Home Brewed Reviews

 

“A disappointing follow up to a promising first instalment, saved by a terrific ensemble”

One of my first reviews was that for It – the surprise horror hit of 2017 that amazed audiences worldwide with a perfectly cast and performed Losers’ Club, a coherent and effect telling of Stephen King’s classic novel and, of course, the truly haunting performance from Bill Skarsgård as the titular villain which will go down in history as one of the most inspired antagonists ever put on screen. With all that praise that I bestowed there’s no wonder that I was beyond anticipating the latter half of the story in It: Chapter 2, the sequel covering the Losers’ Club return to their childhood home of Derry after the return of the terrifying force that haunted them 27 years prior.  Continue reading “It: Chapter Two – Review”

“After the Disney Renaissance classic, is the live-action Will Smith-ified remake worth it?”

As one of my favourite animated movies as a child, I find myself quite attached to the 1992 animated classic that is Aladdin. From the rich and detailed Agrabah to the classical soundtrack by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman/Tim Rice and the unforgettable career-defining performance by Robin Williams as the Genie, Aladdin represents part of Disney at its finest. However we’re now in 2019 where ‘new classics’ seem to be few and far between, instead, Disney (and its bank account) appears to be content with remaking their old favourites into live-action. Aladdin is the latest in that line-up. Did it succeed?  Continue reading “Aladdin – Review”

“A tighter script and an international setting propels Far From Home above its predecessor” 

To say that Spider-Man: Far From Home has a lot to live up to would be the year’s biggest understatement. After the grand scale and pure epicness of Avengers: Endgame, audiences across the whole world are still picking their jaws up off the floor. How would a simple Spider-Man film live up to what is now the highest grossing film of all time? Well the answer to that would be through a surprisingly effective tale of how the relatively normal people in this world have been affected after the so-called “blip” and the disbandment of the Avengers. Continue reading “Spider-Man: Far From Home – Review”

“DC delivers its best outing yet in a fun albeit muddled blockbuster”

The DCEU (DC Extended Universe) is a tale of tragedy. Under the ever growing shadow of rival Marvel, DC tried way too fast to establish their own successful superhero shared universe and ended up with a tonally confused mess that has no real sense of identity. Even though bright spots do shine through sometimes the overall state of the franchise is, if the rumours are true, under some serious management changes.  Well despite all of the behind-the-scenes drama director James Wan decided to pick up the camera and dive straight in to his vision of what a tale about a man who can talk to fish can be; and as a result, we now have Aquaman. Continue reading “Aquaman – Review”

“Rami Malek is a killer queen in this crazy little thing called Bohemian Rhapsody”

A musical biopic about this incredible band has been in the works since the dawn of time with high-profile names such as Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Whisaw and Gemma Arterton all being attached at some point yet nothing survived past the initial development stage. That was until Bryan Singer (later replaced by Dexter Fletcher) brought in Mr Robot alum Rami Malek to star as Freddie Mercury in his version of Queen’s iconic history. Continue reading “Bohemian Rhapsody – Review”

“Creative, touching and hilarious. This is what a Spider-Man movie should be.”

Sony’s track record with the Spider-Man license has ranged from the spectacular Spider-Man 2 (2004) to the not-so-amazing The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). Going into Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse I was sceptical, but I came out having witnessed one of the best films of the year. Continue reading “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Review”

“A muddled plot-line hinders this still enjoyable entry”

The first in the Fantastic Beasts series was an original, fun and exciting adventure in a different corner of the Harry Potter universe. The sequel however, whilst bringing more familiar elements into the mix, loses some of the magic that made its predecessors so beloved. Continue reading “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Review”