Life on the rails, a traveler's story

I started this blog with the idea that I’d fill it with my thoughts on film and TV, but this trip was just too fun to then not write about it. But before I begin, I should probably catch up with some of the films I haven’t written about yet:

Spiderman Homecoming- This goes down as the second-best Spiderman film but shows Marvel at its very best. Tom Holland solidifies himself as the best Peter Parker however, and as a worthy Avenger. 8/10

Dunkirk- Where this is a very different film for Nolan to have made, it is still a fantastic war film that is most certainly more than it says on the tin. With brilliant performances all round and Oscar worthy sound editing, Christopher Nolan proves to us that he can direct and create any form of film be it sci fi, action or war. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a rom com and came out with critical praise. 8/10

Now the films have been dealt with I can talk of how this trip came to be. All it took was a few pints and Ciaran to say, “Jacob you should come too” to persuade me! After the planning sessions were finished and the tickets were bought I was both parts excited and nervous to travel on my own for the first time before meeting Ciaran. Having two weeks with the family at our house in the south of France preceding our travels was a lovely chilled time with plenty of wine. Side note, wine in France is as unbelievably cheap as it is unbelievably delicious so if you do want to take some home do not fly! Take the ferry and drive to maximise what you can take home!

At the end of our two weeks, I flew from Toulouse to Geneva to begin my trip. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any time to stay in Switzerland but it has its pros and cons. Pros, the sights are jaw dropping. Riding my train to Zurich and being able to witness the glory that was Lake Geneva and the mountains surrounding it was sublime. Cons, it is VERY expensive! Paying 7 Swiss Francs for a wrap was a shock to say the least so if I ever do find myself in Switzerland for an extended amount of time I will make sure I can afford somewhere to eat and sleep (more on the prices of Swiss Franc later). Arriving in Zurich, I gave myself some time to sit, eat and sort out where I was going to find my sleeper train to Budapest. I can comfortably say that my time on that train was the most uncomfortable 10 hours of my life. Spending only 3 hours asleep, I met Ciaran looking like a dead man. Having also been quite sick, which was what made the whole experience that more unpleasant, I had no appetite whatsoever, so on an empty stomach we walked to our hostel. Ciaran had previously informed me that this was a party hostel and that sounded cool, but these guys took the definition of ‘party hostel’ very seriously. The people who worked at the hostel would spend every night going out and getting steaming drunk to then getting up the next day and start the drinking from 10. Retox, as was the apt name of the hostel, was a haven for diversity. With the hostel being predominantly dominated by Australians, this was still the most diverse hostel we stayed at. With guests coming from the UK, France, Israel, America and many more, both Ciaran and I met some fascinating characters. To give one of many examples, an Argentinian lad was traveling his way across Europe and finishing in Warwick where he is doing his masters in international relations! There were some truly intriguing individuals in Budapest and this was a sign, that the rest of the trip would be filled with more travellers. Each with their own unique stories.

Bats or Stars? You tell me!

The city of Budapest itself is gorgeous and two nights was certainly not enough time to experience it all! We did visit the thermal baths however and my oh my was it the most relaxed I’ve been for a while. With the baths both indoor and outdoor, you can soak up both the heat from the sunshine as well as the heat from the bath water. Finishing with the hottest sauna known to man I challenge anyone who is suffering from stress, or a really bad hangover, to spend a few hours there and to then walk out not completely relaxed.

Paralleling that morning with the evening that transpired was quite the turn around. Starting the drinking with the beer bike and finishing with a boat party, it was a real change of setting from the preceding morning. Where I can say boat parties aren’t a first, the beer bike certainly was and with fourteen out of the sixteen passengers attending, this resulted in all participants pulling that much more weight, both in the respect of drinking AND pedalling.

