With the release of Doctor Strange this week, the latest chapter to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This would be an opportune time to look back on our favorite films from the ever growing franchise, so here are our Top 5 MCU films! So in reverse order…….

5.Avengers Assemble

This is what the entire MCU was geared towards. The initial idea of bringing several superheroes together from a range of films into one single movie was a mighty ambitious plan. Phase 1 of 3 was to end with all 5 prior films being capped off by the ensemble blockbuster, ‘’Avengers Assemble’’. It may have taken over 4 years to pull it off, but Director Joss Whedon managed combine everything into one of the biggest summer films of all time! The plot may have been a bit complicated for the casual viewer, but the chemistry between the heroes, the excellent cast and of course, Loki, who is still by far the most intriguing villain in the entire series, makes AA a joy. ‘The Incredible Hulk’ was the 2nd film of the MCU, but most certainly one of the least well known. The Hulk character has had a rough time on the silver screen, but it all changed here! Due to contract disputes, Edward Norton who played the rage monster in TIH was replace by Mark Ruffalo. This was an inspired move, not only was The Hulk one of the best characters in the film, but suddenly his stock has risen massively! The movie blended in action & humour perfectly, and who in the cinema didn’t love the moment when all the heroes finally got together in the final showdown?!

4.Guardians of the Galaxy

Let’s be honest, no one saw this film blowing up as it did! Marvel decided to bring one of their lesser known heroes to the big screen. Everyone is aware of Ironman, Captain America & Thor, but Peter Quill, Rocket Racoon and Drax? It would be a lot more difficult selling that to the audience! What we got though was a wonderfully enjoyable film, which you could dub as ‘Avengers in Space’! Chris Pratt was the perfect choice for our lead, and he is supported by the likes of Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana, to deliver probably the funniest film in the entire MCU. The film even makes a cheeky reference to the fact no one knows who Peter Quill AKA Starlord is! The movie hit a nostalgic point for many fans, with its throwback to the 80s, which gave the film a warming edge, and a great marketing angle! The spin on this film, is that none of them are ‘heroes’ at the start. Starlord is a hoarder, Gamora works for the villain, Rocket & Groot are bounty hunters, and Drax is in prison. So it’s great to see these group of misfits eventually get their act together and work as a cohesive team.The movie never takes itself to seriously, which is what makes it so charming. Sure the villain is shockingly generic, joining the likes of Malekith from The Dark World, but you can forgive that aspect due to the rest of the film. Also, who could have foreseen the duo of a talking racoon & a tree being such a big hit! ‘’I AM GROOT……’’

3.Ironman

When this was released way back in 2008, there was huge pressure on this film to succeed. Comic book adaptations were not as massive as they are now, when Ironman was released. If Ironman failed to captivate the audience, and show that there is a market for comic book movies, the entire MCU would never become what it is now. So Jon Favreau deserves monumental praise for creating such a delightful movie. Back in 2008, Ironman wasn’t as mainstream as other huge superheroes like Superman, Batman or Spiderman, so it was a gamble to kick things off with the adventures of Tony Stark. It was also a punt casting Robert Downey Jr. as the protagonist, an actor who was slowly recovering from a tough phase in his life, but his performance in Tropic Thunder earlier that year gave us an insight to what he could bring to the table. But it all paid off, RDJ is now so synonymous as Tony Stark, it’s hard to see another actor play the role. The film had an excellent blend of comic lore, humour and cool. The film has provided many iconic moments, such as the escape from prison and tank battle scenes. Not to forget, the soundtrack to the movie was on point, the rock music perfectly encapsulating what Ironman was.

