared and helpless is rather interesting and refreshing.

Things get a lot worse for Major William - he dies, then revives the next second to relive the day again. And again. And again. To live through the same fear and pain repeatedly while seemingly unable to alter the ending can put a huge dent on anyone's psyche. Then comes the bitter-sweet mix - meeting Rita Vrataski (Blunt), one of the best Mimic-slayers in play. Having to die on your own repeatedly is one thing, having to see someone you care die along with you is another. In quite an unlikely romantic setting, the two leads have excellent chemistry mix that pretty much left a heart-wrenching feeling tugging at the bottom of my stomach. 

Collectively the visuals are an orgasmic treat; be it the ships, suits, or alien tentacles they work cohesively with the narrative to never give a single dull moment. The concept of time-loop was used without creating much self-conflicting paradoxes, effectively feeling brilliant while avoiding serious complications. A sci-fi cinematic experience that doesn't tire, Edge of Tomorrow puts Tom Cruise right back in the game. 

 Complains: How often do we see great buildups in movies only to be hampered by a lukewarm climax? More than my fingers can count, really. Edge of Tomorrow may be ambitious right from the start but seemingly resort to cheap, safe fallback towards the end, giving a somewhat confusing and not to mention predictable conclusion to a story that could offer plentiful. Was it to cater to mainstream appetite I do not know, but the film certainly lose some points with me there. 

Rating: 8.7/10
Hit or Miss: Edge of Tomorrow is one of the better films this summer, a sleeper hit as I like to call it.

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Maleficent Review

23:42 | Labels:


Directed by: Robert Stromberg
Casts: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Release Date: 29 May 2014

A retelling of one of Disney's most well-known classics Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of its chief villainess, Maleficent offers a rather sympathetic tale of origin, a look at the betrayal which led to the once kind and loving faerie into becoming the mistress of evil we all know and fear (kind of). 

Praises: I'm no master fan of Disney fairytales, but at the very least I know what to expect of a Sleeping Beauty remake - somewhere along the line of a bad woman in black who cursed a princess to sleep and prince charming comes to the rescue with a kiss. Although that isn't entirely wrong, writer Linda Woolverton gave a few surprising twists to the narrative to make the entire experience familiar but fresh, even for those who grew up with the story. 

Prior to the film's release, the public has taken keen interest on Angelina Jolie's new stint - teaser images of the Tomb Raider actress in full Maleficent costume garnered positive response with great anticipation. Now, having finally watched the film, I must say I'm truly enchanted by Angie's spectacular performance. She moulded the character that would befit her own image and the end result can be described as "sexy evil". There's no other better way to put it - Angelina Jolie is Maleficent and likewise Maleficent is Angelina Jolie. Even if nothing else impresses you, there's no denying that she is simply magical. 

Of course, she wasn't the only one noteworthy in the film. Sharlto Copley played the paranoid and treacherous version of King Stefan, who incurred the wrath of Maleficent after betraying the latter for the throne. What I mean by that, well, you have to watch the film to find out (this is strictly a spoiler free review!) Sharlto of District 9 and Elysium fame is definitely a brilliant choice when it comes to a role that is rather twisted in the mind.

Now, how can it be a Sleeping Beauty film without the eponymous princess herself? Elle Fanning puts up a really attractive smile as Aurora, the cursed heir of King Stefan who's fated to prick her finger on a spinning wheel spindle during her 16th birthday and inadvertently falls into deep sleep. Her relationship with Maleficent is unlike any other we have ever seen or heard and is integral in her emotional transformation (apart from the betrayal for sure). Without revealing further, it's safe to say Aurora is a whole lot more integral to the plot progression and culmination than her mid-20th century incarnation did. 

Sam Riley may not be a well-known name yet at this point, but he sure is entertaining and funny to watch. Be it a crow, a wolf or a giant reptile.... he's charming nonetheless. 

 To sum up the good parts, Maleficent thrives on its casts to deliver an old story anew and for someone like me who often shrugs at fairytales, I enjoyed the film for the most part. 


Complains: For all it's worth, the effort to revamp Sleeping Beauty did not spare it from certain Disney cliches. There are several moments when I'm drawn into the character conflicts only to be taken aback by certain lines so cheesy I cringed. I know it's still a Disney flick, but to have the story flicking back and forth indecisively between what's corny and what's not seems rather lackluster on the writers' side. 


The visuals are stunning but holds no weight on the narrative, besides, it's not something we have not seen in other fantasy films. 

 Rating: 7.7/10
Hit or Miss: A remarkable summer treat from Disney, I beckon. Hit. 

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