Mini-Review: This Is The End

Released in cinemas across the UK tomorrow, Hollywood apocalypse comedy This Is The End sees a group of current comedy A-listers and actors (including but not limited to James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill) playing fictionalised versions of themselves (or so they say...) at the end of days.

James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill ("from Moneyball" - not pictured) lead the A-List celebrity cast of This Is The End.

It's easy to go into a film like this with low expectations, as so often these types of films from the school of Judd Apatow-style comedy filmmaking fail to deliver on their promise of humour, but despite a few flat moments here and there, This Is The End actually prevails in bringing the laughs throughout a number of very funny and memorable set pieces. The story is simple but fun, all building up to a big and satisfying finale that will leave you on a high note and leaving with an unexpected smile. With the self-referential celebrity ensemble twist bringing a lot of the gags to the table, it is to the merit of the cast that they have the good humour to mock their own careers and personas as they do throughout, as this helps to lift a lot of fairly uneventful moments to consistently enjoyable entertainment; be it the James Franco's unrequited bromance with Seth Rogen, a low budget sequel trailer that the group shoot to pass time, or the confessionals shot on Franco's stolen 127 Hours camera prop. Cameos come thick and fast throughout as the celebrity nature of the characters allows a lot of their famous friends to pop-up, with the likes of Harry Potter alumni Emma Watson and Scott Pilgrim star Michael Cera changing the way you'll likely look at them forever.

This Is The End of Hermione's good-girl image...

Consistently funny and mindlessly entertaining, throw away any initial expectations that you may have towards this type of film as This Is The End more than delivers throughout. It won't blow your mind or change your life, but nor does it set out. What you see is what you get with This Is The End; a satisfying and highly enjoyable Hollywood comedy that will do exactly what it sets out to achieve - entertain.

Verdict: ★★★★☆

This Is The End (certificate 15) is released in cinemas across the UK on June 28th.

Are you looking forward to seeing This Is The End? Perhaps you already have? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!

Review: The Hunger Games

This hunger that may put you off your appetite...

Set in a fictitious and dystopian version of Earth, The Hunger Games is an annual event where two young people are selected from each of the 12 districts and then pit against each other in a controlled forest battlefield environment where only one person can survive to become a part of the richer world who watch on through a reality TV show. During the participant selection for District 12 when the particularly young Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) is selected as the female candidate, older sister and expert archer Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers herself in her sister's place, and is sent off into a fight for survival with the district's male candidate, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson).

Adapted from the original book (the first in a trilogy) by Suzanne Collins, and brought to the big screen labelled as 'the next twilight,'  The Hunger Games actually provides much more for a much larger audience than you would initially expect from what appears to be a film aimed at a teenage girl demographic. Whilst the film is rated a 12A here in the UK (down from a 15 certificate after the cutting of seven seconds of  footage and the digital removal of blood splatter), the film is very dark and mature from the very start; when we are introduced to the character of Katniss in the poverty filled District 12 as she hunts animals in the wood for food. Once the film enters the battle arena after a whole host of training sequences and Olympic style proceedings from the TV show, the events suddenly turn very brutal, with violent killings of and by youths as they literally fight for survival. This is something that I in particular didn't expect to see coming so vividly, meaning that it's certainly not appropriate for some younger viewers and perhaps even some of the older ones either - you have been warned! However whilst I give caution to this, I do at the same time feel that this is actually the film's strong suit too, giving the film a lot more weight and credibility for making it a much darker affair, with a much greater reward for the audience - it simply wouldn't have worked with a lighter family orientated tone.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in The Hunger Games

The film's acting cast, lead by Jennifer Lawrence, is fantastic and work well to bring this world to life. Lawrence in particular does a fantastic job of portraying a very strong female lead character, who is tough yet lovable and upon whom the entire film rides upon and works as a result of - seeing a film with such a female lead character like this was a breath of fresh air to see. Despite this I did feel as if her love relationship with Peeta did weaken her character slightly, with their whole love story becoming cliched and unneeded, pushing the film further towards the anticipated teenage girl demographic; however the twist and questioning of just how genuine their relationship is within the reality show setting did give it a bit more power and weight, helping to justify it a bit more. Aside from that little quip, the film on the whole features a gripping and exciting character driven plot, directed excellently by Gary Ross who creates a visceral world that keeps you enticed and never bored throughout. Whilst it's an not entirely unique story, it certainly is one that hasn't been done like this before or used recently, making it a cinematic treat that you may not have seen coming - if you ignored all of the initial hype generated by the fans of the original books, you better start believing it!

