SPLING | Movie Critic | Movie Reviews | Film News | Movie Podcasts -

Custom Search

Last Added

Most Viewed

Top Rated

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next > End >>

Inception [ 2010 ] [ Hits:17288 ]
Review: in-cep-tion [in-sep-shuh n] noun - beginning; start; commencement.When Christopher Nolan releases a movie the world stops and takes notice... The director started making films when he was just seven-years-old and 33 years down the line he's still doing what he loves with only several feature length films to date. A short filmography by Hollywood standards, but when you consider Stanley Kubrick only made 16 films in 5 decades it puts Nolan's career in perspective. Just like Kubrick, Nolan's films...

Hercules [ Hits:36938 ]
Review: Hercules has been doing the rounds this year with three films including: Hercules Reborn, The Legend of Hercules and now Hercules starring the top-grossing actor of 2013, Dwayne Johnson. Of the three, Hercules, is head and shoulders above the rest and we're not just talking about Johnson's physique. Although to be fair, it wasn't going to be a task based on the quality of the other two. The film's enjoyment depends largely on your expectations going in. This isn't an attempt at recreating an ep...

Sabotage [ Hits:59546 ]
Review: It's funny how some movie titles seem to become self-fulfilling prophecies, allowing their overriding meaning to seep into the film. On the surface, Sabotage is a dark, trashy and intense Arnold Schwarzenegger action thriller with a couple of name stars thrown in for good measure. However, as it builds to a crescendo, it seems as though it's actually working to sabotage itself. The story follows a special DEA operations task team, who penetrate a drug cartel's lair ...

Logan [ Hits:11497 ]
Review: We're living in an age of superhero origin stories, reboots, spin-offs and stand-offs. The superhero craze continues to reinvent and elevate comic books into the realm of film with an ever-burgeoning list of heroes and villains. One success story has been Wolverine, one of the few X-Men characters who has appeared in every media adaptation of the X-Men franchise. From being part of the team to branching out in several stand-alone films, Hugh Jackman has made the character of Wolverine almost lik...

The Hitman's Bodyguard [ Hits:13702 ]
Review: The Hitman's Bodyguard is a buddy movie from Patrick Hughes, the director who brought us Red Hill and The Expendables 3. Loosely based on the same dynamic as Midnight Run, we are quickly introduced to prolific hitman, Darius Kincaid, who is paired with an elite bodyguard, Michael Bryce, commissioned to get his new client to a trial at the International Court of Justice. Fresh from Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds has repositioned his star alongside the action genre, allowing him to headline a hard action...

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter [ Hits:11290 ]
Review: Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the sixth installment in the Resident Evil series starring Milla Jovovich and directed by Paul WS Anderson. Very few people would have guessed that the Resident Evil series would be a trilogy nevermind a six part series. It's arguably the best video game to film adaptation, possibly owing to the fact that the character of Alice wasn't part of the original game, giving the filmmakers creative licence to create a film and character loosely based on Ridley Scott'...

Jason Bourne [ Hits:11458 ]
Review: The Bourne Ultimatum seemed like the last film in the series, however after some deliberation they tried to reboot it with Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy. While this bridge may have appeased fans of the series, it was more of a speed bump and just wasn't the same without Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. This explains why there has been so much anticipation around the release of Jason Bourne. The trilogy left on a high note and in the absence of any immediate sequels, it could have been idealised,...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [ Hits:12399 ]
Review: Zack Snyder is known for stylish action and it shouldn't come as any surprise, having amassed a collection of films, which includes: 300, Sucker Punch, Man of Steel, Watchmen and that owl movie. Each of Snyder's films have a similar review: beautiful to behold, breathtaking action set pieces, bold artistic direction, great ambition carried forth by a talented cast, yet undermined by a lack of cohesion and emotional investment. The same is true for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This sort-o...

Deadpool [ Hits:11826 ]
Review: Deadpool, "the merc with a mouth", is a comic book character from Marvel who featured in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds has played a number of superhero characters, but seemed like the only choice for the immoral, over-the-top and juvenile, Deadpool. This is his origins film, an action adventure comedy and sci-fi thriller that could be described as a pool of Kick-Ass, Spider-Man, Watchmen and Darkman. Wade Wilson, a former special operative turned mercenary, becomes the guy who deals w...

Spectre [ Hits:11783 ]
Review: James Bond used to be about cheesy one-liners, full-blown chauvinism, ridiculous spy gadgets and over-the-top espionage action adventure. The franchise was overhauled with Casino Royale, going for a tougher blonde Bond and a deconstruction of 007 as we know it. Daniel Craig has been the poster boy for this modernisation and while it's become more artful and politically correct, something's been lost in the process. Daniel Craig is a cold rogue and while most of us are convinced he can actua...

