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Marvel Films from 20th Century Fox (2000-2024)

X-Men (2000)

Although the X-Men, a group of people with supernatural abilities fighting against human prejudice and radicals within their own ranks, had been around since 1963 as created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it wasn’t until the highly successful 1992 animated series from Fox Kids, that made the likes of Wolverine, Magneto, Professor X and Jean Grey, household names on par with Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. While attempts has been made to bring Marvel’s “Merry Mutants” to the big screen since the 1980s, from Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron and Joss Whedon, it wasn’t until the success of Blade that made 20th Century Fox reconsider the potential of reviving the superhero subgenre, and, along with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the first X-Men film is credited for kickstarting the superhero domination of twenty first century cinema.

Since the dawn of mankind, a secret section of humanity, ones that have additional abilities when compared to regular humans, have come to be known as “mutants” and are constantly mistreated by bigotry and violence. In modern times, the mistreatment of mutant kind has gotten so bad, that they have divided themselves into two groups under two of the most powerful members of their kind. The X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), seek to protect and educate humans to accept them, while The Brotherhood, led by Xavier’s former ally, Magneto (Ian McKellen), seek to eliminate humanity in revenge. When two recently discovered mutants, a young girl named Marie/Rogue (Anna Paquin) with the ability to absorb life forces, and a gruff ageless brawler named Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who has retractable metal claws and a healing factor, catch the attention of Magneto, it is up for the likes of Cyclops (James Marsden), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Storm (Halle Berry), to help them find their purpose in life,,,

In spite of the huge deviations from the source material, including the infamous black leather outfits, downplaying important characters such as Cyclops and Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) and the character of Rogue being her, but in name only when compared to the animated counterpart, the latter does make sense for the story’s theme of isolation, given that her ability to suck the life out of everything she touches. 

The rest of the casting, aside from a bored looking James Marsden and a completely miscast Halle Berry as Storm, is absolutely spot on. Both Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are absolutely show-stealing as two bitter enemies with opposing viewpoints, but deep down, they deeply respect and care for each other. However, it is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine that is truly the best thing about this film. While a lot less crass than his animated counterpart, Hugh manages to get the gruff, violent and funny aspects of this Canadian brawler with metal claws, completely right, leading to an incredibly powerful career.

Overall, X-Men has not aged well in a lot of places, especially given the limited scope, the dated CGI effects and the awkward rushed script. However, as one of the most important films in the history of Super Hero cinema, it deserves a lot of respect for its legacy alone, even if the sex offender director doesn’t deserve any recognition.Although the X-Men, a group of people with supernatural abilities fighting against human prejudice and radicals within their own ranks, had been around since 1963 as created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it wasn’t until the highly successful 1992 animated series from Fox Kids, that made the likes of Wolverine, Magneto, Professor X and Jean Grey, household names on par with Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. While attempts has been made to bring Marvel’s “Merry Mutants” to the big screen since the 1980s, from Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron and Joss Whedon, it wasn’t until the success of Blade that made 20th Century Fox reconsider the potential of reviving the superhero subgenre, and, along with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the first X-Men film is credited for kickstarting the superhero domination of twenty first century cinema.

In spite of the huge deviations from the source material, including the infamous black leather outfits, downplaying important characters such as Cyclops and Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) and the character of Rogue being her, but in name only when compared to the animated counterpart, the latter does make sense for the story’s theme of isolation, given that her ability to suck the life out of everything she touches. 

The rest of the casting, aside from a bored looking James Marsden and a completely miscast Halle Berry as Storm, is absolutely spot on. Both Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are absolutely show-stealing as two bitter enemies with opposing viewpoints, but deep down, they deeply respect and care for each other. However, it is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine that is truly the best thing about this film. While a lot less crass than his animated counterpart, Hugh manages to get the gruff, violent and funny aspects of this Canadian brawler with metal claws, completely right, leading to an incredibly powerful career.

Overall, X-Men has not aged well in a lot of places, especially given the limited scope, the dated CGI effects and the awkward rushed script. However, as one of the most important films in the history of Super Hero cinema, it deserves a lot of respect for its legacy alone, even if the sex offender director doesn’t deserve any recognition.

Daredevil (2003)

In the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, New York, Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), a lawyer blinded in an accident during his childhood, defends the innocent in the courtroom by day and punishes the guilty by night, as the masked vigilante, Daredevil. When a mysterious woman named Elektra (Jennifer Garner) enters his life, Matt becomes torn between pursuing her or committing to his duty, but the actions of criminal overlord, The Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and a deadly assassin named Bullseye (Colin Farrell), threatens to destroy all they hold dear…

Created in 1964 by Stan Lee and Bill Everett as a way of giving blind people their own superhero, Daredevil quickly became one of Marvel’s most popular characters, appearing in numerous 90s animated shows and the 1989 television film, The Trail of the Incredible Hulk as a guest character. For his first big screen debut, it took a few trade offs between 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures, before one was finally greenlit in response to the success of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

While most of its best elements can be found in the superior director’s cut, Daredevil is still not that bad as an origin story for the Man without Fear. While the second act’s depiction of the Elektra and Bullseye Sagas from the source material is very rushed, the actors, such as Ben Affleck’s Matt Murdock, Jon Favreau’s entertaining Foggy Nelson and the late Michael Clarke Duncan’s take on the Kingpin, are all really great, with the best actor being Colin Farrell’s insane performance as Bullseye. 

While the CGI is still not very good even by early 2000s standards, Daredevil, even if it has been completely overshadowed by the 2015 Netflix series reboot, is an overall, underrated experience that doesn’t deserve the fate it got. The spin-off, on the other hand…

X2: X-Men United (2003)

When an attack on the White House by an unknown mutant (Alan Cumming), reignites hate against mutantkind from humans, the President of the United States (Cotter Smith), hires the scientist, William Stryker (Brian Cox), to launch a raid on Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his School for Gifted Youngsters. With Xavier and Cyclops (James Marsden) kidnapped, the remaining X-Men split into two groups: Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) will find the mutant, identified as Nightcrawler, while Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Pyro (Aaron Stanford), will make an alliance with Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), to rescue the kidnapped mutants. However, things get complicated when it is revealed that Stryker was the one responsible for Wolverine’s creation…

Upping the ante in every single way from the first film, X2: X-Men United may still lack some of the intensity and epic scope of the animated series’s best moments. However, for this more realism-based approach to Marvel’s Merry Mutants, it does work in greater expansion of the themes of genocide and prejudice, which is greatly shown with William Stryker being one of the cruelest and most sadistic characters of this series, in spite of him not having mutant abilities, with Brain Cox giving such a great performance.

While it is disappointing that Patrick Stewart doesn’t get a lot to do, being a prisoner for a majority of the running time, it is almost comical how badly treated Cyclops was treated in these films. Thankfully, the rest of the cast, old and new, all get their chance to shine. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine finally comes to terms with his origins, Rogue and Iceman, the latter a minor character in the first film, get really interesting arcs, especially in the heartbreaking scenes where he gets rejected by his parents for being a mutant and Ian McKellen and Rebecca Romijn make for an entertaining double act as Magneto and Mystique. Alan Cumming makes for a great Nightcrawler and Aaron Stanford’s Pyro gets an interesting arc of him falling for Magneto’s philosophy.

Overall, while still having some questionable CGI and some questionable treatment of certain characters, X2: X-Men United is a fantastic improvement on the first film’s limited scope and uses it’s more human story to its full advantage, in showing how far humans and mutants are willing to go.

Elektra (2005)

Elektra Natchios (Jennifer Garner), previously Daredevil’s girlfriend and thought to have been assassinated by Bullseye, has been brought back to life, by a martial arts master named Stick (Terence Stamp). While she has flunked in his training and now works as a bounty hunter, Elektra has a change of heart when she ends up befriending the targets of her next assignment, a girl named Abby Miller (Kirsten Prout) and her father, Mark (Goran Višnjić). This action soon attracts the attention of her employers, an evil organisation of ninjas known as “The Hand”…

Regarded, along with DC’s Catwoman, as one of the reasons why female led superhero films have had such a hard time taking off until 2017’s Wonder Woman, this spin-off of 20th Century Fox’s 2002 Daredevil film, had a lot of potential in bringing Frank Miller’s iconic take on Elektra in his 1980s stories, to life. While Jennifer Garner, returning from the 2002 film, is trying her best with the material given to her, Elektra’s poor script and pacing issues are some of the worst of the 2000s era of superhero cinema.

In spite of the obvious whitewashing, Terence Stamp does a good job as fan-favourite character, Stick, even if his connection to Daredevil is not present. The same can not be said for Kristen Prout and Goran Višnjić‘s bland supporting roles, and despite the fact that the Hand is one of the most popular villain groups in Marvel history, the likes of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, are given almost nothing to do, despite Will Yun Lee’s Kirigi, making for a potentially interesting character.

Overall, Elektra is slightly saved from being labelled as one of the worst comic book films ever made, by the performances and some of the action. Everything else, is a cut too far, even when done with ninja weapons.

Fantastic Four (2005)

Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and his best friend and bodyguard, Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) convince the uptight CEO of Vom Doom Industries, Victor (Julian McMahon), to fund an ambitious mission to his space station and study cosmic energy, While on the station however, a freak accident with cosmic rays, transforms Reed, Ben. Victor’s chief researcher, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), and her little brother, the reckless Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), into superpowered beings. With Reed gaining the ability to stretch his body, Sue getting invisibility, Johnny becoming a living Human Torch and Ben permanently becoming a giant grumpy rock monster, the former tries to find a cure for them. This is made more complicated when the public starts treating them as superheroes and Victor slowly starts to transform himself into  a ruthless steel monster named Doctor Doom…

After the infamous 1994 Roger Corman film that never got officially released, and a few false starts from Chris Columbus and Raja Gosnell, a film adaptation of Marvel’s 1961 team that started their domination in this decade as one of the best superhero companies in the world, The Fantastic Four, was finally released in 2005. While this would start a cycle of a new version of the team being released in every decade, Tim Story’s Fantastic Four would be successful enough to have a sequel, and a cult following.

This film may not be as unbearable as the 2015 disaster due it being really entertaining at times, the  impressive prosthetics of The Thing looks amazing and a great score from X-Men veteran, John Ottman.  While their performances are mixed, all four of the main characters do manage to capture the dysfunctional, but caring family aspects that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby envisioned, with Michael Chiklis being a perfect match for the grumpy, yet lovable Thing and an absolutely hilarious in hindsight Chris Evans as the immature Human Torch.

But Tim Story’s adaptation of Marvel’s first Golden Age heroes is short from being  “fantastic” due to an unfocused narrative that should have been a bit longer, and the terrible depiction of Marvel’s most infamous villain, Doctor Doom.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

When a cure is discovered for the mutant gene, Magneto (Ian McKellen) uses this as the ultimate justification for declaring war on humanity. Things get worse when Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), previously thought to be dead, is reborn as the deadly Phoenix, kills Cyclops (James Marsden) and even Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and joins Magneto against the likes of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) to destroy the cure…

Despite having great acting and some really impressive sequences, X-Men: The Last Stand is a rushed mess of an ending to the first  X-Men trilogy. With Sex Offender director number one, Bryan Singer, leaving to do Superman Returns for Warner Bros and DC, The Last Stand was left in the hands of Sex Offender number two, Brett Ratner,  which made the production very toxic for everyone working on it. 

