2016 Oscars - What will win and what should win?

The 88th edition of the annual Academy Awards have quickly snuck up on us, leaving the anticipated results just a day away. While most of us spend the other 11 months of the year denouncing the importance of awards and declaring ourselves as free spirits able of forming our own perceptions on film, its undeniable that the Oscar hype will inevitably suck you back in to become more invested than is necessary or sensible.

And with that in mind, I've decided to make a list of my predictions of who will triumph at the ceremony tonight and my picks for who should win - albeit in the categories I feel I can actively make a judgement on. Let us begin!

Best Picture

• The Big Short
• Bridge of Spies
• Brooklyn
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian
• The Revenant
• Room
• Spotlight

Will win - In one of the strongest Best Picture fields in years, three films appear to be potential winners: The Big Short, The Revenant and Spotlight. All three have won top prizes at the WGAs, the DGAs and SAGs respectively. The tide appears to be leaning towards The Revenant, but I'm going to opt for Spotlight, simply for its important social message. However, I wouldn't be at all surprised if The Revenant won - it might be wistful thinking to think it won't to be honest.

Should win - Ultimately, the film that will be remembered from this list in years to come is Mad Max: Fury Road, an awe-inspiring masterpiece of an action film that was a surprise to see on the list at all, thanks to the Academy's tendency to ignore summer blockbusters. The fact that it was illustrates the impact it has already made. Frankly, I'd be happy to see most of these win, its a good year for film. But Fury Road rides supreme.

Snubbed? - The greatly affecting and gorgeous Carol is an obvious choice for the snub, but it truly deserved a nomination here, as did Inside Out, one of Pixar's best works yet and easily one of the year's best films.

Best Director

• Adam McKay - The Big Short
• George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
• Alejandro G. Iñárritu – The Revenant
• Lenny Abrahamson - Room
• Tom McCarthy - Spotlight

Will win - The momentum is firmly in favour of Alejandro G. Iñárritu at the end of the race, whose likely to become the first director to win 2 consecutive Director awards in 65 years. The acclaimed product that comes from such arduous production is likely to be the story the Academy looks to reward.

Should win - This one isn't even in question. It's George Miller. An iconic director who came out of the blue to deliver one of the most impressive films I've ever seen on the big screen, truly deserves to be rewarded for his astounding work. There's a small chance, but the sad likelihood is that he'll be passed over for the brutal and unconventional content of the film itself.

Snubbed? - Ryan Coogler's makes a true heart-stopping spectable out of the boxing matches in Creed but also nails the smaller moments, creating a truly great Rocky film that should have earned him a nomination. 

Best Actor

• Bryan Cranston - Trumbo 
• Matt Damon - The Martian
• Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
• Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
• Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

Will win - This one is the biggest lock of the year as there is absolutely no doubt that Leonardo DiCaprio will be rewarded for his performance in The Revenant. The man went through hell and back on the production of this film, acting as hard as he could in frost-bite level temperatures to get that Oscar. Well DiCaprio, your win is the surest thing this year, so you may rest easy.

Should win - While DiCaprio's work is technically impressive, Hugh Glass barely registers as a character enough for me to seriously consider his performance the best of the year. I'm more inclined to plump for Matt Damon's crowd-pleasing performance in The Martian but most of all, Michael Fassbender in the underlooked Steve Jobs. Fassbender is magnetic, developing Jobs with depth and dimension that you both hate and somewhat annoyingly, root for.

Snubbed? - Jacob Tremblay is as good as Brie Larson in Room, which is saying a lot and proving that he was truly robbed a nomination in this line-up and even, a win. Also deserving was Michael B. Jordan who is as important as Coogler in the success of Creed, giving a strong and asserting lead performance that proves him worthy of reviving the Rocky franchise.

Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett - Carol
• Brie Larson - Room
• Jennifer Lawrence - Joy
• Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
• Saoirse Ronan -  Brooklyn 

Will win - Whilst not quite the lock DiCaprio is - due to the incredibly strong Actress field this year, packed with career defining performances - Brie Larson is a fairly sure bet for the Actress prize, for her work in the tragic yet uplifting Room. She's won almost every other prize leading up to the Oscars and the only doubt of her winning comes from how good most of the other ladies are.

