Reviews

I've never liked Adam Sandler as an actor, his goofy, slushy comedy is not my thing at all. However so many reviews on here suggested this was different, and as a big fan of serious sci-fi (Interstellar, Dune, Arrival etc), I thought the premise sounded interesting.

How wrong was I?! It was a typical silly Sandler film, with absurdist ideas, but with boredom added on top.

The production design and special effects were also very cheap looking.

In fact the only positive thing I have to say about the whole sorry ness is Carey Mulligsn is excellent, as she always is. God knows why she signed up to this project though.

I just had to write this review to try and warn as many people as possible against watching this film.

I don't write many film reviews, but I simply had to warn people against watching this. One of the worst films I think I've ever seen.

I actually like atmospheric, slow, thought-provoking films that you can lose yourself in. This film tries to be that but is sadly a mess.

I think the director was trying to say something existential with this film, similar to the infinitely better 2001: A Space Odyssey, but failed spectacularly.

The only two good things I can say about this film are the cinematography and the acting. Otherwise the rest is awful.

Please don't waste the precious time you have on this planet watching this!

So a great score (8.4) on IMDB at the time of writing this review, but there are still some 1/10 reviews from people. This is a) because this film is so 'out there' it won't be for everyone, b) the more prudish people may be offended by it, or c) some people just like their safe, cosy, existence featuring period dramas or repetitive superhero bore-fests.

However I loved this film, possibly more than any other film in recent years. The reasons for this are numerous...

1) It's a rare, complete 'one-off' of a film, utterly unique and very memorable. How many times can you say that about a film these days?!! The only thing that is even vaguely like it perhaps is the world envisaged in Tim Burton's films

2) The acting, script, cinematography, music, production design and overall visual look of the film are all 'top draw'

3) The highly imaginative, dark humour throughout. And I found myself laughing at almost everything Mark Ruffalo's character says after a while!

4) You can never tell where the story is going. I can usually guess how most stories will develop, having watched so many films over the years, but this film just constantly surprised me

5) The film can cleverly be viewed on different levels. It's a fantastically imaginative dark fairytale on the surface, but it also has much to say about how adults' views of the life have been numbed over time and how we should try and look at the world through a child's eyes more often, which is maybe much closer to how we SHOULD be feeling. There is definitely a feminist angle too, plus also how living a narrow, protectionist, restricted life can harm your growth, and so on....

I honestly think this film will be held up as a 'classic' in years to come.

This is a difficult film review to write, as 2001 isn't like any other film ever made. It's a true one-off piece of art, many years ahead of its time, and encourages you to think about topics very rarely covered in film.

On the surface it could be viewed as an adult, thought-provoking, piece of science fiction, with some of the most stunning visuals ever put on screen.

However it is a film that also demands to be analysed, fully absorbed and interpreted. Indeed people have various different interpretations of the ending. Which in itself is brilliant... don't you just love films that treat you as an adult and let you come to your own conclusions?!

Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances go into this film with a typical film-watching expectation and a closed mind. You will not be watching a film with a traditional story, structure, pacing and spoon-fed meanings. You will be watching something truly memorable that defies comparison. Go in with a fully open mind and you will be rewarded!

For all the reasons above, this must surely be considered as one of the best films ever made.

Fairly entertaining, good effects, but that's about it.

I had big hopes for this film but it's just an average sci-fi flick at the end of the day.

The main problem is it doesn't have a particularly compelling story and I found myself not really caring for the characters. They're just not given much depth and the script is also very basic. There are several plot holes or things that just don't make sense too.

However it does look a bit different to other sci-fi films, the locations are interesting, and the action, effects and sound are all done well.

So a mildly entertaining two hours but don't go in with high expectations.

Firstly, ignore the reviews on here about it being shocking. Yes there are a few scenes where you go 'urghhh' but nothing compared to some other films you may have watched.

This is an excellent, different, visually stunning film, with brilliant acting, screenplay and dark comedy.