Kelsey Grammer is perfectly cast as Beast and the final battle sequence between Wolverine and Storm’s X-Men and Magneto’s even larger Brotherhood looks amazing. However, the decision to cram both Chris Claremont’s The Dark Phoenix Saga and Joss Whedon’s Gifted into a 104-minute narrative, result in one of the most disjointed comic book films ever made. While Famke Janssen does a great job in depicting the insanity of the Phoenix persona, she is given barely any room to breathe alongside Magneto’s aims, and other characters such as Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), are given really anti-climactic send-offs.

Overall, X-Men: The Last Stand is a disappointing end for the original trilogy, despite its positives.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Reed Richards/ Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm/ Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) of the Fantastic Four, are finally getting married. However, when a mysterious humanoid alien named The Silver Surfer (Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne), arrives on Earth to seek a suitable planet for his master to devour, Reed and Sue, along with Johnny Storm/ Human Torch (Chris Evans) and Ben Grimm/ The Thing (Michael Chiklis), must delay their event in order to save the world, even if it also means forming an alliance with their enemy, Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon)….

Much like its 2005 predecessor, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer does successfully manage to get the main characters’s personalities absolutely right. Much to the original intentions of creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby by creating a group of superheroes that act like a real family, much of the film’s enjoyment comes from seeing Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben work off each other, with Chris Evans’s Johnny and Michael Chiklis’s Ben, getting the funniest moments in their love-hate relationship.

However, much like the last Marvel film that 20th Century Fox had released at the time, 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, Rise of the Silver Surfer does a poor job in recreating the spic scope of Jack Kirby’s Galactus Trilogy, like how Brett Ratner failed in adapting The Dark Pheonix Saga for Last Stand, to the length it needed to make it work, even in a more realistic setting. Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburne do a good job in bringing Silver Surfer to life both physically and vocally, but the decision to depict Galactus, one of the most popular Marvel villains in the source material, as a living cloud, will anger a lot of fans.

Overall, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer does have its moments of charm, but it gets a little too ambitious for its own limitations as a feature film.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

For the last hundred years, James Howlett (Hugh Jackman), the mutant who would later be known as Wolverine, and his half-brother, Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), the future Sabretooth, have fought together in numerous wars, until they are hired by Major William Stryker (Danny Huston) to participate in the Weapon X program. Although James, renaming himself “Logan”, leaves the group after seeing how violent they are, he ends up going to war with Victor six years later, when the latter seemingly murders his wife, Kayla Silverfox (Lynne Collins). However, after he lets Stryker give him an adamantium skeleton via experimentation, Logan soon learns that Stryker has darker intentions for him and for mutant-kind…

Originally planned as the first of an anthology series of stand-alone spin-offs focusing on different characters, X-Men Origins: Wolverine ended up being the franchise’s worst reviewed entry at the time, and its slight underperformance at the box office due to both bad word of mouth and an infamous leak of a work print copy going onto the Internet, led to the franchise to be heavily reworked for the next film.

While there is potential for a gritty origin story for the most popular character of the X-Men franchise at that time, Wolverine, aside from a few good scenes, Origins is too rushed to be a satisfying story about the rise of everyone’s favourite Canadian bub. Disregarding the massive continuity errors with the previous films, especially the forced cameos of a younger Cyclops (Tim Pocock) and Charles Xaiver (Patrick Stewart), and the infamous treatment of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the rushed steps of Logan’s childhood, wartime adventures, missions with Team X, and his eventual fusion with adamantium, all could have made solid films on their own, instead of being rushed in this one hour and forty-five minute film.

Overall, while some aspects are fine such as Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) finally making an appearance in live-action and Harry Gregson-William’s emotional score, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a failed experiment in every way.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

In 1962, thirty-eight years before the events of X-Men, a young mutant telepath named Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and his adopted sister, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), are hired by Moria MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) to track down the Hellfire Club, a group of high-class mutants who are plotting to cause World War III. After encountering another mutant named Erik (Michael Fassbender), who has his own personal grudge against the Club’s leader, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a desperate search for other mutants begins as the birth of both the “X-Men” and the “Brotherhood” starts to take place…

Coming the closest to capturing the spirit of the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comics in terms of visuals alone, X-Men: First Class uses the 1962 setting to its full advantage in this amazing prequel/reboot. Taking inspiration from the early Sean Connery James Bond films, from the set design to the look of the Hellfire Club,including the likes of Emma Frost (January Jones). Matthew Vaughn’s clever use of the Cuban Missile Crisis as one of the major plot-points is an excellent way of staying true to the franchise’s themes of the dangers of paranoia and intolerance, especially in the intense third act.

Despite Nicholas Hoult’s odd take on Beast with the costume looking not as convincing as Kelsey Grammer’s from X-Men: The Last Stand, both James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are amazing as younger versions of Professor X and Magneto, with the latter giving one of the best performances in his entire career.

Overall, despite knowing how this rebooted film series ended up repeating the same mistakes of the original films, X-Men: First Class is still one of the best examples of how to turn a franchise around, with its unique direction and amazing acting from both McAvoy and Fassbender.

The Wolverine (2013)

Sometime after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan/ Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) has retreated from the X-Men to live life as a hermit in the Yukon Mountains, due to his guilt over the death of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). When Yukio (Rila Fukushima), a Japanese mutant with the ability to foresee deaths, tells Logan that his presence is requested in Tokyo, Japan to say goodbye to Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi and Ken Yamamura as a young man), the elderly head of Japan’s Yashida Industries who was once saved by him during World War II, Wolverine soon finds himself caught up in a battle with the Yakuza, a mysterious mutant named Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) and a hulking living suit of armour known as the Silver Samurai, in order to protect Yashida’s granddaughter, Moriko (Tao Okamoto), even when he starts to lose his healing factor…

Before he sent off the character of Logan/ Wolverine with 2017’s excellent Logan, director James Mangold was hired to replace original choice, Darren Aronofsky, to adapt Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s 1982 Wolverine miniseries, in which everyone’s favourite Canadian mutant went to Japan to find inner peace, as the next solo film for Hugh Jackman’s take on the character. 

Even though the last twenty minutes involving the Silver Samurai and a completely silly plot twist does sour the tone that the film was trying to create, The Wolverine is still a massive improvement when compared to 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The idea of Logan having to fight without his healing factor does raise the stakes as he struggles to protect his new companions, and Hugh Jackman once again, does bring new depths to him, especially with his arc revolving around his actions in 2006’s The Last Stand. Rila Fukushima makes for a fun new addition as Yukio, even if her future reading abilities could have been explored more.

Overall, with a refreshing change of environment to Japan taking visual inspiration from samurai films, great acting and an interesting character study on the consequences of immortality, The Wolverine is a very unique film, that, like X-Men: First Class before it, isn’t afraid to bring new tones and genres for 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

In the far future of 2023, humanity and mutantkind have been almost wiped out by the robotic Sentinels. Both Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) have gathered the last of the X-Men to undertake a dangerous mission. With the use of Kitty Pryde’s (Elliot Page) power’s, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) must use time-travel to go back to 1973 and convince the younger versions of Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to prevent Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating the inventor of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), and causing the dystopian future as a result…

Although this attempt to right the wrongs of both X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine by removing them via time travel may not have gone entirely according to plan, regarding the likes of X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Pheonix, this emotional (but loose) adaptation of Chris Claremont’s  Days of Future Past arc, is still one of the best non-MCU superhero films out there and is X-Men‘s highest peak.

The returning cast from both the original trilogy and X-Men: First Class give some of their best performances, with James McAvoy stealing the show from Hugh Jackman for once, and the scene with him talking with his older self stands out as one of the best scenes in any superhero film.

Much like how X:Men: First Class used the setting of the Cuban Missle crisis to set Xavier and Magneto on their paths as leaders of the X-Men and the Brotherhood, X:Men: Days of Future Past uses the 1970s setting to strengthen the themes of the small overcoming the numerous in regards to Magneto’s motivations and Bolivar’s arc. Although much has been said about Jennifer Lawerence in recent years, her performance as Mystique isn’t that annoying in here. 

Overall, X-Men: Days of Future Past may not have launched a grand new era of X-Men films as intended. ( The Deadpool films and Logan stand as their own seperate things.) But this beautiful story about reclaiming hope and one’s humanity is still worth watching.

Fantastic Four (2015)

After being hired by the Baxter foundation to work on designing an inter-dimensional  portal to another planet, Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), Sue Storm (Kate Mara) and Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) are accidentally transformed into beings with superpowers during their first mission. While the government wants to use them to perform shady missions, another problem arises when another person, Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell) thought to have died in the mission, reemerges with sinister motivations…

Despite the failures of the last three attempts to bring Marvel’s first family to the big screen, Josh Trank’s attempts to mix David Cronenberg style Body Horror and Steven Spielberg style fantasy throughout the first hour, does at first seem interesting. Aside from Kebbell’s awful representation of one of the most iconic Marvel Villians of all time, most of the acting is OK to good times, with Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan getting the best moments as a more vulnerable take on The Thing and Human Torch respectively.

The moment after Reed escapes from Area 57 however, is a time-skip which completely derails the film’s pacing and ruins Trank’s intentions of making a character driven piece as these last 40 minutes cram in a manhunt, a character death, showing the groups use of their powers, setting up Dr Doom and bringing the characters together to stop him.

Speaking of Doom, the costume design of him is so bad that it puts X-Men Origins’s Deadpool to shame with its  resemblance to a metal crash dummy.  Although the design of the heroes costumes and Planet Zero itself also look bad in their laziness in originality, it’s a shame that this laughable mess will prevent Doom from being on screen for a loooonng time afterwards.

Overall Fantastic Four has a good film buried deep within it’s terrible editing and rushed pace, but Fox really shouldn’t have turned this interesting take on Marvel’s first family into the almost unwatchable mess like all of its predecessors.

Deadpool (2016)

As a result of Logan’s actions in X-Men: Days of Future Past, fates of several characters in the universe of the X-Men films have been changed by the altered history. One of Logan’s former Weapon X teammates, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), is now an ex-Canadian Military veteran, who works as a mercenary and has a great relationship with his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). After getting a cancer diagnosis and being transformed into a scarred mutant with a healing factor by the ruthless Ajax (Ed Skrein), Wade becomes the foul-mouthed and cocky anti-hero, Deadpool, who must use all his weapons, wit and fourth wall breaking, in order to force Ajax to change him back…

If you have been to any comic/film convention in the last few years, one of the most cosplayed characters that you would see in these events is the Marvel Comics character, Deadpool. In the early 1990s, this character, created by Rob Liefield and Fabian Nicieza in 1991, was first portrayed as a villainous character who was defined as Marvel’s version of DC’s Deathstroke due to similarities between characters in terms of secret identities and costume design. However as time would pass into the twenty-first century, the character would be re-imagined as an ultra-violent, yet humorous anti-hero, who would constantly break the forth wall while also being portrayed as a lover of popular culture, which has unsurprisingly made him one of the most popular fictional characters of the social network age. After an embarrassing first impression on screen with 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynold’s second attempt at bringing “the Merc with the Mouth” to the big screen, is thankfully, a massive improvement.

