Films update

Sometimes it is rather difficult to keep with new cinematic releases and you end up acquiring them on DVD long after they have left the multiplex. At other times, there are a number of releases on the likes of Netflix and Amazon that get missed. In both of these cases, due to work and other commitments, it takes a conscious effort to catch up with the backlog. And so here are four films my good lady and I have recently caught up with.

First up, we have Solo: A Star Wars Story. Now, this film got absolutely panned by Star Wars fans upon its cinematic release, and to be fair, I can see why. In a nutshell, if this film had been subtitled “A film set in the Star Wars universe” rather than “A Star Wars story”, that would have been far better. As it is, this came across as a film no one wanted or asked for, except the bean counters at Disney. As it stands, it lost a massive amount of money for the House of Mouse. There is only so far you can milk a cash cow and this film defined those limits for the Star Wars franchise. (Budget of around $275-300 million, box office of $392.9 million).

Having said that, it’s not actually a bad film per se. It certainly doesn’t deserve the kicking it received and despite the creative turmoil that was well documented through its production, you can do far worse for a couple of hours. That the original directors were replaced and up to 70% of the film was re-shot definitely didn’t help the budget side of things but the script and action scenes are decent and the acting ranges from good (Donald Glover as a young Lando is brilliant, you even get used to Alden Ehrenreich as "not Harrison Ford", but Emilia Clarke proves once again how little range she has). Overall, better than it has any right to be but that doesn't mean they should have made it in the first place.

Up next is Polar, a Netflix exclusive based on the Dark Horse webcomic series. Polar stars

Mads Mikkelsen as a hit man about to retire on his 50^th birthday upon which he gets his pension payout worth $8 million. However, the company he works for is out of cash and, to be sold off, needs to clear its liabilities. It can do this by ensuring their assassins die before their 50^th, so the pension pot is returned to the company.

The trailer looked good and seemed to have a similar style and vibe to The Losers, another action film based on a comic book property. Thing is, that film had a style all of its own, with a funny script, good action sequences and some good performances as well as a fair dose of panache. Polar, on the other hand, has graphic violence (at times a bit too graphic even for my hardened stomach), obligatory sex scenes and a rather po-faced attitude. Where as The Losers had a good licensed soundtrack, Polar has Deadmau5 and to be honest, their original score is very good. But it is the tone of the film that scuttles this film. It’s too dour, the humour either leaden or veering towards sick. Mikkelsen carries the film well, giving a decent, if heavy, performance. However, the rest of the cast vary between OTT (Matt Lucas and some of the younger assassins) and totally flat (pretty much everyone else – especially Richard Dreyfuss in a very short, phoned in, cameo).

There is a twist ending that is quite well advertised in advance and whilst there is room for a sequel, I am not sure the film warrants it. Still, when it perks up, and that’s usually the action bits, it's quite good. The editing is fast but not overly confusing, so you can follow what’s going on. It’s just a shame that the comic book styling that apes The Losers is spoiled by the nastiness that seems to permeate the core of the piece. Not sure I’d ever watch this again, and a follow up, less so.

Hunter Killer could be described as another generic Gerard Butler action film and as such, another by the numbers entry to his career. The guy can act, and he has the screen personality to carry films with ease, but here, he’s not given much to work with. Part Navy Seals, part Hunt for Red October, part Crimson Tide, part Das Boot, Hunter Killer posits a Russian military coup and the attempt by a US navy Seal team and a supporting nuclear attack submarine to rescue the Russian President and prevent World War 3.

Not a hugely budgeted film, Hunter Killer received a fair amount of technical help from the US Navy and the book the film is based on was written by a former US submariner. The film makers even opted for a gimballed submarine set to add to the realism and to be fair to it, Hunter Killer does get most of the submarine action decently done, with possibly only the slightly iffy underwater miniatures work letting it down. Where practical effects could not be used, CGI takes over and it is of the generic mid-budget quality that you’d expect: does the job, doesn’t look that bad but nowhere near convincing.

Butler is joined by “Academy Award” winner Gary Oldman on the DVD case and much is made of his presence in the advertising materials, except his role is more an extended cameo and, although not a bad one, smells a bit like adding a bigger name to get more funding and people to watch, pretty much as the careers of Nichols Cage and Bruce Willis have followed for the last few years.

The bad guys are the usual types, and as the actors chosen have played unsavoury characters so many times before, you know as soon as you see them on the screen that they will be up to no good. Still, it keeps them in work and it pays the bills.

Another actor who appears to be in danger of stereotyping is the rather talented Toby Stephens. After playing a Navy Seal in 13 Hours and a former US Special Forces type in the recent Lost in Space remake, here he is again, even rocking the same look as his Lost in Space character. Hopefully, he gets something different in the near future. One actor who gets little recognition here, or lines, is the late Michael Nyqvist. An excellent Swedish actor, this was one of his last performances before he passed away. If you’ve seen him in other films/TV roles, you’ll understand what a mis-use of his talents this film was.

Story wise, there are thrills and spills, with pretty much every submarine cliche in existence gets an airing. There were more than a few technical errors for the sake of story/entertainment but nothing as daft as say the Battleship film from a few years ago. Where it does fall flat is the seemingly ever reliable military tech. From missiles to gun systems and torpedoes, everything works perfectly, but even a short search on YouTube disproves that portrayal. Oh, and so characters seem to shrug off what would be fairly lethal bullet wounds with some ease.

Having said all that, Hunter Killer is a decent (if mindless) thriller that shouldn't be considered too much a waste of an evening.

Finally, we have Isn't It Romantic, a rom-com. Now whoa, I hear you say, a rom-com??? What the hell is all this about? Well, stay with me on this one. Rom-com's are not my usual staple but having seen the trailer, it looked a bit different from the usual fare. Starring Rebel Wilson, this is a film that only works if you can handle her usual shtick. I can, but not in large doses. She plays a struggling architect who is knocked unconscious and wakes up to find herself is a rom-com about her life. Turning the genre on its head, Isn't It Romantic has fun playing with the stereotypes associated with films of that type and there some genuinely amusing pieces. Ok, it's a simple premise and one that has been tried before, but IIR has some good performances (Liam Hemsworth is good value here) and some rather well choreographed dance sequences.

Naturally, it all turns out well in the end and a foot tapping dance number sends the film off with a sense of style. It's not as clever as it thinks it is and there are a couple of missed opportunities but on the whole, not bad.