Movie Review - Wuthering Heights

Director: Emerald Fennell
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 136 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi
 
Description: A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie).
 
Review: The 2026 film adaptation of “Wuthering Heights”, directed by Emerald Fennell (known for “Saltburn”), is a visual spectacle that unfortunately sacrifices the emotional depth of Emily Brontë’s masterpiece for style and provocation.

The film is undoubtedly beautiful to look at. The cinematography captures the rugged Yorkshire moors with and almost tangible atmosphere, and the costumes are Oscar-worthy. The addition of modern music by Charli XCX gives the film a bold, contemporary energy that will appeal especially to a younger generation.

Margot Robbie is the strongest element of the film. Robbie portrays Cathy torn between social expectations and wild desire. Cathy is highly unlikeable, complex character and Robbie really captured that.

Although Jacob Elordi, as Heathcliff, perfectly embodies the brooding heartthrob, his performance lacks the raw, exclusion-fueled pain that is essential to the character. As a result, he often comes across as a toxic, privileged man rather than the tormented orphan from the book.

That this adaptation is nothing like the book is an understatement. It’s a very bold interpretation of Brontë novel. The biggest flaw is that the film prioritizes sensuality over emotional depth. Fennell opts for shocking image and explicit scenes that distract rather than reinforce the tragic love story. I cannot even call it a love story, Cathy and Heathcliff are so toxic. There is really something wrong with you if you think what these two have in this movie is romantic.

“Wuthering Heights” is a bold, stylized reinterpretation that is great or the eyes but leaves the heart cold. It is and interesting film for those who love modern costume dramas, but those looking for the true soul of Brontë would do better to reread the book. Which I am definitely planning on doing.  

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - Mary, Queen of Scots

Director: Josie Rourke
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn
 
Description: Mary Stuart’s (Saoirse Ronan) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 8: A FILM FROM A EUROPEAN COUNTRY
 
Review: There is a large group of Scots seeking independence from the British. In the sixteenth century, the two nations sharing an island were formally merged. This was preceded by a long difficult feud between two queens. The protestant Elizabeth preferred to see her northern neighbors fall under her empire, though she had no descendants to take the throne. Neighbor Mary Stuart was Catholic and led the Scots for nearly 15 years after claiming the throne from the English.

Mary had already been widowed after two years of marriage after her French husband lost his life. She returned to her homeland at eighteen, where her brother took over. Mary had no intention of getting married again. She extended an outstretched hand to Elizabeth to deal with each other in peace. In London, people thought very differently. Elizabeth even sent a possible suitor to Edinburgh in hopes of appeasing Mary Queen of Scots.

The film features two strong actresses in the main roles. But it’s a long wait to see Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie eventually share the screen. This encounter produces the most exciting verbal fireworks of this royal biopic. A lot of intrigue, secret agendas and scheming precede it.

You should see this film for the acting alone, Ronan and Robbie are amazing. And it’s a beautifully looking film with good political mindgames.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Movie Review - Barbie

Director: Greta Gerwig
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Fantasy
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Michal Cera, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrara, Helen Mirren
 
Description: Barbie (Margot Robbie) suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.

Review: Most movie trailers show the entire movie in a brief moment. The makers of “Barbie” understood that the first half hour contains enough material to use only its footage to pique the audience’s interest. What follows after that is probably a surprise. For some a disappointment, because they got something completely different as the trailer showed us. To me it was a much wanted delight.

Stereotypical Barbie lives with all the other Barbies and Kens (and Allan) in Barbieland where everything is perfect and women have finally won an equal place in the world. One day Barbie suddenly feels a little less cheerful. She learns that this is because the girl who plays with her in the real human world apparently no longer feels happy either. Barbie travels to the real world to fix it, but that turns her world upside down even more.

People learn their lessons best when they are felt from within. Barbie is a mirror for a major problem in society that many people do not even see in its completeness because it is so deeply rooted.

We are introduced to Barbie by the use of a voice over and a wink to the classic sci-fi film “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Helen Mirren narrates and tells us how life works in Barbieland. Next we hear a song by Lizzo, twice in fact: once to describe Barbie’s daily life and then again to depict how, for the first time, things are not going so well. Real people live in the real world and think Barbie’s are just dolls, but there is a hidden reality where Barbies live, enjoying themselves in their own little paradise.

The start of the film, in Barbieland, is very cheesy and over-the-top, just like Barbie is. When Barbie enters the real world, everything is new and she notices the difference between what is normal in her little world and the real one.

The interaction between Barbie and Ken and the people in the real world is hilarious. It doesn’t rhyme with their worldview and they speak about this openly and literally. The mystery of who is behind Barbie’s growing depression is quickly solved; cleverly thought out, because this is not what it’s about anyway.

