Practise for University

So, as I promised, I decided to write a review for the last two films that I have seen, Thor 2: The Dark World and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Admittedly, I saw Thor 2 a while ago but I hope that you can get a vague idea of what I thought of the film. This in no way replaces the weekly blog update but is acting as a supplement. The title comes from the fact that I need to be analysing theatre (well film in this case) in prepartion for university next year, so this is good practise. I don't want to turn up and find that those who have come straight from school are writing better essays than me because I haven't had any practise for over a year.

Thor: The Dark World (so basically, Thor 2)
The sequel to the 2010 film, Thor 2 sees the majority of the cast return for another mystery set half between Earth, where the scientist Jane Foster and her friends are still investigating how Thor, from the realm of Asgard, came to Earth and then how to get him back and from Asgard itself where Thor is struggling to deal with the imprisonment of his own brother, his frosty relationship with his father and a new threat in the form of the Dark Elves.
The film saw Christopher Eccleston, best known for portraying the 9th Doctor in Doctor Who, as Malekith a Dark Elf who has waited 2000 years for another chance to attack the nine realms (Asgard, Earth and seven others of little importance), of which Asgard rules over, when they are aligned. All three places, the warship of the Dark Elves, Asgard and Earth, have people who notice that the nine realms will be aligned for the first time since the Dark Elves last attack. The Dark Elves plan to use the Aether, a substance that has possessed Jane since she was transported to another realm where it was hidden, to destroy Asgard and rule over the nine realms in a Dark World. Following the attack of the Dark Elves on Asgard and the death of Frigga, Thor and Loki's mother, Thor decides to take Jane away. But he knows that the only way he can escape is with his brother's help, and the action of using Loki would be treason against his father.
The film cinematically was epic. Created for the giant screen, the film was filled with CGI that seemed so real that I almost forgot that probably a lot of the film, especially scenes set in Asgard, were filmed on a green screen. One of the best parts of the film was the successful and impresive use of effects. One of the actors went through three hours of makeup every day for each shoot to become his character, the effect created was truly frightening. The variety between the characters, their costumes and makeup ensured that both Asgard and then Earth showed a variety of people that existed, making the film more realistic in its diverse nature. Well as much you can make a fantasy film based on Norse mythology realistic.
The acting in this film was a hundred times as amazing as I remember from the first film. With the characters' relationships already established in the first film, the concentration in the film was establishing the antagonists and the tension between Thor and Loki, a brotherly relationship that is half way between hate and love. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) do an incredible of showing the good and struggling sides of their friendship that is made tense by the fact that Loki betrayed Thor and there is a great chance of him repeating it. Despite the initial hostility towards Loki following Thor: God of Thunder as he was the antagonist of the film, Hiddleston does an incredible job of playing the audience's feelings and we end up sympathising with the character who loses his mother and fails to put up the facade for his brother who he knows is suffering the same feelings. Hemsworth and Hiddleston are an incredible duo and the tense relationship that is never quite trust or love, leaves us always curious as to what the feelings will be like in the next scene, consistent throughout the film.
One of the joys of being a Londoner, is that you can spot the geographical mistakes without needing a GCSE in Geography. Like in Skyfall where we saw a Metropolitan Line train making an appearance on the District and Circle line stations (I mean, what was that about?!), the group on Earth seems to travel across great distances over London in a matter of seconds. Anyone who is a Londoner and knows the vague geography of the city knows perfectly well that it is impossible to get from the Bank of England near Liverpool Street to Greenwich Maritime Museum in the space of about 10 seconds. It was one of the more amusing but slightly distracting things about the film.
Overall, the film wasn't exactly Oscar winning but it was certainly epic. The pace of the film was a perfect mix of gentle conversation, tense hostility between characters and then incredible battles that had you on the edge of your seat and very little blood was spilt. What was most both intense and annoying about the film was the ending. Three scenes set us up in anticipation of a potential Thor 3. I certainly hope there will be one, because if not then it would be the most infuriating end to a movie!

Catching Fire
Another sequel, this to the 2012 blockbuster hit 'The Hunger Games' based on the best-selling series by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire sees the return of the characters we loved in the first book/movie and the introduction of new characters who the audience feel a mixture of intrigue, hate and love for each of those who come into the lives of the quartet of main characters.
Catching Fire sees Katniss six months after she escapes the Hunger Games with her fellow District 12 partner Peeta. Inspired by her supposed 'act of rebellion' which saved her life, the districts are rebelling against the repressive Capitol and while their love story that captured the heart of the country, the President of Panem threatens Katniss that if she doesn't prove to him that her actions in the arena were an act of love rather than rebellion, he would kill her family. Following her desperate attempts to prove her 'love', Katniss is faced with the 75th Hunger Games, the third Quarter Quell which means a special twist. This year, the tributes are reaped from the group of victors and as the only female victor in District 12, Katniss faces returning to the arena, facing much more experienced killers than her.
