Author: Natalie Teasdale

I want to share with other movie fans those amazing films that get under your skin and stay with you for days: the scary ones, the funny ones; the ones that get you thinking. With a background in creative writing, photography, psychology and neuroscience, I’ll be focusing on dialogue, what makes a great story, if the film has beautiful creative cinematography, the soundtrack and any movie that successfully scratches the surface of our existence. My aim is to always be searching for that ultimate movie, to share what I’ve found to be interesting (whether it be a great soundtrack, a great director or links to other information of interest) and to give an honest review without too much fluff. BAppSci in Psychology/Psychophysiology; Grad Dip Creative Arts and Post Grad Dip in Creative Writing. Founder of GoMovieReviews.

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

Rated: M

Directed by: Michael Dougherty

Written by: Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields

Produced by: Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Brian Rogers, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni

Executive Producers: Zach Shields, Barry H. Waldman, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Aisha Hinds and Zhang Ziyi.

Moving on from 2014, when the world realised that gigantic monsters exist, that the titans who once ruled the world could rise again, the Russell family has been blown apart after the loss of their young son, Sam.

Emma (Vera Farmiga) has thrown herself into research, continuing the synchronising of bio-acoustics that her ex-husband Mark (Kyle Chandler) abandoned. He’s left civilisation behind to study wild animals in the wilderness. Mark emails his daughter, Emma (Millie Bobby Brown) to keep in touch, but really, he’s run away from the family, to hide his grief.

Family drama aside, this next instalment in the Monsterverse is all about the titans, the 500-foot-tall monsters that are awoken to wipe out the human race, to bring about Armageddon.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters reveals the secret crypto-zoological agency Monarch, that continues to study and protect the titans. New titans are discovered and kept hidden from the world as the government fights Monarch in court, to force the agency to reveal everything about these monsters and once and for all destroy the threat.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the story (if you haven’t already seen the film) because there’s a few surprises here and new monsters added to the universe. Those who know the creators, Toho (who released a series of films featuring these giant monsters creating the kaiju eiga genre) will recognise the awesome creatures: Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah; monsters never seen on screen outside of Japan, until now.

I’ve got to say I couldn’t help but grin with the reintroduction of Godzilla. The build of suspense with the soundtrack giving the familiar gigantic monster something like magnificence.

Again, Godzilla rises when the future of humanity is at stake, as other titans are awoken, destroying the disease that has been killing the planet for thousands of years: humans.

It’s becoming a common theme in cinema these days: humans killing the planet. Seems the best excuse to kill off cities and people because humans are destroying the environment. But it gives the story here a good foundation for destruction.

There’s more about Godzilla and his origins, his role in living alongside humanity giving the monster something like a personality so I really wanted to cheer him on.

It was the humans I found to be insincere with a lot of standing around looking up with shock plastered on their faces.

Not that all the characters were bad – Bradley Whitford as Dr. Rick Stanton was a cracker.

And thankfully the delivery of some pretty ordinary dialogue improved as the effects ramped up. Probably because the human relationships weren’t as much of a focus when buildings started to get flattened and monsters started screeching at each other during epic battles for domination.

The tremendous sound of these monsters was deafening, making the floor in the cinema vibrate.

As director Michael Dougherty states, ‘These are popcorn movies,’ yet there’s a little more to Godzilla II with some unexpected twists in the storyline to keep it interesting and the monsters really come to life on the big screen.

Rocketman

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Dexter Fletcher

Written by: Lee Hall

Produced by: Matthew Vaughn, David Furnish, Adam Bohling, David Reid

Executive Produced by: Elton John, Steve Hamilton Shaw, Michael Gracey, Claudia Vaughn, Brian Oliver

Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Gemma Jones and Bryce Dallas Howard.

‘You’ve got to kill the person you were born to be and become the person you want to be.’

Rocketman is the biopic of the ‘magnificent’ Elton John.

The film introduces the man, the musician, the stage performer in dramatic fashion: a red daemon with glittery horns and red feathered wings. We see the ending to the chaos of his success.

‘I am Elton Hercules John’, he states to Group in rehab with the admission of addiction: the drugs, the sex and of course the shopping.

We’ve all heard of Elton John – I’m certainly aware of his fame and the costumes he’s worn during his performances. But what this film shows is who Elton used to be: Reginald Dwight, the piano prodigy.

At five-years of age Regi was able to hear and play anything on the piano.

