The Hangover Part III

If an above average original film surprises audiences and scoops up plentiful box office treasures you can be assured to see the film stem sequels hoping to replicate the originals success. Seen in 2009 after ‘The Hangover’ thrilled audiences with its sudden surprising success and low budget, a sequel was released two years later to worse reactions helming a plot identical to that of its predecessor. Completing the franchise is this year’s ‘Hangover part 3’ which instead boasts a different plot with the ‘wolf pack’ back to handle the totally hilarious issue of Alan’s mental illness, and this time fails to include an actual hangover as well as any elements of surprise and also any genuine humour.

Alan (Zach Galifianakis), the staple character of the previous two films is the initial centrepiece of this films narrative, being taken by the loveable group of friends to a mental home in order to recover. Being boasted in the films vast advertising campaign ‘This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party.’ Instead we begin with an undoubtedly bleak funeral which certainly sets the tone for the film which proves to be just as unenjoyable. Being a camp, fun loving comedy necessity in the previous two films, Alan seemingly transforms over a short period of time into an immensely irritating man with the presence of an annoying ten year old child reluctantly being towed along by friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms). This leaves Mr Chow ( Kim Jeong) in the comedic driving seat, used only sparingly in the previous films but now used and abused until his brutishly insulting humour smothers every corner of the screen, only occasionally to good comic effect. This leaves nothing but the non-existent humour of Cooper and Helms to entertain the audience, consistently resulting in overwhelming auditorium silence due to the films poor screenplay.

So with the lack of jokes what better to fill the film with obnoxious action scenes and totally irrelevant and uninteresting scenes of drama between characters we don't even cared about? Believing it’s something much bigger and better than it clearly is ‘The Hangover part 3’ consistently delves into the deeper lives of characters we do not wish to know about resulting in awkward scenes of drama which lead to nothing and hold no comedic value or even dramatic impact. The lack of effort here is blatantly obvious being arrogant and in your face, with the opportunity to mix up the series and put a fresh spin on the franchise we thought we knew, director Todd Phillips instead prefers to stick to linear guidelines creating no comedic opportunities.

Disappointing is an obvious word to use to describe this film however this is almost expected of Hollywood that simply solely care about box-office intake rather than audience satisfaction. The fact is that ‘the Hangover part 3’ is a very boring and dislikeable film that holds very few redeeming qualities. It’s very rarely funny, rarely thrilling, and in no way surprising. It’s just depressingly unfunny.

3/10- As much fun as a hangover.

Calum Russell 

Star Trek Into Darkness

Following the success of 2009’s addition to the star trek universe we’ve witnessed director J.J Abrams announce moves to bigger and arguably better prospects already taking the mammoth task of reanimating the rival franchise Star Wars in 2015. With all the buzz surrounding the director however word has been forgotten of the continuation to the sequel of his 2009 success, Star Trek Into Darkness newly warping onto our screens. Whilst this recent instalment sees the whole cast returning with further added thespian delights such as Benedict Cumberbatch being thrown into the fray, it lacks the trepid adventure of its predecessor feeling more like a family blockbuster as oppose to an intelligent sci-fi.

This isn’t to say however that Star Trek Into Darkness is a bad film, in fact it’s quite the opposite helming an exciting narrative which maintains attention throughout with the help of its fantastic performances. Continuing on relatively soon after the previous film, this instalment sees the crew of the enterprise being met by a seemingly unstoppable force from within the organisation (Cumberbatch) and after a terrorist act on the headquarters, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and his team set about on a one man hunt to capture him, but not is all as it seems when he follows all too willingly. Proving himself on various acting occasions in the past, Benedict Cumberbatch is equally as impressive here, being the psychotic and wildly powerful villain that acts as the catalyst to send the team into disarray. With further less obvious villains however showing to be at work throughout the film, Cumberbatch isn’t given a sufficient amount of screen time and narrative impact despite his dominating presence which is a disappointment yet in hindsight perhaps an intelligent cinematic move. Upon his arrival the film kick-starts its campaign to stun the audience with its spectacular action set pieces which become increasingly audacious and interesting as the film goes on, looking undoubtedly worse at the hands of 3-D which is at little fault of the film.

A change in tone midway through the film allows a space for further characters to take to the stage which some do more than others, with Spock ( Zachary Quinto) most notably taking his opportunity in the limelight to great effect as we witness an exciting side of his character which is rarely expressed.  This however does lead to certain characters missing out, with members like Bones (Karl Urban) rarely making an appearance aside from the occasional humorous ‘side-gag’. In amongst all of Star Treks excitement at its flashy set-pieces, it failed to address even the most simple of plot points creating for a second act which was far more convoluted than necessary. This proves to be evident following the climactic action sequence which seemingly forgets the existence of its surrounding narrative, wrapping up the story almost instantaneously to leave a poorly wrapped present with a lack of aesthetic presentation.

Being an exciting and naturally humorous blockbuster, Star Trek Into Darkness is an extremely strong and certainly worthy addition to the Star Trek franchise. Focusing mostly on story as oppose to the wild futuristic world surrounding it, this film is a delightful throwback to the past series in many ways than one.

8/10- A blockbuster standing proud over its cinematic opposition being entertaining and appropriately dark.

Calum Russell

The Place Beyond the Pines

Following the success of 2010’s Blue Valentine, director Derek Cianfrance has taken a three year break in recovery before deciding to direct and release The Place Beyond the Pines, a story very dissimilar to that of his previous romantic hit. With Ryan Gosling returning in the leading role, Cianfrance shows to continue his notable poetic style of storytelling but seemingly forgets to mould the finished product leaving a cumbersome conclusion of a plethora of loose themes.

 With a confident and ambitious story at the helm, The Place Beyond the Pines does little to prove its worth juggling too many balls that all inevitably come tumbling down. The film follows Luke (Gosling) a motorcycle stunt rider who soon turns to robbing banks to provide support for his new born child, this choice puts him on a collision course with rookie cop Avery (Cooper), whose actions cause repercussions for the following story to unfold. Being very much the chronicle of protagonist Luke’s life the film is almost innately an epic drama that is undoubtedly let down by a totally underwhelming second act that does little to relate to the previous story; acting as a divided sub-plot that was totally unnecessary. The story was ambitious and engaging prior to this act however as further characters are introduced with further sub-plots, you find yourself being detracted from the quality story at hand in order to be diverted to a plot boasting very little but which holds frustrating importance to the proceeding act which proves to be just as devoid of emotion.

 With actors of excellent quality helming the lead and supporting roles, this proves to be the films saving grace always providing realistic performances that are believable throughout. The protagonist Luke, despite being largely dislikeable with few relatable qualities, is acted with brilliant enthusiasm and flair by the increasingly impressive Ryan Gosling.  Clouding his performance however is arguably the supporting performance of Ben Mendelsohn whom despite having a relatively small role acts with e

vident passion that aids his character, Robin, to become immediately involved within the story as new found friend of Luke. Both these characters being engrossing and interesting are prominent mostly in the first act making it by far the best of the well-defined three which could’ve stood alone (with some added tweaks) as a fantastic 90 minute drama. However as the film progresses holes appear and plot points are left untied to the frustration of the audience who simply want to revisit the simplicity and enjoyment of the first act.

 Starting fantastically the film fizzles out to a small, yet still respectable; third act which is as unnecessary as it is cumbersome. Boasting humongous talent and a magnificently ambitious story, this film could’ve been so much more impressive but instead decides to confuse itself by trying to do too much and ending up doing very little at all.

7/10- Performances are fantastic but the threadbare plot provides a heavy burden.

Calum Russell