Should win - This one is tough. Cate Blanchett, Saoirse Ronan and Charlotte Rampling are all utterly magnificent in their films and genuinely deserve recognition as well (Lawrence is ok.) I'd be happy to see any of them take the award. However, ultimately my pick lies with the favourite, Brie Larson whose performance in Room is so astoundingly good it reduced me to tears multiple times throughout the film. Its a true breakout performance that should, and will receive the top award.

Snubbed? - Emily Blunt is one of Sicario's strongest assets, turning in some of the best work in her career that has gone sadly unrecognised. But the true snub comes in Charlize Theron's soon to be iconic Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road. She anchors and steals the film, making Furiosa into one of the all time great action heroines. 

Best Supporting Actor

• Christian Bale - The Big Short
• Tom Hardy - The Revenant
• Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight
• Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
• Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Will win - This year's 'lifetime achievement' Oscar looks to be going to Sylvester Stallone for his strong and understated performance as the iconic Rocky Balboa in Creed, whose momentum has steadily grown over the race. While it may be driven by sentiment for the actor, Stallone is far better in the film than he ought to be and its hard to begrudge him a win for it.

Should win - Ruffalo, Bale and Hardy give flashier performances in their respective films, but my true allegiance for this one lies with Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies. His performance is a masterclass in subtlety and his character is a true highlight in the somewhat underrated Spielberg film. 

Snubbed? - It didn't strike me until someone pointed it out on Twitter during the BAFTAs, but Richard Kind really deserves a nomination for his excellent voice work in Inside Out. Kind's voice makes Bing-Bong is such a delightful, funny and likeable character drenched in such pathos and warmth that makes his ultimate fate truly heartbreaking. Also, Oscar Isaac's unsettling and charismatic villain in Ex_Machina is a standout that I'd have loved to have seen recognised. Oh wait, and Benicio del Toro for Sicario. Damn this category is tougher than I thought. 

Best Supporting Actress

• Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight
• Rooney Mara - Carol
• Rachel McAdams - Spotlight
• Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl
• Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Will win - The tide appears to be in favour of Alicia Vikander who made a breakthrough in 2015, appearing in 12 different films. This award goes for her work in the dubious and misguided The Danish Girl, but I'll just pretend its for her gripping performance in Ex_Machina instead.

Should win - Jennifer Jason Leigh is delightfully visceral and vulgar in The Hateful Eight, truly delivering a scene-stealing performance. But, Rooney Mara is simply magnificent in Carol and category fraud be damned, she truly deserves this win.

Snubbed? - As said before, Alicia Vikander really should have been nominated for Ex_Machina instead, but a more unusual snub could be Tilda Swinton who is deliciously funny and catty as Amy's boss in the summer comedy Trainwreck. Any award for Swinton is one well deserved.

Best Original Screenplay

• Bridge of Spies – Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen
• Ex Machina – Alex Garland
• Inside Out – Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and Ronnie del Carmen
• Spotlight – Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer
• Straight Outta Compton – Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff, S. Leigh Savidge, and Alan Wenkus

Will win - Spotlight won at the WGAs and looks to be a more traditional favourite against an animated comedy, a sci-fi thriller and a rap biopic. While is not to undermine its strength as a screenplay that remains remarkably withdrawn, gripping and respectful to the victims of the terrible events the Spotlight news team worked to expose. 

Should win - It's hard to begrudge Spotlight this win, but Inside Out or Ex_Machina would be equally deserving of the win for creating original, thrilling and heart-wrenching screenplays that represent the peaks of their genre.

Snubbed? - The Hateful Eight juggles a number of different genre elements and does it with genuine aplomb, always staying engaging and tense. It could be considered a little long, but I think it pulls it off. But honestly, this is a pretty strong category - Compton aside, which I didn't catch - and nothing truly stands out as a snub.