One thing to mention about the narrative, is that a lot of it revolves around cutting between two stories of Deadpool’s origins in the Weapon X program, and him getting in trouble with the X-Men due to his violent rampage against Ajax. Although it does use several of the tropes that we’ve come to expect from superhero films, the execution of these event is what makes it stand out. For example, even in the extremely funny opening credits, Deadpool’s fourth-wall breaking habit is fully utilised throughout which makes Deadpool one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in years, even though it’s not technically a parody.

Despite having a really small scope of only two large scale action scenes, when compared to other superhero films due it’s $50 million budget, Deadpool succeeds the most in acting and character motivation. Ryan Reynolds is finally allowed to give Deadpool all the wit and dark humour that fans have come to expect from him, while also portraying a strangely sweet side to him, in spite of all the violence he causes throughout the film. T.J Miller and Leslie Uggams do a good job at portraying Weasel and Blind Al and, not forgetting the fact that this film is still technically part of the X-Men universe, both Stefan Kapicac and Brianna Hildebrand as X-men members Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead are welcome additions with the former also being really entertaining due to his patronising nature that serves as the butt of many of Deadpool’s jokes.

Overall, despite a few minor issues such as Ed Skrien’s and Gina Caranos’ characters not being very memorable and a few pacing issues, Deadpool is an amazing adults-only superhero film, in that despite all the violence, sex and jokes, has a twisted, yet sweet side to it which, in a weird way makes it a good date movie. Just don’t expect a lot of super heroics in this one.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

A decade after the events of Days of Future Past, Professor Charles Xaiver (James McAvoy) and Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), have kept their promise to Logan to reopen the School for Gifted Youngsters, Magneto (Michael Fassbender) has finally retired from his war ambitions and has had a loving family and Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) has become a hero to all mutantkind, saving them from trouble from time to time. When Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), the first mutant to have ever existed, awakens to conquer the world with his chosen Four horsemen, including a grief-stricken Magneto, Xaiver is captured by them, and it is up to Raven to assemble a new generation of mutants, consisting of younger versions of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), to take on the mantle of X-Men, and save the world…

When compared to other superhero films of 2016, one of the best years for superhero cinema , such as the genre-spinning Deadpool, or the epic Captain America: Civil War, X-Men:Apocalypse, while not a bad film by any means, falls a bit flat in terms of the narrative as unlike the last two films, Bryan Singer, in his last contribution to the franchise before finally getting sacked for his bad private behaviour, doesn’t really bring anything unique to set it apart from the rest of the series. 

This is because events in this film, feel like rehashes of material seen in those films, especially during a massive detour in the second act because X2 and Origins did it. However, it thankfully does manage to be entertaining, even though it’s a bit convoluted with thrilling set-pieces and moments that will make any Marvel fan’s hearts soar. However, much more could have been done with fan-favourite villain, Apocalypse, as his lore would have led to some unique worldbuilding for this film.

The acting, is once again top-notch in these films, with Micheal successfully conveying the tragedy of Magneto’s character in several heartbreaking sequences regarding his constant no-win situations, Kodi-Smit McPhee brings fan-favourite Nightcrawler back in a big way and Even Peters once again steals show as the rib-tickling Quicksilver.

Overall, X-Men: Apocalypse, may not be the best comic-book movie of 2016 and one of the most disappointing films in the franchise , but it’s still worth watching for its outstanding moments and great acting.

Logan (2017)

Set in the far future of 2029, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), along with an ailing Professor Charles Xaiver (Patrick Stewart), are living alone in exile on the Mexican border, after an accident with Xavier’s degenerative telepathic abilities, led to some of the X-Men being killed. When Laura (Dafne Keen), a young mutant girl with the same abilities as Wolverine, appears into their lives, Xaiver persuades Logan to protect her as she is the first mutant to have been born in decades…

For seventeen years throughout the entire X-Men film series, Hugh Jackman’s protrayal of the character of Logan/Wolverine has become one of the most iconic film characters of the last decade, following him throughout his awful origin story, his battles with the X-Men, his relationship with Jean Grey, and even going back in time to prevent an apocalypse. Logan , the tenth instalment of the longest running superhero franchise, brings his story to a satisfying, yet sad ending to his saga.

Despite not delivering on his promise to give us a Japanese neo-noir with 2013’s OK The Wolverine , James Mangold goes back to his western roots in both the narrative and the production design, by loosely basing the story of  an elderly Logan and Xaiver surviving in the wilderness on Old Man Logan by Mark Miller. Like Captain America: Civil War, it expands on the flaws of the source material by introducing the character of X-23 as a source of redemption for Logan’s failure to keep the world safe.

As well as having amazing production design being inspired by both Westerns and Mad Max: Fury Road, the performances of Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart as their last (at the time)of both Logan and Charles Xavier are amazing, with the former being the most brutal he has ever been before, and the latter being repressed of his usual knowledgeable role as mentor figure, due to illness. Boyd Holbrook’s Donald Pierce is also quite entertaining, but the standout role has to be given to Dafne Keen’s acting debut as X-23.

Overall despite having a few problems with Richard E. Grant’s Zander Rice and having a few pacing issues, Logan commits to both it’s 15 rating and being a send off for Wolverine, by being one of the most violent, yet emotional superhero films in recent memory.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

After a tragic incident robs Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) of his purpose in life, The Merc with the Mouth finds himself stuck in a dead-end career with the X-Men and unable to end his suffering, due to his healing abilities. But when Russell (Julian Dennison), a young mutant capable of controlling fire finds himself on the run from Cable (Josh Brolin), a time-travelling mutant soldier who believes that killing Russell will save the world, Deadpool must get his act back together and assemble his own superhero team to stop Cable from making chimichangas out of the young boy…

Ever since the foul-mouthed, fourth-wall breaking Deadpool finally got the film he deserved in 2016 thanks to leaked test footage and the critical backlash coming from his embarrassing debut as an ugly mouth-less in-name only version of Rob Liefeld’s outrageous anti-hero in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the influence of the film’s financial success, despite being an R-Rated film has opened the door for other R-Rated mainstream films such as Logan, IT and Get Out to sit alongside summer blockbusters in terms of financial success. Naturally, being the highest grossing film in the long-running X-Men franchise and being currently the highest grossing R-Rated film of all time, it was inevitable that a sequel would come around and despite a few production issues such as Tim Miller, the director of the first film leaving the production of the sequel due to disagreements with Ryan Reynolds over the direction of the screenplay and the casting of the character of Cable, the tragic death of a stunt-woman during filming and the complications of the presence of T.J Miller’s Weasel character after the actor’s fall from grace, Deadpool 2 easily surpasses the first film, in terms of laughs and thrills.

Like the first film, the biggest strength of the sequel is Ryan Reynolds himself. His skill at keeping the Merc with the Mouth faithful to his fourth-wall breaking, violent and unorthodox comic-book counterpart, while also making him lovable in his quest to regain his purpose in life shows how far Ryan has come since regaining his popularity with the success of the first film. However, with the exceptions of Karan Soni’s Taxi-Driver character Dopinder getting a larger role and the character of Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) undergoing his own arc of learning to be tougher, a lot of the other characters from the first film such as Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and Blind Al (Leslie Uggams) don’t get much to do this time round.

Although it’s a jarring change from the look of the first film, replacement director David Leitch’s anime-style use of cinematography and lighting used in his other films such 2017’s Atomic Blonde and the John Wick films, does manage to give this film its own style that matches the darker elements of the Cable story and his cyberpunk background.

Speaking of which, being a character that was created around the same time as Deadpool himself and is one of the most frequent characters in Deadpool’s comic stories, Josh Brolin’s take on Cable, stands alongside his work as Thanos as one of the best comic book film characters of recent years. Special mention should also go to young actor Julian Dennison, who fresh off his success from Hunt of the Wilderpeople is not afraid to give this character the right amount of edge despite his young age and Zazie Beetz as the playful, luck-based mutant, Domino whose good-luck abilities end up being some of the most memorable moments of the film.

Overall, Deadpool 2 delivers on the filthiness, heart and laugh-out loud humor that made the first film such a massive hit to begin with and has the grand honor of having the funniest post-credits scenes in the history of superhero cinema. “Cue the music….”

Dark Phoenix (2019)

During a space mission to rescue a group of trapped astronauts, the X-Men face a powerful crisis when one of their own members, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) ends up absorbing a giant solar flare and as a result, gains dangerous psychic powers. When Professor X (James McAvoy) ends up making a fatal mistake in an attempt to calm her down, will even his own students be successful in stopping the “Dark Phoenix”…

Both critics and fans of the superhero genre have had a very complex relationship with 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films. Despite the fact that the first film, directed by the disgraced Bryan Singer in 2000, was one of the most important superhero films along with Blade and Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man film in getting the superhero genre to where it is now, they have suffered from inconsistent quality and some of the worst continuity errors ever made.

Although the likes of the Deadpool films and Logan have been great examples of the franchise taking bold creative changes in their films after 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past reset the timeline, 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse was a disappointing rehash of old ideas. Now, with the final entry of this nineteen-year-old film series, long-time producer and writer of numerous X-Men films, Simon Kinberg, finally gets to fulfill his wish of a more faithful adaptation of the beloved Dark Pheonix Saga with his directorial debut after 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand failed to capture the heart of that story and as a result……he has utterly f, ked up the series with the worst X-Men film to date.

Although James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender try their best in giving great performances towards this awful script, the rest of the acting and character arcs are baffling downgrades with Jennifer Lawerence and Nicholas Hoult’s arcs in particular, completely going against everything that was established in the rest of the First Class films. 

Overall, the rushed pacing, bland cinematography, bad CGI and Jessica Chastain giving one of the worst acting performances in her entire career, ends the longest running superhero film franchise on a whimper rather than a bang as Dark Phoenix is one of the most plothole-driven films in recent years.

The New Mutants (2020)

Set within the universe of the X-Men, Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt), a Native American teenager is taken to a secret government facility, after losing her father to a tragic accident. She is then informed by Dr. Reyes (Alice Braga), that she is a mutant and is asked to remain at the facility until she can control her new powers. When Dani discovers dark secrets about her new home, she must team up with four other teenage mutants, the werewolf Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams), the sorceress Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy), the flyer Sam Guthrie (Charlie Heaton), and the (literal) hothead Bobby da Costa (Henry Zaga), in order to escape her uncertain fate…

What was originally planned as another opportunity to branch out 20th Century Fox’s long-running X-Men film franchise in the same vein as Logan and the Deadpool films, ended up being a production nightmare for the studio and director, Josh Boone. Fresh off his success with 2014’s The Fault in Our Stars, Boone, along with screenwriter Knate Lee, had an idea for a new spin-off trilogy that was going to use Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod’s 1982 New Mutants, which told the adventures of a younger subdivision of the X-Men that focused on darker themes such as mysticism and the occult, as its background. 

However, in spite of finishing filming in 2017 with a release date set for April 2018, numerous production issues such as executive meddling that took forever to shake off, Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox, the poor box-office results of Dark Phoenix and the COVID pandemic of 2020 led The New Mutants to constantly get delayed again and again to the point where it became a joke, which is a shame as the film itself is OK on its own terms.