Where both of us were feeling a little run down after Budapest, Vienna vitalised our collective systems. It was by far my favourite location. The food, the drink, the architecture, the fact you can walk a lot of it! I’ll start with the galleries, as we were both looking for some form of culture to appreciate so why not start with art? The Albertina and the Kunst Histories Museum were the two we visited and what a range of art there was. The first focusing on Monet and Picasso, with other sections on the history of the Albertina itself. Receiving its name from the owner of the collection housed in the palace, Duke Albert, who had a line to Austrian royalty due to the fact he was a son in law to Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. Upon receiving its name in 1805, it has always housed collections of fine art. The Kunst had more of a focus on antiquities, but with the most extensive collection of Ruben’s work it was hard not to be awestruck by the grandeur of his work. Combining this with a nice bit of Greek, Roman and Egyptian history, this was a great day. What could have made it better? Only stumbling onto a street food market complete with its own outdoor cinema! Ciaran was adamant on eating here, and so was I. My decision was further cemented by the fact I saw a stand selling “GIN AND PRAWNS”. Pairing gin with prawns with an outdoor cinema showing an orchestra perform some of the most iconic movie soundtracks was a phenomenal experience and was made even better by the fact we just stumbled onto it without any prior knowledge. Best night of the trip. Hands down.

The next day, Ciaran had the unique idea of walking across Lichtenstein. Not only would this cross another country off our lists, but it would also provide us with sights of the European countryside in comparison all the cities we’d been getting used to and I must say, it’s a place where I can see myself living once I (if I ever get to) retire. Pictures cannot do it justice. With clear skies, the sun shining and the only noise disturbing the peace coming from the odd passing car, it was easy to feel at one with the environment of Lichtenstein. We then took this to the next level by having a wash in the River Rhine. Coming straight from the Swiss Alps, this water was pristine in colour and was the most refreshing wash of the trip. Yes, it beat the shower after my night train to Budapest. That day, we visited 3 countries. Austria, Lichtenstein and Switzerland so that we could get our train from Buchs back to Vienna. This then brings me back to the price of the Swiss Franc. To set the scene, Pulp Fiction had become a thing we’d regularly quote and after sampling plenty of burgers the line “Mhm, that is a tasty burger!” from Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules became consistently relevant. That line goes hand-in-hand with the more famous line from Vincent Vega after being asked what do they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Europe, to which he states “They ain’t got the metric system so they don’t know what the fuck a quarter pounder is … They call it Royale with cheese.” To then not get a Royale with cheese would be sacrilege, so Ciaran had set himself the task of buying one if there was a MacDonald’s in Buchs. Lo and behold we spot the golden arches, and Ciaran goes to say the magic words. Remember how much one wrap cost me? Well for Ciaran’s Royale with Cheese meal, it cost him the equivalent of £15! You know what they say about meeting your heroes, sometimes your favourite movie quotes shouldn’t be lived. I can personally recommend not going to unsuspecting boys, hoping their name is Luke, and declaring that you are their actual father. Doesn’t end well.

Getting back on track, we embarked on the long journey from Vienna to Krakow. It was there we met with Lisa and Alan, Ciaran’s mum and her boyf, and to change the feel of the trip we stayed in an Airbnb rather than a hostel! It was a true luxury for us both. Again, this was a beautiful and vibrant city with something always going on but much of the sights we saw were outside of Krakow. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is not your ordinary mine. It’s over 300 metres deep, and after its decommission a chapel was constructed inside the mine with all the carvings, statues and alter all being made from salt! I suppose it would defeat the purpose and significance of the mine if any other substances were to be used in the creation of this place of worship!