It turns the whole rich vs poor story on its head, and always surprises you along the way.

The house featured is a character all of its own too. Absolutely gorgeous backdrops to the story.

In a world of boring, seen-it-all-before superhero and action films, we need more films like this that are interesting, different and surprising.

Where to start? Well I'll say upfront this was one of the most disappointing films I've seen in recent times.

Let's start with some positives though. Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are both brilliant, but then let's face it they're great in everything aren't they?! It's also a unique idea. However that's where the compliments end.

This is one of those films where you get to the end and you wonder why on earth you wasted your time watching it. Don't really understand what the point was, what they were trying to say, why they picked such a weird subject matter, etc etc. Script was also a bit boring, and for a drama there strangely wasn't enough err... drama!

Oh well, both actresses have made so many great films I'll watch those instead in the future.

Just finished watching The Last King Of Scotland, and thought it was an enjoyable watch, with Forest Whittaker absolutely brilliant as Idi Amin.

However I was very disappointed to read afterwards that the main character, Dr Nicholas Garrigan is completely fictional. This is a real problem for me with the film, as mixing a real life infamous leader with a fictional character in a film that is primarily about their relationship makes the whole project feel rather strange in hindsight and detracts from the power of the story.

I think I would have given the film a 9 out of 10 if it hadn't been for that strange decision.

Oh and the film needed more Gillian Anderson too, her character was really underdeveloped.

As I say though, Forest Whittaker is brilliant.

Why is it that no-one has yet made a great film on the wonder of Africa?! I think this might be the best I've seen and yet I'd only give it 6 out of 10.

The good points... amazing cinematography, an interesting true story, and Kim Basinger is great in the lead part.

The bad points... poor script, editing, most of the acting, and direction. Re the last point, some really key scenes do not have the tension or engender the emotional reaction that they should do.

As a film I'd probably give it 5, but adding an extra point as it does look amazing and makes you want to go to Africa.

So a missed opportunity then. One day someone will make a great film set in Africa...

There's obviously an engaging true story about this incredible woman, however this film mostly fails to deliver it.

It's difficult to say why the film doesn't work exactly but I think it's probably down to the poor screenplay and some bad casting choices.

Nicole Kidman is good in the lead role, and Damian Lewis too, but I wasn't convinced with the other actors in their parts, especially Robert Pattison as TE Lawrence.

The cinematography was great though, especially the parts shot in Jordan.

However it's a poorly written script which just makes the film lose a lot if it's engagement, emotion, pace and authenticity.

It's a shame, as I still believe there is a great film of this lady's story to be made.

Really enjoyed this crime thriller, set on the south coast of Iceland. Yes the landscape is as stunning and haunting as you'd expect, but I really enjoyed the story, characters and acting too.

It's slow building at first, but then builds to a crescendo in the last couple of episodes.

Do not understand the few low ratings on here, must be the Marvel generation... who need a stupid fight in spandex every two minutes to keep them happy! Anyone with a brain, who likes an intelligent, character driven story will love this series I'm sure.

The only slightly weird thing is that I've stood on top of the exact mountain where key events in this series. Always thought of it as a stunning location - which it is - but now I'll always think of this series too. Which despite being great, will be rather odd :)

Disappointing. It's not awful, and has its good points, but it borrows heavily off all the hundreds of zombie films / series that have come before and offers nothing new.

I made it through to three episodes but won't be watching anymore, especially as episode three was terrible.

Good points are the acting, and thought the first episode was a decent starting point, but it soon became formulaic. I really don't care what happens to the characters going forwards, which is obviously a key consideration of whether the series will be good or not.

It's fair to say I'm not the biggest fan of zombie stories anyway, as to me they're all the same with the exception of the brilliant 28 Days Later, but even so I think this is just boring and unimaginative.

When I first heard about this series I wasn't sure it would be a good idea to revisit the Addams Family, but how wrong was I?!

Thought it would be a typical poor offshoot series of what were great films.

