I’m touching myself tonight… Said every geek: Deadpool is here!

Ryan Reynolds is back (or not back? I dunno… He was Deadpool but then he’s not but is…?) as Marvel’s hilarious, ass kicking, fourth wall breaking super hero! 

Now, I am writing this purely subjectively; I do not know very much about the character, I have not read one of his comics. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you could say that Deadpool was introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine played by Ryan Reynolds. Where his portrayal was funny and probably a highlight of the movie, critics and fans alike found this on screen debut of the character, left a bad taste in the mouth; like a testicle with teeth.  

Not exactly jumping from the comic book, is he?

Anyhow, the potential for a stand alone Deadpool movie seemed unlikely after the flop in X Men Origins. Apparently, the idea was tossed around here and there, with scripting and casting trouble etc. It wasn’t until some very interesting on set photos emerged some months ago that I actually believed it was happening! And the trailer has only made my thirst for Deadpool greater! Damn, he’s just so badass… 

 I am guessing that the creation of Deadpool in the X Men Universe is counteracted by the events that took place in Days of Future Past, where the events of the five films all post 1980 were made apparently mute. Maybe this explains how we now have a new Deadpool origin story? Fingers crossed.

I saw the red band trailer in all it’s high profile goriness and this makes me happy as a fan; unaware of what to expect, I can appreciate that the Deadpool comic’s are very violent, so why shouldn’t his cinematic story be the same? It’s good to see Reynolds quick wit hasn’t left Wade and this film could almost be viewed as a comedy! Either way, from the stunts to the humour, from the costume to the actors, this film looks pretty damn good! It’ll be nice to see something a bit less Marvel Disney and a bit more Marvel mature! Thumbs up from this guy; oh yeah… I’m touching myself tonight and I’m sure that every other Marvel fan is too…

This will give the parents nightmares! The Park is Open…

Fourteen years after the last Dino-mayhem outing, the Jurassic Park franchise welcomes in its fourth instalment in June: Jurassic World! This hotly anticipated sequel is said to be the beginning of a possible new trilogy; starring Chris Pratt (Her, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Bryce Dallas Howard (Twilight, Spider-Man 3). I always wanted to do a blog post on Jurassic Park; GOD IT’S JUST SO AWESOME! and am a HUGE fan of the original film, so when the latest trailer was released today, I couldn’t resist. Now, the still successful sequel The Lost World, was a little blergh for me and Jurassic Park III was entertaining but strayed from what made the franchise in the first place.   

A quick bit of info for the uneducated in Michael Crichton’s novel turned film quadrilogy. A wealthy entrepreneur named John Hammond (Richard Attenborough; RIP) sets up a new tourist attraction in the shape of a theme park, housing newly developed dinosaurs, genetically modified and grown from ancient fossilised DNA. Before his park can be given the green light, he enlists the help of Palaeontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neil) and Ellie Sattler (Larua Dern) to endorse the project and ensure investor confidence. Once upon the island, an employee of the park attempts to steal the DNA to sell to a rival company, unable to figure out the science of the dinosaur’s creation. Unfortunately, the security systems shut down, all the dinosaurs are set loose, a lot of people die and it is up to all three characters above to ensure the safety of the survivors. It stormed cinema’s in 1993 and has been a global success ever since, spawning two sequels; however in these sequels, there was an ongoing theme: the island’s to which the dinosaur’s inhabit are desolate, and no human resides there, the animals having free reign and the Costa Rican Government ensuring no human goes near them (doing a bad job). Jurassic World is different. 

Nearly a decade and a half later, Jurassic Park is finally up and running successfully and has been for the past 10 years, pulling in customers and tourists all over the world, just as John Hammond had envisioned. But people are becoming less than complaisant; the T-Rex is samey, the Triceratops is boring and the Pteranadon… meh? So to spark attendance for the park, now titled “Jurassic World”, the scientists decide to genetically design and create an entirely new breed of dinosaur. Yeah… er, bad idea? The Indominus Rex is supposedly designed to best even the fan favourite: the Tyrannosaurus Rex and I am guessing that if we see a showdown between these two in the film and the I-Rex wins… people may not be too happy. Particularly after Jurassic Park III where the Spinosaurus quite easily kicked the T-Rex’s butt, much to many a cinema-goer’s dismay. So naturally, the Indominus Rex escapes with it’s superior intellect, but this time there are 20,000 tourists stranded on the island. Oh…

So! The kids are still in danger, the dinosaurs still escape and there is going to be a lot of screaming; so what is new? I am not too sure what to think about the new dynamic to which the Velociraptor’s have with Chris Pratt’s character Owen Grady, who claims not to have “tamed” them but to have built a mutual respect thing, like they have a relationship. The Velociraptor’s are by far, my favourite and they are damn terrifying, especially in the original. Here, they seem to be “good” guys? Or at least seen to help Grady track down the Indominus Rex… Hmm… These are animals right? Albeit incredibly intelligent animals, but like Grady says, “they need to eat and hunt”. Just because I need to get a football out of the tree, I don’t all of a sudden WhatsApp a squirrel to go and get it for me, you know? Awful analogy I know, but you get my point. I just hope that they kick a bit of ass in this film and bring back some of that terror.