And he goes on to succeed as a pianist, in the classics, eventually finding himself backing a blues and soul group, Bluesology. He asks the lead singer of the group – how can an overweight white man become famous?

By performing his own songs.

Reginald has the music but not the words.

When the lyrics of Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) are thrown in his hands while auditioning for an agent, it’s fate.

And the performance Regi makes at the Troubador, where Neil Young plays to sell-out crowds, is something like magic.

The trick of this film is how that magic is conveyed through the screen to get that feeling where the moment has arrived. The Life Defining Moment.

I could feel the pressure before Regi’s performance.

But instead of freezing, he becomes something else. He becomes Elton John.

He Becomes, taking everyone up with him.

I saw Taron Egerton in Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and remember Elton made a cameo appearance in this, I’ve got to say, disaster of a film.

But worth it if it brought these two artists together.

Taron is, yep, magnificent in his role as the tortured, messy and heart-broken genius. I can’t think of anyone else better suited to play the part. Taron also performed all the songs.

Which leads me to highlight, Rocketman has moments of being a musical. Well, is a musical; a genre I find hard to stomach. It’s just cheesy when someone sings what should be spoken, really knocking me out of the fantasy of reality on screen.

I was worried when I saw the 50s styled dances, twirling with their washed-out petticoats circling the colourful five-year-old Reginald. But as Taron played those Elton John songs, it was more like a concert with surreal illumination, reflecting the state of mind of the man performing, night after night. His success explosive.

There’s a story to be told about this shy extravert (a contradiction but a point made about the man and his complex layers); there’s heartbreak and being alone, up above, on the cloud of his success – above the clouds because he’s so high.

And there’s redemption, growth and his nana (Gemma Jones): ‘Crumbs, that was energetic.’ She says, bless her white cotton socks.

Makes that meteor, right up there in the stratosphere somehow relatable.

Despite its musical elements, I found Rocketman completely absorbing.

John Wick 3 – Parabellum

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Chad Stahelski

Screenplay by: Derek Kolstad and Shay Hatten and Chris Collins & Marc Abrams

Story by: Derek Kolstad

Based on: Characters Created by Derek Kolstad

Produced by: Basil Iwanyk, p.g.a., Erica Lee, p.g.a.

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Saïd Taghmaoui, Jerome Flynn, Jason Mantzoukas, Tobias Segal, Borban Marjanovic, with Anjelica Huston and Ian McShane.

Time is a running theme in this third instalment of John Wick, building the pressure after Winston (Ian McShane), Manager of The Continental, New York makes John excommunicado (re-cap: The Continental being a hotel that’s a safe haven for assassins seeking sanctuary under the rule of the powerful organisation and international assassin’s guild, The High Table).

John has broken the one rule that cannot be broken: killing another assassin under the protection of The Continental.

Winston has given John one hour before the end of his protection leaving him exposed to an open contract sent to every assassin in the world; the bounty: 14 million dollars.

This is the consequence of John’s revenge.

All he wanted was peace. But for John to find peace, first he must make war.

I found myself immensely satisfied in the continuity of seeing John Wick in action, 10 minutes after the hanging end of John Wick 2.

The bones of the series continues here, with the same operators taking the same calls for the same organisation. But take that continuing thread and pull tighter.

The action here is phenomenal – I’d go as far as saying more entertaining and fiercer than the two before. I’m talking knives, hatchets and ninja moves.

Like the familiar Continental concierge, Cheron (Lance Reddick) says, ‘This is serious business’

It’s like watching the fight scenes live, Keanu going into four months of intensive training before shooting so he could fight the scenes himself. And he outdoes himself, again and again while retaining that incredibly likeable dry sense of humour.

Just when I felt myself start to loose focus, John Wick starts slapping a guy, another assassin appears out of the shadows, the dogs start attacking. And it’s all played-out in settings of old world charm filled with red velvet and ballerinas to the vibrant burnt orange sands of Morocco to the steaming streets of New York and artefacts set in glass creating a maze so the slash of samurai or the jab of a dagger splinters the glass or John just gets thrown through it.

Aside from the returning favourite characters (can’t forget Laurence Fishburne as reigning Bowery King) there’s new characters to build another dimension and give context to the man, John Wick: The Director (Anjelica Huston) who runs a school for assassins, hinting at John’s Romani past and Sofia (Halle Berry) from John’s origins, a fellow assassin (and the best role I’ve seen Halle Berry in years).