2.Captain America : Civil War

The most recent film, and in the grand scheme of things, the biggest movie so far. If it was difficult enough to fit in 5 or 6 heroes in the Avengers, the numbers reached double figures here! So the biggest hurdle facing this film is how do you exactly fit in so many characters, and at the same time, give them all time to shine? Well the Russo Bros managed it. Delivering not only a huge action bonanza, but at the same time, exploring the deep emotional conflicts between our two protagonists. This may look like Avengers 2.5, but it’s most certainly a Captain America film. The film also does a wonderful job in introducing 2 more characters into our ever growing clan! Both Spiderman & Black Panther were a success with the fans, and now the hype for their solo films has built up even more! The film is trademark Marvel, the light hearted banter combined with stunning action set pieces. The film is simply fun! You can have your deep plot lines, the intense character development, but sometimes, you just want to simply enjoy a film, and this is one of those! The Airport scene is probably one of the greatest action scenes of all time, its that good!

1.Captain America : The Winter Soldier

The first Captain America film wasn’t exactly a massive success, the film wasn’t remotely memorable, nor did it make Steve Rodgers look interesting. It’s no surprise that it sits 12th in the list of Marvel films in terms of box office takings. It’s been outperformed by more low profile releases such as Antman. That all changed with the sequel. The Winter Soldier was everything the first film wasn’t. The action was simply outstanding, the story line was less cheesy and more intense, and Cap’ was simply brutal! Every fight scene was vicious. You could really see how powerful he is. The film also introduced The Winter Soldier, the best villain since Loki. Not only did he match Cap’ in terms of power, but he had him beat on the emotional side of the conflict. The movie has a more spy/espionage feel to it, not the usual Marvel plot, the story-line of TWS has a huge impact of the rest of the MCU. There are several moments that stand out for me here, the elevator scene, the escape from Shield, the boat infiltration, the highway chase with Nick Fury, I could go on!! I would say that the film was so great, the character of Captain America, suddenly rose from one of the least popular member of the Avengers, to probably every ones new favorite!

Dan Brown’s red hot novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’ took over the world back in the early 2000s. So it wasn’t surprising that it was turned into a feature length movie in 2006, which was swiftly followed by the prequel ‘Angels & Demons’ in 2009. Fast forward to today, and there is a 3rd chapter in the series, ‘Inferno’, based on Brown’s 2013 novel of the same name. What we get is a film with neither suspense or logic!

Tom Hanks returns once again as Prof Robert Langdon, the world famous Symbologist. This time, he is joined by Dr Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) as they gallivant around photogenic Europe on an another cryptic mission against the clock.

So the plot, it revolves around a deluded billionaire who has decided that the world has been overpopulated, he has created a virus, which he plans to unleash in order to bring down the global population. It’s once again down to Langdon to use his wits and beat the clock before the virus is released.

The spin in this film is that Langdon suffers a head injury, which leaves him with amnesia regarding his last few days. This in turn sets up a ‘who’s telling the truth’ angle, where it appears several people are after him, but who is he to trust? The amnesia plot is rather sporadic, he will randomly recall key moments at pivotal points in the film, and also recall personal details like passwords, but not the word for coffee. The film does try to poke fun at itself for it, but it doesn’t make it any better.

The film copies the usual pattern from previous films, visiting museums & ancient  monuments, finding a hidden clue, then moving on to the next place of interest. The theme of the puzzles here is on the 14th century poem, ‘Dante’s Inferno’, which you will hear a lot throughout the film! The problem here though, is that there is never really any tension, you never feel like that they are on the run from the WHO (who are like the CIA?!) and as usual, in Dan Brown Assassin (Ana Ularu) working for the shady ‘Consortium’ organisation. They walk around in plain sight, take no effort into actually hiding themselves (not even a disguise!), and even when their surrounded by the authorities, they still take they cosy time to solve the puzzle! They never show any urgency!

Of course there are plot twists, which is expected, but the betrayals are very easy to spot, it’s pretty obvious which characters will turn on our hero. Some of the scenes just don’t  make sense. How does our betrayer manage to get across Europe on their own, quicker than our hero in his private jet? How are they not even caught at the airport? Considering they don’t even have the required skills to evade customs etc. The Killer Virus their trying to stop? What is it? How does it work? We’re told nothing. It’s also stored in a plastic bag! At one point, Langdon is saved by the leader of our shady organisation from out of nowhere! How did he find him? No one knew where he was!

