The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The era of converting young adult fantasy books into films is well and truly alive - but that may not necessarily be a good thing.
Cassandra Clare's six-part fantasy series The Mortal Instruments is the latest to receive the Hollywood treatment, following last Thursday's release of City of Bones.
Director Harald Zwart thrusts us face first into the main plot, which centres around a teenage girl named Clarissa "Clary" Fray starts to see strange symbols.
Fray's symbol spotting takes a supernatural turn almost immediately when she witnesses an intense murder at a nightclub - which only she can actually see.
Much like fellow novels-turned-film series Harry Potter's muggles, Fray is classed as a "mundane" - a seemingly ordinary human with an ability to see the Shadowhunters, demons and other beings that inhabit the world.
But unlike the way Harry Potter steadily builds a narrative and develops the characters to a point we can't imagine being without them, City of Bones' plot flies at a million miles an hour and it is easy to feel no connection to any of the characters.
Coty of Bones shares more in common with Twilight than you may think.
The battle between good and evil, the romantic relationship between an ordinary human and a "supernatural being", and fights between demons, vampires, werewolves and the like.
Add to that some seriously over-acted sequences and unimaginative dialogue, and it is easy to understand why it holds a 13% rating online film aggregator "Rotten Tomatoes".
Having not read the books I can not give a judgment on how true to Clare's work the film was, but I can confirm 23 year old males may not be the target audience.
If you enjoyed The Twilight Series, you may well enjoy City of Bones.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones: 130 minutes (2013)

Elysium

Class warfare takes on a whole new meaning in Matt Damon's new science fiction flick Elysium.
The story is set in 2154 on a dystopian and downtrodden Earth that has been neglected for decades.
There appears to be near anarchy on the planet's surface, with a large percentage of the population either former prisoners or too sick to work.
But high above the planet, Elysium is where everyone on Earth dreams of going, much the same way as kids want to go to the moon, or a literal adaptation of shooting for the stars.
Elysium is a space station, home to the "haves" who exist in a world of privileged plenty without disease or war.
Damon's character Max De Costa is fatally exposed to radiation in a work accident on Earth. His only hope is to go to Elysium where technology can cure him.
The gap between the upper and lower classes is physically represented by Elysium being out of reach of the common man or woman, but it is not the only social issue director Neil Blomkamp tackles.
Asylum seekers and illegal immigrants are targeted by Elysium's secretary of defence Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster) for destruction as they attempt to land on Elysium in a spacecraft.
Elysium is a well-crafted film which forces you to think a bit more about the way society works and your own place in it.
It is not a mindless action or comedy where you go simply to be entertained by explosions for the duration - is it 109 minutes of deeply engaging, multilingual cinema that is highly recommended.
With all that said, however, Elysium feels as if there is something missing.
It could be the plot direction or the strange performance of Sharlto Copley as Kruger, an unbalanced mercenary with a mission to capture and kill Da Costa.
Whatever it is, I can't quite put my finger on it - which could be exactly how we're supposed to feel.
Touché  Mr Blomkamp, touché.

Now You See Me

NOT EVERY film can bluntly tell the audience they will be lied to for the next two hours of their lives and get away with it.

But much like lead characters “The Four Horsemen”, a Travelling Wilburys-type supergroup of illusionists, it is exactly what they do time and time again.

Now You See Me is a 116 minute mind-bending ride riddled with crime, deception, and a slight hint of magic.

If you follow the instructions of J. Daniel Atlas (played by Jesse Eisenberg of The Social Network fame), get in and take a closer look, because the real tricks are happening somewhere else.

His advice to audience members is applicable to the film’s stars, as while Eisenberg has top-billing in the film and leads the Four Horsemen, the real magic comes from the supporting cast.

Woodey Harrelson and Isla Fisher encapsulate the fun aspects of their roles as illusionists Merrit McKinney and Henley Reeves respectively.

Dave Franco steps above and beyond as the fourth and final Horseman Jack Wilder, providing much of the laughs and jaw-dropping stunts including lethal card throwing, ninja-style close quarter combat and rolling a car.

Generally speaking, every magician has a secret that, once revealed, unravels the rest of the act.

This film is no different, as we witness minimal character development after the opening 10 or so minutes.

