Synopsis: X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

Starring James McAvoy, Micheal Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon.

TFB Anticipation Rating: ******~~~~ (6/10)

UK Release Date: 2nd June 2011

Director: Matthew Vaughn

TFB Anticipation Rating: *******½~~ (7.5/10)

UK Release Date: 29th April 2011

Director: Kenneth Branangh

Based on Ubisoft  Montreal’s popular video game with the same title, the movie adaptation produced by Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Disney, blends in rooftop-jumping action with sarcastic humour, adds a few grains of romance and results in a light-hearted popcorn flick.

The Plot:

Young street urchin Dastan (William Foster) is adopted by King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) after he impresses him with his courage within the Persian market place. Fifteen years later, Dastan, now known as Prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal), and his brothers Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) are informed by a spy motivated by Nizam (Ben Kingsley), the King’s brother and advisor, that the people of the sacred city of Alamut have been providing weapons to the enemies of the Persians.

The Persians thus attack Alamut and upon succeeding, Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) is captured and arranged to marry Tus, hence making her city also part of the Persian Empire. Dastan had inadvertently gotten hold of a mystical dagger while fighting a guard, much to the Princess’ dismay. During the celebration the Persians’ defeat, Dastan is framed for murdering his father King Sharamat, after the gown he had seemingly given to him, unexpectedly burnt him to death.

Dastan discovers the astonishing time-travelling power of the dagger while harbouring as a fugitive with Princess Tamina, who attempts to persuade him to return the dagger to its rightful place before it falls in to the wrong hands. Along their journey back to Persia, the bickering pair encounter Sheikh Amar (Alfred Molina), a crude yet joyful entrepreneur who although initially endeavours to steal the dagger off Dastan, ultimately sides with him and Tamina in their race against time.

The Thoughts:

Although most game/ book-to-movie converts are disappointing, I anticipated the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time because of my appreciation of the game franchise. I had not played the early versions, yet the 2008 Prince of Persia games and the PSP version (Rival Swords) were enough to turn me in to a fan. I found myself addicted to all of the ones I had played; not solely because I particularly enjoy action/adventure games the most, but because the character of the Prince had come across as rather amusing.

After I had realised that the film was based on one of the earlier game titles, I researched it and found that the two plots differed almost as much as sand and water. I thought it misleading that the film was named after the game, because the fans of the game will find that the story in the film is only relevant in terms of the dagger itself; a feature which becomes the highlight of the film only after an excessive involvement of background information. While this had provided plenty of childish, shallow entertainment; I considered the plot itself as hardly related to the game.

Nevertheless, had I been utterly unaware of the games and their storylines, I would be able to summarise the film as a poor, almost spoof-like attempt at combining Indiana Jones and Aladdin. The Disney element was most definitely felt; and this I deemed as one of the film’s possible strengths. The humorous action scenes, the “witty” sarcasm of the Prince, the annoyingly dramatic Princess, and exaggerated scenery I thought reflected Disney’s signature movie characteristics. Even though I had initially frowned upon the film’s use of an inappropriately “Western” cast (despite the Prince from the game itself having similarly blue eyes and dark hair) whose appalling acting skills were taken even less seriously by their heavy false tan and dyed hair, a few of the main characters had admittedly grown on me during the course of the film – particularly Jake “Donnie Darko” Gyllenhaal himself.

Through the ridiculously over-built physique, fragile attempt at a British accent and cheesy one-liners, lay the potential for a very likeable main character. I had literally thrown my face into my hands from embarrassment during the first half of the film, though once I had accepted fate, I had started to enjoy it from a mindless, “popcorn film” perspective – not to be taken seriously at all, and had even managed a few chuckles.

I had found it a shame that Gemma Arterton’s one-dimensional depiction of the “majestic” Princess Tamina did not improve nonetheless; her absurdly over-dramatised behaviour, forced on-screen chemistry with Gyllenhall, and highly annoying voice continued to poke at me in the temples, as well as Alfred Molina’s ludicrous Cockney accent in a supposedly Middle Eastern environment.

