Like most of you I’m sure, my Christmas holidays consisted mostly of revision, essay submission and the occasional day of eating nothing but chocolate. However, amongst this chaos, I did find a little bit of time to watch the odd film: some classics, some highly anticipated, and at least one pure let down. I have compiled a review of the very best and worst to help you decide which ones to make time for and which ones to give a wide berth – in my humble opinion at least.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
I had never before come into contact with anything from Tolkien’s ‘Middle Earth’ before going to see ‘The Hobbit’, but I was still incredibly eager to see the first instalment of the film trilogy. The film follows Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit (kind of like a dwarf only smaller, nicer and less hairy), thrown into an unexpected journey accompanied by thirteen dwarves and Gandalf the wizard. We learn early on that the aim of the journey is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain for head-dwarf-prince Thorin Oakenshield, whose treasure is being guarded by Smaug the angry dragon. If I didn’t lose or bore you with that brief synopsis you will probably enjoy the film as much as I did. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I returned from the cinema I dug out my mum’s 1959 copy of the book and started to read it! If you like fantasy or just fancy something a little bit different to chick flicks, I would definitely recommend it.
My rating: 4/5
The Amazing Spiderman (2012)
Being an avid fan of the recent superhero buzz, which included ‘The Avengers’ and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ trilogy, I was expecting to really enjoy the most recent ‘Spiderman’ film adaptation. However, despite its name, I was far from amazed. Having only seen one other Spiderman film – 2002’s ‘Spider-Man’ when I was about ten – I was excited to learn about the history of Spiderman and his various adventures in New York. The film follows Peter Parker, who is brought up by his aunt and uncle and is a general underdog throughout his school career. Somehow though, as is the way with these things, he still manages to attract a heroine who is both cool and clever. Whilst on a tour of a lab, he sneaks into a restricted area where he is bitten by a genetically modified spider. This misfortune leads to him developing super-human strength, and the ability to stick to surfaces. Now, you may be thinking that all of this sounds very exciting, but I was highly disappointed and particularly bored throughout. Although I had only previously seen Andrew Garfield in 2010’s Never Let Me Go, I was dubious when I found out he was to play Spiderman. He was, however, the saving grace of the film: he made the most of the weak script and band of co-actors, as well as fitting the roles of both Peter Parker and Spiderman well. Unfortunately though, there are very few positive aspects of the film I can mention and I will not be re-watching it any time soon. Or ever.
My rating: 2/5
Les Misérables (2012)
As with ‘The Hobbit’, before going to see this film I had never before come across anything to do with ‘Les Misérables’. Of course I had heard many of the songs from the musical out of context, but I had never learnt the story, be it in musical or novel format. I was extremely and pleasantly surprised. As the name implies, ‘Les Mis’ is not a particularly cheery story: the film spans seventeen years of French misery, poverty and general depravity. It may not have been light and airy to watch, but it was extremely enjoyable, something I mostly put down to the amazing acting and singing of the cast. The film is full of familiar faces, including Amanda Seyfried, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne and Anne Hathaway, but it was Hathaway who I was particularly impressed with. Her emotional rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ as the desperate prostitute Fantine rendered me, and most people around me snivelling wrecks. The film and cast deserve every award they have already won, and I hope they win many more. One mildly negative point I will make for anyone wishing to see it is that if you are not a fan of musicals it may take a while for you to get used to the characters singing the majority of their lines – it’s not like other musicals such as ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Grease’ where the characters spontaneously burst into song. As a huge fan of musicals (not to mention the odd opera) myself however, this did not faze me. That being said, I do still believe that the film will be thoroughly enjoyed by avid theatre goers, lovers of film and musical-virgins alike.
My rating: 4.5/5
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
And finally, I thought I’d finish with a classic. A classic which I only got around to watching for the first time this Christmas! Admittedly, my mum did have to semi-force me into watching it, (I was vying for ‘The Holiday’, a more modern Christmas classic) but once she put it on I could see why it is still such a classic, even 67 years on. I was initially sceptical as it is in black and white and the sound quality isn’t excellent, but once you get past that, it’s definitely worth it. Although the film takes you on a 1940s style emotional rollercoaster, one which you think the protagonist George Bailey will never be able to leave, it has an incredibly happy ending which makes you feel all warm and festive inside. I strongly recommend being forced into watching these classics – next on my list is the epic ‘Gone With The Wind’ which has a running time of almost four hours, wish me luck!
My rating: 3.5/5