To parallel portions of the salt mines being turned into beautiful pieces of art for the bewilderment of others, we couldn’t not go to Krakow and not do one of the world’s most infamous landmarks. I am of course talking about Auschwitz, the concentration and death camps created by the Nazis for one purpose: genocide. Established in 1940, Auschwitz was first used as a camp for Pols and prisoners of war as well as Jews, but the situation would become even more dire for the Jewish community than they could ever possibly imagine. It was not until 1942 that the Nazi high command conceived ‘The Final Solution to the Jewish Problem’. This solution involved building a bigger camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and was both a concentration and death camp. Jewish men, women and children were both tricked and forced onto these trains, with some Jews having bought tickets to board these trains, and upon arrival were split into those who could work, and those who could not. Those who could not were then escorted to the gas chambers. The guide starts us on our tour and takes us through the front gates which translates to “Work makes you free” generating a sense of cruel and tragic irony, and with that tone in mind we are taken around the blocks in which the inmates were kept. These blocks had been turned into a museum as they tell the story of the Holocaust with photographs, facts and statistics which then come together to form a historical timeline. If you were not familiar with how dark the history of this place was, you would begin to understand rather fast once you enter the rooms that document the inmates. When the Nazis began establishing these camps they documented every single inmate. So, come 1945 when the Allies are closing in from both sides, it made the destruction of the evidence proving they detained and essentially murdered civilians rather difficult as they had been doing it for five years. We were then taken into rooms which held items found at the camps. Seeing all the people’s bags, shoes, spectacles and crockery is awful but nothing makes your stomach turn more than standing in front of a glass case containing tons of human hair. The fact that the Nazis shaved the inmates and repurposed their hair for pillows, mattresses and other household furniture shatters any naivety you had left about this place. (if you had any to begin with!) It was after that our tour group was taken to the underground cells where prisoners were starved to death, the shooting wall where unproductive inmates were taken and shot and to finish our time at Auschwitz we walked through the gas chamber where thousands of innocent men women and children were murdered. Having known where I was standing, it was hard to ignore the sense of death in the air.

The next camp in the Auschwitz system, the one you’d recognise in films such as ‘Schindler’s List’, is far emptier than you might think. Without looking at any modern pictures of what used to be the camps, it is a little surprising to see how much the Nazis destroyed to cover their tracks but however hard they tried it was not enough as it is still clear to us where the prisoners were kept and consequently, murdered.

Auschwitz is a unique experience. Ciaran had himself been to the Cambodian killing fields earlier this year and he said with certainty that these are not pleasant experiences, but must be appreciated for what they are. They are places of history, and as a wise man once said, “The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.” Note that I did not take any photos of the salt mines or Auschwitz. Where there was a charge to take pictures in the salt mines, which I didn’t fancy paying, at Auschwitz there were places you could and absolutely could not take photographs. Personally, I believe that Auschwitz is a place of mourning and not a place for photographic exploitation. A place remembered for the deaths of millions of innocents shouldn’t have a place on an Instagram feed, a Snapchat story or a Facebook timeline.

Let’s get back to something a little more upbeat, shall we? I was still thinking about what I saw at Auschwitz and, like any rational lover of films, decided to watch Inglorious Bastards on the train to Prague because there’s nothing like watching Nazis getting branded, murdered and humiliated; with a slight touch of class and comedy brought by Tarantino’s film making. Having already been to Prague for one night only back in 2014, I was really looking forward to some proper time in this lovely city. It was also about time that our consistently good run of sunshine should take a break, and this resulted in non-stop rain for the entirety of our stay. This would not dampen our spirits as we chose to make the absolute most of this city in the time we had available. I’ll start with the food, as it these were some of my favourite dishes on the trip. Prague is a diverse city that caters to many different tastes, but one of the tastes that is quite reoccurring is embodied in what they call Chimney cakes. The best way to describe it is to say it’s a messier version of a churro. With the dough baked rather than fried however, it is decidedly more flavoursome, and then you can choose to have it with chocolate spread, caramel or even in ice cream form! In short, you’re bound to get sugar everywhere and make a mess (especially if you have a beard, trust me on this one) but it’s a small price to pay when eating such a brilliant dessert. I must talk about some of the other main courses however, as both Ciaran and I had an amazing steak on our first night at the fraction of the price you’d get in the UK, although the show was stolen by the best belly pork I have ever had. The skin was not overly crispy, the meat to fat ratio was perfect and pairing it with pickles and Dijon mustard is a combination I’ll be sure to use in future meals.