The cast’s shallow performances (though I reluctantly understand that the specific actors were chosen for commercial purposes) had indeed made the film seem like a parody, as did most of the plastic-looking costume and equipment; the dagger itself had sometimes looked like it had been purchased from Toys R Us.  I had also miserably failed to conceive why it was not used for more impressive scenes in the film – the “Dagger of Time” had provided an enormous opportunity to create stunning and extraordinary visions during major fights, yet it was used for abysmal pettiness.

All in all – a predictably dire attempt at creating a movie from a game franchise, though admittedly not one of the worst.  It definitely deserves a point for some of Gyllenhaal’s stunts, another for his ‘charisma’, the visual effects gain another point, the music perhaps, and the sheer unintelligent, “family entertainment” factor gives it another .

Generosity gets the worst of me; hence it just about creeps over a “5” in my books.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: *****½~~~~ (5.5/10)

Much like the original TV series (that ran for a respectable five seasons from 1983-1986), the film focuses on four U.S. soldiers who are wrongly imprisoned for a crime that they did not commit. This time however, to add a contemporary spin on the proceedings, they are Iraq War veterans, desperately trying to clear their names with the U.S. military, who suspect them of committing a crime for which they were unduly framed. And how does one go about clearing their name? With plenty of guns, action, fast-cars, familiar catchphrases, and beautiful women of course (what other way is there?).

We are assured by writer Michael Brandt that the film adaptation will breathe new life into the franchise, with a more ‘gritty’ attempt at paying homage to a series that remains known in popular culture for its cartoon-like use of over-the-top violence and formulaic episodes. Like most TV series of its time, it also featured a distinctive theme-tune, coupled with familiar ‘one-liners’ such as “I love it when a plan comes together“, “Hannibal’s on the jazz“, and most memorable to even those unaware of the original series, “I ain’t gettin’ on no plane!” But rest assured A-Team fans, as judging from the trailer and costume design, the film does not appear to want to deviate too much from the original concept and alienate its cult following. You would have to ‘pity the fool’ (in this case Director Joe Carnahan) if such an imprudent decision were ever to be even entertained….

The trailer does contain one prudent line from Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck that may quite adequately sum up this venture in a nutshell, “this is beyond nuts boss”. Arguably, any attempt at improving upon the infamous original characters with an entirely new cast may be ‘beyond nuts’, however the film certainly promises to be entertaining, especially for action junkies and muscle-bound testosterone fuelled men, who no doubt will delight in the film’s guiltless attempt to appeal to our baser instincts. Nonetheless, I pity the fool (no pun intended) who cannot at least take some level of satisfaction from watching this classic team of elite soldiers kicking ass again in the 21^st century.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7/10

UK Release Date: 30th July 2010

Director: Joe Carnahan

Writers: Brian Bloom (screenplay), Michael Brandt (screenplay)

Links: IMDB, Official Site

You’ve got a very important date.

The most hugely anticipated film of this year yet – Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton brings you the epic 3D fantasy adventure of one of  the most beloved stories of all time with a magical and imaginative twist.

With Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as 19 year-old Alice as she returns to the quirky, whimsical world she visited as a child to reunite with her old friends: The White Rabbit, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar and the Cheshire Cat. As the fantastical journey unfolds, Alice must find her true destiny and end the Red Queens reign of terror.

Cast includes: Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas and Stephen Fry.

You’d be mad as a hatter if you didn’t catch this film as soon as it’s released.

Certificate: PG

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Family

Release Date: 5 March 2010

Case 39 (2010)

Some cases should never be opened.

Case 39 starring Renée Zellweger as an idealistic social worker who tries to rescue an abused 10-year-old girl from her parents only to discover that the girl is not as innocent as she thinks…

Directed by Christian Alvart, this horror/thriller also stars Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane and Kerry O’Malley.

See it if you liked: Orphan, The Haunting in Connecticut

Certificate: 15

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Release Date: 5 March 2010

Legion (2010)

When the last angel falls, the fight for mankind begins.

A super-natural action thriller with an apocalypse theme of epic proportions – when God loses faith in mankind, he sends a legion of angels to bring on the apocalypse. The survival of humanity lies in the hands of a group of strangers stranded in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany).

Directed by Scott Stewart and featuring a cast of Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki and Charles S. Dutton.

Certificate: 15

Genre: Action/Thriller

Release Date: 5 March 2010

Yawn. I honestly did not want to see this but trust me I had no other choice.