I’m such a fan of Asia Kate Dillon in the TV series, Billions, I was chuffed to see her cast here as The Adjudicator played with cold calculation as she deals out The High Table’s demands with predatory eyes.

So the action is ramped-up with gritty realism, and we get an expansion of the John Wick universe.

Look, some of the story gets a bit thin in places, but it’s so entertaining and the character John Wick is so likeable I was happy to let some of the dubious motivations slide.

I’m still reeling from those fight scenes that somehow managed to tap into that fight response fueling the experience with adrenaline. It’s just relentless, the hit after hit, I could feel the force as I laughed and cringed and grinned through all the blood and violence because it’s so hardcore it’s funny. On purpose.

Instant action-thriller classic.

The Realm (El Reino)

Rated: M

Directed by: Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Written by: Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen

Produced by: Gerardo Herrero, Mikel Lejarza, Mercedes Gamero

Starring: Antonio De La Torre, Mónica López, José María Pou, Nacho Fresneda, Ana Wagener, Bárbara Lennie, Luis Zahera, Francisco Reyes, María De Nati, Paco Revilla, Sonia Almarcha, David Lorente, Andrés Lima and Oscar De La Fuente.

Spanish with English subtitles

A fast-paced political thriller, The Realm follows Manuel López Vidal (Antonio De La Torre), a Party member who’s just been given the nod to become the next Party leader.

But when a fellow member becomes embroiled in allegations of corruption, the stain spreads as ‘Operation Amadeus’ uncovers the depth of corruption, including Manuel. Not only is his position under threat but his freedom and even his life.

There’s a lot going on in this film: the layers of character, relationships and Spanish politics.

The dialogue is non-stop with a soundtrack of techno beats as we follow the Party members with hand-held cameras to keep the pace sprinting. We follow behind Manuel, we follow him into the backseat of a car as the door closes, we see footage from an iPhone showing the Party members living The Life on the sunny deck of a boat as it speeds along the blue waters of their obvious success.

We see Manuel as he fights for his life, using everything he’s got.

The film slows down momentarily when Manuel meets with political journalist, Amaia Marín (Bárbara Lennie), making yet another deal, asking for her patience – they clink their glasses, ‘To patience’.

And there’s the patriarchal figure of the Party and regional head, José Luis Frías (José María Pou) who tries to give pause to the madness of politician trying to out-smart the other: when there’s silence, when a look is not returned, there’s a reason more important than one’s curiosity.

There are many characters, all trying to survive – the film washes over the depth of the many, focussing more on the individual, Manuel, on his intelligence, his family, his cunning.

The Realm shows the underbelly of Spanish politics, shining the light on those entrenched in back-hand dealings made in a government where corruption is the norm; where power protects power.

It took me a while to get absorbed into the pace of the film, to figure out exactly what was going on in the story or where the film was headed. But the confusion and complication are all part of the intrigue – there’s more to this film than a cerebral political thriller, like there’s more to politics than the game-playing of corrupt politicians.

The Hustle

Rated: M

Directed by: Chris Addison

Story by: Stanley Sharpiro & Paul Henning and Dale Launer

Screenplay by: Stanley Sharpiro & Paul Henning and Dale Launer and Jac Schaeffer

Produced by: Roger Birnbaum, Rebel Wilson

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson, Alex Sharp.

Loosely based on, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) starring Steve Martin, Michael Caine and Glenne Headly, The Hustle features two con-women: the low-brow Lonnie (Rebel Wilson) harking from Australia, and the high-class Josephine (Anne Hathaway) who’s decided to settle in the French Riviera where all the super-rich marks are just begging to be ripped off.

After conning her way through men willing to pay for her fake sister’s boob job, the ‘big-titted Russel Crowe’ decides to head to well, bigger waters.

Much to the disgust of super-snob Josephine, this con-woman from Cootamundra is muddying the pristine hunting ground she calls home: either she brings Lonnie in for training or Lonnie brings attention to her most obvious yet effective swindles, leaving any con exposed.

Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway make a good team as the snobby plum-in-the-mouth, skinny-girl-in-distress cover for the heartless con artist versus the crude and rude but gets the job done Aussie.

Rebel has still managed to win me over with her, I’m a bratful big-girl getting away with it because I’m adorable.

And we get some gems in the script, like, ‘You can’t cheat an honest man’ – the Danish gambling addict obviously not honest while trying to sell his wife’s precious jewels; he’s more a cross between a Nazi and Gollum a, ‘Nazi-Gollum.’