"You lived your life for the
King, you willing to die for
some chickens?"

Food was not the only thing that was big in Prague, as no meal or night out is complete without a few drinks. I’ll start with the oldest tavern in Prague! First opened in 1375, the tavern still holds on to its Medieval roots with pride. With all the waiting staff dressed in 14^th century garb, the entire set up was candle lit with some arms and armour going around the tables. The strangest part was when one of the waitress’ went around the tables with a whip and started hitting customers. Maybe it was what they were into back then? I don’t know but what I do know is we did our best to quote the entirety of the Hound vs Poliver scene from Game of Thrones, more commonly known as the war of words concerning the Hound’s love of chicken. 

Upon returning to the hostel, it took was a quick look at the brochure stand to notice two words. “JAZZ CLUB”. This won my curiosity and the first nights plan was decided upon. Discovering that a newly formed 3-piece combo was playing, we headed off for a music filled night. This tiny underground club was nearing capacity but we managed to grab the last two chairs with some brilliant drinks service. With beer and Cosmopolitans flowing, the live music was something neither of us had ever experienced and only excited my dream of working in a jazz club further. I cannot help but reference La La Land now as we witnessed jazz in its most pure form. Sebastian states in the film that jazz “is not relaxing… each one of these guy is composing, they’re rearranging, they’re writing and they’re playing the melody… It’s conflict and it’s compromise… and it’s very very exciting.” This is the perfect way to describe what happened in the U Malého Glena jazz and blues club that very night. The conflict and composition that was going on created a beautiful sense of compassion felt by not only the members of the band, but by each member of the audience. The last night was based around a different form of art. The art of Cocktails! This establishment was called Black Angels, and whilst we didn’t eat in the restaurant we most certainly drank at the bar. Although, there was quite an unconventional sign at the entrance which prohibited the taking of any photographs! It is clear to see why though as these cocktails were like nothing you’ve ever seen or tasted! The menu was the size of a small novel and did not only present each of the cocktails and every other drink they had on offer, but told the story of some bloke who wondered the world in pursuit of making cocktails! Once we waded our way through that and made our minds up about what we wanted to drink, the drinks themselves did not disappoint. My first drink came with a stick of burning cinnamon whereas Ciaran’s came in a huge chalice! The next round was a funny one. We chose each other drinks instead and it was weird to say the least. Ciaran received my drink of choice which was based around the British-American Tea trade, with slight hints to the Boston Tea Party, and was served in a super fancy cup and saucer! Mine was, singular to say the least. I forget the former part of the drinks name but the latter was “Swizzle Stick” which I thought had some form of phallic undertones. I was not wrong as the cocktail, cock being the operative word here, was named after male porn star and it even came with an ice penis. Can’t say I’ve ever had a drink like that before…

I won't lie, I 100%
do not remember
taking this.

Then it hit us, we were boarding our final train to Berlin! Our trusty Interrail passes had served us well but the end of the trip was in sight. Having been to Berlin before, I had already seen most of the big sights the city had to offer and unfortunately for us we had neither the time nor the money to go and visit all these sights. We then checked into our hostel and decided to hit a few bars and experience drinking in Berlin. I can whole heartedly recommend Berliner pilsner as the drink of Berlin. Never have I consumed a beer that goes down so smoothly. So smoothly in fact that it doesn’t you right away with the knowledge that you’ve been drinking it for much of the night. It is at this point I must state something that should be a given when out drinking and with that being said, DO NOT MIX BEER AND GIN ON A NIGHT OUT I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Getting back to the hostel we thought it would do us good to have one more drink before bed. This drink tuned into two drinks, then free shots and sparkling went around and it is about then when it all goes into a complete blur. Damn that hostel for having a gin library. I curse my mother for this as she allowed me to acquire a taste for such a delicious and flavoursome beverage.