Functioning as a mix between The Breakfast Club meets It meets The Cabin in the Woods, The New Mutants does have a clear idea of the kind of story it wants to tell of a group of supernatural teenagers coming together,  although the original intention of being the first film in a trilogy does clearly shows as most of the characters end up getting underdeveloped as a result.

The acting is surprisingly solid with Anya-Taylor Joy, in particular, stealing the show with her twisted sense of humor while both Blu Hunt and Maisie Williams share adorable chemistry as one of the first mainstream LGBT couples in mainstream superhero films. While Charlie Heaton and Henry Zaga don’t get as much to do as characters, the visualization of their powers are impressive enough for this film’s low budget nature.

Overall, The New Mutants definitely isn’t the best way to close out twenty years worth of X-Men films. But as the intended horror/teen drama stand-alone film that Josh Boone wanted, this film does do its job in a passable way.

The Matrix (1999)

Directed by: The Wachowskis

Written by: The Wachowskis

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano

Music by: Don Davis

Rated: 15

A computer hacker named Thomas A. Anderson (Keanu Reeves), has his world completely turned upside down when a mysterious cloaked stranger named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), gives him a red pill that reveals that the world is really in a post-apocalyptic state that has the entire human population enslaved by The Matrix, a software simulation designed to make humans believe that they are still living in 1999 Earth. With the guidance of Morpheus and a sympathetic member of his crew, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), the newly renamed Neo must train himself to take on the Matrix’s most dangerous weapon, the ruthless Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving)…

Notable as the science-fiction film that beat the Star Wars film at the time, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in terms of critical reception in 1999 and for inventing a form of slow-motion effect called “bullet time”, The Matrix may have lost some of its popularity over the years due to how the sequels were received and it being negatively compared with other cyberpunk films, but it is still an incredible piece of cinema on its own terms.

Although a lot of the themes and plot points of this film have been lifted from the likes of The Terminator and several Japanese anime films such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell, the Wachowski siblings deserve all the credit for bringing these themes and the cyberpunk genre to mainstream audiences at the time and the “chosen one” narrative does have a few interesting twists compared to the likes of Star Wars and Harry Potter, with the unpredictable nature of the world-building.

Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving steal the show as the cool and collective Morpheus and the deranged Agent Smith respectfully even if Keanu Reeves had not developed enough as an dramatic actor at the time. Much has already been said on the groundbreaking visual effects and how the use of slow-motion led to endless parodies featured in the likes of Shrek and Conker’s Bad Fur Day, so one last thing to mention is that the transgender allegories in how certain character’s character arcs are developed throughout the film, is very subtle, yet heartwarming in hindsight, given how both of the siblings are sisters now.

Overall, The Matrix, despite being incredibly silly at times, is still one of the most rewatched and most popular science-fiction classics of the last few decades!

Rating: 4.5/5

The Iron Giant (1999)

Directed by: Brad Bird

Written by: Tim McCanlies and Brad Bird

Starring: Vin Diesel, Eli Marienthal, Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick Jr., Christopher McDonald, James Gammon, Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh and John Mahoney

Music by: Michael Kamen

Rated: PG

In 1957, shortly after Sputnik is launched into the sky, a gigantic metal robot (Vin Diesel) lands in the small town of Rockfall High. After befriending a young boy named Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) and a beatnik artist named Dean (Harry Connick Jr.), the Giant soon discovers that a paranoid agent named Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) is on his trail…

Originally flopping at the box office in 1999 due to Warner Bros giving it a poor marketing campaign, future Pixar director (The Incredibles in 2004 and Ratatouille in 2007) Brad Bird’s directorial debut, The Iron Giant has over time been re-analysed by both critics and animation historians, before eventually ending up as one of the most critically acclaimed animated films in history.

Taking a familiar set-up from Steven Spielberg’s E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial, of a child trying protect a creature from the government, what sets this film apart from those other films is the 1950s setting and messages of anti-violence, paranoia and having a choice in your life’s direction . This makes this one of the most emotional films ever seen, especially in scenes where the Giant learns about difficult subjects for the first time such as death and having a soul.

Speaking of the setting, I really admire how the film uses the time-period of the Cold War and the Sputnik events as the main driving force behind the character’s motivations. Kent Mansely the agent, for example, is a very well thought representation of what paranoia did to the American government during the Cold War, in which anything that didn’t come from that country should be nuked first, analyzed afterward, while the rest of the army are depicted as rational human beings who are constantly led astray by his delusions.

The realistic,yet stylised human character animation that Brad Bird would later bring to CGI for his Pixar endeavours, are also really well done here, and the CGI animation for the Giant himself does works as he is a mechanical creation and the CGI makes him look more-three dimensional, without spoiling the hand-drawn backgrounds. The cinematography is worth mentioned as there are some moments in which the sky would turn red and the objects would turn black, giving some shots the visual style of a Hitchcock-poster.

Overall, I am so glad that The Iron Giant finally getting the mainstream attention it deserves with the success of VHS/DVD sales ad the recent 2015 re-release. Anyone who is a fan of animation and film, in general, should definitely check out Brad Bird’s amazing debut which I hope in the future, will keep getting more fans as the years go on. And in case you are wondering about the two new scenes added for the 2015 re-release. they add a bit more character motives, without altering it too much, but they are still worth the addition to this already amazing story.

Rating: 5/5

American Pie (1999)

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Written by: Adam Herz

Starring: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy

Music by: David Lawrence

Rated: 15

Four high school students named Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), are best friends who are jealous of that fact that their other friend, Stifler (Seann William Scott), has no troubles in getting girls to sleep with him. When the boys discover that an incredibly unpopular boy named Sherman (Chris Owen), has beaten them in losing his virginity, they make a pact to sleep with someone by the time of the school prom…

Despite receiving mixed reviews at the time of its 1999 release date,  American Pie has become one of the most beloved comedy franchises of the early 2000s, thanks to numerous sequels, and the skills of comedy from the main leads. While Eugene Levy has always been the funniest character of the franchise, as Jim’s innocent father with his deadpan attempts at explaining sex to his son, the four leads are all likeable enough, in spite of some dated jokes.

Even if the narrative does feel really episodic at times, with the main plot of the four characters trying to attract girls getting surprisingly sidelined at times, the infamous moments of the pie act and anything that fan-favourite Stifler does, gets huge laughs even to this day. While the message of the importance of building positive relationships with partners is nice, especially in Oz’s arc with choirgirl Heather (Mena Suvari), the ending does muddle it slightly.

Overall, in spite of some moments being more creepy than funny nowadays, American Pie is still a pretty funny look into the absurdity of high school love and the “creativity” of preparing for the moment.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tarzan (1999)

Directed by: Kevin Lima and Chris Buck

Written by: Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White

Starring: Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Alex D. Linz, Rosie O’ Donnell, Brian Blessed, Nigel Hawthorne, Lance Henrikson and Wayne Knight

Music by: Mark Mancina

Rated: U

Deep in the jungles of Africa in the Victorian era, a human baby is rescued by the gorilla Kala (Glenn Close), from Sabor, a leopard that killed both his parents and Kala’s own child. Despite getting into trouble with Kala’s husband and the leader of the gorillas, Kerchak (Lance Henrikson), the newly renamed Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn and Alex D. Linz) grows up alongside the tomboy gorilla Terk (Rosie O’ Donnell) and Tantor (Wayne Knight), a nervous elephant. After almost winning Kerchak’s respect by defeating Sabor, Tarzan’s life suddenly changes when he meets an expedition of other humans including a hunter named Clayton (Brian Blessed), the fun-loving Professor Porter (Nigel Hawthorne) and his beautiful daughter Jane (Minnie Driver) and slowly starts to wonder where his true home lies…

Notable as the final film in the 1990s Disney Renaissance era, Tarzan is an epic and powerful send-off for one of the most successful periods of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s history. Although there had been hundreds of films loosely based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’s jungle-swinging ape man throughout the Golden Age of Cinema as well as other examples like 1984’s Greystoke, the freedom of animation finally allowed the company to go back to the character’s roots in the 1918 original novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and tell a Tarzan story that focuses on his relationship with his gorilla family and give possibly the most realistic version of the story of a wild man living among apes, while also being family-friendly.

The Deep Canvas animation is absolutely amazing especially during the tree-surfing and fight sequences and most of Phil Collins’s songs are wonderful to listen to. In spite of the story slightly falling apart in the third act and the villain being a little too obvious, it is still a wonderful message about acceptance and love especially with Tarzan’s relationship with Kala.

Overall, Tarzan is an incredible, if slightly flawed, finale to the 1990s era of Disney classic animation!

Rating: 4.5/5

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)

Directed by: Trey Parker

Written by: Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Pam Brady

Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman, George Clooney, Eric Idle, Mike Judge and Isaac Hayes

Music by: Marc Shaiman

Rated: 15

Stan Marsh (Trey Parker), Kenny McCormick (Matt Stone and Mike Judge), Kyle Broflovski (Also Matt Stone) and Eric Cartman (Also Trey Parker) are four young boys, constantly getting in weird situations in their hometown of South Park, Colorado. When the four boys start cursing more than usual after seeing Asses of Fire, the latest film from their favourite comedy duo, Terence (Also Matt Stone) and Philip (Also Trey Parker), chaos erupts. Kyle’s mother, Sheila (Mary Kay Bergman) kidnaps Terence and Philip and starts a war against Canada to “protect” her child from foul language, Stan tries to find the “clitorus” in order to impress his crush, Wendy (Also Mary Kay Bergman), Cartman has his ability to swear taken away via an electronic V-Chip and Kenny, during his latest death, finds out that if Terence and Philip are killed, Satan (Also Trey Parker) and his abusive new boyfriend, Saddam Hussein (Also Matt Stone), will launch the apocalypse…

The best ever example of a great film adaptation of a television show, as well as one of the funniest films ever made, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut brings Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hit Comedy Central series, South Park, to the big screen, with all the insanity that fans and viewers have come to expect.

While containing all the hilarious moments and crudeness that made the likes of Stan, Cartman, Kenny and Kyle household names in animated television, Bigger Longer & Uncut is also a really good story about how bad parenting, the kind where parents blame the whole world for a child’s bad habits instead of dealing with it themselves, can make things worse for everyone.  The film also points out the hypocrisy of how violence is given a free pass in censorship, but not swear words, as the lyrics of classic songs such as Blame Canada and Mountain Town point out.

Speaking of the songs, they are so good and funny, that it is no wonder that Stephen Sondiem, one of the greatest songwriters for Broadway musicals, said that this was one of the best musicals he had ever seen. Even if the cheap cut-out animation style of the show was only slightly improved for the film, it is the story and the unhinged characters that everyone has come to see, with each of the boys getting utterly entertaining subplots.

Overall, with its crudeness, epic scope and having one of the best stories in animated films, despite being a film adaptation of a show with endless content of great moments, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is something that everyone  who loves this style of humor, can have a a great time with it, even if this is their first messed up introduction to Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman’s adventures.