Best Adapted Screenplay

• The Big Short – Adam McKay and Charles Randolph from The Big Short by Michael Lewis
• Brooklyn – Nick Hornby from Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
• Carol – Phyllis Nagy from The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
• The Martian – Drew Goddard from The Martian by Andy Weir
• Room – Emma Donoghue from Room by Emma Donoghue

Will win - Its hard to see anything but The Big Short winning here, after its WGA win and growing momentum. There's also the fact that its near-miss of 'Best Picture' means that this is likely where the Academy will reward the film.

Should win - Donoghue and Hornby adapt Room and Brooklyn with great faith and make them excellent as properties independent of their novels. But Carol is the screenplay I believe deserves to triumph, with a heartfelt and beautiful adaptation of Highsmith's classic novel.

Snubbed? - Honestly, I'm drawing a blank. There were other films with adapted screenplays that were good or okay, but these do seem like the best five - at least that I'm aware of.

Best Animated Feature

• Anomalisa
• Boy and the World
• Inside Out
• Shaun the Sheep Movie
• When Marnie Was There

Will win - This one's pretty much a lock too - Inside Out is a surefire winner. Pixar's stunning return to form, deserving of a 'Best Picture' nomination (as earlier asserted).

Should win - With such a varied list of excellent animated films, its tough to single a winner out. Anomalisa comes close, but ultimately I'll punt for the favourite, Inside Out, one of my personal favourites of last year that deserves all the love it can get.

Snubbed? - Really this list is pretty much perfect. A great mix of mainstream, indie and foreign animation that shows the medium at its best. One could make a case for The Peanuts Movie - a charming revival of the classic comic strip and TV specials - but I think this list is just right. 

Best Cinematography

• Carol – Ed Lachman
• The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson
• Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale
• The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki
• Sicario – Roger Deakins

Will win - Emmanuel Lubezki looks set to win his third Oscar in a row, for his stunning work on The Revenant, by far the film's strongest asset. Its truly a beauty to watch in that respect and won't be undeserved.

Should win - My instinct is to go for someone who hasn't already won. Roger Deakins' still goes without a win and probably will again for uniformly fantastic work on Sicario, whilst John Seale plays a big role in the spectacular visuals of Mad Max: Fury Road. But ultimately, its Ed Lachman's stunning, grainy 16mm cinematography on Carol that gets my vote. It creates such a warm atmosphere and setting that is pivotal to the film's beauty.

Snubbed? - Honestly, this is a great field as well. Nothing else I've seen this year quite matches the work on these five films, though I've heard great things about the innovative cinematography on Tangerine, an indie film shot with iPhones.

Best Film Editing

• The Big Short – Hank Corwin
• Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel
• The Revenant – Stephen Mirrione
• Spotlight – Tom McArdle
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

Will win - The Big Short's snappy editing may seem like a more conventional pick for the win, but Margaret Sixel's fantastic work on Mad Max: Fury Road has won almost every other editing award its been nominated for, including the BAFTA, hopefully suggesting she should ride triumph on the 'Fury Road' - or the red carpet -- at the Oscars.

Should win - Much as I adore Star Wars and consider its editing a strength - Mad Max: Fury Road has this shit owned. Sixel's work expertly and seamlessly crosscuts between different locations and creates always coherent but utterly thrilling action sequences that contribute greatly towards the film's success.

And a round-up on the other awards I have seen too little of or am not particularly knowledgeable about:

• Mad Max: Fury Road should and will sweep much of the other technical awards, such as Production Design, Visual Effects (though Ex_Machina would be equally if not more deserving) and Sound Mixing (though The Revenant may put up an undeserved fight).
• Sound Editing is a hard one. I'll take a punt and say this is where Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be recognized since there must have been a lot of new sounds developed. Yet, I wouldn't count out The Revenant or Fury Road here either. Maybe someone more educated will know.
• Costume Design is a tougher one, as the gorgeous period dressing on The Danish Girl and Carol (my personal pick) and lush dresses in Cinderella seem like more conventional picks. Yet Mad Max: Fury Road cleaned up here at the BAFTAs and so I wouldn't be surprised to see it do the same at the Oscars.
• Make-Up and Hairstyling will probably go to The Revenant and deservedly so mostly, though my love for Fury Road knows no bounds.
• Best Original Score looks to be heading Ennio Morricone's way for his work on The Hateful Eight, a fairly deserved win - though I would punt for Carter Burwell's Carol score.
• Best Original Song will go to Lady Gaga's "Til it Happens to You" on star power alone, though deservedly in this case (not so much that Golden Globe for American Horror Story).
• Best Foreign Language Film appears to be dominated by the buzz for Son of Saul, which I would be surprised to see lose out.
• Best Animated Short Film should and hopefully will go to World of Tomorrow, Don Hertzfeldt's masterpiece of a short film. 
• Best Documentary Feature looks locked to go to Amy, the tremendously moving biopic of the late Amy Winehouse, though I've heard The Look of Silence is the better documentary.
• As for the two remaining categories - Best Live Action Short Film and Best Documentary - Short Subject - I have no idea and shouldn't bother guessing.

Well I hope you enjoyed this long, long prediction post, and let me know your own thoughts on the Oscars below. If you intend to, enjoy the ceremony!

Sicario - Review (Link)

Hello reader!

Thanks to Cineworld Unlimited, I got to see a screening of Denis Villeneuve's latest film, Sicario two weeks ago and I have written a review of it that is published up on a new film site, British Review!

It would be lovely if you could go read it here, or by clicking on the picture below:

And while you're there, check out some of the other great stuff up on British Review. Thanks and stay tuned for my next post!

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of Autumn/Winter 2015

After a solid summer season of films, the temperature is dropping and it's time to take a look at which films coming out this autumn/winter are getting me most excited! With Oscar season approaching, dozens of films are beginning to hit the limelight, as well as a surprising number of blockbusters. There are so many that I' am eager to see and what better way to narrow it down than by compiling a list of my top 10 most anticipated ones! So without further ado here is my list!

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - Review

2015 has seen a ‘resurgence’ of sorts for the spy movie genre, with the release of such hits as Kingsman: The Secret Service and the rather literally titled Spy, as well as the latest Mission Impossible film, Rogue Nation. The latest addition to this group is Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E., an adaptation of the 1960s TV series that popularized the genre (along with Ian Fleming’s 007 series). Ritchie brings his usual quick-fire pace and style to the film and creates an effective stylish 60s aesthetic that differentiates U.N.C.L.E. from generic action fare. The plot feels inconsequential but the rest of the film is just about fun enough to make up for it, featuring snappy dialogue and great performances from the whole cast.

Set in the height of the Cold War, Ritchie and Lionel Wigram’s script puts CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) together on a mission to prevent a mysterious criminal organisation (led by Elizabeth Debicki) from proliferating nuclear weapons. It’s basically the same template as every other spy movie – Macguffin must be kept from bad guys with little motivation in order to save the world. Thankfully, the character interactions and performances from the cast really help to elevate the material. Cavill is suave, charming and is a master of line delivery, contrasting effectively against his screen partner Hammer, putting an intense, gruff and hilarious performance as Illya. With Alicia Vikander added in as the fiery Gaby, the film is at its best when the trio are bickering and eventually working together on screen.

The opening action set-piece set in Berlin is thrilling, clever and terrifically executed and the zippy first two acts fly by with sharp dialogue and decent action. Ritchie even has the confidence to cut half of a boat chase sequence so that Solo can have a ‘break’ – a move that creates the film’s funniest scene by far. However, this is where U.N.C.L.E. peaks, and once the climax kicks in, the film loses some of the fun conjured up before. Besides the leading pair, the rest of the cast feels underserved and lacking in development. Vikander’s Gaby is engaging but has little agency and isn’t given as much material to dig into like Cavill and Hammer are. Meanwhile, Debicki is wonderfully calculating and wicked for the little screentime she has, but her lack of scenes means that the villains end up feeling rather underwhelming and sidelined. 

Nevertheless, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a breezy, solid romp that continues this year's streak of strong spy movies. It is bolstered by stylish flair – particularly the delightful 60s outfits – and a set of great performances that hide the generic plot and sometimes weak character development. Based on this film, Hammer and Cavill really deserve more plaudits than they've getting based on their previous work. 