All good things must come to an end they say, and was most certainly a good trip. Spending our last day in Berlin sightseeing, with the most notable sights being the Reichstag, the Soviet War Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie, it was time to go home and embrace the reality of returning home. Waiting to depart from a surprisingly small yet brilliantly designed airport, shout out to Berlin Tegel, we had one last sandwich and reminisced about the memories we created on this trip. Having spent most of the money I had earned over summer on this trip, I have zero regrets. What good is money if you don’t spend it on things or invest it in something? In spending money on this trip, I invested in the greatest possible thing, unforgettable memories with a brilliant friend. Thank you, Ciaran, for allowing me to tag along on this small adventure. Here’s to the next one.

Baby Driver Review, Nobody puts Baby in a passenger seat

 After reflection on my experience with Baby Driver, I am in two frames of mind. The first says this is an action-packed thrill ride with some of the best choreography in any film I’ve seen. The car chases, gun fights and overall pace of the film is blended with the perfect soundtrack which really left me awestruck. The other part of me feels that this film was more style over substance however. Edgar Wright has written and directed two of the greatest British comedies of all time, those being rom-zom-com Shaun of the Dead and a film which I can almost quote word for word (trust me ask anyone of my family members) Hot Fuzz, so I was expecting a hilariously witty script and clever story. I was a little disappointed when the film was not as funny as I know Edgar Wright can be. In Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, Wright combined the art style of the comics with his own creative design and witty dialogue to make a very funny movie. I have come to realise over time that Baby Driver is its own thing and that by being so different to Wright’s other films, it must be commended.

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a driver, a little on the nose I know, but he’s the best driver the mob boss Doc (Kevin Spacey) has ever seen and so consistently uses him as his getaway driver in heists he plans with other criminals such as Buddy, Darling and Bats to name a few. (Jon Hamm, Eliza González and Jamie Foxx) What makes Baby so unique as a driver is not just how fast he goes, it’s the fact he has Tinnitus and so uses the music to drown out the ringing in his ears but also uses it to orchestrate his own way of life. This all changes when Baby meets Debora (Lily James), a young waitress who shares the same dream as Baby, to drive away knowing not where they will end up to an amazing playlist. Baby must then try to leave the world of crime behind him, but getting out of the game is never as easy as it seems…

By starting off with a gorgeously worked action set piece right at the beginning of the film, you know exactly what you’re in for not even ten minutes into the film. You’re here for a no-nonsense action film that quite rightly could, and should, give the Fast and Furious films a literal run for their money. Everything in this film is done to music as we, the audience, are told the story from the perspective of Baby. The music is a necessary part of both his professional and private life. He plans getaways to music, he walks to music, he fights to music. The fact there is a constant ringing in the background of the film makes it clear to the audience that this is made around the perspective of Baby. In proper Edgar Wright fashion, there are Easter eggs plastered throughout the movie, much like in Scott Pilgrim, but these little changes in set design really outline the psyche of our protagonist as he lives his life through the music he uses to drown out the ringing in his ears. Wright has created a truly loveable character through the means of outline how he turns his weakness into his strength and passion.

Following on from this being Baby’s story, it would be incomplete without the supporting cast. Be it Buddy’s viciousness, Bats’ madness, Debora’s singing or Flea’s … wait why was Flea in this film? That’s unfair, as it’s his short time in the films proves to be the funniest segment. (He can just add it to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ hall of movie cameos) What I’m getting at is that this film writes all its characters well and all the actors are at their best on screen. There are no weak performances in this film.

To conclude, this is a different sort of film for Wright. After leaving Ant-Man back in 2015, he has been able to give a full, undiluted demonstration of how creative he is as a film maker. I have come to appreciate this film for what it is, a turn your mind off action film that still wants you to pay some attention to how clever it is. Baby Driver keeps offering fresh perspectives when you watch it, which is why I would certainly recommend snapping it up straight away on Blu-Ray or DVD. Where I will still use the phrase ‘style over substance’ to describe this film, it is no means meant as a disrespect.

