Toy Story 4 (2019)

Director: Josh Cooley Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Tony Hale, Annie Potts, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves

As Bonnie starts kindergarten, Woody tries his upmost to protect   new friend Forky, a spork toy handmade by Bonnie herself on her first day. As the gang sets off on a road trip, Woody’s task becomes harder until he finds himself lost in an unfamiliar town, racing to get back to the others before they leave him behind. On the way, he meets some new friends, new enemies, and some old familiar faces too.

While a fourth Toy Story film may not have been totally necessary or even highly desired by many fans, I cannot stress enough that this instalment is 100% worth a watch. The third film sort of ties up the over-arching storyline, but this one builds on it well and works well as a continuation of that plot. Basically, in case you were wondering about whether you should bother with this film or not: you should.

I found this one to be the funniest of all four Toy Story movies. Forky is hilarious and it’s great to see a slightly different type of toy and how they made him into a character. Buzz has the best lines, and while he’s not in the film as much as I’d like (it’s heavily weighted towards Woody), he pretty much makes every scene he’s in. Keanu Reeves also makes an appearance- well, his voice does- as new friend Duke Caboom, who also has some of the most hysterical moments. I think I laughed out loud along with the rest of the cinema probably a good dozen times.

As I mentioned, the movie is pretty heavily weighted towards Woody and the rest of the original gang aren’t in it too much. I would have liked to see more of Woody and Buzz’s friendship, which, ultimately, is kind of the whole concept of the Toy Story franchise. More of the originals- Rex, Slinky et al- would also have played to my deep-seated nostalgia. The new characters are great though, and they all come together at the end in a satisfying way. With the new faces, they all have substantial background stories which are woven in satisfactorily, so they fit in well and don’t feel like random additions to an already large set of characters. As for the plot itself, it’s a lovely adventure with moments of comedy, sadness, suspense, action as well as a couple of good jump scares (the antiques store is creeeeepy). It all flows at a good pace with pretty much no lulls, and it all wraps up well in the end with no plot holes that I can think of.

The million dollar question is: will there be a fifth Toy Story? My two cents would be that while it’s not necessary, I didn’t think this one was necessary either but I loved it nonetheless. If they do make another one I’m confident it’ll be brilliant, just like all the others. I feel like Toy Story never needs much plugging, but I would 100% recommend this as one of those films you’ll come out of just thinking “yes, that was great”.

5 stars

Book vs Film: Jurassic Park

Book: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (1990)

Film: Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg (1993)

While sitting by the pool and rattling through several books during my recent summer holiday, I was struck with an idea: instead of following my usual formula for film reviews, I thought it I might mix it up and compare with the original novel (providing I’ve actually read it, of course). One of those poolside reads was Jurassic Park, which I also happened to have watched about a week before starting on the book, so we can start our foray into my new feature Book vs Film here.

Both the novel and film are well-known and well-regarded, but most people are certainly more familiar with the the film. With classic moments such as finding out how the dinosaurs were created (i.e. wondering if it might actually be possible in real life), the t-rex appearing from behind the trees, and the velociraptors in the kitchen, the movie is a family action-adventure with many entertaining and downright suspenseful moments. The animatronics are truly impressive, plus is has a great John Williams soundtrack and a famous cast. It won Oscars in sound and special effects, and deservedly is considered a classic.

Meanwhile, although the book is an international bestseller, it’s probably fair to say a lot less people have read the book than watched the film. Well, I’d suggest they rectify that and get their hands on a copy asap, because I would argue the book is even better than the film. It looks like a long read, but the plot moves at a fast pace and is so compelling that you can race through it. There are so many more layers to the story, for example the secrecy behind the island, the process of creating the dinosaurs, and some additional characters who meet delightfully sticky ends. As with most books and their film adaptations, the book also fills in some gaps that the film has to miss out. The primary difference I noticed was that while the film is definitely family adventure, the book is less so and has a much darker tone, plus is a lot more graphic in it’s descriptions (not for the squeamish).