The plot is so bizarre and random that I cannot be bothered to try and describe it in a logical way, and I should mention that I didn’t read the book so the whole plot wasn’t relatable to me nor did it impress me in any way shape or form.

Starring Logan Lerman as young half-breed Percy Jackson, Brandon T. Jackson as his side-kick and the beautiful Alexandra Daddario as Percy’s love interest.

Please be aware that I didn’t enjoy this film hence this review shall be slightly biased.

The Plot

It’s the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the pages of high school student Percy Jackson’s Greek mythology texts and into his life. And they’re not happy: Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Even more troubling is the sudden disappearance of Percy’s mother. As Percy finds himself caught between angry and battling gods, he and his friends embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true lightning thief, save Percy’s mom, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves. Written by 20th Century Fox.

Although the special effects weren’t bad at all, clearly borrowed from Harry Potter’s leftovers but not bad none-the-less. The mythical beasts were brought to life with clarity and ferocity and some characters, namely Annabeth, the daughter of Athena played by Alexandra Daddario is very alluringly attractive, but here is where the good things end.

The rest of the movie is a shambles – the plot has no flow whatsoever – it just jumps to random points in the story where the audience is force fed plot points with no justification. The acting is bland as ever – there was this one scene *spoiler alert* where Percy realised all that his apparently-dead mum had sacrificed for him and he recited his lines expressing his regret like he was competing for a poetry-reciting competition. Not to mention his sidekick Grover – the half goat man, is constantly cracking jokes that fall flat on their faces. My eyes were hurting from over-rolling. Maybe  it’s me and my lack of tolerance for PG friendly films – it just doesn’t make things realistic, but even for a teen audience, this film could have done better. I have seen way better PG action hero films than this.

Chris Colombus has earned himself a big smelly for this one.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: 3/10

UK Release Date: 12 February 2010

Director: Chris Columbus

Writer: Craig Titley (screenplay), Rick Riordan (novel)

Links: IMDB, Official Site

A young scrawny Viking named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) wants nothing more than to be a Dragon Hunter in his home of Berk. Dragon Hunting for the citizens of Berk is a way of life, Hiccup finally get’s his chance to prove himself when he is enlisted into Dragon Training. However he then befriends an injured dragon and a new way is set forward for Hiccup and the citizens of Berk.

How to Train Your Dragon is based on the wonderfully written and illustrated children’s book, Hiccup: How to Train your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, this adaptation looks to be true to the story of the book and we at The Film Buzz think How to Train Your Dragon looks great we can’t wait to check it out.

How to Train Your Dragon Teaster Poster

We’ll be able to catch How to Train Your Dragon in 3D in Cinemas around March next year, with Ugly Betty favourite America Ferrera and Gerard Butler on the list of actors who lent their voices to their respective roles. We can expect another great family adventure that Dreamworks is famous for (Shrek Anyone?) Check out the trailer above and tell us what you think of How to Train your Dragon.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7/10

Release Date: 31st March 2010

Director: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders

Writer’s: Cressida Cowell, Dean DeBlois, Adam F. Goldberg, Chris Sanders & Peter Tolan

Links: IMDB, Official Movie Page

The much anticipated computer-animated comedic adventure film, Disney and Pixar‘s collaborative brainchild has finally come alive in cinemas from 9 October and boy, has it hit the box office hard.

Ranking number one at the box office in it’s opening weekend, and eventually Up proved to be Pixar‘s second highest grossing film following behind Finding Nemo. Right now it is holding 1st place in Top Ten London Films, 98% on the Tomatometer  on Rotten Tomatoes, and has even made the IMDB Top 250 scoring in at a sweet #46.

With earth-shattering reviews and votes – this film cannot possibly disappoint.

The Plot

This film starts with a young Carl Frederickson realising his dream to be an explorer, aspiring to his hero Charles Muntz  the famous explorer, he chances upon his dream when he meets a young, bubbly and slightly peculiar adventurer named Ellie. As their spectacular friendship grows, they start to focus in on a common goal – to venture to the Lost Land in South America to Paradise Falls and eventually they fall in love and get married.

