The Wolverine

In the first forward-thinking Xmen film since 2006, The Wolverine sets itself some time after the events of X3, with Logan haunted by the death of Jean Grey and living alone and wild in the Canadian Yukon (whose highest point rather delightfully is Mount Logan). Sadly, whilst this film is no doubt a very welcome return to the X franchise in the modern day, that set-up does bring with it a series of rather infuriating dream sequences featuring Famke Janssen, which aside from adding the square root of bugger all to the depth of Logan's character, or indeed the plot as a whole, just feel a bit like what they are; a slightly lazy storytelling technique.

Truth be told, that's not the only thing that feels a little bit weary in this film. The Japanese setting doesn't seem to add a whole lot, save for an excuse to pit Logan against a selection of samurai, although they do make good use of the beautiful locations and the historical significance of the country. The rest just feels a bit too formulaic to really excite, and is riddled with annoying inconsistencies. Perhaps the biggest nuisance though is that the whole thing just feels a little bit 'old Marvel', with a storyline and a set of bad guys that would have felt more at home in a Maguire-era Spider-man, or more worryingly, a 90's Batman and Robin. In fact, aside from the extraordinarily tenuous 'suppressing his mutation' story, which fundamentally doesn't make sense with everything we know about the character, the similarities with 1997's Poison Ivy and The Wolverine's Viper are horrendous in the extreme.


Logan resorts to extreme measures when he forgets to pay for his ticket aboard the bullet train

In fairness, it is true to say that this is a departure (and a better one) from the previous Wolverine-focussed film, with a much grittier and more character based treatment of the story, but if Jackman isn't able to deliver that in a character he's been playing for the best part of a decade and a half, then we may as well all pack up and go home now. Sadly, as a whole, about the only worthwhile thing to stay for is thirty seconds of post-credits intrigue, but even that, aside from turning more than a few heads, just feels slightly like whole movie was a time-filler before they bring the big guns out in 2014. Overall, The Wolverine really isn't a worthy continuation of the franchise, so just keep everything crossed for Days of Futures Past next year...

Welcome to the Punch

I'm speaking slightly provocatively to start, but in my opinion, Welcome to The Punch is exactly what we need to see more of; a (comparatively) low budget, British based indie film that certainly pulls a decent proportion of its own weight in comparison to some of the Hollywood behemoths out there. At no point does the smaller budget (still hardly loose change at $8.5m) diminish the final product, which is a well thought through cops and robbers drama, packed with plenty of set piece action sequences and top quality casting, including James McAvoy at the helm.

After a particularly strongly worded argument, James McAvoy just waits for his car to apologise.

Perhaps the most overwhelming positive of the film is the extra thought and care the production team has put into the planning. The resulting precision and ambience in so many of the scenes is truly visually arresting (pun not intended), and a particular joy in its dramatic presentation of a very different side of London, with the Canary Wharf based opening sequence falling at the particularly memorable end of the spectrum. That said, while the extra care is highly evident in the big set piece shots, the slickness doesn't seem to extend quite into the link scenes. For some reason, they feel slightly looser, perhaps more akin to an extended TV show than a feature length thriller on the silver screen, and as a result, the film seems to lack the final punch to the gut (again, no pun intended) that should really be expected of the genre. With the added hardship of having to sit through a series of grotesque needle shots, Welcome to the Punch doesn't quite jump off the screen quite as it should, but does prove some undeniable promise for its critically acclaimed writer/director Eran Creevy.

Whale Rider

‘Whale Rider’ is one of those films that you just really have to see. Aside from the massive critical acclaim (awards at the Toronto, Rotterdam and Sundance Film Festivals to name but a few), the story is just a beautiful education in culture, casting a fascinating lens over the intricacies of a Maori community trying their best to live by the traditional customs and laws in a modern day New Zealand.

With a subject matter so delicate, casting was always going to need to be tactful. Fortunately, the local actors chosen for the task are all exceptional, especially true in the case of Pai, the young protagonist girl controversially named (by her grieving father after her mother’s death) after the tribe’s ancestral Whale Rider. The film gracefully explores her relationship with her grandfather, the leader of the tribe, as he fights to preserve generations of tradition in his search for a ‘rightful’ male successor to his leadership.

A chilling demonstration of the taiaha. Positively chilling.

As you’d expect from this kind of film, location forms a big part in making the magic. For this case, New Zealand provides the most epic of backdrops for a film which relies on managing to convey the sheer beauty of its people effectively. The majestic coastlines play a pivotal role throughout the story, and make the film feel really honest, immersing the tribe in their true surroundings rather than relying on a Hollywood sound stage. And, as you’d expect from a film almost entirely financed by New Zealand grants, it does a pretty effective job at showcasing the beauty of the country and its indigenous people.

Though in parts the film can be quite slow, the story is treated so tenderly that the pace can be easily forgiven. The superb performances, especially from the youngest and oldest members of the cast make the story incredibly compelling, and coupled with the breathtakingly effective final scenes (which I won’t ruin here), the recipe is made just right for a really beautiful film.