The book is the winner for me in this battle, although the film is of course a classic. The book brings quite a lot more to the plate, and I think if you read the book after you’ve sen the film you’ll have a lot of “ahhh!” moments as the book provides with quite a lot more detail of exactly what’s going on behind the scenes of the mysterious island.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Director: Ron Howard Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany

A young Han Solo finds himself getting involved with a criminal gang planning to steal from the Empire, as he tries to get together enough money to buy a ship. Through several twists of fate he meets Chewbacca, soon becoming his co-pilot, and the untrustworthy Lando Calrissian with whom he forms an alliance of convenience.

As everyone keeps saying, this is the Star Wars prequel that no one asked for. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know that back story of Han, as his mystery is all part of the allure, but actually the story is quite enjoyable and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I mean, I started with very low expectations so that probably helped, but on the whole I think it’s a good film.

Starting with the good points, Solo is a good stand alone film without have any prior knowledge of the Star Wars universe. I think that’s why it’s unfair for people to criticise it- on it’s own, as a film there’s not much wrong with it and it’s a fun family adventure. Obviously it’s no The Empire Strikes Back, but it’s not part of the central Star Wars saga so it’s not fair to compare it. Alden Ehrenreich is fine as Han Solo- at some moments I could see that he was going for some of the classic Harrison Ford mannerisms, and although he slightly misses the mark, I can justify that in my head as because he’s a younger Han Solo he’s no going to be exactly the same as the fully developed Han Solo of the original trilogy. I really liked the story of how Han and Chewie meet, and their friendship has enough screen time so that you can properly see it develop. There were lots of great little references to the original films- but not so much as to make it not work as a standalone film- such as the Kessel run (settling once and for all the Great Parsec Debate), Han’s lucky dice, his legendary blaster and of course the classic issue of Han shooting first.

As I mentioned, most of the references to the originals are subtle enough for it not to matter to new viewers but long-time Star Wars fans will appreciate them. However, without wanting to give away any spoilers, the final scene with Qi’ra (Han’s love interest) and the big reveal of who she works for may not make a lot of sense to those new to the franchise and might seem a bit random. It definitely needs expanding on and I think that’s why there are rumours circulating that Solo will be trilogy.

Solo is an enjoyable yarn, and I’d probably place it mid-table in the list of all the Star Wars films. For people who aren’t into Star Wars it’s a good entry into the franchise, and is fun and light-hearted but with well-developed characters and a storyline that makes sense. Don’t let the bad reviews put you off and miss out on seeing it at the cinema!

4 stars

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth… ok they’re all in it. Everyone minus Antman and Hawkeye.

After lurking in the background for several movies, Thanos makes his play for all the infinity stones and instigates his plan to fulfil his plans for universal dominance. When he encounters Thor in space, the Avengers become alerted to his plan and are forced to reunite to try to stop him.

Admittedly, I’ve always enjoyed the Marvel movies but would never consider myself a full-on fan. However I thought Infinity War was brill. There’s definitely a novelty factor in all the characters including the Guardians of the Galaxy gang coming together once again, but the film brings all of them together really well, and not just for the sake of having all these huge names in one movie. There are so many different missions and sub-plots going on, but it never feels like the film is bitty or jumpy; everything flows in an orderly way and it’s well-paced. It’s the longest Marvel film yet but honestly it felt like the time went really quickly.

There’s also a lot more character development and general emotions and feelings and stuff. The previous movies haven’t really focused much on this (everyone generally operates at a high gung-ho level) aside from Iron Man’s PTSD from the events of Avengers Assemble, but this film shows the effects on everyone and it was much easier to feel more involved in their personal journeys. Also as a warning, prepare to come out feeling ever so slightly like you’ve lost a close friend.

All the characters are in it apart from Antman (sadly) and Hawkeye (honestly not bothered). Thankfully, seeing as Black Panther was so good, most of the cast from that are in it, and Thor seriously ramps it up in a major way. I enjoyed Spiderman again and especially his and Iron Man’s relationship. I didn’t really like the Doctor Strange movie (I fell asleep in it for a good half hour) but I liked him in this- he’s a useful character all round and the other characters kind of tone down his grating personality. Plus I think he’ll have a major role in closing the events of the next movie…

I would absolutely suggest you go and see this film, although probably worth catching up on the recent previous Marvel movies for a recap (especially Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther). Finally, as an FYI the post-credits scene is right at the end of the credits, not halfway through like they usually are, so don’t run away too quickly.

4.5 stars