So there’s some funny moments and fresh ideas here, more than the reversal of genders in this re-make or refresh of a classic, con trying to out-con a fellow con.

Although, Steve Martin is hard to beat. I can’t tell you how many times I watched, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels growing up.

But The Hustle is a good bit of fun even if a bit light on the drama.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu

Rated: PG

Directed by: Rob Letterman

Story by: Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit and Nicole Perlman

Screenplay by: Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit and Rob Letterman and Derek Connolly

Based on: the “Detective Pikachu” video game developed by Creatures Inc.

Produced by: Mary Parent and Cale Boyter

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Rita Ora, Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy.

Based on the worldwide phenomenon of, Pokémon and video game, “Detective Pikachu”, this film literally features the beloved Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) wearing a detective hat.

Tim Goodman (Justice Smith, whom you’ll remember from, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)) lost his ambition to become a Pokémon Trainer when his mother died and his father, Detective Harry Goodman, moved away to Ryme City; a place where Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy) has created a city, not just with Pokémon living in it, but with humans and Pokémon working and living, side-by-side.

After finding out his father has gone missing, Tim travels to Ryme City to discover there’s more to his father’s past than he realised.

Junior journalist, Lucy (Kathryn Newton), with a nose for a good story, seeks the answers to Detective Goodman’s disappearance, only to find Tim without a Pokémon partner – ‘Why does everyone keep asking me that!’.

When a Pikachu appears in his father’s apartment, instead of the characteristic Pokémon stating their own name, like, “Psy-Duck. PSY-Duck?” Or in this case, “Pika Pika” – Tim can understand this mysterious Pikachu: this little guy is talkative, coffee addicted and a self-proclaimed detective.

So the somewhat lonely 21-year-old (not so much with Pikachu dancing on this shoulder), nosey journalist and talkative Pokémon investigate the mystery surrounding Tim’s father.

POKÉMON Detective Pikachu is a combination of animated puppets and live actors – the Pokémon critters brought to life so you just want to reach out and give Pikachu’s fur a scratch, setting his back-leg twitching.

The kids in the audience, ooo’d and ahh’d, particularly at the beginning and introduction into the world of Pokémon (and before the action ramped up): this is a kid movie.

I don’t know why I expected the humour to be more adult. Probably because Ryan Reynolds does the voice-over of Pikachu. And although the script doesn’t have that edgy satire I’ve grown used to from Reynold’s characters, this is brilliant casting as he voices some genuinely funny moments like Pikachu making decisions based on ‘feeling it in his jellies.’

There are many amusing moments like the Cubone baby with the bad temper reminding Tim’s best mate Jake (Karan Soni) – would have like more of this character in the film – of his mother. But the jokes were more of the PG variety: cute and sweet.

The action and effects ramp-up as the story progresses, giving the film some suspense and creating some drama with the hope Pikachu and his human, Tim, make it out of yet another scape. And we get the conflict between Tim and his father with the breakdown of their relationship after his mother died, and of course the romance between the two human investigators.

So, not the edgy clever I was hoping for, but we get the expected cuteness with some good laughs and action along the way.

Top End Wedding

Rated: M

Directed by: Wayne Blair

Written by: Joshua Tyler and Miranda Tapsell

Based on a Concept by: Miranda Tapsell, Joshua Tyler and Glen Condie

Produced by: Rosemary Blight, Kylie du Fresne, Kate Croser

Starring: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox and Huw Higginson.

I feel like I’m glowing after watching Top End Wedding – a blushing bride?! No, but when director Wayne Blair introduced the film he, said, ‘This is good energy.’

And I’ve got to say, I feel it.

Top End Wedding is a warm-hearted, funny movie about Lauren (Miranda Tapsell) who’s just made Associate at her law firm in Adelaide and Ned (Gwilym Lee), also a lawyer, but quits his job when he decides it’s wrong to indict a woman for stealing incontinence pads. And then offers her a tissue as she cries on the stand. Not for her incontinence but for her tears.

When Ned proposes, Lauren whole-heartedly says yes.

With only eleven days leave given by her ball-breaking, super-organised boss, Hampton (Kerry Fox), Lauren decides she wants to get married in Darwin. Her home town. Where her parents still live.

When Ned and Lauren arrive, they find:

Mum (Daffy, played by Ursula Yovich) has gone missing, leaving;

Dad (Trevor, played by Huw Higginson) a wreck and crying and hiding in the pantry, listening to music where eventually he says, ‘I can’t listen to anymore 80s chick music.’