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. [ Hits:11506 ]
Review: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is now a Guy Ritchie film adaptation of the cult TV series of the same name, which ran from 1964 to 1968. Ian Fleming contributed to the show's concept by suggesting a TV-friendly version of James Bond, which became Napoleon Solo. While Solo was intended to be the main focus, Illya Kuryakin's unexpected popularity led him to become a co-star. This pairing is resurrected by Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer for the 2015 movie, in which they're recruited to thwart a nuclear we...

Ant-Man [ Hits:11705 ]
Review: The classic sci-fi adventure, The Incredible Shrinking Man, wowed audiences in 1957 for its cutting edge blend of otherworldly proportions. Now more than 50 years later, we're getting another little-big sci-fi adventure with a hero named Scott, which is just as spectacular and entertaining. The latest Marvel superhero movie was originally set to be directed by Edgar Wright, whose credits include Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. After much media hype, he dropped out a...

San Andreas [ Hits:11705 ]
Review: San Andreas is the sort of film you'd expect from Roland Emmerich. It's big, loaded with CGI, studded with stars and is completely over-the-top. It's like 2012 meets True Lies, pitting spectacular disaster movie visual effects and Hollywood action against the charm of its stars in a gut-wrenching yet heartwarming tale of survival and redemption in adverse conditions. We're never quite sure how much scientific research (if any) has gone into the film, yet we're captivated by the grandiose visual...

Mad Max: Fury Road [ Hits:11666 ]
Review: Mad Max: Fury Road is a piston-pumping action extravaganza from George Miller, who has reinvigorated the Mad Max franchise. To find some humourous context, the director's previous films include Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two. Mad Max: Fury Road is the antithesis... burning with rage and fuming with eye-popping visuals from smoldering car wrecks to lonely desert vistas. This is an epic film that packs a punch... grabbing you from the get-go and sinking its metal teeth into ...

Avengers: Age of Ultron [ Hits:11666 ]
Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron follows some typical sequel procedure. There's much more conflict. The Avengers team is put to the test by various personal demons, making them self-doubt and re-examine their priorities. The characters have grown - we get more back story to several of the characters, especially Hawkeye and Black Widow, and discover greater depth. Joss Whedon has embraced the first film and Avengers universe, allowing the events from Captain America: The Winter Soldier dubbed as "Avengers...

Fast and Furious 7 [ Hits:11584 ]
Review: Fast and Furious is a film series that seems to be improving with time. You wouldn't imagine a franchise about sexy women, fast cars and machismo would last seven outings, but Fast and Furious has aged well and keeps reinventing itself! This time, it's personal... as Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his gang for the death of his brother. Fast and Furious 7 is a shift for the series, opting for renowned horror film-maker, James Wan, to take the wheel with action man, Jason ...

Kingsman: The Secret Service [ Hits:11497 ]
Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service is a Matthew Vaughn movie. He may sound like a dependable English cricketer, but the film-maker has made a name for himself in Hollywood on the back of producing, writing and directing films like Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and now Kingsman: The Secret Service. In many ways, Kingsman is a blend of his previous hits, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. The film takes the ultra-violence and blurred lines between reality and unreality of Kick-Ass an...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [ Hits:11634 ]
Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a popular animated TV series from the '80s that keeps getting the film treatment. From its first adaptation in 1990, we've seen several attempts at a quintessential Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. While there's no clear front runner, its been a case of hit-and-run for studios exhuming one nostalgic franchise after another. So it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, when it was announced that blockbuster juggernaut, Michael Bay, was set to reboot the trou...

The November Man [ Hits:11515 ]
Review: Ex-covert operatives are all the rage in Hollywood these days. Just like U2 saved rock 'n roll with their track Beautiful Day, Liam Neeson has almost single-handedly brought back the old guy with action skills revenge thriller with Taken. Although, let's not discount Sylvester Stallone's efforts to reinvigorate aging action men of the '80s with his reboots and The Expendables. For what it's worth, you could argue Steven Seagal and his stunt double team have dedicated his entire career to this fo...

Hard to Get [ Hits:12307 ]
Review: Hard to Get echoes a similar passion and energy to the acclaimed Congolese crime thriller, Viva Riva. It's arguably South Africa's best action movie ever, powered by a similar sweaty, sexy and dangerous intensity on the back of world-class production values and surprisingly mature film-making for a number of feature film debuts. We're blasted into a quick-paced action romance crime thriller in the style of Bonnie & Clyde as Skiets, a tough streetwise beauty, and TK, a self-professed ladykil...

<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next > End >>

Welcome to Spling Movies