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Reviews
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Don't trust fancy strangers that you might meet in the woods!!
This is a family adventure film based on the book and probably not suitable for really younger children as there are some scary scenes. The film is about a little girl who stumbles upon a magical world in a wardrobe that is ruled by a witch which might be evil.
I would say I enjoyed everything about this film, but especially the witch character (Tilda Swinton). She is the best because she appears good, but also has a darker side too. I also liked the way they created the animals with CGI.
The film is rather long and younger children might find it too much.
It is a good type of film because of the way it was made, but it is also rather slow in places. I liked the music, especially when the children go to Aslan's camp. On the whole, the film had a good musical texture and fitted the scenes well. The sound of the main battle scene was also well done. You will probably like this film if you are a young child and into this sort of adventure film and liked the book.
It's also quite fun to point out the parts that don't quite fit from the book too!
I learnt not to trust fancy strangers that you might meet in the woods!
Review by Mattie A. (Age 11 yrs.)
The Maze Runner (2014)
Maze Runner
The author of the film Maze Runner, James Dashner made more books then movies in The Maze Runner. This film has elements of horror, suspenseful and a bit futuristic and a thriller.
The people of the Glade are trapped in the Maze and have been trying to find a way out for three years. Then the actor Dylan O'Brian comes in and saves the day and helps them find a way out! There occurred a couple of deaths but they eventually got over it.
I personally like when actor Dylan O'Brian and Min Ho go into the Maze and kill a Griever and find a way out and go back to gather everybody, just because it was so suspenseful. Even though I have seen the film quite a lot of times it is still my favourite part.
My least favourite part is when they find a way out and find a lab and one of the actors dies, because they were one of my favourite characters and the ending was a bit too quick, and a bit boring in my opinion. I feel like I didn't have much time to understand what was happening.
In my opinion the style of the film is that it was quite dark and weird at the beginning, it kind of felt like you were in there with them. I like how they made the Grievers half flesh and half mechanical, it was just so interesting. I personally like how they made the sound effects on the Grievers. This part really made the film just a tad bit better.
I personally like how they made the sound effects on the Grievers.
At the end of this film it leaves you on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I would recommend the other two films 'The Scorch Trials' and 'The Death Cure'. I would definitely recommend this film because of the graphics and it is just a film that I think most people would like.
The main characters think they are free but when you watch it, you almost just know that they might not be safe or free just yet. I learnt that just because you find a way out doesn't mean that you are necessarily free...!!
(Review by Bea N. - 12 yrs.)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
The non biased review!!
The story line was of particular interest, for example, these 2 titans, Godzilla and Kong, are very popular in that they haven't fought in an extremely long period of time. I had seen the film before, but, I wanted to give it a rewatch to review it.
The movie felt somewhat like clips of something bigger. The director did say that there was more fortage to make a second film. I enjoyed the build up but it felt slightly rushed. There could've been a time skip or perhaps the film could've been longer. The sound effects were great and they never tried to cut unless it was required. The SFX were incredible and the detailing was excellent.
I would recommend this film but you might get criticism front the main fan base if starting form the 'Legendary Era' (2014-2024). The 1954 film is a good starting point, then 2002, then 2003 and 2004 because they take place in the same time line. So, the 2021 film is more of a random choice for fans.
I went into the film forgetting everything from previous, but enjoyed the detailing and some of the additional information I gained from watching it again. I learnt that you have to immerse yourself in the film.
I would also recommend this film as a follow up; Shin Godzilla (2016), plus the films listed earlier in that order.
Review by Raphael K. (12 yrs.)
Oppenheimer (2023)
Amazing special effects and more!
'Oppenheimer' is a film about the development of the atomic bomb from the perspective of Robert Oppenheimer, the creator of it. It made me think about how unfairly he was treated by the US government after they got what they wanted. Emotionally, when I was watching it I was very sad for Oppenheimer when the government threw him under the bus! The idea of the government betraying him after they had gotten everything they wanted resonated with me. The main aspects of the film that I enjoyed are; WW2, CGI, VFX. Overall the film seems to be saying that the US Government is more powerful than a man. The best part would be the CGI visuals when they detonate the bomb. I would recommend this film as it has an extremely well written plot and amazing special effects, especially the atomic bomb special effects!
Review by James F. (14 yrs.)
The Minimalists: Less Is Now (2021)
"We either change by design or by disaster!"
This is a really good documentary based in America about minimalism and 'stuffitis'. 'Stuffitis' is a type of 'disease', it comes from when you hoard a lot of items and how people buy too many items when they don't need them! I suffer from it a little bit, not too much but a little bit. I have not a lot of stuff but not nothing either. The best part of the film was when they were talking about 'stuffitus' because it was very interesting. How an average person can have that much stuff!
The film was well edited and used really good angles. My favourite quote from the film was "We either change by design or by disaster" because I am a designer and sometimes designs can be a disaster!! I would definitely recommend this film. It is well explained about 'stuffitus' and minimalism.
Review by Ammar Al-M. (age 11 yrs.)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema (2022)
More interesting than the actual film!
This short film gives us a look into the behind the scenes of Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio and shows us how they made the film using stop-motion animation and minimal use of CGI.
My favourite part of the film was when we were shown the different sized puppets for different scenes, like the massive Pinocchio so that the shots with The Cricket were to scale.
I would recommend others to watch the actual film before this short film of the making of the movie, but I personally found this film more interesting and entertaining than the actual movie!
I learnt more about stop-motion and the amount of time and hard-work put into these animated films. Something interesting I learnt was the different types of puppets; for example Gepetto was a mechanical puppet and had to rely on his heavy features (brows, beard etc.) to portray his emotions, while Pinocchio had a different replaceable face for every expression!
Frankie B. (16 yrs.)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
Dramatic and Dark Version of Pinocchio
After losing his beloved son, Gepetto builds a puppets, which is named Pinocchio and brought to life by The Spirit. Pinocchio learns to navigate the world during the time of The Great War, as he names friends and foes.
The film was made using stop-motion animation, which is used by taking pictures of models in different positions to make a video where it looks like the figures are moving, the same style as the works of Aardman Animators.
My favourite part of this film was when a bomb blows up the Youth Camp. I found it humorous and entertaining in the way the scene was animated, although I probably shouldn't have laughed as much as I did at a scene that was supposed to be upsetting!
My least favourite part was during the start of the film which I found a bit slow and boring. I didn't think the song, which Gepetto sang to his son Carlos and reminisced on the times they'd spend together, was catchy and the whole montage was very forgettable to me.
For a rather dramatic and dark film, the upbeat nursery rhyme type songs about bubblegum and pooping didn't really fit. They were catchy and added humor but I think every musical is an opportunity to have some great numbers.
I didn't think the film was anything special or memorable and it was not any more impressive than most films. I do think my opinion can be swayed after watching the 'behind the scenes' film though, as I appreciate the hard work that has gone into this certainly entertaining film after seeing how it was made. But I doubt I would ever go out of my way to recommend it.
I learnt more about the original Pinocchio book, rather than the Disney adaptations by watching this film. I also learnt a bit more about The Great War, and Italy's president of the time!
Frankie (16 yrs.)