Ned and Lauren’s relationship gets tested as the pressure of the wedding and family weighs on their shoulders. Yet, in the end. It’s all about coming home.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. And writer and lead Miranda Tapsell had a lot to do with the warmth and beauty of this story.

Producer, Rosemary Blight tells of Miranda wanting to do a romantic comedy: ‘I thought there’d be a whole lot more after The Sapphires and there’d be these feisty, funny Aboriginal screenplays. It didn’t happen. So I wrote it myself.’

There’s a great partnership here, between Miranda and director, Wayne Blair, both previous collaborators on the highly successful, The Sapphires (2012). All the parts work so well.

Top End Wedding feels like a down-to-earth film but there’s a lot of sophistication going here with the timing and segue of scenes and details like all the many different tribes of Aboriginals shown on a map of Australia as the couple travel across the country.

There’s beautiful scenery shot from: Darwin to Kakadu National Park, Katherine, Nitmiluk National Park also including the people of the Tiwi Islands dancing and singing, welcoming the audience into their world, onto their land.

And the soundtrack invites you in, the score from Antony Partos using the ukulele, mandolin and acoustic guitar, and pitched down acoustic guitar so it feels like you’ve been invited to sit around a camp fire.

But it’s the humour that got me – where a lump of sugar is dropped in a cup of tea despite the indecisiveness of an Englishman: do I or don’t I want that lump of sugar? Drop.

The bumbling Brit does OK: there’s nothing wrong with his ‘gum nuts’.

One of my favourite scenes is the golden light held in the air of a white wooden hall, ceiling fans slowly rotating high overhead as an 80s love song plays by a boy she hasn’t met, yet…

See, GLOWING.

What a gorgeous film. Loved it.

Long Shot

Rated: M

Directed by: Jonathan Levine

Screenplay by: Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah

Story by: Dan Sterling

Produced by: Charlize Theron, p.g.a., A.J. Dix, p.g.a., Beth Kono, p.g.a., Evan Goldberg, p.g.a., Seth Rogen, p.g.a., James Weaver, p.g.a.

Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, with Bob Odenkirk, and Alexander Skarsgård.

Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) has been in love with Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) since he was twelve years old.

Before she was Secretary of State, Charlotte was Fred Flarsky’s baby sitter.

They’ve both grown up since Charlotte wanted to save the planet and become School President; now, she’s campaigning to save the planet and become President of the United States.

Fred, with his gonzo journalistic style has just lost his job. He needs cheering up. Best friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) knows what he needs: a classy cocktail party featuring Boys To Men as the entertainment.

Suited-up in teal windbreaker (that he seems to have an attachment to) and tapered cargo pants, Fred happens to meet up with his crush, the now beautiful and powerful Charlotte.

She remembers him. She likes his writing. She decides (against the opinion of her Chief of Staff, Maggi (June Diane Raphael)) to hire Fred as her speech writer.

Long Shot is a rom-com so of course it’s the unlikely couple who fall for each other – the difference in this rom-com, the odd-couple fall for each other while on the campaign trail.

There’s this mix of Charlotte living the high life as a politician and the comedy of Seth Rogan as Fred, the goofy but still witty guy able to write a good speech while reminding Charlotte of her young self: the idealist.

‘I am not nuking a tsunami,’ she states.

Most of the time, the film’s a silly bit of fluff.

There’s some classic comedy with Fred wearing an outfit that looks like, ‘Captain Crunch’s Grindr date.’ But then the film gets romantic, the shift from comedy to romance obvious when the soundtrack starts with, ‘One way. Or another. I’m gonna git ya, git, ya, git, ya…’

It didn’t quite gel right for me.

Charlize Theron as Charlotte is gorgeous in this film – her allure, as always, cool and controlled.

Sure, Fred breaks down this barrier as part of the romance, getting the Secretary of State to chill out, get wasted and fall in love.

And we get an appearance from Alexander Skarsgård (I’m really becoming a fan of this guy) showing his comic genius as the Canadian Prime Minister.

But the mix of romance and politics wasn’t always a success.

Avengers: Endgame

Rated: M

Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Screenplay by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Based on: ‘The Avengers’ by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Produced by: Kevin Feige

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin.

Running time: 181 minutes.

Now we can talk about the ending of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), we’re left with half of all living creatures still here, and the other half disintegrated into ash and gone… With the snap of Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) fingers.