Everything we know about the group is revealed in that time, leaving them to merely go through the motions for the rest of the film.

There is some potential that I had too close a look and missed it, which you could argue is the film’s intentions.

And with a sequel already announced, it is fair to suggest they had to leave a few tricks up their sleeve. 

Now You See Me: 116 minutes (rated M)

The World's End

The end of the "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy could not come quick enough.
Following the successes of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the team of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost combine to bring their third film collaboration to life - The World's End.
It tells the tale of a group of high school friends who return home at Gary King's (Pegg) behest to complete an epic pub crawl they started as younger lads. Whilst completing said quest, the group discover an alien invasion, and have to do what they can to save the day.
Pegg and Frost have built a reputation as a powerhouse duo who create well thought out, intelligent comedies of which Britain have been famous for over the years, but also keep the laughs coming with almost every scene.
Bluntly, The World's End seems to lack some of its predecessor's punch.
A lot of the jokes miss the mark and when that happens in a comedy you know you're in trouble. On top of that the execution of the story is lacking.
Given those shortfalls, there is some genius in the film.
Another former Bond star makes an appearance as one of the "bad guys" with Pierce Brosnan turning out as former teacher Guy Shepherd. Brosnan's role is much the same as Timothy Dalton's turn as Skinner in Hot Fuzz, and is just as brilliant. 
There is a great sequence in one of the fight scenes when all King wants is to sink a pint, but is continually interrupted by a crazy bar fight happening all around him. A diamond-like sequence in the rough that is The World's End.


The World's End: 109 minutes (2013)

The Wolverine

Hugh Jackman goes on a Japanese holiday to learn about the Samurai, fight Yakuza gangs, and battle ninjas in a quest for redemption.
Have I got the plot correct?
You can make your own mind up about the film after you go to your local cinema and enjoy the 130-odd minutes of a Japanese family feud interspersed with silky sword swinging action starring our favourite mutant.
I feel like I have so many more questions about The Wolverine after watching it than I did beforehand.
Of course we have Jackman reprising one of his most famous roles as the adamantium-infused hero Logan - better known as Wolverine, but that is the only character from the series to appear in this film (ignoring the mid-credits sequence).
He is an older Wolverine than what we are used to (even though he doesn't age), but more crucially he is a lot more embattled by inner demons. He is plagued by hallucinations of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen reprising her role from the three original X-Men films), and lives a hermit-like life.
It is the battle with inner demons that becomes the focal point of the film.
His inner battle is shown with countless visions or Jean Grey-interrupted dreams, and a physical battle with an inner demon-like device/creation continues to hammer the importance of his battle.
While this forms the main theme of the film, the plot itself leaves the United States of America as soon as possible, after Wolverine is asked by Yukio (Rila Fukushima) to accompany her to Japan to pay final respects to Ichiro Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), a man he saved in Nagasaki in World War II who is now on his death bed.
There he meets Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (played by Japanese model Tao Okamoto in her film debut), and protects her after her life becomes threatened due to her inheriting everything her grandfather owned.
Wolverine/Logan and Mariko grow closer as the film progresses, their relationship developing as they face whatever is thrown at them - including Wolverine's sudden morality.
Despite a fun action sequence inside, on the side, and on top of a bullet train, the first hour or so of the film could not go any slower.
It is supposed to be set after X-Men: The Last Stand, so one would assume we would pick up where we left off with the title character. Instead we're reintroduced to Wolverine almost from scratch, including the tired obligatory scene where our hero confronts a few men at a local bar.
Thankfully the pace picks up a bit in the second half, with one of the best sequences of the film shared between a fully fit Wolverine and Shingen Yashida (Mariko's father, played by Hiroyuki Sanada).
Svetlana Khodchenkova plays the role of mutant villain Viper well, but even she is eclipsed by Will Yun Lee's Kenuichio Harada. Harada is a childhood friend of Mariko and is head of the Black Ninja Clan, a group of ninjas sworn to protect the Yashida family. Lee's plays his part well - he doesn't overact the role, and he lets his skill with sword and bow do the talking.
Finally, the 3D option may be better left untouched. Sure it's great to watch the film and see the landscape have some depth, but it does not seem to add much to the viewing experience. It is as if it was released in 3D "just because they could", but all that does is lessen the product.

The Wolverine: 126 minutes (2013)