Programme 38: Summer Blockbusters 2014

The Watchers Film Show: Ep 38 Summer Blockbusters of 2014 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.

It's been a bumper summer full of blockbusters, so the Watchers get down to discussing what we thought of this summer's big movies. We discuss comedy sequel 22 Jump Street, animated feature How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Marvel's latest movie Guardians Of The Galaxy, whilst there's some interesting splits of opinion on Transformers: Age Of Extinction and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Enjoy!

Review: X-Men: Days Of Future Past (UK Cert 12A)

Comic-book movies sometimes get a raw deal. They're perceived as low-brow popcorn-fodder, a sit-back-and-watch-things-go-boom experience. Basically, they're lumped in with Michael Bay films. However, that is far from the truth. Comic-book movies deal with huge themes- love, trust, truth, faith, death- and are much more than just a vivid spectacle. Captain America: The Winter Soldier plays out like a paranoid 1970s thriller with added superhero, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 deals with loss and betrayal, and now X-Men: Days Of Future Past asks questions about the nature of history, fate and destiny.

In a future ravaged by war, mutants and their sympathisers are hunted down and ruthlessly exterminated by massive killer robots known as the Sentinels. A small group of mutants- led by Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen)- have a plan to end the war. Using Kitty Pryde's (Ellen Page) powers, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back to 1973. He must reunite a separated Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) and, together, they must stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) at the Paris Peace Accord which ends the Vietnam War. Trask's death and Mystique's subsequent capture are the tipping point which brings about the war. But can they change the past?

It's a truly epic piece of film-making. Singer's direction is slick, the big action set-pieces look amazing (the opening scene featuring a Sentinel attack on a mutant camp in Moscow is just absolutely breath-taking) but the smaller, quieter character moments also work- there's a fantastic scene between McAvoy and Stewart as the younger generation meets the older which is just sublime. The period detail of the 1970s is nicely realised- there's a great opening sight-gag involving lava lamps and waterbeds which raised a giggle- and the soundtrack is also worthy of mention (taking in Eartha Kitt, Roberta Flack and Jim Croce). 

Performance-wise, there's absolutely no complaints. Given that the lion's share of the action goes to Jackman, Fassbender, McAvoy and Lawrence, it's no surprise that they're all at their A-game here. This is the seventh time Jackman's played Wolverine and he completely inhabits the character every time. McAvoy's performance is stunning, as he goes from a wreck of a man to the man we know he can be. Fassbender is smooth and suave and there are echoes of McKellen in his tone. Lawrence is just superb as Mystique- she is the tipping point, the fulcrum. There's a lot of weight on her shoulders but she handles it with aplomb. 

Other performances worthy of note are Peter Dinklage as Trask- what could have easily been a cardboard cut-out stereotypical villain is given nuance and heart by Dinklage, making Trask almost likeable- and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy, acting as nurse and companion to Charles. There's also a sterling performance by Evan Peters as Quicksilver, a superfast mutant who helps reunite Charles and Erik in what is one of the most inventive and funniest scenes in the film. There are also a few lovely and unexpected cameos towards the end that I won't spoil and a post-credits scene that gives a tantalising glimpse at the next film (due in 2016). 

Be warned, though: this is not a film for people new to the X-Men franchise. You need to have seen the previous films (and, sadly, I do include X-Men: The Last Stand in that) to really have a handle on the what and why. For example, a lot of the pathos that comes from Professor X and Magneto's relationship- despite being immaculately played by Stewart and McKellen- is based on knowing what they've previously been through (as it's only given the most cursory of mentions). Similarly, some of Wolverine's angst might seem a bit confusing if you don't know what's happened to him. Also, given the large cast, despite an extensive run-time of 131 minutes, some characters feel a little underused- Halle Berry's Storm, for instance- whilst the vast majority of Anna Paquin's scenes as Rogue hit the cutting-room floor. 

So, with the caveat in place that you need to have seen previous X-Men films before seeing this one, I would heartily recommend X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Engaging, epic and excellent.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Happy New Year from The Watchers!

 

Happy New Year!

We've got a whole new year of cinematic delights to sample and we can't wait!

Some of the big releases for 2014 are Transformers: Age Of Extinction, Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, The Expendables 3, The Hobbit: There And Back Again and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

The Watchers will be there for these and many more throughout the next 12 months and will share our opinions on the blog, the podcast and the show itself, so keep watching!

We hope 2014 is a sterling year for everyone!

Rhys, Matt & Tez

The Watchers

Comic Book Movie Round-Up #1: X-Men: Days Of Future Past

As you may have gathered, The Watchers are huge comic-book movie fans. There are so many future comic-book movie films coming out over the next few years, we thought it would be a good idea to do a round-up of some of the bigger ones that are due and what we know about them. We won't be doing a round-up for either Iron Man 3 or The Wolverine as both films are due out imminently (Iron Man 3 at the end of April and The Wolverine at the end of July).

So without further ado, here's our first round-up...

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Director: Bryan Singer
Writer: Simon Kinberg, Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman from a story by Bryan Singer based on Days Of Future Past by Chris Claremont and John Byrne
Provisional Release Date: July 18 2014

What We Know: X-Men Days of Future Past is based on a storyline from two issues of The Uncanny X-Men comic book series released in 1981. In that, Kitty Pryde is warned about the future consequences of the X-Men failing to stop the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly which leads to anti-Mutant hysteria and a future where all Mutants are hunted by Sentinels. The title was confirmed in August 2012.

Who's In?: Cast members from X-Men: First Class as well as the original trilogy are reprising their roles, along with some new actors to the franchise.

From X-Men First Class:
James McAvoy (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
Michael Fassbender (Magneto)
Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique)
Nicholas Hoult (Beast)

From the original trilogy:
Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X)
Ian McKellen (Magneto)
Hugh Jackman (Wolverine)
Halle Berry (Storm)
Anna Paquin (Rogue)
Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde)
Shawn Ashmore (Iceman)
Daniel Cudmore (Colossus)

New actors:
Peter Dinklage (rumoured to be Bolivar Trask, creator of the Sentinels)
Omar Sy 
Booboo Stewart
Fan Bingbing (Blink)

Who's Out?: It has been confirmed that several previous characters will not be appearing in Days Of Future Past. These include January Jones (Emma Frost), Alex Gonzalez (Riptide), Zoe Kravitz (Angel) and Jason Flemyng (Azazel) from X-Men: First Class and Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) from X-Men 2. Rose Byrne (Moira McTaggart from First Class) has stated she is unsure if she will be returning, despite signing a three-picture deal.

Anything Else?: Bryan Singer came back in to direct after X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn had to drop out due to scheduling issues. Vaughn will still act as producer, along with Singer, Simon Kinberg, Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner.

Oscar-winning production designer John Myhre, composer John Ottman and costume designer Louise Mingenbach are all confirmed to work on the film.

Days Of Future Past is set more than ten years after the events of X-Men: First Class, which would make it set primarily in 1973. American President Richard Nixon is due to appear (much like in Watchmen).

Singer tweeted this picture back in February 2013, showing the two wheelchairs for the different incarnations of Professor X:

Principal photography is due to begin in Montreal in mid-April, and the film will be released in 3D.