Tim Burton has once again done an amazing job, the script is really funny and creative, and the lead actress is a revelation in the role of Wednesday. And of course who doesn't like Thing?!

It's also filmed on Romania, and I visited this beautiful country last year, so it was nice to see some of that again.

I may not be the target audience for this series (let's just say I was 20 when the first film came out!), but it's probably the most fun series I've watched in the last year.

Well done to everyone involved!

A truly awful film, that has a long list of faults, the worst of which is treating its audience as if they're thick. So many stupid, implausible ideas in one silly film. Give me intelligent science fiction like Interstellar, Dune, Arrival, Ex Machina or Blade Runner 2049 any day over this rubbish.

Quite a disappointing film. Yes the scenery is obviously amazing, but the script is awful and one thing that always bugs me in films is accents. If this is a true life Danish story all the actors should be at least Scandinavian and speak with Scandinavian accents, or speak Danish and have subtitles. Films set abroad that don't use the local accents or language just lose all authenticity for me and are almost unwatchable.

Quite disappointed in this. Great acting, creepy atmospherics and liked the 70s Berlin setting. And Thom Yorke's soundtrack is naturally amazing. That's where the praise stops though. It was confusing in parts, overlong and the last 20 mins were just silly. Think there was an excellent film in there waiting to come out but it didn't really materialise.

Fantastic version of the classic story, with great cast, brilliant sets and a funny script too. Also if you've ever had any sense of adventure - not just ticking places off a bucket list but actually going off the beaten path and finding yourself - then you'll enjoy it even more. Bon voyage!

Not sure I've ever seen a film quite like this. Which is a good thing in itself. Yes on the surface it's just a fun, silly end-of-the-world story, but has deeper messages about people sleeping their way through climate change, knowing more than scientists (err pandemic and anti-vaxxers anyone?!), and how western society has become so superficial and narcissistic. I applaud the actors willing to star in this film, and effectively taking a pop at their own country. For what this film stands for and its originality I'd give it a 10, for entertainment value I'd give it an 8.

Was looking forward to this, but the script was silly and some of the acting was poor. Obviously Rosamund Pike was great as always but she couldn't save this muddle of a series. I do think some of these fantasy series suffer when trying to introduce a new world with lots of characters, and some of it just sounds daft. Lord Of The Rings pulled it off, as the script and actors were so good, but series like Wheel Of Time and The Witcher too just end up sounding silly. Maybe I'm not the target audience for this though as I'm 50, but I did love Lord Of The Rings and measure other fantasy series against that. The recent series Shadow & Bone did a better job I think.

One of the worst films I've seen in a while, turned it off after 30 minutes. It tries to do the funny superhero thing but is nowhere near as good or as funny as films like Guardians Of The Galaxy. Just naff joke after naff joke. I must declare though I thought Deadpool was rubbish too and a lot of people seemed to like that. So if you like the 'comedy' in Deadpool then you'll no doubt like this too. For me though, this film is all that is wrong with Hollywood today.

Brilliant premise, but loses something two thirds in and ends up being half-cooked with a rushed finale. Someone should remake this though, as a great idea and you just get the feeling there's a classic sci-fi film here waiting to come out, not dissimilar to Minority Report.

With The Expanse I'd say this is the best sci-fi series of the last decade. Really intelligent, unique storytelling. Lots of ideas I've not seen in a sci-fi series or film before. Also love the worlds they've created, and the scale of it is huge. Never read the Foundation books but I can see why they're held up as science fiction masterpieces. A must-watch if you're a true sci-fi fan.

Five episodes in and I think this is brilliant. The 'Marvel / Fast & Furious / need action & CGI every five minutes' people won't like it. However if like me you like a intelligent, character driven story that reveals its secrets gradually then you'll love it. They've also done a good job of putting a new spin on the age old 'alien invasion' story. I particularly like the idea to follow different characters in different countries and scenarios. Best thing I've watched in last few months.