THE MONUMENTS MEN

I was lucky enough to go along to the London premiere for The Monuments Men earlier this month. As a true story that I hadn't heard a single thing about prior to the film's trailer, I was incredibly excited to watch the film and find out more. However, I was a bit concerned - was it going to be just another boring war film reminiscent of history lessons of yesteryear? Well, fortunately not!

(Sidenote: in case you missed my previous post, the delay in getting these latest reviews up is down to technical issues!)

George Clooney directs and stars in this fascinating true-life story of a World War II platoon that gets given the task of rescuing stolen art, which has been taken from the Nazis. This is the ultimate hook of the story, and the fact that all of this actually happened makes the film impossible to dismiss. After all, who knew that in World War II seven brave men were assigned the specific task of rescuing the World's greatest masterpieces from the Nazis? These men risked, or in some cases gave, their lives in order to protect the work of Michelangelo, Picasso and various other artists great and small, which the Nazis were stealing for the Führermuseum that Hitler was planning to open once he won the war.

The cast at the London premiere

The fact that the plight of these heroes went unnoticed for so long is unforgivable, especially when you consider their three-year mission helped to recover an estimated five million pieces of art! Perhaps my sentiment towards these men has been heightened due to the special guest at the premiere; Clooney and co. welcomed the last surviving member of the Monuments Men to the stage, and seeing the real-life counterpart of the men depicted in the story was humbling as well as extraordinary.

The strong cast are the making of the film. George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and Hugh Bonneville are just a few of the talents who make up the Monuments Men, with Cate Blanchett also shining in a supporting role. What makes the cast so spot-on, and aids the film's delivery tremendously, is their chemistry. The men bounce off each other and seem to be genuine best friends; it is clear that they all had fun making the film and that high energy transfers through the screen to the audience, making the film enjoyable to watch.

Despite the sensitive wartime setting, the tone of the film is relatively light hearted and there is very little depiction of the real tragedy of war. The story is very much about the men, not about the war, and I have seen this as a point of criticism for others, although I will beg to differ. Referenced by some as merely 'Oceans 11 in WW2', mostly due to its light-hearted dialogues and, admittedly at times gratuitous, attempts at comedy. However, these one-liners and comedic jibes actually help diffuse the tension in what would otherwise have been a very serious and intense film. Clooney's decision to add an element of humour to the film is in fact a decision that I applaud as it avoids the film from being stuffy and 'just another war film', instead making it something that can appeal to people of all tastes and ages, whilst still achieving the overall mission to get the story of the brave young men told.

The real life Monuments Men

The humour also brings the reality of war closer to home as it makes the men much more relatable. They aren't just serious-faced men in khaki helmets and holding guns; the incessant bickering, brotherly camaraderie and light-hearted take on serious matters makes them seem much more like everyday people who you could meet walking down the street today. The time period becomes irrelevant and the men become modern.

My main criticism of the film comes through the unsurprising overriding theme of patriotism throughout. A few times I was suddenly jolted out of the story because the nauseating 'AMERICA IS AWESOME' notion became a little too ridiculous, and increasingly hard to swallow. When you consider the fact that the Monuments Men were not solely American soldiers it makes the film appear as though it has an ulterior motive - something that isn't exactly unique for an American wartime film, but still a bit tedious none the less. Despite these occasional blips, Clooney always manages to reign the story back  in - much to the film's benefit, - and once you take away the propaganda you are left with an enjoyable and surprisingly easy-viewing film.

So long as you don't go into the cinema expecting the movie equivalent of a high-school history lesson, there is nothing not to like about the film. The fact that it is such an incredible true story makes for an interesting watch and the cast's high-spirited energy and Clooney's take on the storytelling makes it easy to digest and holds your attention. Although stylistically it may not have the makings of a cinematic masterpiece, it is informative and entertaining. What more can you ask for than that?

★★★☆☆

The Monuments Men is in cinemas nationwide now!

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS

Walking The White Carpet

A couple of weeks ago i got an invite to the Star Trek: Into Darkness World premiere and when i saw this invite sitting comfortably in my inbox i literally choked on my drink from the excitement and very promptly RSVP'd with a BIG. FAT. 'YES!'

In all honesty, i am by no means a 'trekkie'. I'm not into Sci-Fi or Space. I hadn't seen the first Star Trek or Star Wars... I can't even sit through an episode of Big Bang Theory. The most i knew about Star Trek was all learnt from the incredible West End show Loserville. So, why was i so excited to be attending the World premiere of a franchise i have no real interest in? Okay, well it might have something to do with my love for the film's director JJ Abrams and it definitely had something to do with all of the hype surrounding the film, even if it wasn't a genre that i normally gravitated towards I was eager to get a sneak peak at what was sure to be one of the biggest films of the year.

Anyways, on Thursday morning i recieved my ticket and waited excitedly all day until the time came

My Ticket

to walk the white carpet. The amount of hardcore Star Trek fans (admittedly alongside the masses of hardcore Benedict Cumberbatch fans) that had waited all day at the premiere barriers in order to be a part of this event was absolutely mind blowing. Leicester Square was literally filled to the brim as hundreds of people hoped to catch a glimpse of the stars who had promised to make this installment of one of the World's most succesful franchises even better than the last.