Once again, the Pterosaurs are back; they had a decent bit of plot in Jurassic Park III and I am still on the fence as to whether I like them or not? But one thing that is definitely new, is the Mosasaur! A sea dwelling gargantuan of a creature that feeds primarily on sharks apparently. Under the sea dinosaurs have not been attempted before on screen in the movies (although alluded to, at the beginning of Jurassic Park III) and it is about time that they made an appearance, as it certainly adds a freshness to what audiences can expect with it not all being T-Rex this and Stegosaurus that.

By the trailer alone, it appears that a lot of innocent people are going to be in danger in comparison to where it has been just a handful; that prospect is truly terrifying, after all they are on an island? This gives the grander scale of threat much more prominence than felt before and I think this will make the film considerably more entertaining to watch.

Oh! So it seems that Dr Henry Wu is back (B.D Wong) and one quick comment: “Man, you were there in Jurassic Park and that screwed up? Why the hell are you back for more”? Enough said.

Filmed on location in Hawaii, just like Park, this film is definitely set to be awesome and the visuals are much larger, scarier and more impressive than we’ve ever seen before. Despite my nit-picks, I am so excited to see this film and I have faith that it won’t be a flop… Hopefully! After all; life finds a way.

Read on and Prosper!

The Force is Strong with this One! The Force Awakens!

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens has recently seen the release of it’s second trailer and it seemed the internet exploded like the proverbial Death Star! It appeared not just geeks and nerds (like myself) were in a state of Chewbecca induced frenzy, but people of all ages were talking about Star Wars in schools and offices once again!

A life long Star Wars fan, upon the announcement of a new Star Wars film, I thought that maybe this old cow had been sufficiently milked enough. I was satisfied with the franchises ethos as it was and weren’t sure as to whether I could welcome in a new chapter upon the emotional closure of Episode III. And then J.J Abrams signed on and George Lucas signed out. I loved J.J Abrams take on Star Trek, making the campy 60’s show look grittier, violent and more mature. Would he bring this kind of attitude to Star Wars? I hope so! With CGI down to a minimum and practical effects promised to be an all time high for the new trilogy, it is reported that the vision for the new series is to make it more comparable to Episodes IV, V, VI. Good! The sleekness and shininess of the over computer generated Episodes I, II, III sometimes made it feel like it truly was in a galaxy far, far away!

Like the initial trailer released back in December of 2014, the opening shot is of the dessert. Not exactly enticing and a bit samey… and then as my eyes adjusted to the tiny screen of my mate’s phone in his car (he’d pulled over just to watch it), I realised what eclipsed the skyline:  a gargantuan Star Destroyer, crashed and abandoned, protruding from the sand dunes. I literally said “oh wow”. I know a few clever IT savvy people had Photoshopped their own art and I remember seeing something similar to this a few months ago, but what a sight! A truly impressive and humbling set of visuals; plus it makes me feel old upon the realisation that Star Wars Episode VI was a long time ago… not in a galaxy far far away.

Along with the melted remnants of Lord Vader’s helmet, the passing of Luke Skywalker’s (formerly Anakin Skywalker’s) lightsaber, seen in the original and prequel trilogies and R2D2 glistening against the flames of an unknown burning object, the reality of this iconic world of Jedi and far away planets began to sink in. It’s back! Subtle design changes to the villainous Storm Troopers, Tie Fighters, X-Wings and original actor’s costumes are a nice little treat and it’s comforting to hope that the producers of this film know what they are doing and are not to overhaul the whole thing to make something entirely new. There has to be that link or it wouldn’t feel like Star Wars at all.

Kylo Ren, the new Sith Lord on the scene, seems to lead the newly reformed Empire on a chaotic and vengeful vendetta against the rest of the galaxy. The new galactic soldiers seem to look considerably more menacing that ever before and maybe they’ll actually hit something with their guns this time instead of being the worst shots in the scifi universe. This whole trailer pays a respectful homage to the original trilogy and that only makes the anticipation for it’s December release all the more intense!

With new droids in the form of the adorable and impressively designed BB-8, new triple bladed lightsabers and chrome troopers, this vague but beautifully edited trailer makes Star Wars seem more prominent than ever! I am so excited and I hope you guys are too! And as the screen fades from black to Han Solo and Chewbecca on the Millennium Falcon… Well that did it. Star Wars has made, once again, an impact on international culture and it’s not even out yet! I can already see t-shirts proudly printed “Chewie… We’re home”! So go and watch the trailer and don’t forget to read on and prosper!