70 years later, Ellie has died and Carl feels devastated that they did not fulfil their true dream to visit South America together, and as he is forced to go to a retirement home he decides it’s time to take things into his own hands – for Ellie.

He ties thousands of balloons to his house and takes right off into the sky – his aim to fly to South America and perch his and Ellie’s house on the cliff of Paradise Falls, as pictured in Ellie’s Adventure Book.

However mid-flight, he hears a knock on the door and bewildered, he opens it to reveal 8 year-old Russell – the overly enthusiastic and not-so-bright Wilderness explorer. Russell is Carl’s biggest nightmare come true as all Carl wants to do is be left alone to complete his mission however things don’t go as planned and soon Carl realises he needs Russell more than he thinks…

Brought to you by Academy Award®-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters Inc), Disney Pixar‘s Up will bring you humour, joy, adventure, tears on a journey into a lost world with the least likely but most likeable duo on the planet.

Featuring star voices including Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai and Bob Peterson.

The Thoughts

Even in the very first minute, I was captivated unlike any film had captivated me in a very long time. The first five minutes made me grin so hard it hurt, but also managed to reduce me to tears. The rest of the film was golden, pure Disney and Pixar magic unlike any other Disney Pixar film yet. They have definitely outdone themselves this time. Breathless action, endless humour, penetrating emotional depth and the most lovable, believable and brilliant characters all packed into a vivid, dream-like and fluid story being told in the most beautiful colours and graphics, there is nothing to fault of this film at all.

In times where everything has been done before, any film will struggle to come up with something original, yet Pixar has done it again in the most heart-warming and visually-stunning way, making it by far the best film of 2009 for me so far.

I strongly recommend adults, children alike to go and watch this film, and to watch it in 3D for this diamond of a film cannot be missed by anyone.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: 10/10

Release Date: 9 October 2009

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson (co-director)

Writer’s: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Links: IMDB, Official Site, Rotten Tomatoes

Here at The Film Buzz we are major fans of Buzz and Woody and cannot wait for the next instalment. In this adventure the toys owner Andy is off to college leaving the toys worried that they will no longer be played with. The toys are then left in a day care for children.

The original  Toy Story story is now available to watch in 3D at your local cinema, and coming shortly will be Toy Story 2 in 3D.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7.5/10

UK Release Date: July 2010

Director: Lee Unkrich

Writer: Michael Arndt

Links: IMDB, Official Site

Set in the 22nd Century, on a distant planet named Pandora, home to a race called the Navi. Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) plays Jake Sully, a paralysed marine, who is given the opportunity to become an ‘Avatar’, and help his fellow humans in searching for valuable minerals on the Navi home world. An ‘Avatar’ is a genetically engineered human-Navi hybrid.

While given a new lease of life as an Avatar, Jake unwittingly embarks on his mission on Pandora and finds himself falling in love with the Navi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana of recent Star Trek fame), he is also soon caught in the conflict between Earth and Pandora.

Avatar sounds like an amazing story and I think fans of the Sci-Fi genre would feel right at home with a tale like this one. But I can’t help feeling like I’m the only person who isn’t excited about this film, due to the sheer amount of Buzz this film is recieving.

Avatar is a concept dreamed up by Titanic writer James Cameron. Supposedly, Cameron had to wait 14 years to have this story finally told but I feel we could have waited another 14 years. However recent weeks have found Avatar shrouded in controversy, with Cameron being accused of plagiarism. Apparently Avatar isn’t so different from Poul Anderson’s short story ‘Call me Joe‘, from 1957.

Call me Joe also focuses on a paraplegic character who has a telepathic connection with an artifical life form on a distant planet, whose habitants are blue cat like creatures,  similarities, yes indeed!

Avatar sounds intriguing, but nothing really surprises me about the look and over all feel of the film, maybe I’m being far too sceptical and how much can you really tell from a trailer?
But the Navi look far too cartoonish for my taste and perhaps slightly unbelievable.

This film has an all star cast joining Worthington and Saldana with Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi.  Avatar hits theatres in December of this year. Here’s hoping I’m wrong and won’t be feeling as cold about Avatar as the trailer left me.

Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7/10

UK Release Date: 18th December 2009

Director: James Cameron

Writer: James Cameron

Links: IMDB, Official Movie Page