Thanos believed the ones left would thrive. The ones left did not. They could remember. They could grieve.

Endgame (Anthony and Joe Russo returning to direct this final instalment) is a last stand. Again.

Like the fans walking out of the cinema after watching Infinity War, the Avengers left refuse to accept that the ones they love have gone.

It’s an emotive adaptation.

And one that cuts close with the recent loss of creator, Stan Lee.

So the final instalment and conclusion has an added echo, almost from the man himself (cameo included – peace to you too, Stan).

There are so many characters here, that without a bit of background, the final instalment wouldn’t pack the same punch without some prior knowledge. Particularly the previous film (part-one), Infinity War.

I admit I haven’t gotten around to seeing Captain Marvel (2019), but I was able to take this new character, Carol Danvers (Lee Pace) along with the rest of the Avengers story.

But yeah, it’s emotional with Natalie AKA Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) telling Captain America (Chris Evans), ‘This’ll work Steve.’

The Cap replying, ‘I know it will because I don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t.’

Even though I’m not a huge fan it’s hard not to get attached to at least some of the characters – hey, there’s enough of them.

Yet the number of characters is handled well – like all the Avenger films.

It’s a long journey (181 minutes), but it’s worthwhile with the action ramping up later in the film to match the emotion of the drama.

I was more impressed with the risk and shock of part-one, Infinity War – the franchise needing a good shake-up.

Here, it’s more about tying off the threads of lines that were left to unravel, to come full circle giving the audience a life-affirming conclusion, a softer landing, I guess: a little like landing on Thors’ new, well-padded belly.

Missing Link

Rated: PG

Directed by: Chris Butler.

Screenplay by: Chris Butler

Produced by: Arianne Sutner, p.g.a., Travis Knight, p.g.a.

Voices by: Hugh Jackman, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Zach Galifianakis, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana, Amrita Acharia, Ching Valdes-Aran, Emma Thompson.

Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is a seeker of mythical beasts. All he wants in life is to be accepted into the Optimates Club – a society where he feels he belongs, working alongside those who discover and shape the world.

But really, it’s the ‘world that shapes us,’ Sir Lionel discovers, going on to say, ‘Someone should write that down.’ Ha-ha, I laugh, while writing the quote in my trusty notebook.

This is an amusing tale, from a giant footprint to a man-sized shoeprint, Sir Frost’s quest takes him on a journey to find the one who made that giant footprint, making a wager with Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) that he’ll prove the existence of the sasquatch (Zach Galifianakis), to find the missing link of the evolution of ape to man.

If Sir Frost wins the wager and can prove the existence of the sasquatch, Lord Piggot-Dunceby agrees to apologise for his disbelief and Sir Frost would finally be accepted into the club of Most Notable Men.

The film is made using stop-animation, explained in the production notes as, ‘The manipulation of physical objects in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they appear to exhibit independent motion when played back in sequence. In practice, the animator moves the object, takes a picture, moves the object, takes a picture, and so on.’

The characters, puppets made from 3D printers and foam and any number of techniques, are exaggerated to give the puppets’ faces personality like the hooked nose of villain, Stenk (Timothy Olyphant) hired to take Sir Frost out of the exploring game and the apelike countenance of Mr Link used to off-set the human characteristics of being able to write and speak English.

The LAIKA animators photographed the stop-motion puppets 24 frames per second, turning the inanimate into characters with emotion – the exasperation of side-kick Mr. Lemuel Lint (David Walliams) shown in the half-lidded blink of an eye before getting, ‘mauled by a lake-monster’; Nessie coaxed out of hiding by a blast of bagpipes.

The humour of the taking-everything-literally, Mr Link didn’t always hit the mark for me. But as the film continued, the story and setting of the journey of Mr Link and Sir Frost, seeking others of the sasquatch kind – like the Yeti – evolved (ha-ha) with the addition of widow and once close acquaintance of Sir Frost, the fiery Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana).

On the journey to Tibet to find Mr. Link’s distant cousins (the Yetis) we get Mr. Link naming himself Susan and mimicking a chicken who cannot be acknowledged, tickling as a granny Tibetan gesticulates with the demented chook perched on her head: hilarious.

Being a family film, I took my nephew along to enjoy together and to see if he liked the film – my nephew claiming the film deserved a 4.1/5.

Watching as an adult, I found plenty of humour to enjoy as well, thinking more 3.5, so I’m a splitting the difference and giving Missing Link, 3.7/5.

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