franchise
1976’s King Kong earned a bad rap over the years for its hokey special effects, yet here we explain just why it might be worth a revisit.
Does the sixth instalment in the Resident Evil franchise break the mould by being the movie that fans have always wanted?
With a series of incredibly eclectic films, the Death Wish franchise is one of the most unique action franchises to ever exist.
We’ve long established that The Academy suffers from racial and gender bias, but could it be that there’s another bias going on at the Oscars?
xXx: Return of Xander Cage, the long-awaited sequel to 2002’s xXx is finally here, finally being the operative word. It’s been fifteen years, in fact, long enough for the first movie to have had endless cable TV airings, and for nearly everything about the current marketplace to change.
Marvel Studios has been quite successful with their heroes, however, it seems that their villains are lacking. How can they solve it?
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a sequel that falls flat and misses the opportunity to create something worthwhile.
I’m going to be honest with you, I loathed the first two Bridget Jones films. I read the books as a teenager and I was so excited when the first film came out only a year or two later. But I didn’t like it one bit.
A “Cinematic Universe” is a modern concept of establishing an ever-expanding franchise. Some consider Marvel Studios to be the modern trendsetter. Their films build up the franchise with standalone entries, until the moment that they cross over.
Nineties psychological horror The Blair Witch Project wasn’t an instant hit. Though a triumph with critics, its box office success was slow, but it now stands as one of the most financially successful independent films of all time, and as a forefather of the found footage trend. Not only did The Blair Witch Project pave the way for found footage horrors like [Rec], V/H/S, and the Paranormal Activity series, sci-fis and fantasies like Cloverfield, Trollhunter and Chronicle also used the format.
Man is an individual only because of his intangible memory; and memory cannot be defined, but it defines mankind. — Ghost in the Shell X-Men: Apocalypse, the capper to the X-Men:
The ideology of originality in modern day cinema is a debate that is frequently discussed and examined, comparing it to what was considered the ‘Golden Age of Cinema’ in the 1900’s. Particularly regarded are the similar story lines and plots that are overused and are becoming somewhat identical, which can comprise of reboots of existing features, superheroes, etc. Along with the sheer amount of sequels that reoccur frequently even when audiences may not particularly want them, leading to them being ignored or neglected.
When people ask me who my favourite superhero is I always wonder at what makes a good one. Is it the good guy? Is it the guy out for revenge?
Since 1989, when Batman became a mainstream film series for DC, and in 2002 when Spider-Man kicked off Marvel’s campaign, the legacy of the superhero on the silver screen has progressively grown. Particularly throughout the 21st century and through to the 2010s decade, superhero adaptations and the science fiction genre have practically dominated the Hollywood film industry, with the vast majority becoming massive commercial triumphs. We have seen a number of films released each year, and in 2016 we are awaiting a variety of superhero/comic book adaptations from Marvel, DC and others.
The cyclical nature of contemporary pop culture means that for every blockbuster released, a backlash is likely imminent over the course of its opening weekend, no matter how good the reviews. JJ Abrams knows better than anybody about the perils of falling victim to the hype train; despite critical and commercial success, mere weeks after its opening his Star Trek sequel Into Darkness was voted the worst Trek film of all time at a leading Trekkie convention. Taking fanboy rage on the chin, he has decided to follow this minor outrage by taking the directorial reigns of the new instalment of one of the most beloved franchises at all time, as audiences worldwide wait with bated breath to see whether or not he has (to use a common expression) “raped their childhood”.