JJ Abrams Introducing The Film

The Cast Join Abrams On Stage

Once everybody was seated and Alex Zane had interviewed all of the key cast and crew on the huge white stage outside, the audience were treated to an appearance from JJ Abrams himself as he introduced the film and called  down all of the stars to join him on the stage.The warm, loving relationship between Abrams and the cast was obvious to all as the group laughed and joked, excited to finally unleash their new film onto the World.

As you all probably know, this film is 3D. I don't usually watch 3D films as they normally make me feel a little queasy and when i have a choice i always see a made-for-3D film in 2D. So as you can imagine the 3D in itself was a big treat for me! I would definitely recommend trying to see the 3D screening, even though i know it costs a couple of pounds extra. The setting of Space just makes parts of it really beautiful and this beauty is so much more intensified through the lenses of 3D glasses and on top of that the schrapnel and characters flying towards the screen during inevitable fight scenes adds so much to the already high-tension scenes.

As soon as the film started, all of the worries i had about not being a 'trekkie' and not loving this genre of film just evaporated away. I was a little concerned that as a newbie to the whole franchise i wouldn't understand anything that is going on because i half expected Abrams to just assume that the audience know the back story so not include the relevant information in this film. I was completely wrong; all of the characters are introduced in a subtle but useful way, Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty... All of their relationships with eachother and their tasks within the enterprise were clearly explained but in a way that is not patronizing or too time-consuming for your hardcore Star Trek fans. Everybody was accounted for. I'm not going to lie; there were a couple of incidents where some parts of the audience laughed or applauded for reasons that weren't too clear, so i'm sure that Abrams included some in-jokes especially for the Trekkies and although they obviously went right over my head, i appreciate the touch and even though i didn't understand the references, they did not interfere with the overall story arc throughout the film.

I surprised myself with how involved i got with the film, i have to say that there was a lack of character development at the beginning of the film, obviously because these are all well established characters within film culture but this meant that as a newbie i did struggle a little bit in connecting with  Captain Kirk to start with. He is just a little obnoxious and seemed pretty unlikeable as a character but as time went on i did really grow to love him and was on the edge of my seat vouching for him to win.  All of the performances were faultless, an absolutely perfect cast overall; Zachary Quinto was incredible as Spock and i found myself looking forward to his next scene when his last one finished - i think for me personally he stole the show. Simon Pegg as Scotty was a flawless choice; a choice i had originally doubted when  i first heard that he was cast (How could Shaun of the Dead possibly fit comfortably within the Star Trek enterprise?!) A friend of mine mentioned Anton Yelchin before i saw the film, so i was on the lookout for his performance as Pavel and although it is a relatively small role he is simply adorable in it and i just wanted to cuddle him and tell him how cute he is.

Hmmm, now... Am i possibly forgetting someone?! Have i not mentioned the man who stole the premiere's thunder? The man whose name evoked the most incredible response whenever it was mentioned to the hundreds of people outside of the cinema, craning to get a glimpse of him? The man who i actually knew nothing about before Thursday but have since learned that the Sherlock fandom is pretty much out of this World?! Ah yes... That's the one, the only: Benedict Cumberbatch. Playing myserious, sinister John Harrison. Creepy, creepy Harrison with his creepy, creepy voice and terrifying death stare. Another incredible performance from a very talented actor but is Harrison actually so bad?! You might have to watch to find out! For all the 'Cumberbitches' (really??), i think  you are most definitely in for a treat. He really does you, and the role, proud and will really mess with your head as you try to work out whether or not you can believe a word that he says.

The storyline itself is very engrossing. It isn't as simple as the enterprise having to catch the bad guy or bad things will happen and there are so many twists and turns it is guaranteed to keep you hooked and, most importantly, keep you guessing. There is a lot of action and once one high-drama, high-tension sub plot comes to its natural end, there is another to take over your interest. The film is over two hours long but the time really did fly by, and when it did end i could have happily kept watching for another hour or so. I often find myself clock-watching after about an hour and a half's worth of film watching but this one felt like i had blinked and it was over. There was just never a dull moment and that is pretty unique for a film of it's stance.

Once again let me say: I am not a Star Trek fan. I am not an action fan. I am not a sci-fi fan. This is not conventionally my cup of tea. So to anybody who is trying to urge their boyfriend/girlfriend/brother/sister/dog to see this film and they are moaning that they won't like it and it isn't their kind of thing - this is the review for them. You don't have to be a lifelong fan to enjoy this film, you will be kept entertained throughout, you will become involved with the story and when it ends you will be hoping for more. This is definitely one for you all to watch and it is one for the big screen and 3D glasses too - it is out on the 9th May, so make a date!

JJ Abrams and his flawless cast and crew have made something to be hugely proud of and i applaud the effort that has gone into creating this great piece of cinema.

Losing one star for the slight lack of character establishment and another point that i can't make as it is a pretty huge spoiler, i award Star Trek: Into Darkness with: ★★★★☆

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

P.S. Special thanks to the lovely Jonathan Ross and Union J boys for being so nice and friendly :)

With Union J

With Jonathan Ross