Rating: 5/5

A Bug’s Life (1998)

Directed by: John Lasseter

Written by: Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery and Bob Shaw

Starring: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary, Brad Garrett, Roddy McDowell, Joe Ranft, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn and Richard Kind

Music by: Randy Newman

Rated: U

When an ant colony’s food offering to a gang of greedy grasshoppers ends up getting accidentally destroyed by the idealistic inventor ant named Flik (Dave Foley), the grasshopper leader Hopper (Kevin Spacey) threatens the colony with destruction if they don’t give them a larger offering. Leaving the colony to find bigger bugs to fight off the grasshoppers, Flik thinks he’s found the perfect fighters in the form of a group of circus bugs, But when he finds out the truth, Flik must now use all of his skills as an inventor to stop Hopper and his gang forever…

Although this film, being only the third mainstream computer-animated film in existance at the time and following in the footsteps of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life may lack the originality of Pixar’s first film in terms of storytelling, but the background animation of the world of the bugs is so good, that it still looks incredible today. The character designs, despite not looking as realistic as the insects of Dreamworks’s Antz also looks really impressive compared to CGI designs at the time.  

Some of the main characters aren’t that interesting, but the circus bugs and the grasshoppers steal the show in terms of humour, with the funniest moments coming from Richard Kind’s Molt and the late Joe Ranft’s German caterpillar, Heimlich. Even though what he did throughout his career was horrible and should not be encouraged, Kevin Spacey’s sarcastic, yet intimidating performance as Hopper makes this character, one of the most under-rated Pixar villains.

Overall, A Bug’s Life is a really entertaining film of miniature proportions that’s still packs a tiny punch.

Rating: 4/5

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Written by: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Donnie Wahlberg and Olivia Williams

Music by: James Newton Howard

Rated: 15

A year after failing one of his former patients, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) decides to take up the case of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a young boy who acts isolated from his mother (Toni Collette) and friends. When Cole reveals to Malcolm that he can see ghosts, Malcolm must help him to find a use for his abilities, while learning that this case will become more personal than he ever expected…

Before his filmography took an insane downward spiral into complete insanity in the late 2000s and early 2010s, M. Night Shyamalan was being hailed as the next “Steven Spielberg”, thanks to the success of his earlier works such as Unbreakable, Signs and his magnum opus directorial debut, The Sixth Sense.

While everyone and their grandmothers have talked about the twist ending and how it changed pop culture forever, the rest of the film is a powerfully emotional and engaging experience, with Bruce Willis’s Malcolm and the future Sora from Kingdom Hearts, Haley Joel Osment’s Cole, having great character arcs and moments. The latter in particular, gets the other best scene in the film, with his speech to his mother in the car, being one of the biggest tearjerking moments in 1990s cinema.

With haunting cinematography, a moving score from James Newton Howard and a different take on the concept of ghosts and death, The Sixth Sense is an overall masterpiece in thriller storytelling and emotional drama of family love, even when parted by death.

Rating: 5/5

The Neverending Story (1984)

Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson

Written by: Wolfgang Peterson and Herman Weigel

Starring: Barret Oliver, Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley, Gerald McRaney, Moses Gunn and Alan Oppenheimer

Music by: Klaus Doldinger and Giorgio Moroder

Rated: U

Bastian Bux (Barret Oliver), a young boy who loves reading, discovers a mysterious book called The Neverending Story while hiding from bullies in an old book store. Despite being warned by the shopkeeper (Thomas Hill) about the dangers of reading it, Bastian takes the book and starts reading it. In the story, he reads about the adventures of Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), a young warrior who is given the task of saving the magical land of Fantasia from The Nothing, a powerful force of evil and to save the land’s ruler, The Childlike Empress (Tami Stronach) from certain death…

Even if the original author hated this adaptation of his 1979 novel, The Neverending Story stands as one of the best films to have come out the Golden Age of the Fantasy genre of the 1980s due to its themes and morals about the importance of imagination and storytelling.

The visuals, puppetry and the world design of Fantasia are really impressive, given the fact that this film was a foreign film made in Germany that was only given a wider release due to how well it performed in its home country, even leading to Warner Bros cancelling plans to have Supergirl be their tentpole release of 1984 in favour for this film. Although the animatronic for the luck-dragon, Falkor (Alan Oppenheimer) does look a bit stiff when compared to the works of Jim Henson during the time period, the rest of the creatures such as the racing snail, the bat, and the giant Rock-Biter (also Alan Oppenheimer) look absolutely stunning.

Overall, with lovable characters, one of the best soundtracks of the 1980s and a powerful moral about how creativity can literally save entire worlds, The Neverending Story is one of the best pro-reading films ever made and a true classic that celebrates the power of imagination.

Rating: 5/5

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis

Music by: N/A (Various Songs From Artists)

Rated: 18

Out of chronological order, three stories showcase hitmen, crime groups and a washed up boxer’s antics in America. Linked by a framing device of the criminals “Pumpkin” (Tim Roth) and “Honey Bunny” (Amanda Plummer) pulling off a robbery in a diner, the three stories start off with Vincent Vega and Marcellus Wallace’s Wife, in which hitman Vincent Vega (John Travolta) takes Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), wife of his boss, Marcellus (Ving Rhames), on a crazy night out. Then, in The Gold Watch, boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) accidentally loses his late father’s watch after he and his girlfriend, Fabienne (Maria de Medeiros), are forced into hiding following a botched match. Finally, in The Bonnie Situation, Vincent and his partner, Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), hurry to cover up an embarrassing murder, while both of them struggle to deliver a mysterious briefcase…

One of the most important films in the history of independent cinema and regarded as Quentin Tarantino’s greatest work, Pulp Fiction fully commits to its crime anthology format with its three insane stories of criminals and hitmen’s everyday lives.  While the soundtrack and memorable quotes have given this film the legendary status it deserves, Pulp Fiction’s insanely clever screenplay about the love of the crime genre and cinema in general, is why these stories are so memorable.

While some can find some of the pacing a bit off in certain scenes and some of the reference-style humour has lost some of its appeal when compared to every other film that tries to replicate its spirit, Pulp Fiction is still a fantastic debut for stars like Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman and a great showcase of Quentin Tarantino’s skills as one of the best modern auteur directors out there.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Terminator (1984)

Directed by: James Cameron

Written by: James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton and Paul Winfield

Music by: Brad Fiedel

Rated: 15

In the year 2029, a corrupted AI named Skynet has taken over the world with an army of killer cyborgs named “Terminators”. In a desperate attempt to prevent its destruction, the AI sends a “T-800” model (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to the year 1984, to prevent a young woman named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from giving birth to John, a man destined to bring down Skynet for good…

After reportedly suffering from a nightmare of a robot Skeleton rising from flames, former truck driver-turned director James Cameron, inspired by 60s sci-fi flicks and the second Mad Max film, wrote a screenplay with his friend William Wisher to write a cautionary tale of the dangers of modern technology. Several early drafts included two Terminators hunting Sarah down, and Lance Henrickson was going to play the Terminator, while Arnold and even Sting were both considered to play Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn).

Despite having only a 6.5 million dollar budget, James was still able to afford the services of future Jurassic Park effects wizard Stan Winston and a company named Fantasy II to convey amazing effects for the make-up of the T-800’s burned face, the flashback sequences of 2029 and the stop-motion metal skeleton in the climax.

In conclusion, The Terminator is one of the best science fiction films of the 1980’s thanks to the plot twists such as the slow reveal of the Terminators true form, the true significance of Kyle and Sarah’s relationship, and the amazing action sequences such as the police office shoot-out, the numerous murders of innocents bystanders and the aforementioned robo-skeleton fight scene, which despite looking a bit dated by today’s standards, is well animated thanks to Stan Winston’s talents.

Despite being incorrectly labeled as a Harlen Ellison knock-off shortly after it’s release, The Terminator has gone one to become one of the best films of the eighties. Ranking at number 42 on the AFI’s 100 best Thrillers list, the quote “I’ll be back” at number 37 on their 100 best movie quotes. Total Film listed the film at number 72 in their 100 best films list and ended up on Empire’s 500 greatest films of all time while the T-800 ranked in at number 14 on Empires 100 best movie characters and in 2008, it was selected by the AFI to be preserved in the National Film Registry. Overall The Terminator has become a classic and deserves its place in film history, however one argument fans have over this is which of the first two is the better film.

Rating: 5/5

The Italian Job (1969)

Directed by: Peter Collinson

Written by: Troy Kennedy Martin

Starring: Michael Caine, Noël Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi and Maggie Blye

Music by: Quincy Jones

Rated: PG

Shortly after getting out of jail, professional thief Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) learns that the gangster who he was plotting to pull off a heist with in Italy, has been killed by the mafia stationed there. With the funding of crime lord, Mr. Bridger (Noël Coward), Charlie must now build himself a team to pull off one of the most ambitious heists in history, though mishaps and mayhem may get in the way of guaranteed profit…

Regarded as one of the greatest British comedies ever made, as well as a blueprint for the likes of the Fast and Furious franchises in how some of the heists were pulled off, The Italian Job mostly shines in the skill of the actors and being ahead of the times with its depiction of computer hacking’s role in pulling off crimes.

Michael Caine is absolutely brilliant as the long-suffering, yet hilarious Charlie Croker, the likes of Benny Hill, Tony Beckley and Maggie Blye all get really funny moments as unbelievable mishaps happen, and the climatic car chase not only left a major impact in how these types of scenes were filmed, but it leads to an incredibly iconic, yet outrageously unexpected payoff, that even the likes of Monty Python and Edgar Wright have had a hard time trying to top it.

Overall, The Italian Job is a really entertaining showcase of the type of comedy that British cinema would later be refined in the likes of the later Carry On films and Monty Python’s projects.

Rating: 4/5

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Written by: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton

Music by: Pete Woodhead and Daniel Mudford

Rated: 15

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a down on his luck London salesman, who has a hard time coping with the antics of his slacker best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), getting his coworkers to respect him and spending time with his girlfriend, Liz (Kate Ashfield). When a zombie apocalypse hits the world, Shaun and Ed must work on a plan to survive the apocalypse the best way British people do, find their friends and family, go to the local pub and wait for the whole thing to blow over…

While it was not British director Edgar Wright’s first film, Shaun of the Dead, the first instalment in his Cornetto trilogy (also including Hot Fuzz and The World’s End), set the tone for Wright’s hilarious and clever filmography. Being a wonderful parody of George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy as well as zombie cinema in general, what works the best about this film, is the surprisingly emotional and funny script by Wright and star, Simon Pegg.

Pegg’s Shaun is a really likeable character in spite of his flaws, and while he can come across as obnoxious at times, Nick Frost’s Ed set the tone for his and Pegg’s skills as a comedy duo, coming up with iconic scenes such as the record throwing and the fight sequence set to Queen. Kate Ashfield, Bill Nighy, Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran all get their own funny moments, but it is Penelope Wilton’s performance as Shaun’s mother that gets some of the best moments, especially in a surprisingly emotional payoff in the final act.

Overall, with a proud British attitude to a zombie invasion, a sharp script and some really funny and heartwarming moments, it is clear that Shaun of the Dead is one of the best horror-comedies out there, and helped launch Edgar Wright into the mainstream, as one of the best modern comedy auteurs of the twenty-first century.

