About Time Review

About Time comes from director Richard Curtis who's last film Love Actually was a romantic comedy that featured a large cast of notable actors and actresses which makes it all the more surprising that it was not only palatable but was actually enjoyable. Likewise About time is another romantic comedy though is allowed a more focused narrative as it features a much smaller cast.

About Time starts of with the protagonist Tim describing his overly 'perfect' family life which is juxtaposed with his awkward social skills. The day after yet another new years party Tim's father played by Bill Nighy tells him the men in his family had always been able to travel back in time. Understandably Tim doesn't believe him but none the less takes his fathers advice and discovers that he indeed can travel in time and goes back to last nights new years party and 'armed' with his knowledge of event he is able to change his past with more satisfactory results. Tim then decides he would use his time travel abilities for the purpose of finding love.

Time then sets out to find love utilising his time travel abilities to no avail until he meets Mary in what is an original yet overplayed scene, where they are dinning in a completely dark restaurant with blind waiters. This of course means in their initial encounter they are unable to see one another and in a rare occurrence Time isn't awkward in the presence of Mary and doesn't need to utilise his ability to time travel to correct his mistakes. Tim of course after this meeting time travels and in error erases this encounter from ever occurring. After which Tim sets out to meet Mary again (though why he doesn't simply travel back in time again and meet Mary as he originally did is sadly not given enough attention). Most of Tim and Mary's story from here is as predictable as expected, and whilst both Domhnall Gleeson as Tim and Rachel McAdams as Mary provide for solid performances it never goes beyond what is expected from such a film with the exception of a sprinkling of humor that the time travel enables.

Where the real heart of the film comes from is the relationship between fathers and their children, or most notably between Tim and his father. This is an area whereby the film utilises the time travel aspect to great effect providing for unique and emotionally resonant scenes that otherwise would simply not be possible. It however must be said that whilst there are some exceptions, those expecting an interesting time travel story will likely be disappointed and the time travel aspects are largely used to try and breathe fresh air to provide unique twists in what is usually an overly predictable genre and for the most part it succeeds in doing so. Unfortunately there are moments where the pacing of the film does come to a stand still which doesn't suite the portions of the film they are present in, this none the less is only a minor issue in what is otherwise a film that rises well above the genre it finds itself in.

About Time is a rare example of a romantic comedy done well and features mostly strong performances, quietly amusing comedy that doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator and an excellent and interesting take an the relationship between a father and son. Hence About Time comes highly recommended.

Wrath of the Titans Review

Two years after the anticlimactic and underwhelming Clash of the Titans reached blockbuster success the inevitable sequel Wraith of the Titans was released with a new director and promises that this film would correct the numerous issues present in the first film. Whilst it is clear that an effort was made to do so, Wrath of the Titans still fails to achieve greatness and instead descends into mediocrity alongside the first installment.

The action in Wrath of the Titans is acceptably fast and frenetic and at times even manages to be spectacular. It however also suffers from a severe overuse of quick cuts which often left what was occurring on screen confusing and disorienting (this was made even more irksome in 3d as such editing simply does not lend itself to a comfortable 3d viewing experience). Their however are a handful of lengthy action shoots that manage to linger long enough to draw undue attention themselves but aren't so short as to disorientate and it is in these moments that the action shines and can be enjoyed. Such moments however are few and far between and fail to elevate the action beyond what is expected from such a film which leaves Wraith largely relying on its story which despite some promise is ultimately unsatisfying and barely present.

At its core Wrath of the Titans is a father and son story with this being paralleled in several relationships. However the reason for this focus is not present and what could have made for an interesting framework as fathers, sons and brother where caught in an epic battle is instead barely present as the film moves at such a quick pace which doesn't allow for what is occurring on screen to resonate beyond a superficial wow level. This is further accentuated by mediocre acting (save a few campy yet undeniably fun performances from veterans such as Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy and Ralph Fiennes) and comedy that breaks up the mediocrity of the story despite more often then not falling flat as a result of being overly predictable and ultimately just another flavor of dull. I can't help but find this to be unfortunate as had more time been spent developing the already existing framework and had the epic struggle between fathers, sons and brothers been more developed we could have had an interesting film that didn't rely solely on its visuals to entertain. Hence just as was the case with the series first entry Wrath of the Titans biggest flaw could be seen to be its inability to create characters you cared for. Wrath of the Titans also shares another massive weakness that was present in Clash of the Titans and ends on an anticlimactic note with the final battle ending just as it felt like the action was getting interesting.

In spite of all the issues present Wraith of the Titans isn't horrible by any means, rather it is nothing more then a mostly passable action film that is unable to prove itself a notable improvement on the series similarly underwhelming first entry. Hence Wrath of the Titans does not come recommended.