There have been many films over the years that have been faithful adaptations of the books, but I have not seen one where I have read the books, watched the film and seen a more faithful adaptation than Catching Fire. While there were several moments in the book that were not included in the film that were favourites of the fans, unlike many people I can understand why they left them out. The film is just over 2 1/2 hours long and is just the right length, any longer and it would have dragged on too long. Francis Lawrence, replacing Gary Ross as director, has added details to the films that are lifted directly from the books and has not shied away from the violence both verbal and physical that is in the film. While they failed to add a rather key scene which showed the consequences of a scene that was in the film, it remained a film that made sense (said by someone who came to see it who hadn't read the books) and that is something that is often very hard to achieve when making an adaptation.
The film had a difficult job of creating new relationships between the new and returning characters as well as maintaining the relationships between the returning characters. This was done to an incredible standard with the main returning characters portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), Liam Hemsworth (younger brother of Chris Hemsworth who played Thor, Gale) and Woody Harrelson (Haymitch), showing the development of the characters from the start of the film, six months having gone past since the end of the last film. Lawrence and Hemsworth's characters are particularly developed as Gale and Katniss' relationship is bordering romantic and friendship and Katniss' conflicting feelings are particularly highlighted in a touching scene with Peeta as they are on their Victory Tour and a more gruesome scene where she steps in front of Gale being whipped in the public. Lawrence plays Katniss' reluctance to accept the new tributes who approach her to perfection, but the character remains endearing and it is made clear exactly why she was given an Oscar for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook.
The new characters who play a prominent part in this film and the next one, Finnick Odar (Sam Claflin) and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) make their entrance with a bang with incredible adaptations of the characters from the books. The characters of Finnick and Johanna are beloved by the fans and it was amazing to see them come to life. Claflin, who is best known for portraying Philip in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Malone, who is well known for playing Lydia Bennett in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, portray these unforgettable characters with finesse and ease, making them almost instantly lovable and endearing and their development of relationship with the main cast both shows how much they mean to them as well as leaving space for more character development in the next two films.
One of the better developments from the first film was the action that takes place. Whereas in The Hunger Games, all the fighting appeared as if it was rough and tumble rather than teenagers trying to kill each other, in Catching Fire the tributes in the Games are experienced killers, the fighting is much more real and there is an excellent use of the weapons that each tribute specialises in. Francis Lawrence used a range of opportunities in both the arena and the training sessions to give the audience a chance to see people shining and understand the degree of how much competition Katniss and Peeta were up against. Outside the Games, Francis Lawrence did not shy away from the action that takes place there. In the scene where Gale is whipped for defending a fellow district citizen from Peacekeepers (like the police but far more brutal) we see the whip coming down on his back and it was disturbing as well as impressive to see how it was shot and how real both the action and reaction was to the violence that was terrorising the people of District 12.
It was marvellous to see such an incredible job done when the stakes were so high for this movie. It was thoroughly enjoyable due to the focus of the storyline not being on the action and the fact that Katniss knows she will have to kill other children, but on the relationships between the characters and how this affects the story and the action that takes place.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
There seems to be a continual habit this winter season of films coming into cinemas that have both an epic quality and have an infuriating climactic and cliffhanger endings. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (I will refer to it as DoS for the sake of not having to write it out so many times) does not fail to fall into this category and proves itself as a cinematic epic.
I am at a slight disadvantage when writing this review as I am yet to actually watch the first Hobbit film and I have only seen Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and parts of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, so my knowledge of this fandom, this realm of JR Tolkein that he created, is limited. However I was able to read the plot of the first Hobbit film so I could understand quite a few of the references that the film made to An Unexpected Journey. I have seen clips from the film and so have an idea as to a couple of the relationships between the characters and who are the protagonists/antagonists of the series, which is a good start!
One of the most admirable things about the film was the characters that were so well developed within the film, building on what they had from the first film. The majority of the principal characters gained a great deal of character developemnt without disrupting the action-packed flow and focus of the film itself. The relationship between Thorin (an incredible Richard Armitage) and Bilbo (Martin Freeman) was an intriguing part of the plot as we saw these two grow perhaps what could be seen as fond of each other. Despite not being particularly liked by Thorin, Bilbo in his almost selfless attitude, rescues Thorin time and time again. We see that he has indeed as he says to Gandalf the Grey in the early part of the film 'found his courage'.