People keep saying that this could be the next big thing in film after the recent Harry Potter and Twilight franchises - I think they may be onto something. Whilst the trailer didn't fill me with much hope, this dark and exciting film definitely isn't the new 'Twilight' teenage girl targeting film that you may go in expecting - it is much, much more. Suitable for a large teen and adult audience of both genders; with bold action, an enticing story and a great cast lead fantastically by Jenifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games certainly isn't one to overlook.

Verdict: 4/5

The Hunger Games is still showing in cinemas across the UK.

Agree or Disagree? Leave your comments below!

Beyond Infinity Film is now on Facebook!

Beyond Infinity film now has its own official Facebook page! Here I'll be posting links too all of my new articles, features and reviews, as well as some other Facebook only exclusives too. Please 'like' it at the the following link, as always all support is greatly appreciated.

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To celebrate, as a Facebook launch exclusive I have uploaded a gallery of photos from my trip to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter at Leavesden Studios for your enjoyment. The tour was fantastic and I heartily recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to go - the photos don't do full justice to this fantastic experience: Click here Now!

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Review: The Woman In Black

Daniel Radcliffe attempts to defeat his greatest adversary yet: typecasting - in Harry Potter and the Woman in Black!

The classic British horror studio Hammer, the studio behind some of the most iconic horror films including Christopher Lee's Dracula, makes a welcome and much overdue return to the big screen limelight with their adaptation of Susan Hill's 1983 novel: The Woman in Black. Well known to a lot of people today through the terrifying West End stage play, The Woman in Black follows the story of Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a young solicitor and single father (after the untimely passing of his wife during labour to his son) who has the tricky task of sorting out and selling Eel Marsh House. Soon after his unwelcome arrival to the village, Kipps discovers the tragic curse of the house, and it's paranormal inhabitant; the ghostly Woman in Black.

Directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake) and written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class), the film does a very good job of capturing the tensions and thrills of an old fashioned horror film. Numerous scenes of the film are beautifully shot in a way to hide and reveal the ghostly characters in a truly chilling manor. Even the loud-noise moments used to make the viewers jump out their seats - a technique that can often come across as cheap and cheesy with little skill needed and little reward (Paranormal Activity, I'm looking at you!), are done during this film very well too as a way to support the the more subtle and perfectly executed thrills, concepts and themes that allow the film to excel and have greater effect upon its audience. The story itself is fantastically adapted to the big screen, despite the fact as I'm reliably informed that there are some significant changes made from the book and the play. Whilst the ending initially seems slightly rushed and poorly thought out, the film's final conclusion is one that works well for the big screen and makes the film last with its audience long after they leave the cinema.

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) in The Woman in Black

However the film is far from perfect, with one main problem causing it to unfortunately flounder: Daniel Radcliffe. Whilst Radcliffe has clearly done the job the producers wanted him to do: sell the film to the Harry Potter market (hence the 12A certificate instead of 15) making it one of the most successful British horror films ever made, his performance ultimately lets the film down. As I sat watching the opening scenes as the film introduced his character, I experienced something that I have never experienced before: I sat there thinking "he's just acting" - and worse than that, "he's just trying to act!" Whilst even the biggest actors instantly become their characters within a film rather than leaving the audience remembering their external lives and careers, Radcliffe's poor and unbelievable acting brought me out of the film and prevented me from connecting to his character, background and story - something that is crucial in any film, particularly in this one. This is partly due to the fact that Radcliffe seems too young to be a father figure, but ultimately his performance on the whole lets down the film. Later in the film, when the Scooby-Doo style ghost chase commences, Radcliffe then does the one thing he probably didn't want to do; he becomes Harry Potter, with too much of a similar performance as his character urgently rushes around to save the day. Radcliffe, who clearly needed a film like this in order to separate himself quickly from the heavy burden of the Harry Potter franchise, which has lead his career for the last decade, ultimately fails to establish himself as a serious actor in this film; it'll certainly be interesting to see where his career goes next...

The Woman in Black does a great job of creating a chilling and thrilling ghost story that revisits the old fashioned feel of the classic horror film from the likes of Hammer; thanks to fantastic direction from James Watkins and a brilliantly adapted screenplay by Jane Goldman. However the film feels let down by the main performance by Daniel Radcliffe, who can't seem to shake off the ghost of Harry Potter let alone the ghost of the Woman in Black! In comparison to other recent horror film offerings including the Paranormal Activity and Saw franchises, this film is a horror genre treat that is certainly worth a watch.

Verdict: 3/5

The Woman in Black is still showing in cinemas across the UK.

Agree or Disagree? Leave your comments below!