★★★

Trainwreck - Review

One of this year’s quickly rising stars has been Amy Schumer, the riotously funny comedienne and actress, currently starring in her sketch comedy show Inside Amy Schumer. Trainwreck provides Schumer with her first starring role in a film and proves her to be one of the funniest and talented actresses working in comedy. Not only does she star, but she pens the film’s screenplay which, combined with Judd Apatow’s direction, packs surprising emotional punch whilst still being extremely funny and full of heart.

Schumer’s self-titled protagonist, Amy Townsend, is a writer working for a men’s magazine (under the glorious title of “S’nuff” with headlines such as “You’re not gay – she’s just boring”) that lives like her father did, having one-night-stands, only casual relationships and drinking to her heart’s content. Whilst dealing with the difficulty of having her father (Colin Quinn) move into an assisted living home, Amy is approached to interview sports doctor, Aaron Conners (Bill Hader) where romance beyond Amy’s typical one-off encounters blooms.

The relationship between Amy and Aaron is at the centre of this film and while it plays out in fairly standard fashion for a rom-com structurally, Apatow and Schumer subvert this by making the emotional beats honest and the characters relatable. The coming together of relationships and later, conflicts in rom-coms often feel so contrived and tepid, but Trainwreck make these characters and their relationship believable while creating genuine flaws that they must grow from to reach their ‘happy ending’. It’s refreshing to see a mainstream comedy feel this truthful. And it doesn’t hurt that Schumer and Hader have tons of charisma, likability and chemistry together.

As is usual with Apatow’s films, this film is packed with hysterical supporting performances and characters, highlights of whom include Tilda Swinton as the salty and blunt magazine editor and boss of Amy, John Cena as Amy’s stacked but sensitive ex-boyfriend and LeBron James giving a masterful turn as the protective best friend of Aaron. Of course the real standout performance belongs to Amy Schumer who is positively hilarious and has amazingly sharp comedic timing. However, what I wasn’t expecting was how good a dramatic actress she is as she brings such depth to her character and delivers one of the most heart breaking speeches I’ve seen in a romance film.

So even with an overly-familiar plot and a few jokes that maybe don’t land, Trainwreck is still one of the strongest romantic comedies to hit cinemas in ages, packing in so many hysterical moments, performances and one-liners whilst still being honest and sweet. It’s Judd Apatow’s best film since The 40 Year Old Virgin and should deservedly shoot Amy Schumer into stardom. 

★★★★

Fantastic Four - Review

Source

There isn’t much to be said about this misguided reboot that hasn’t already been said. It really is as bad as everyone has been saying. Fantastic Four fulfils every pessimistic concern that was debated prior to its release and then some, wasting an extremely talented cast on a script that is almost like two films that have been shoved together – neither being anything good or worthwhile – with a diabolical structure, poor pacing and flat dialogue. Worst of all, all the inherent goofiness and brightness of the original comics has been surgically removed, leaving behind a flat, humourless and dull shell of what a Fantastic Four film should be.

All of the much advertised production chaos of the film really shows, particularly in Josh Trank’s script which has been left a muddled mess with questionable writing decisions and dialogue from the beginning. An hour is spent on endless exposition as Reed Richards (Miles Teller) is recruited from his high school science fair to crack the code to inter-dimensional travel, assisted by the rest of the team – Sue (Kate Mara), Johnny (Michael B. Jordan) and future villain, Victor (Toby Kebbell). Despite this lengthy period, these characters are neither developed as individuals or as a team, despite the noble efforts from the cast. Strenuous connections are briefly hinted at, while flashbacks attempt to develop Reed and Ben (Jamie Bell), but these moments are either never elaborated on or have no real relevance to the overall film. This first act isn’t particularly awful though, it's what comes next.

