The Movie Club co-curricular has looked at a variety of genres this term and here are some of the reviews.
Film Title: King Kong (1933)
Release Date: 6 January 1933
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure
Director(S): Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
King Kong is one of the original films that paved way for what is now known as the giant monster movie genre.
The film stars Fay Wray as ‘Ann Darrow’, Robert Armstrong as ‘Carl Denham’ and Frank Reicher as ‘Captain Engelhorn’.
The film is set in 1933 and follows a celebrated filmmaker, Carl Denham who leads a film crew and boatsmen consisting of Ann Darrow and Captain Engelhorn to the strange, bizarre Skull Island. There they encounter a mysterious native tribe who worship a massive beast known as King Kong.
The film and ship crew are able to capture the beast and transport it back to New York City where it escapes, taking Ann Darrow hostage whilst it climbs The Empire State Building and fends off fighter planes firing at it.
The film is a true icon in pop culture that has prompted countless reboots, parodies and references in other forms of media. The film’s breakthrough special effects prove that big budget CGI was not always necessary to create an entertaining large scale monster movie that is full of now iconic moments.
Overall, the film is an enjoyable classic that stimulates imagination with its nonsensical wonder blended with the drama of humanity that generates laughter, amazement and wonder in the audiences that have feasted their eyes on it over the decades. The movie is a true icon in cinema that has transcended time and become a staple in both film and pop culture.
I give this film 5/5 stars
By Samuel Nasr
Film Title: Straight Outta Compton
Release date: 27 August 2015
Genres: Drama, Crime
Director: Felix Gary Gray
Straight Outta Compton is a film about the members of N.W.A, an American rap group.
The film is set in Compton, California in 1988. The film shows the journey of the group consisting of Eazy E, Ice Cube, Dr Dre, Mc Ren and Dj Yella as they rise to fame by revolutionising and influencing music forever.
This film depicts the group’s struggle with police due to their skin colour and the high rate of police brutality and discrimination during that time. It continues showing the story as they make more music, grow massively, and go on tour. But they still must deal with the police harassment even after their rise to fame.
I enjoyed the film as I listen to much of the music by N.W.A and this film shows me their story which really interests me. I liked the whole film and thought everything worked well.
I give this film 5/5 stars.
By Elias Esber
Film Title: Wonder Woman 1984
Release date: 16 December 2020
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Superhero
Director: Patty Jenkins
Wonder Woman 1984 is the sequel to Wonder Woman (2017) starring Gal Gadot, based on the DC comic series of the same name. The film is set approximately 70 years after Diana, aka Wonder Woman, entered into the human world and fought alongside soldiers in World War I. Now, in 1984 America, Diana is an archaeologist who works with rare artifacts and continues to fight crime in disguise. When a special artifact, the Dreamstone, falls into the hands of an untrustworthy Businessman, Maxwell Lord, the world starts to crumble and Diana is challenged to reclaim the artifact and restore the world order at great personal cost.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film as I really loved the first one and it was fun to see the characters back again in another film. I enjoyed the 1980s historical references and especially the character of Diana, who is noble, pure of heart and a fighter against injustices. I also liked how the film started with a backstory of Diana as a child in her fantasy homeland of Themyscira, which set the theme of the film – honesty.
What I would have liked to have seen more of was deeper character development, as the plot was purely events-driven and solely relied on the character formation from the first film. I enjoy sequels which build and extend characters more from the film before, blending the arcs of the story and characters together to create a richer narrative.
I give this film 4.5/5 stars
By Ms Raffaele (MIC Movie Club)
Images courtesy of Warner Brothers, Radio Pictures and Universal Pictures