The cast is solid, but not spectacular. Hank’s does great as usual, a hero who uses his intelligent and knowledge is a refreshing change from all the Jason Bourne-lite protagonists we’re used to. Irrfan Khan, who also appeared in Jurassic World is stellar as the steely head of the Consortium. Felicity Jones really does not do much to make us care for her character. She hardly seems bothered for the duration of the film, I haven’t read the novel, but I’m sure the character had more personalty then what was in the film!

Overall, the film isn’t really all that compelling, and at over 2 hours,it can really drag on. The journey itself is more of an advert for where you may want to go on a weekend break! Florence, Venice & Istanbul all look sublime! The audience for these films is dwindling, and from the looks of it, so is the future prospects of this film franchise.

PS. The killer virus was stored in a plastic bag, a plastic bag………

A collection of brilliant actors giving stunningly believable performances as characters locked in a confusing web of lies….. and Donna from ‘That 70’s Show’.

Of course, we have to begin with Emily Blunt, as she was just brilliant. I remember I first saw her in the ‘Devil Wears Prada’, I thought she was good but did not expect her to rise to the position that she has. She gave a convincing portrayal as an alcoholic, unstable, and seemingly obsessive ex-wife. She knows that something happened that Friday she blacked out, but what did she see and what did she do?

The male characters all had their own roles to play, Justin Theroux (ex-husband), Luke Evans (missing woman’s husband), and Edgar Ramirez (the shrink). All the actors in the film developed into credible suspects in the disappearance of Megan, played by Haley Bennett.

She gave the character an impressive combination of emotion and apathy, a difficult feat to pull off I imagine. A little bit of research has informed me that I first saw her in ‘Music & Lyrics’ in 2007. Since then she has been blowing up Hollywood and I expect we will see many more great performances from her in the future.

In terms of negative points, although the story kept me thinking and changing who I suspected throughout, by the time you have figured it out it feels as though the end is a little dragged out. It reminded me a little of the 2000 film ‘The Gift’; but rather than visions from clairvoyant Cate Blanchett, we see the visions of an alcoholic Emily Blunt. Finally, there wasn’t much room for character development in this film other than the balancing of Blunt’s mental and emotional state; however, I believe the story-line and the overall portrayal of characters as constants was more important in this kind of film.

Overall, I thought the plot was substantial with well placed flashbacks and restoration of memories. I reiterate the superb performances by all the actors involved, including supporting roles such as “The Man in the Suit”. I was pleasantly surprised when the film didn’t just blackout, but carried on to round off the story and leave any loose ends firmly tied. No cliffhangers begging a sequel in this case!!

Also, Donna from ‘That 70s Show’ made an appearance which made me giggle a little.

With Halloween just around the corner, the local cinema will surely be packed with the usual horror releases. The monster movie genre can go from sublime, to cheesy. When it’s done right thought, you can get an exhilarating film. One such example of this, was a Korean film released way back in 2006, called ‘The Host’. It’s a movie I would most certainly recommend any monster fan to check out!

Korea is well known for its gritty action show-reels, Park Chan-Wook’s ‘Vengeance’ trilogy containing ‘Oldboy’ is one of the most critically acclaimed trilogies around. ‘The Host’ does well to follow those footsteps and created one of my personal favourite monster flicks!

The film follows the journey of a father ,Gang-du, who sets out to rescue his daughter ,Hyun-seo , with the help of his father and siblings, after she managed to survive the initial attack by the monster. The origin of the monster is explained as the result of scientists dumping formaldehyde into the local river, hence you get this amphibious monstrosity! Director Bong Joon-Ho does a fine job in capturing the panic and terror of all those in the film. The opening attack in which Hyun-seo is taken away is the films best scene, and the moment when she is finally taken away, as the helpless father looks on, will effect anyone watching!