When the group’s transformation finally occurs after a freak accident at the other dimension – nothing really happens except all structure going out the window. The gang remain locked in a facility where their new-found powers are not explored for more than about a minute per hero, until suddenly Victor is tacked on to play the villain and set up a final big CGI battle that is anti-climactic, rushed and poorly thought out with some very ropey visuals. Even the actors seem done with this film by the end of it, making the big ‘team-up’ feel irritatingly contrived and shoehorned in since the film hasn’t previously done any character work to justify it. The other action amounts to about half a scene (which is actually fairly strong though woefully short) as a result of studio meddling apparently having everything else cut despite advertising heavily featuring one of these cut set-pieces.

As a result, this muddled and poorly executed reboot fails at even being an enjoyable trainwreck. It is instead soul-sucking and dull, not even providing great visuals in favour of ‘grittiness’, a laughable angle to approach this franchise with. Ultimately this foundation of grittiness that was pitched from the beginning is what doomed this film from the start, with what director Trank and Fox did after only making it worse. Fantastic Four could have at least been serviceable with the talent it has on board but at the end of the day, any glimmers of potential are neutered by the hot mess surrounding them. 

★½

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Review

And I'm finally back with a film review. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of regular film reviews, so fingers crossed there'll be a lot more coming. For now though, here is my review of the latest Mission Impossible film!

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation 

Source

It’s nice to have a franchise like Mission: Impossible in a blockbuster landscape becoming more populated with highly serialised ‘cinematic universes’ such as the hugely successful Marvel one. Mission: Impossible seems committed to pulling out thrilling self-contained action flicks that require very little knowledge of each other’s stories to be enjoyed, and Rogue Nation is certainly no exception to this. Director, Christopher McQuarrie manages to maintain the upwards momentum established by the series’ last outing, Ghost Protocol, combining a series of outstanding action set-pieces with a humorous tone along with a set of accessible characters brought to life by an excellent cast.

The main selling point of the Mission: Impossible films at this point tends to be which death defying stunt will Tom Cruise risk his life doing. Rogue Nation fulfils this handsomely by crafting several outstanding action sequences, ranging from a tense-filled and beautifully constructed sequence at the Vienna State Opera to a heart-stopping underwater infiltration to an electrifying chase sequence through Morocco. This is without mentioning the much advertised shot of Ethan Hunt hanging from a plane as it takes off, illustrating this film’s strength as a varied and exciting action flick. However, the final act in London is a step-down from what precedes it as it doesn’t quite keep up the fast pace and spectacle, resulting in a slightly disappointing finale that nevertheless wraps the story up nicely.

The plot and script built around these set-pieces is fairly bog-standard – Ethan and the gang work to stop the threat of the mysterious ‘Syndicate’ shadow organisation and prove their innocence to the CIA after they have the IMF shut down.  There is some intrigue and more sophisticated themes to be seen but not enough is made of them in order to elevate the story past generic territory. Luckily the cast is there to do just that.

Tom Cruise is reliably on-form as leading man, Ethan Hunt and remains one of Hollywood’s best action stars despite now being in his 50s. Out of the returning ensemble members, Simon Pegg as computer genius Benji is the stand out with most of the funniest lines and a winning comradery with Cruise. Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames as Brandt and Luther respectively are underused and sit mostly on the sidelines but still put in strong work, while Alec Baldwin as the brash CIA head manages to add some flair to his stock character.  As is constant in the Mission series, Rogue Nation struggles to build a particularly effective villain though it succeeds further than most of the other entries thanks to Sean Harris’s menacing and cold performance as rogue agent Solomon Lane. 

However, the real standout was Rebecca Ferguson as undercover agent, Ilsa Faust whose performance is akin to Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road as she is a perfect match to Ethan and a classic ‘femme fatale’ who rules the film. As an interesting character with constantly twisting loyalties, Ferguson simply oozes charisma, holds her own in the action scenes and has the acting chops to top it all off. It seems a shame that she is the single main female character in the film and I hope that the next entry gives more great roles to women as the series is clearly capable of it.

Overall, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is another winning entry in the MI series, proving it to be one of the strongest series currently running. It combines some of the previous outings’ best assets to create a satisfying summer blockbuster with some really fantastic action sequences, despite a lagging third act. 

★★★★

Hope you enjoyed the review! Please share your own thoughts on the film in the comments!