8/10

The beginning of the Summer season of film

It's been a while hasn't it? In my defence, there have been a lot of releases in the movie world, but then again procrastination gets the better of us every now and then so here I am! Rather than doing individual posts for each film, I'll be writing about them on the same post to resemble the late April, May and Early June period. There is quite a spectrum here, there are films that remind me how good cinema is but again realising how far the industry still needs to go in terms of development; unnecessary cash grab sequels as well as gender equality in film making.

I'll be ordering my lists from worst to best, and I think I'll start with the films...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge, [Insert sinking ship pun here]

2003 saw the release of 'Curse of the Black Pearl', the first film of what was then to be one of the biggest movie franchises in world. Johnny Depp even earned his first Oscar nom. for best male lead as Captain Jack Sparrow! But if we fast forward 14 years later, it is rather tragic to see how the quality of these films have sunken, sharing a reputation with the Titanic. The plot of Salazar's Revenge is mostly non-existent but centres around Henry Turner's (Brenton Thwaites) desire to rid his father of the curse that binds him to the Flying Dutchman (yes that's right Will Turner from the original played by Orlando Bloom! but don't get excited as he is in the film for around 2 minutes) and therefore needs to find the Trident of Poseidon which will allow him to free his father. Cue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his crazy crew who end up running into the young Turner as well as scientist Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) whom is also looking for the Trident, for her own reasons which I can't remember. Something about a book? Anywho you're probably wonder where Salazar (Javier Bardem) fits into all this? The truth is, he doesn't. not only can you not understand or hear what Bardem is trying to utter, other than the words "Sparrow' in a quiet yet vengeful fashion.

The original title of the film was 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' which is rather cryptic, but still has a sense of meaning behind it in comparison to 'Salazar's Revenge'. Naming the film Salazar's Revenge is thus, a mistake. Jack never feels the wrath of Salazar's revenge neither does the film dwell on why he does want to kill him. Yes, there is a segment of the film dedicated to Jack luring Salazar and his crew into a cave but by this point I had fallen asleep. It's just your typical 'he killed me and unknowingly cursed me to an eternal undead life of suffering so I must have revenge story'. Combine this with very poorly edited action sequences, terrible acting and boring special affects you have an extremely dull film. Geoffrey Rush's performance of Barbossa does stand out however as I don't think I will ever get tired of hearing his fantastic voice. Alas, it is not enough to save this shipwreck.

4/10

Next off we have...

Alien Covenant, still lightyears away from recapturing the magic

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHY DO SCIENTISTS KEEP POKING ALIEN OBJECTS WHICH END UP KILLING EVERYONE?! I'm sorry, but not really sorry, but that had to be said. After Ridley Scott's Prometheus, audiences all over the world went into excepting answers to the origins of the Xenomorph and how they came to be. Scott had other ideas and thought his fans were tired of the Aliens and decided to focus on these massive white being called the Engineers who supposedly created both humans as well as the Aliens. This was met with negative reactions and so he began looking for a way to bring back the horror he and H.R Giger created back in 1979 with the original Alien. Covenant falls short however as it creates more questions for audiences to account for, but on the other hand does give us some answers on the creation of the Aliens as well as foreshadowing the demise of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as they try to colonise planets to ensure the survival of the human race.

The crew of the Covenant are colonists tasked with colonising a planet suitable for housing humans but are rudely awoken out of cryo sleep to only discover a transmission from another planet that has suitable conditions for humans to live on and therefore colonise. The most glaring flaw in this movie's plot is that Katherine Waterston's Daniels is the only character to question the stupidity of landing on a planet without extensively researching it first, which is what the crew had done to the planet they initially intended to colonise! Being the only character who asks, "We don't know what the F***'s out there" makes her the smartest character in the whole franchise. Regardless of her logic and going on record with her feeling, the scientist’s touchdown on the planet and begin their experiments whilst the pilots wait for their return. Then we have the obligatory poking of Alien looking objects which thus leads to the death and destruction of their crew and mission. (I'd say spoilers but come on you know what you're getting into with this film...)