Despite this growing friendship, it is interesting to see a strained friendship also appearing, a growing one between Gandalf the dwarves, as the wizard abandons them as they are on the edge of entering Mirkwood to pursue his own adventure which he doesn't give the specifics of.
However I found that it was the elves who stole the show. Having only seen pictures and heard very little about these creatures in the films, I was surprised by the hostility of these creatures and the imperial air that they hold themselves with. Orlando Bloom is almost unrecognisable as both a gentle prince besotted with the captain of the guard (Tauriel), and the jaw-dropping speedy archer that is more commonly associated with Legolas. The character offers an intense concetration on his work and the action sequence down the ravine that includes the dwarves, Legolas and Tauriel and the Orcs, is jaw-dropping as he shoots arrow after arrow with sadly unbelievable accuracy. Lee Pace offers a cruel and unwavering figure in the form of the king of the elves and Legolas' father Thranduil, delivering a slice of cold reality to both Legolas and Tauriel that their potential love is not possible and showing his lack of mercy with one swift blow of a blade. His cold demeanour is unsettling but admittedly perfectly played and we are given a chilling character that we are immediately wary of and is a device to create sympathy for elves and dwarves alike.
The figure of Tauriel gives the elves their main connection to the dwarves as she falls for Killi (one of the dwarves), pursuing them past the borders of safety and puts her life at risk to ensure that he survives. It is a wonderful relief to see a strong female character who is as impressive as any of the men and is not affected by love, instead making it the focus of her goals rather than being distracted by it. It is because she cares that she pursues her goals and provides the audience with a female character to be admired and to root for.
The action in the film is simply superb and while perhaps adds to the overall film title a little too much, it is jaw-dropping and unlike many fantasy film action sequences. The action ranges from a complicated ravine sequence where the dwarves and Bilbo, trapped in barrels, have just escaped the elves and are now a fierce attack from the Orcs who want Thorin dead, to the dwarves creating lava to try and stop Smaug from killing them all.
The ravine chase was perhaps the most intense as well as visually interesting sequence that the film produced. With the fast flowing river, the impossibly fast pace is something we can just about keep up with and it adds a comical element to the film as we see the dwarves used as stepping stones for the elves as Legolas and Tauriel, initially charged with killing them, come to their rescue and assist greatly in killing the Orcs who are pursuing the dwarves. The speedy pace and chaotic nature of the fight is smoothly filmed with continuous shots that allow the audience to see the majority of the action that occurs, as well as cutting to the different characters to gage the more than often amusing reactions of the various creatures on screen. It's complicated choreography and beyond impressive skills, that are more than likely to be CGI or done by stunt men and women in many places, make this scene one of the most impressive parts of the film and does not fail to deliver on the epic status of this film.
Certainly the most impressive thing about the film was the locations and sets. Shot entirely in New Zealand, the film provides towering sets from inside bleak and dark castles to giant red and brown trees in Mirkwood Forest to the winding paths and golden architecture of the elvish castle. We are given as the audience a mere glimpse of this kingdom that seems much grander than initially imagined and gives the audience a real sense of how far the dwarves had to travel. It is very difficult to know where the locations stop in the film and the CGI or sets begin, such is the beautiful continuity of such shots.
However not all films are perfect, many may claim to be but sadly even the raved about films will have their flaws, and DoS, despite its magnificence, does not escape this. While the films claim to be of epic length, this one perhaps is a little too long and while some films do not seem as long as they go on for, this one unfortunately shows it's length. As we got towards the end of the film, it was slightly a question of wondering 'when is this going to finish' and even the most avid Lord of the Rings fan of the group that went found that it did drag on. The Orcs, while an interesting part of the story, were perhaps unnecessary and merely were there to provide an extra thing for the dwarves to worry about. I found that there is potential for at least 20 minutes of the film to be cut out if the Orcs had not made an appearance, and the plot would have remained predominantely the same with only a couple of barely noticable changes. While I can presume it was an attempt to stay true to the books (I cannot verify this fact having not read the book either), it was rather unnecassary as the dwarves clearly had enough to deal with as it was and was more of a distraction than an interesting feature.
Overall all the film's anticipation and hype was certainly not for nothing. It delivered beautiful scenic shots crumbled with well written and developed characters as well as a heap of well shot action sequences and some fine additions of CGI. It was well worth the money and while it was perhaps not necessary to be shown in 3D, there was minimal use of this feature and only at the beginning, the film set up the audience very neatly for what promises to be a superb ending to the trilogy in 'The Hobbit: There And Back Again' released next year.