Rating: 5/5

Jurassic Park (1993)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Written by: Michael Crichton and David Keopp

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards

Music by: John Williams

Rated: 12A

Two palaeontologists named Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), are summoned by the eccentric billionaire, John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), to endorse a theme park in which the process of genetic cloning and amber technology has been used to bring dinosaurs back to life. But when the combined efforts of a tropical storm and the electrical equipment getting hijacked ends up unleashing the creatures to roam free, Alan, Ellie, John, John’s two grandchildren Tim (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex (Ariana Richards) and a “chaos theory” mathematician, Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), must do anything they can in order to get off the island of Jurassic Park…..

Based on the 1990 Michael Crichton novel of the same name, the strongest aspect of Steven Spielberg’s modern dinosaur fable about the dangers of cloning and the consequences of bringing extinct animals back from the dead is, of course, the ground-breaking mixture of not just the new CGI tools at the time, but also the impressively huge animatronics from the late, great Stan Winston. This helped this new method of filmmaking seem more believable at the time of its release. As a result of these methods, the effects on the dinosaurs such as the mighty T-Rex, the scary Velociraptors and the gentle Brachiosaurs still look amazing by today’s standards.

Although the plot itself may lack some of the complex ideas and characters from the book, Michael Crichton himself and co-writer David Keopp both manage to apply Speilberg’s family fantasy formula that made him one of the most successful contributors to family films in the 1980s and early 1990s, to this cautionary tale of dinosaurs with great effect. With actors such as Richard Attenborough, Wayne Knight, Samuel L. Jackson before he got popular, the late Bob Peck and of course, the unforgettable Jeff Goldblum bringing so much life to their archetypal roles and John Williams bringing one of the best scores in his entire career, that it does succeed in making Jurassic Park, as this reviewer has said before, a modern-day fairy-tale. 

Overall, Jurassic Park stands out along with the likes of the Disney Renaissance films, Pokémon and The Simpsons as one of the most iconic aspects of 1990s media culture that, like Star Wars in the late 70s, it inspired a new generation of filmmakers that have shaped fantasy into what it is today that proves that “life always finds a way”…

Rating: 5/5

Twister (1996)

Directed by: Jan De Bont

Written by: Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin

Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois Smith and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Music by: Mark Mancina

Rated: PG

Ever since her father was killed in a tornado during her childhood, meteorologist Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) has led her team of storm chasers to study twisters and storms across America. During tests on their new “Dorothy” storm recording devices that can only work if they are extremely close to tornadoes, Jo is unexpectedly joined by her ex-husband, a weatherman named Bill (Bill Paxton), who gets caught up with her, in an attempt to record the deadliest twisters in history, on a roadtrip across Oklahoma…

Although made during the disaster film subgenre’s 1990s revival that included the likes of Titanic, Deep Impact and Independence Day, Twister only seems to enter this category during the intense third act, as a majority of the film functions more of a roadtrip adventure. As Jo and Bill go on their crazy adventure to record storms, it is the great chemistry between Helen Hunt and the departed Bill Paxton and the relationship they have with Jo’s fellow storm chasers, that makes this a pleasant watch.

While some effects of the flying debris and cows haven’t aged well, the impressive work that Industrial Light & Magic were doing in this decade, is still present in how huge and threatening the tornado sequences are. Even though some of the logic is completely made up, the script, as Co-written by Jurassic Park author, Michael Crichton, is interesting in how it explains tornado categories and how they function during seasons.

Overall, while having some of that inevitable 90s cheese factor, Twister is an entertaining and fun film that will blow you away (literally) with great effects, fun characters and a great score from Mark Mancina.

Rating: 3.5/5

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Written by: Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman and Val Kilmer

Music by: Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer

Rated: 12A

Thirty-six years after his completion of the Top Gun Naval programme, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) has spent the last few decades as a test pilot with no desire for a promotion that will prevent him from flying. After demonstrating to Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain (Ed Harris) that he can reach Mach 10 speed and with the backing of his former rival, Iceman (Val Kilmer), he is chosen to train a new group of Top Gun graduates for a mission to destroy a uranium facility in a rogue nation. However, Maverick’s new task soon gets more complicated, when one of the new graduates is revealed to be Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his late best friend, Goose….

As the 2022 Scream film stated earlier this year, Hollywood is completely obsessed with something called the “requel”, a combination of a sequel and a reboot that follows the original continuity, but uses its same plot structure with a new cast of characters so that newcomers can more easily access them. Examples of these are the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Jurassic World, the new Halloween films and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. 

While this trend started at the end of the 2000s with J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek, the amount of them throughout the 2010s have ended up being financially successful, but has inevitably led to division in terms of audience reception. Along the overuse of making belated sequels to 1980s classic films, one would expect a sequel to Top Gun, the film that ended up being the highest grossing film of 1986, launched Tom Cruise’s career as an action star and won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Take My Breath Away, to meet the same fate. Thankfully, Top Gun: Maverick is the best example of a “requel” done right since Blade Runner 2049.

Stuck in development hell for over a decade due to circumstances involving the tragic suicide of the director of the first film, Tony Scott in 2012, the need to film complicated flying sequences in IMAX and of course, COVID, Top Gun: Maverick is a celebration of the original film’s vibe and 1980s atmosphere complete with long opening credits and sitcom-style cast listing in the end credits , but without being derivative. Much like how he brought new life into the computer world in Tron Legacy, director Joseph Kosinski has made the late Tony Scott proud with his excellent job at recreating the world of Top Gun.

As expected from Tom Cruise, the flight sequences are absolutely stunning and the decision to actually have a complete mission sequences as the climax, leads to an incredibly tense third act where Maverick and his pilots have to express everything they’ve learned in an epic mission. One aspect that makes Top Gun: Maverick even better than the original is the incredible pacing which is rare for a film like this and the heartwarming message about moving on and redemption, as shown in Val Kilmer’s one sequence as the only other returning character, Iceman and in the emotional arc of Maverick and Rooster.

Overall, despite having a few unmemorable side characters, and Jennifer Connelly’s new love-interest character being clearly a stand-in for Kelly McGillis’s absence as it is really obvious that she was originally supposed to be in this story, Top Gun: Maverick is a massive improvement in terms of “requels”. In a time where some are getting really tired of 1980s throwbacks and delayed sequels due to their massive over-saturation, Tom Cruise was clearly ready to re-enter the “Danger Zone” for a new generation!

Rated: 4.5/5

Mean Girls (2004)

Directed by: Mark Waters

Written by: Tina Fey

Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzy Caplan and Tina Fey

Music by: Rolfe Kent

Rated: 12A

When Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a naive teenage girl moves back to America after spending twelve years in Africa with her parents, she finds herself completely unprepared for the insanity of high school life. When she ends up forming a connection with the “Plastics” a trio of girls consisting of the ruthless Regina George (Rachel McAdams), the chatty Gretchen Wieners (Lacey Chabert) and the ditzy Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried), Cady’s discovery of their cruel ways, lead to her making a plan with Regina’s ex-friend, Janis Ian (Lizzy Caplan), to bring down their reign…

Regarded as one of the most beloved comedies of the 2000s, Mean Girls, based on Rosalind Wiseman’s Queen Bees & Wannabes, a 2002 nonfiction book about how to recognise toxic behaviour between high school teenage girls, definitely deserves its reputation despite some of the more dated jokes.

While the insanity of the life of the Plastics gets the biggest laughs, along with Tim Meadows as the Principal and Rachel McAdams as the iconic “valley girl” Regina George, the message about how misguided high school life can be, does lead to an incredibly sweet ending, even if Lindsay Lohan’s career would sadly go in a much more depressing direction, until recently.

Overall, the memes, the laughs and the impact that this film has had on the high school subgenre, is why Mean Girls definitely doesn’t belong in the Burn Book.

Rating: 4/5

Interstellar (2014)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Written by: Jonathan and Christopher Nolan

Starring: Matthew McConaughy, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, Matt Damon and Michael Caine

Music by: Hans Zimmer

Rated: 12A

In the far future, Earth’s population has been suffering from famine and ecocide fallout, resulting in most occupations being restricted to farming. When former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), along with his beloved daughter, Murph (Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy as a child and Ellen Burstyn as an old woman) discover a gravitational anomaly and find out that NASA still operates as a secret organisation, the former soon finds himself sent on a mission by the team’s leader, Professor John Brand (Michael Caine) to investigate three far off planets for human survival. However, while on the mission with Brand’s daughter, Amelia (Anne Hathaway), an accident in time displacement leads to Cooper’s chances of reuniting with his family seem increasingly remote, as the mission becomes much more complicated…

While needing a PHD in space physics may be necessary to understand this film’s more complex ideas of space-time and black holes, Interstellar is still one of Christopher Nolan’s most epic and ambitious examples of epic storytelling and humanity’s relationship with the unknown.

The space visuals are absolutely stunning as expected from this type of film, with Nolan’s use of production design and exploration of realistic space exploration making the concepts of time distance and being alone in the galaxy far more terrifying and sad than most mainstream science fiction cinema. The father and daughter bond is emotionally powerful, with Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway’s relationships with their families, getting the right amount of heartwarming and emotionally soul crushing moments, especially from Michael Caine’s Professor character being one of the last times that he would work with Nolan, being a great send off to this great partnership.

Overall, while a out of nowhere plot twist revolving around Matt Damon’s character could have been handled better, Interstellar is yet another example of Christopher Nolan’s status as one of the best directors in the twenty-first century.

Rating: 4.5/5

Gladiator (2000)

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Written by: David Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson

Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou and Richard Harris

Music by: Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard

Rated: 15

Set in 180 AD Roman Europe, Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe), one of the most loyal and faithful generals to Emperor Marcus (Richard Harris), is given the right to become a regent by the ailing Emperor, until the Roman Republic can be restored. However, Marcus’s son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), murders his father and banishes Maximus after also killing his family. Sold as a slave to become a Gladiator, Maximus, with the help of his new master, Antonius Proximo (Oliver Reed), and loyal friend, Judd (Djimon Hounsou), trains to become the most popular fighter in the arena, eventually bringing him face to face with Commodus himself…

Despite the huge historical liberties with Roman history, much like how Braveheart romanticised Medieval Scotland, Gladiator stands out as one of the best films that Ridley Scott has ever made. Although the classic revenge plot of Maximus’s war against the tyrannical Commodus does follow every trope seen in the likes of Hamlet, Ben-Hur and Mean Girls (yes, really), the epic scope of the cinematography and production design, makes Gladiator feel like a David Lean film at times.

Russell Crowe makes for a likeable lead as the brave Maximus, Joaquin Pheonix is deliciously slimy as Emperor Commodus, and Connie Nielsen does an interesting job as the latter’s more sympathetic sister, even if the subplot revolving around the Emperor’s “close” relationship with her, can get really uncomfortable to watch. However, the likes of Richard Harris and the late Oliver Reed give the best performances as a regretful leader and an entertaining former gladiator and master to Maximus. Although the latter infamously died during production, one would never know the difference, thanks to great editing work.

Overall, with a classic revenge story, fantastic presentation and incredibly powerful performances, Gladiator deserves to be praised for its impact on cinema and on Ridley Scott’s divisive filmography, as one of his best films. Not sure if a sequel is required though..

