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Andy K (10821 KP) rated Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) in Movies

Jul 4, 2018

Avengers meets John Wick

Having been completely unfamiliar with the source comic book material, I was unsure the tone or visuals I viewed in this film are consistent with that or not, so I just have to judge on their own merits.

Anyone who follows my reviews knows I am not the hugest fan of nonsense or robust excessive CGI in place of good acting story and screenplay, so I have to say this film suffered from a little bit of that. Some of the kill scenes bordered on a little silly, having been done much better and more realistic in John Wick.

Having said that, I was never bored while watching and thought the acting, especially that of Samuel L. Jackson, was pretty good for the most part.

It definitely feels like more style than substance in some parts, but maybe that was the point. I will always side with realism over hyper-realism unless done very well, and I feel this film falls a bit short.

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Ross (3284 KP) rated The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) in Movies

Sep 17, 2018

The trailer and title do the film no justice - better than expected

On the surface, the storyline to this film is nothing new - child loses parents, child moves in with creepy distant relative in creepier house, weird things happen (Miss Peregrine, Series of Unfortunate Events etc etc)
However, I think this variation on that story is carried out in a much scarier way - should the word "necromancy" ever really be used in a kids film?
The film is definitely a case of style over substance as the plot is quite thin, but the film is enjoyable. There are pretty much no laughs to be had.
I'm not actually sure who the target market for this film is - the film in general is too scary for under 7s, over 10s won't like it because the main character is too young/childish. Seems like a very narrow market being aimed at.
Overall, an enjoyable film but nothing stands out about it and Jack Black's comedy talents are wasted (he actually made it feel like a sequel to Goosebumps).