dadrysdale Reviews

Taken 2 (2012)

Makes fun of itself and the first film.

[8/10 · 18 September 2012]

Just got back from a special advance screening of Taken 2 in London. If you enjoyed the first film, you will very much enjoy this.

What I will point out is that this is almost a parody of the first film - there are lots of in jokes, references and humor directed at the style of the first film - especially how protective Brian Mills (Liam Neeson) is of his daughter. There are lots of funny scenes involving his daughter, him and his daughter's boyfriend.

The action is there and as brutal as always. There are some great speeches and lines very similar to that famous "I will find you" speech in the first movie.

The audience I watched this with laughed a lot - this is a much more light hearted film than the first and doesn't take itself seriously which is great. As mentioned, it is more of a parody of the first film, with everything magnified by 10. It had a very similar tone to what was great about the original Bourne Trilogy.

It is everything a fan of the first film would wish for - the speeches, the action, the humour and the brutal efficiency of Liam Neeson's 'Brian Mills'.

Enjoyed this very much - a definite for fans of the first film and a must see for anyone else.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Genuinely scary, best of the trilogy!

[8/10 · 20 October 2011]

Just got back from an advance screening of Paranormal Activity 3. I am still 'recovering' from seeing it. All of the hype about the 'last 15 minutes' is completely true. If you can remember the last 5 minutes of the first film - imagine that tension spread out over 15-20 minutes and you'll be close to imagining how scary it is.

One reviewer gauged this film by saying that the first two films slowly built up tension with the majority over the first two films staying around the 3/10 mark for tension for 80% of the film before ramping it up to 8 or 9/10 for the rest of the film. This however stays at a 3/10 for the first 30 minutes with the rest of the movie firmly at a 9 and even 10/10 for tension.

There are some excellent, clever techniques used to build the scares - most notably the use of the rotating fan stand with the camera planted on the top. There are some genuinely frightening moments as you wait for the camera to slowly move back to its original frame.

Again, back to the famous 'last 15 minutes'. I won't spoil things but I will say that the story/mythology takes a very different step during this part of the film. Everyone in my theatre was screaming very loudly throughout this part and it will stay with you for a LONG time after the film ends. There is no break in the tension during this scene.

Fans of the first two films will love this.

Only down points I would say are there are a couple of plot holes in terms of continuity and there are LOTS of things that are shown in the trailer that are not shown in the film. Hopefully a director's cut will include these.

8/10.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Generally dull with a couple of standout/exciting moments. *SPOILERS*

[4/10 · 16 September 2011]

I caught an early screening of this recently and I have no real opinion either way as to whether I enjoyed this film or not. Let me start by saying that the cinematography, art direction, sets, costumes and little details are fantastic and no doubt the relevant departments will be honoured for those come the awards season.

The film itself - the tone is very dull and bleak from the start (recent films such as 'The Ghost Writer' and 'Let the Right one in' are similar in look/feel). The plot is generally easy to follow for three quarters of the film however when it comes to the big reveal at the end as to who the mole actually is, I felt both disappointed and underwhelmed. The conclusion to the film is quite convoluted and I still cannot fathom as to how the 'mole' was revealed.

Gary Oldman plays Smiley well and should get an Oscar nod. Other standout performances are from Mark Strong as 'Jim Predaux' and Toby Jones as 'Percy Alleline'.

The film was quite dull and non-entertaining for the majority. There were a couple of standout moments that both shocked and were watchable. The scene where Tom Hardy's love interest (I cannot recall her name or character's name) is shot dead in front of Mark Strong's character whilst being interrogated is truly shocking as is Colin Firth's character's demise.

All in all, I wouldn't see this film again and if the roles were not filled by 'name' actors such as Gary Oldman and Colin Firth who give standout performances, I definitely would not have seen this nor recommend it to anyone else.

I would avoid this unless you have a specific interest in any of the actors, John Le Carre or the original series.