Rating: 4.5/5

Inside Man (2006)

Directed by: Spike Lee

Written by: Russell Gewirtz

Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor

Music by: Terence Blanchard

Rated: 15

During a tense hostage situation in a bank, Detectives Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are hired to handle the negotiations between the criminals. However, as Keith tries to get into the head of the ringleader, Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), he discovers uncomfortable truths about the true intentions of the heist and of the bank’s owner, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer)…

Originally planned as a Ron Howard film before he left with Russell Crowe for Cinderella Man, Inside Man, along with 25th Hour, is one of the only Spike Lee films in which he didn’t write the script. While lacking some of the biting social commentary in his other films, Inside Man still manages to have its moments of brilliance, especially with the twists to the heist subgenre in the plot.

Denzel Washington is fantastic as the detective, but it is Clive Owen’s subversive take on a Hans Gruber-like character, that makes this film, especially with the motivations behind his actions. While Jodie Foster could have been given more to do and Willem Dafoe is surprisingly miscast, Christopher Plummer also steals the show as the owner of the bank. 

Overall, while Inside Man is not Spike Lee’s best film, with a confusing flash-forward framing device and the lack of bite in its themes. However, it has enough great moments and performances to make this an interesting take on a heist film.

Rating: 3.5/5

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Written by: Bob Gale

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Elisabeth Shue, Jeffrey Weissman and Thomas F. Wilson

Music by: Alan Silvestri

Rated: PG

A day after his crazy time travel adventure to 1955, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and his girlfriend, Jennifer Parker (Elisabeth Shue) end up on a new mission with Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), this time to the future of 2015 to prevent their future son, Marty Jr. (Also Michael J. Fox) from participating in a robbery. However, when the family’s old enemy, Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), steals a Sports book and gives it to his past 1955 self in order to change the course of history, Marty and Doc must find a way to stop him…

While the third act does tend to repeat moments from the first film, Back to the Future Part II is still a fantastic sequel on its own terms. Being the first of a two-part story that brought the time travel adventures of Marty and Doc to a satisfying conclusion, director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale to go even further with the concept of time travel. Both the amusing futuristic 2015 Hill Valley and the nightmarish alternative 1985 are fantastically designed, even with the only use of CGI being the promotional shark hologram for Jaws 19.

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are once again fantastic as Marty and Doc and Thomas J. Wilson’s Biff gets to be even more menacing in his numerous alternate reality forms, with one in particular, being sadly ahead of its time. Even though Lea Thompson doesn’t get much to do and the changes in cast members to Elisabeth Shue and Jeffrey Weissman are really noticeable, the rest of the supporting characters, including the returning Billy Zane and one of the first performances by Elijah Wood, all get their moments of personality.

Overall, Back to the Future Part II is a fantastic continuation of Robert Zemeckis’s time-travel comedy classic, even if the cliffhanger ending does stop at the wrong place and being slightly less funny. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Directed by: Kenny Ortega

Written by: Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert

Starring: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Jason Marsden, Omri Katz, Thora Birch and Vinessa Shaw

Music by: John Debney

Rated: PG

Max Dennison (Omri Katz) is your typical Los Angles teenager having to put up with his new life in Salem, Massachusetts and their huge Halloween celebrations. After accidentally freeing the town’s most infamous witches from the dead, The Sanderson Sisters, Winnie (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy), Max, along with his little sister Dani (Thora Birch), his love interest Allison (Vinessa Shaw) and a cursed talking cat named Binx (Jason Marsden), must find a way to stop them from draining the life force of all children…

Although not a hit either critically or commercially when it was released in 1993, Hocus Pocus has since become one of Disney’s most beloved Halloween films thanks to incredible home media sales every year, endless television airings and the best thing about this film, The Sanderson Sisters themselves. 

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy give some of their funniest performances in their entire career as witches reacting to modern culture while also being one of the few antagonists out there who have a perfect balance of being both scary and funny at the same time. These three characters carry the entire film on their shoulders as without them, this would be an extremely generic Halloween film for kids aside from Jason Marsden’s performance as a cursed talking cat.

Overall, Hocus Pocus is a wonderful showcase for these three actresses and has some of the best material for Disney’s Halloween library!

Rating: 4/5

Saw (2004)

Directed by: James Wan

Written by: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung and Tobin Bell

Music by: Charlie Clouser

Rated: 18

Two kidnapping victims, consisting of oncologist Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam (Leigh Whannell), wake up chained inside a bathroom. They soon discover that the only hope of survival, is to play the games of the Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell), a serial murderer who communicates through phone calls and a creepy puppet. As both Gordon and Adam recollect their memories, they find it harder and harder to resist thinking of Jigsaw’s only solution to winning the game, killing each other…

Less of a torture porn than the sequels, and more of a mystery-thriller, Saw is an impressive directorial debut for the guy who would eventually do The Conjuring, Insidious and Aquaman, James Wan. Using the insanely low budget to its advantage, both Wan and writer/star Leigh Whannell, manage to craft a tense experience, as both main characters struggle to survive the games of Jigsaw.

While the non-linear narrative does feel tacked on, when compared to other films that use it, such as Christopher Nolan’s filmography, the pay-off final twist, does deliver a perfectly twisted and darkly comedic conclusion to the whole experience. Both Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell carry the entire film as they slowly go insane from the traps, and the Jigsaw Killer is an effective and mysterious antagonist.

Overall, while some of the subplots feel a bit too long, Saw is a solid thriller that may lack the excessive gore of the sequels, but does provide a delightfully twisted time.

Rating: 4/5

Ghostbusters (1984)

Directed by: Ivan Reitman

Written by: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson and William Atherton

Music by: Elmer Bernstein

Rated: 12A

New York City has been plagued with numerous supernatural occurrences as a group of ghosts start terrorising the citizens in preparation for the return of Gozer the Gozerian (Slavitza Jovan and Paddi Edwards), the god of destruction. Manhattan’s only hope lies in three parapsychology professors named Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), who form the Ghostbusters, a group of paranormal pest-exterminators dedicated to catching ghouls of all shapes and sizes…

Regarded as one of the best comedies of all time and one of the most iconic franchises of the 1980s, Ghostbusters was originally conceived as a vehicle for Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy and John Belushi to explore Dan’s lifelong fascination with the paranormal and spiritual beliefs before the latter’s death caused this project to be taken to Ivan Reitman to be reworked into the film it is today.

Although the first act is a bit rushed and uneven in setting up the group’s origin story, once the business is set up, Ghostbusters fires on all cylinders in terms of frights and laughs. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis are all fantastic as the three main characters with the likes of Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver , Rick Moranis and even Ernie Hudson as a fourth Ghostbuster named  Winston Zeddemore all get huge laughs and some of the best lines in cinema history.

Richard Edmund, fresh off the Star Wars original trilogy, does a fantastic job with the effects and creature designs, with the likes of Slimer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the creepy librarian all being incredibly brought to the screen via a combination of stop-motion, hand-drawn animation and a guy in a suit and nothing else needs to be said about Elmer Bernstein’s score and Ray Parker Jr.’s incredible theme song.

Overall, Ghostbusters, once it gets going, came, saw and kicked ass in being one of the best films of the 1980s and one the biggest highlights of popular culture to this day.

Rating: 4.5/5

Ghostbusters II (1989)

Directed by: Ivan Reitman

Written by: Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis and Annie Potts

Music by: Randy Edelman

Rated: PG

Despite saving New York City from Gozer five years ago, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) have been forced to disband as the Ghostbusters and have moved on to other careers. When Peter’s old girlfriend Dana (Sigourney Weaver) comes back into their lives to ask them to protect her baby son, Oscar (William T. Deutschendorf and Hank J. Deutschendorf II), from newly emerging ghosts, the Ghostbusters are formed again to save New York from a new threat from the supernatural…

Although underperforming at the time of its release due to the huge competition from Tim Burton’s Batman and receiving a lot of backlash from critics and fans of the franchise because of the lack of originality in the script and the hard to believe happy-ending override of the last film, there is still a lot to love about Ghostbusters II.

It is true that the sequel does pale in comparison to the original in terms of plot and fans of the animation series that was extremely popular at the time, The Real Ghostbusters may be extremely disappointed in the lack of creativity in this film when compared to several episodes of the show. However, the effects are still incredibly impressive without CGI and although extremely cheesy, The moral that Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd provide in this script of using happiness to defeat ghosts is a heartwarming one.

It may have been better put together under better circumstances, but with the incredible visuals, all of the leads being as funny as ever and the great music makes Ghostbusters II a great companion piece to one of the best comedies ever made.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Polar Express (2004)

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Written by: Robert Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr.

Starring: Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, Michael Jeter, Charles Fleischer and Eddie Deezan

Music by: Alan Silvestri

Rated: U

On the night of Christmas Eve, a young boy (Daryl Sabara) is invited by a stuffy, yet loveable conductor (Tom Hanks) to board the Polar Express, a train going directly to the North Pole. While befriending an optimistic girl (Nona Gaye) and a lonely boy named Billy (Jimmy Bennett), the Hero Boy’s adventure takes him across the ice, having several meetings with a mysterious Hobo (Also Tom Hanks) and finally, to Santa Claus (Also also Tom Hanks), himself…

Despite falling into the same traps that films based on short children’s books often do, such as stretching out the narrative to a ninety minute length with too many subplots, Robert Zemeckis’s take on The Polar Express, is still one of the most fascinating Christmas films out there. 

Although the motion-captured humans look incredibly creepy at times and that the narrative gets really overloaded with action set-pieces and filler, the stunning background animation, Tom Hanks’s charming performance as The Conductor, the mysterious Hobo and Santa, and Alan Silvestri’s majestic score, still makes this film a great holiday classic.

Overall, while not aging well when compared to other Christmas films in terms of character animation, The Polar Express is still a magical dreamlike experience for all ages.

Rating: 3.5/5

Gremlins (1984)

Directed by: Joe Dante

Written by: Chris Columbus

Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, Francis Lee McCain, Corey Feldman, Howie Mandel and Frank Welker

Music by: Jerry Goldsmith

Rated: 12A

When Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) receives a cute creature from his father (Hoyt Axton), known as a Mogwai, he thinks his new friend, Gizmo (Howie Mandel), is the greatest thing in the world. However, after he accidentally breaks important rules for taking care of him such as not getting him wet or feeding him after midnight, Gizmo ends up giving birth to a race of much less cute and even less friendly Gremlins, who proceed to turn Billy’s town upside down in chaos and mischief….

Described as Joe Dante’s magnum opus in his career of directing black comedy, Gremlins, like Die Hard, is not something people would really identify as a Christmas film due to the film’s excessive violence and the infamous Santa speech delivered by a surprisingly good Phoebe Cates as Billy’s traumatised girlfriend, Kate.

However the incredible puppetry and the manic setpieces involving Gremlin violence that dominate the second act is gleeful to witness and the impressive use of lighting and cinematography when creating a Christmas environment, makes Gremlins essential holiday viewing, in spite of the chaos.