I’m not the biggest follower of Korean movies, so I can’t give a judgement on the actors involved in the film, I’ve not exactly followed their careers prior to the film! Song Kang-Ho who plays the  emotional father, determined to find his daughter does an outstanding job. His character isn’t the smartest, but you can tell he is doing the best he can. The reason why he loses his daughter in the first place is due to his clumsiness, but you can’t help but feel sorry for him. The entire family is a bit rag tag, bar the older sister, the rest are not the most reliable of characters! But they band together well, to save their family. If the audience does not connect well with the family, the film would break down, so everyone does a fine job portraying their desperation.

Due to the location of the film, most of the best scenes are shot in the sewers, the monsters lair. This is where the film does its best work, as we follow young Hyun-seo trying to outwit a monster, who unlike many other monster movies, isn’t just a dumb creature. It’s more of a battle of wits! The film also has its share of action, where various people are in direct combat with the fiend. The action is far more intense, as these are not trained soldiers, but everyday civilians doing the attacking.

If you can look beyond the dated 2006 CGI, and the language barrier, you have a wonderfully intense monster flick, which doesn’t really get the credit it deserves in the West. If you’re looking for a film to watch over the Halloween weekend, do try to find this gem!

After watching ‘Deepwater Horizon’, ‘Suffragette’, and ‘A Most Wanted Man’, it got me thinking about what movies most affect us and why.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find myself getting more emotional (whether that emotion be anger, sadness, happiness, etc) when films are either closer to reality or based on an event or historical era. And I only care about characters survival if there is a real chance that they won’t survive.

With ‘Deepwater Horizon’, as I discussed in my review, it was being reminded of the deaths of the men and the environmental catastrophe caused by human arrogance. In ‘Suffragette’ it was the struggle of those women who protested for decades and were either ignored, beaten, force-fed during hunger strikes or incarcerated.

Finally, it took the death of one brave woman to actually instigate any change. At the end of the film the year women were given the vote was displayed by country; it was shocking to see countries that we perceived as progressive had not given the vote until the later 20th century. And still some countries had not given women the right to vote. Of course, being female and an advocate of a more egalitarian society, this film really hit me on an emotional level.

Then this evening I watched ‘A Most Wanted Man’, starring the late and great Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the leader of an anti-terror group operating in Hamburg. Hoffman and his group are tracking terror suspects with the hope of infiltrating a shipping company operating as an Al-Qaeda front. Rather than letting the group do their job and finding the Shark as Hoffman put it, the American and German governments decided that arresting an innocent man and the money man was a better idea. This is something many governments and other institutions do, they look for a quick fix, something to parade in front of the news channels rather than correcting the issue at the source. That’s too much effort. It also displays the automatic prejudice against refugees and Muslims because of the actions of the minority.

And it made me think of other films I’ve seen that have depressing context or unhappy endings; Titanic, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Magdalene Sisters, Remember the Titans, 12 Years a Slave, Marley and Me, United 93, Open Water, Jarhead (yes, based on memoirs), The Pursuit of Happyness (true story), The Help, Everest, and Schindler’s List (so I’m told). All these films are based on true stories and events. For more films based on true events see List of films based on actual events (the horror films on the list will surprise you.

Some people like the escapism in films, many other people complain that there is no suspense in Hollywood anymore; if the ending of a film is sad or not properly concluded then there will likely be a sequel. To those people I say watch some films based on reality; either based on true events like ‘Suffragette’ and ‘Deepwater Horizon’, or those commenting on the worst aspects of our society like ‘A Most Wanted Man’. But a warning, these films are normally very shocking and often leave you feeling hopeless, the horrific events caused by humans and the attitude of people is sometimes difficult to fathom.

In reality is where we find the most horrifying stories, whether true or not, they affect us greater than fiction because it is more real.