REVIEW: The Secret Life of Pets (U)

The Secret Life of Pets is the latest offering from Minions/Despicable Me production team Illumination Entertainment. Proving that they don't just do Minions well, The Secret Life of Pets is a cute, funny adventure movie in a similar premise to Toy Story but with... Pets. Before the film starts we are treated to a Minions short which is quite funny. Then it's time for the movie...

Pets, as I'll now shorten it to, features main mutt Max, adored by his owner Katie and has a cushy life in a high rise flat in Manhattan, New York. When Katie goes to work, the pets get up to a variety of activities and hang out together at various places. Consisting mainly of dogs and cats - apparently they can live together - the pets also include budgies, fish, Guinea pigs and tortoises. Max's world is turned upside down though when Katie (ever the dog lover) brings home another dog she found at the pound. Looking like a doggy Chewbacca, this huge doggy soon takes over the flat, mainly because he's quite large. Duke, as he is known, is immediately on the wrong side of Max and tensions flare.

Max manages to get the better of Duke and ends up blackmailing him to behave, and when they are out for a walk with a dog walker Max asks... Nay demands Duke to get him a stick. Duke entices Max to go over with him and they get separated from the other dogs. As they do, the world of New York opens to them and sends them both on an adventure to get back home.

There is a stunning array of characterised animals in this movie, and, as Max and Duke head deeper into the city, we find stray animals that are adorable but evil, sinister and even ugly. However the movies strength is that the actions of the animals really fit with how they would probably act in real life. The scene stealer - megalomaniac, evil but oh-so-cut bunny Snowball (voices amazingly by Kevin Hart) is a joy to watch and the supporting cast do a good job too. What I found, personally, was that the movie did well at developing these animals but the least time was spent on Max and Katie themselves which felt kind of strange. It was kinda a bit at the beginning and a but at the end for them.

Featuring some amazing animation (the water looks so real I almost went to get a towel) and the furs of the animals were realistic too, this show how far computer animation has gone since the mind blowing, forward thinking of Toy Story way back when. The soundtrack is really good too with a sweet power pop tune heralding the start and an interesting interpretation of a song from Grease.  

Overall this movie was very good and I really enjoyed it. It was a little slow in places and some tweaks here and there would have made it awesome but as it is it's a really enjoyable film and will make you think twice before you leave your little fur baby at home to go to work.

POPSCORE: 8/10

What am I talking about? The Secret Life of Pets movie
Where can I find out more? http://www.thesecretlifeofpets.co.uk/
If you liked this try: Disney's Bolt, Minions, Despicable Me, All Dogs Go To Heaven

Anything else?

If you look carefully on the back of the bus towards the end of the movie (on the bridge) there is an advertisement for the next movie Sing
I can't be sure but I think that later in the movie there is a scene with a garden gnome in it - this is remarkably similar to the one that is featured in the Minions short before the movie.

REVIEW: Kingsman : The Secret Service (15)

In 2015, the day of baddies dressed in garish colours plotting to rule the world has but all been forgotten. It's been a long time since the big bad guy captured the hero, plonked him in a certain death trap that was impossible to escape and then proceeded to tell the hero his intricate world domination plans. It's been a long, long time since the hero conveniently escapes from certain death and foils the megalomaniac bad guy at the last minute.  Here you have the old school spy movie.

Nowadays in the name of Bond and Bourne, they are gritty realistic heroes and fight dirty, drink from the bottle and are injured, scarred and mentally affected - but still get the girl and save the world. Here you have the modern day, nu skool version.

It's a dangerous thing to look back at those old movies and attempt to recreate them because I believe they were a product of the time. This has tried to be done with Mortdecai, the recent release starring Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow, and from what I've heard it didn't work out too well. However, I still have yet to see the movie and refrain from making any judgement of it until I have seen it. The last time it was done well was Mike Myers' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery - and that was a spoof; a parody if you will.

So where does that leave Kingsman? Well they certainly pay homage to the Bond's of old (as well as a number of other spy shows and movies) but put a spin on it to make it very contemporary. Although there are a couple of nods to these movies and films, as they clearly state in the movie - it's not one of those type of movies. 

The movie starts with a fantastic credit sequence which brings us to some dusty desert where Galahad (Colin Firth) is quizzing a terrorist with his elite spy team. One of the team realises that the terrorist has a bomb strapped to his chest and jumps on top of him - shielding the blast from his teammates. Both the spy and terrorist die, but Galahad survives and escapes with his team. Cut to a small boy and his mother and Galahad visiting them. As the film moves on we realise that the spy killed in action is the father of the main character Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton) who's nickname is Eggsy and is referred to as such through the whole film. Galahad hands Eggsy's mother a trinket which she declines and instead gives it to Eggsy. The trinket is a necklace with a phone number on the back. Galahad says he owes the family a favour since his father saved him and the team, and will return the favour.

We find that Galahad is actually a Kingsman - who are all named after the Knights of the Round Table and his real name is Harry Hart. The boss of the Kingsman spies is codenamed Arthur (Michael Caine) and they are elite secret agents who serve and protect Queen and country.

One day, when he is older, Eggsy finds himself heading to prison as his life wasn't going too good. Mum has moved on from Dad and is in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic step father and even worse step brothers.  Then he takes someone elses car for a joyride and is arrested. He phones the number on the necklace he has been wearing for the last few years and gets off scott free. Meanwhile there is a vacancy in the Kingsmen as spy Lancelot was killed by a mysterious lady with blades for feet when he was trying to save a university professor (Star Wars' Mark Hamill) who had been kidnapped.

Cue Galahad appearing to recruit Eggsy for the Kingsman ranks - resplendent in a bulletproof suit, guns, grenades - and an umbrella. Blade lady is working for Richmond Valentine, an evil computer billionaire bent on taking over the world. Samuel L. Jackson makes a welcome appearance as the garishly dressed colour-coded villain who is more a genius than  a soldier.

The movie is well made with a good turn from all the acting talent that has been employed within the movie. Special effects are spot on and the soundtrack and cinematography is great too. Firth is brilliant in the role of the John Steed-esque Galahad and little known actor Egerton plays the chav Eggsy and the Kingsman Eggsy remarkably well - though when he was wearing glasses for some scenes didn't fit quite right with me.

The movie itself moves along at a great pace and is well written. The dialogue is suitably contemporary and there is a notable shift in dialogue from when Eggsy and his contemporaries are talking in their West End council estate to the RP and suaveness of the Kingsman spies.

I really enjoyed this film, as I love my Bond movies, but I think anyone who likes a good action adventure would love this too. The only real issue is that it has an awful lot of swearing in it - it's reflective of real life and gives it that little bit of kudos, but if younger viewers will be watching then it may not be suitable for them - discretion advised.

I recommend to go and see this - it's an old school spy movie with nu skool values and is very entertaining to boot. Kingsman : The Secret Service is out now and is rated 15.

POPSCORE:  8/10

 

 

What am I talking about? Kingsman: The Secret Service movie

How do I find out more? http://www.kingsmanmovie.com/
If you liked this try... Mortdecai (2015), any James Bond movie pre-Daniel Craig, any of the Austin Powers movies, The Avengers (60's TV series but please avoid the 90's movie!)

Anything else?
The song as the credits roll is TAKE THAT - GET READY FOR IT which is out on single now and features on their latest album III. This is their third soundtrack song in recent memory. They also had tracks for two other recent movies - LOVE LOVE for X-Men: First Class and, of course, RULE THE WORLD for Stardust.