Rating: 4.5/5

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Directed by: Frank Capra

Written by: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Jo Swerling and Frank Capra

Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylin and Gloria Grahame

Music by: Dimitri Tiomkin

Rated: U

On Christmas Eve, in the small town of Bedford Falls, an Angel in training, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers), is assigned to save the life of George Bailey (James Stewart), a generous and caring man who has spent his life giving up his own dreams, to help his community, family and to protect his family’s bank from being taken over by the cruel Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). However, as Clarence finds out how dispirited George has become with his life, he grants him a wish that will cause him to reevaluate his true impact on his friends and family…

Despite losing money at the box office during its original 1946 release, much like a large number of other movies that took time to find their audience like The Wizard of Oz, It’s a Wonderful Life would eventually gain a much wider audience via repeated television syndication and its iconic last act that has become one of the most influential Christmas movies ever written.

In spite of some really bad effects showing Clarence’s Angel effects in space, the rest of the film is absolutely fantastic, with George Bailey’s arc being one of the more relatable ones about responsibility and hopes.  Even if the last act tends to be the only element that has been given multiple parodies over the years, the rest of It’s a Wonderful Life is still , an overall fantastic classic that celebrates the importance of living a life dedicated to helping others, and the love of friendship.

Rating: 5/5

Love Actually (2003)

Directed by: Richard Curtis

Written by: Richard Curtis

Starring: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page and Rowan Atkinson

Music by: Craig Armstrong

Rated: 15

In the weeks leading up to Christmas in London, ten separate incidents revolving around love take place. David (Hugh Grant) the new U.K. prime minister, starts having a crush on his new junior staff member, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), his sister, Karen (Emma Thompson) is unaware that her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman), is having an affair with his Co-worker, Mia (Heike Makatsch). Karen’s best friend, Daniel (Liam Neeson), tries to bond with his stepson, Sam (Thomas Sangster), and famous songwriter, Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), is having a hard time coming up with a new Christmas single. These are just half of the stories, in which numerous people will find love in unexpected places…

While Richard Curtis, Co-creator of Mr. Bean and Blackadder, would make a name for himself by writing some of the most beloved British rom-coms such as Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones’s Diary, his crowning achievement in his career was when he also decided to direct Love Actually, a combination of two separate projects revolving around David the prime minister and Daniel and his stepson, along with eight other stories revolved around the subject of love.

Love Actually has admittedly become a lot more divisive over the years, given how some of the stories have not aged well and come across as more creepy than romantic, particularly the one revolving around Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln and Chiwetel Ejiofor‘s characters and the extremely annoying one focused on Kris Marshall‘s sex maniac.

However, even people who despise most of the film, will find at least one or two stories that are more compelling and heartwarming. Daniel’s story of helping his stepson with young love, is the most compelling one, especially seeing Liam Neeson play a completely different role than he usually plays. The late Alan Rickman, despite being the focus of a sad story, gets huge laughs in his acting, especially in the scene where he is trolled by a shopkeeper (Rowan Atkinson). The love stories revolving around Hugh Grant’s Prime Minister and Colin Firth’s dumped author, also get a lot of charming moments. Even a story cut from several airings revolving around Martin Freeman and Joanna Page’s characters as sex doubles, is surprisingly sweet.

Overall, while there are some stories where one can see why some people don’t like this film, the other ones are just too charming and likeable to fully pass up, which does explain why Love Actually has a massive following even to this day.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Directed by: Henry Selick

Written by: Caroline Thompson

Starring: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens and Ed Ivory

Music by: Danny Elfman

Rated: PG

Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman), the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, has grown tired of the usual scares of his own holiday. When he discovers a portal to Christmas-town, he decides to bring the joys of this new holiday to the twisted residents of Halloween. But when the ragdoll girl-next door Sally (Catherine O’ Hara) gets a disturbing vision about Jack’s Christmas going horribly wrong and Santa Claus (Ed Ivory) ends up getting kidnapped by the sinister Oogie Boogie (Ken Page), Jack may have bitten off more than he can chew…

Although not actually directed by Tim Burton due to his commitments on Batman Returns and Ed Wood, this feature-length adaptation of a poem Burton wrote during his time at Walt Disney Feature Animation in the 1980s is usually the first film people think of when they think about his skills as an auteur filmmaker and for good reason.

The Nightmare Before Christmas may feel a bit too rushed pacing-wise, and a lot of the characters motivations are underdeveloped when compared to Tim’s other films. However as this film was designed to be a timeless Christmas story in the veins of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the narrative does manage to capture the spirit of those stories with it’s simplicity and charm.

Overall, with outstanding set design that captures the German Expressionism style that Burton is famous for, the best, unforgettable songs from Danny Elfman and an outstanding directorial debut for Henry Selick who would go one to make his own mark into stop-motion with the likes of James and the Giant Peach and Coraline, The Nightmare before Christmas is something that in the words of Halloween’s residents; “It will be talked about for years to come”…

Rating: 4.5/5

Home Alone (1990)

Directed by: Chris Columbus

Written by: John Hughes

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, John Candy, Gerry Bamman, Devin Ratray and Catherine O’Hara

Music by: John Williams

Rated: PG

Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is an eight-year old boy who is constantly pushed around by his large family. After getting into an argument with his mother, Kate (Catherine O’Hara), Kevin wishes his family would disappear. Soon after this, Kevin’s wish comes true when he is accidentally left behind when his family leaves on a Christmas holiday to Paris. Free to do whatever he wants, Kevin soon realises that being “home alone” may not be as fun as he thought, especially when Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), two thieves end up targeting the house for their next heist…

Conceived from the mind of John Hughes, one of the best comedy writers of the 1980s about what would happen if he left his son at home, Home Alone’s reputation over the last three decades as one of the best Christmas films ever made is well deserved, even if the insane traps aren’t for everyone’s taste.

Macaulay Culkin’s star-making performance as Kevin may not have aged well when compared to other child protagonists at the time, but his character arc is a decent one that isn’t afraid to address the topic of a child learning to grow up and accept his family’s faults. Both Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern make pretty entertaining antagonists as the thieves who are constantly caught in several Looney Tunes-inspired slapstick while the likes of Catherine O’Hara and Roberts Blossom get their own heartwarming subplots with the former desperately trying to get home to her son and the latter being a misunderstood neighbour who inspires Kevin to be brave.

Overall, with an amazing score from John Williams, a great message about the importance of family love and some of the funniest slapstick ever put on film in the infamous third act, Home Alone is a wonderful classic family film that all will enjoy, filthy animals included!

Rating: 4.5/5

Die Hard (1988)

Directed by: John McTiernan

Written by: Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason and Hart Bochner

Music by: Michael Kamen

Rated: 15

Officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) only wants one thing for Christmas, the chance to reconcile with his estranged ex-wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). When her office building is suddenly held hostage by a group of terrorists led by the sinister Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), it’s up to John to survive endless waves of unwanted gifts of enemy bullets and bombs in order to stop Hans and save Holly…

Although this action classic is not what most people think of when talking about when talking about Christmas films, the use of “Let it Snow” in the end credits and the constant use of Christmas props pretty much seals the deal.

Along with some of the greatest setpieces ever put to film, Alan Rickman being born to play villians and establishing tropes that action films to this day, are still trying to replicate, what else to say about Die Hard but, Yippie-Kay Mother-F….er!

Rating: 5/5

Elf (2003)

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Written by: David Berenbaum

Starring: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart

Music by: John Debney

Rated: PG

When a baby crawls into Santa’s (Ed Asner) sack and ends up in the North Pole, he is renamed Buddy (Will Ferrell) and grows up with the elves. When he learns about his real father, a grumpy publisher of children’s books called Walter Hobbs (James Caan), Buddy sets off for New York City to try and get him off the naughty list with his innocence and Christmas spirit…

Before becoming one of the founders of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the director of the first two Iron Man films, directing two of the highest grossing Disney remakes of all time with The Jungle Book and The Lion King and (according to others), the saviour of Star Wars with The Mandalorian, Jon Favreau was mostly only known for his acting in films such as Daredevil and The Replacements. Two years after his directorial debut with the crime comedy, Made, his second film would instantly propel his role to superstardom with this modern Christmas classic

Although Elf doesn’t offer much surprises in terms of the father and son narrative, Will Ferrell’s star-making comic performance as Buddy the Elf is what makes this film so entertaining to watch. Under the wrong hands, Buddy could have come across as incredibly annoying. But writer David Berendaum manages to balance the comedy and the heart-warming moments enough to make Buddy a lovable character, especially in his arcs with James Caan’s Walter and Zooey Deschanel’s love-interest, Jovie.

Overall, it is easy to see why Elf has become a beloved classic with a Broadway musical and an 2014 animated remake to its name, due to the loveable lead and timeless message of spreading Christmas cheer!

Rating: 4/5

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Directed by: Ron Howard

Written by: Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman

Starring: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard and Anthony Hopkins

Music by: James Horner

Rated: PG

Within a tiny snowflake, the residents of Whoville cannot wait for Christmas, the holiday they love the most. However the only problem is that just north of the Christmas-crazy town, lives a bad tempered green creature named The Grinch (Jim Carrey), who absolutely hates the celebrations and along with his faithful dog Max, regularly visits the village to play pranks. On one of these visits, the Grinch ends up saving the life of a young girl named Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) who also feels overwhelmed by the holidays and as a result, becomes determined to find out why the Grinch hates Christmas and to try and convince her fellow Whos to try and accept the lonely monster into their festivities. But the Grinch has other ideas about how to deal with Christmas….

Although this feature-length adaptation of both Dr. Suess’s book and the 1966 Chuck Jones animated TV special received mixed reviews at the time of its release due to the padding of the narrative and the additional subplots that don’t really go anywhere, Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas has managed to gain itself a cult audience and it’s easy to see why.

Jim Carrey’s more manic and over-the-top take on the character is absolutely hilarious and one does have to respect him for managing to act through a huge chuck of green make-up for endless hours a day.  Taylor Momsen, in her first film role at the time expands the character of Cindy Lou Who into someone who shares the Grinch’s annoyances at the more materialistic side of Christmas which does manage to get some sweet moments while Ron Howard’s own brother Clint steals numerous scenes as a dopey assistant of the Mayor of Whoville (Jeffrey Tambor).

The sets of Whoville and Mount Crumpit are really impressive and as mentioned before, the Oscar-winning make-up effects on the Grinch himself is outstanding. However aside from Cindy,  the design of the Whos don’t look as impressive with the monkey-like design of their lower-lips and tiny noses making them look more unnatural  than the Grinch himself.

Although the intentions of giving the Grinch a tragic backstory to explain his hatred of Christmas is well intentioned and the parts of Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman’s script that directly adapt the book’s events in the last 45 minutes are really well done, the unnecessary subplots involving the rich Who girl Martha May (Christine Baranski) having a crush on the Grinch and his rivalry with the greedy Mayor of Whoville make this film really boring at times, even though Jim Carrey does manage to prevent those scenes from being boring.

Overall, Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas may not be the best adaptation of Dr. Suess, but compared to the 2003 disaster known as The Cat in the Hat, it’s definitely one of the better films out there. Its heart is in the right place with the updates to the story, the make-up and Grinch performance is outstanding and the late James Horner gives one of the best scores of his career.

Rating: 4/5