The best things about this film are the visuals and Michael Fassbenders characterisation of David/Walter. The special effects of space travel look phenomenal and Scott has taken another step closer to creating the horror audiences once felt when witnessing the Xenomorph for the first time. However, a new form of the Alien is presented to us in the form of the Neomorph and the Protomorph. They produce some scares, but as I mentioned before, their creation only adds to the list of questions. Are there different variations of the black goo that creates them? Are different aliens created from different lifeforms? Moving on, Fassbenders acting is incredible. He retains the villainous personality of David as well as the obedient nature of Walter. Introducing Walter as David's upgrade, there are noticeable differences in his characteristics, most notably his ability for free thought and imagination which was what made David so dangerous. David's lack of a moral compass and lack of comprehension surrounding his creation fuels his desire to create and therefore, have meaning. When misquoting Shelley for Byron in stating "My name Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" shows his delusion as a being obsessed with creation, but is not a creator of life, only death and destruction. 

With some great moments, Alien: Covenant is worth a watch despite some continuity errors which include how the aliens grow, the differences between David and Walter with the whole film almost mirroring the events of the original. With a sequel already in the works however, I am interested to see where the Alien universe is taken. 

6.8/10

It should then come as no surprise then that my favourite film from this list is...

Wonder Woman, #girlpower

The DCEU has had a pretty terrible run of films recently. Man of Steel was received with mixed reception, but provided fans with a ray of hope that Clark Kent/Superman could be a character worthy of the big screen one again. Batman vs Superman was then released which then only divided fans and critics even further and the next layer of this seemingly disgusting cake was Suicide Squad. Both films had so much potential but did not deliver on anything the trailers or executives promised. It is with absolute pleasure that I can say that Wonder Woman is a great film. It suffers from a very CGI heavy, Man of Steel like fighty bashy final act which partially damages the end of the film but this does not spoil the events and set pieces earlier on in the film. 

To kick things off, Gal Gadot is perfect for Dianna Prince/Wonder Woman. She is both naive and witty but is as brutal as she is compassionate. We were given a very small glimpse at what she could do in BvS but in this she truly stands out as character whom can hold her own in both combat scenarios and emotional situations. The best thing about this film is that it could be a stand-alone film with no attachments to the Justice League whatsoever. This is possible in the way the story is told. With Dianna working as a museum curator, Bruce Wayne uncovers the original photo of her squad mates from the First World War. The rest of the movie is then a flashback of her life as a child training to become a warrior on the Amazon home of Themyscira. One day, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash lands in the islands waters after fleeing a German post with vital information that will aid in the halting of the experimentation with inhumane weapons that could then win them the war. She then makes it her mission to travel with Steve and end this war once and for all, which then marks her transition from a young amazon girl into Wonder Woman.

Where lines and comparisons can be drawn between this and Captain America: The First Avenger, Wonder Woman is both its very own film with its very own heroine. This is a real coming of age story revolving around all beings and not just those with outstanding power, the Amazons for example. The old friends and allies of Trevor all have their demons as well as their strengths which integrates Dianna into the man in excellent fashion. It is then an absolute shame that the film results in a generic protagonist vs villain punch up which depends so heavily on CGI and special effects. Comparing the No Man's Land sequence to the final battle really hurts and if Warner Bros want to drive DC in the right direction then new approaches need to be taken.

To conclude, I liked this film and if Zack Snyder continues to mishandle these characters he'll be butchering what could be, arguably, the strongest and most influential female superhero. Where it doesn't shine brighter than say many films in the MCU, it really works as a standalone film and as a female led superhero flick. We can only hope Gal Gadot carries the great performance made into November's Justice League as well as hoping Patty Jenkins returns to direct the sequel, but in the meantime, let's remember DCEU has actually has a good film under its belt.

7.9/10