What follows is razor-sharp criticism of us and society, told in a childlike, naïve way. Barbie speaks up  simplistically and directly; no one will be able to claim that the message is not clear. A certain norm in our society is so standardized that even those who are against it still partially go along with it.

Because the film is so incredibly upbeat and colorful, it never feels pedantic or preachy. The jokes keep coming, Barbieland’s sets are impressive. This is not a woman’s movie, anyone can have a great time with this adventure. But it’s definitely not for children, it will go way over their heads.

Even though the Ken-song towards the end feels a bit out of tune with the rest of the film, I couldn’t help but smile from start to finish. It’s been living rent-free in my head ever since.

 
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were perfectly cast for their respective roles. America Ferrara was a pleasant surprise, her character’s monologue was my favorite moment of the film. And Michael Cera as Allan was just too funny. I think he was my favorite character.

That “Barbie” would be a fun film was to be expected, but it’s a very good movie with a strong, clear message and substantive comedy. Fans of Barbie who were expecting a fun, simple, bubbly Barbie adventure in her dreamhouse, will probably be disappointed. This film has way more substance and layers.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - Babylon

Director: Damien Chazelle
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 189 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Diego Calva, Flea, Tobey Maguire
 
Description: A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.

Review: The craziness in “Babylon” begins with bickering over the transport of an elephant. Manuel, jack-of-all-trades behind the scenes of Hollywood anno 1926, has arranged for the animal to be the summit of entertainment of an exorbitant party thrown by a movie studio boss.

Hollywood prodigy Damien Chazelle (of the fantastic personal favorites “La La Land” and “Whiplash”) creates yet another prologue in his bursting at the seams fourth film: a protracted orgy of sex, cocaine, booze, song and dance at the aforementioned party. Here Manuel meets the wildly charming aspiring actress Nellie LaRoy and the equally charming yet smug star actor Jack Conrad. Manuel and Nellie then work their way up at lightning speed, while Jack is overtaken by time.  

“Babylon” is a mesmerizing, merciless and remarkably cynical deconstruction of Hollywood’s golden years: the first great transition phase of the American film industry, spurred by the invention of the talking movie (in 1927, with “The Jazz Singer”). One of my other personal favorites, “Singin’ in the Rain” also did this and this movie eventually turns out to be a very important one in “Babylon” as well. And I really loved this take. The conclusion of “Babylon” was surprising and satisfying.

The scenes where we got to go behind the scenes of the making of movies, where without a doubt the best. Especially one wild scene where Nellie first steps onto a film set. The way this was filmed, cinematographically it looks perfect and all the chaos going on is felt in every bone of your body.

Where, in my eyes, Chazelle’s “Whiplash” and “La La Land” were perfect in every way, “Babylon” is more flawed. Some explicit scenes I could have done without. I don’t shy away from nudity in film, but it sometimes felt unnecessary and felt like it was only there for the purpose of shock. With that, the movie is a bit too long, it could have been at least 30 minutes shorter. And that one scene, with Tobey Maguire, which is the most insane bit of the film, felt ridiculous.

“Babylon”, ode to and reckoning with the film industry all in one, proves that that American dream factory still delivers colorful films. Not a film I would recommend to anyone, because I don’t think most people I know, would appreciate it as much as I did. A wild ride that stimulates all you senses.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Bombshell

Director: Jay Roach
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Mark Duplass, Stephen Root, Mark Moses, Brooke Smith, Richard Kind

Description: A group of women take on Fox New head Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) and the toxic atmosphere he presides over the network.

Review: Based on a true story. “Bombshell” tells the explosive story of the women that broke the silence and accused Fox News boss Roger Ailes of sexual harassment.
“Bombshell” takes on the scandal that many people, mostly Americans, already know about. And this film shines a light on the events that took place during the process. And it’s a typical way of telling a true story the Hollywood-way: lots of sensation but lacking depth.
If this film didn’t have such a strong cast, it would be disposable and forgettable. The film should be more uncomfortable, giving the theme it deals with. There are only a few moments where you feel this discomfort. For instance when the three main women of the story are standing in an elevator. Not saying a word you can see them questioning themselves: did you also…? Or the scene where Kayla (Margot Robbie) meets with Roger Ailes and he asks her to stand and turn around, because it’s a visual medium. But he also asks to see her legs, eventually ending in Kayla pulling up her skirt up until her underwear. This scene shows that most women at Fox News owe their careers by doing something like this or even more. Sadly these kind of scenes are a minority.
The film also, for the most part, focuses on Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), when it was Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) who blew the whistle. I found this an odd choice.
All performances in this film are great. And also a shoutout to the makeup department.
It’s an easy watch and has its moments, but overall “Bombshell” could have been a lot better.

Rating: 3 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Big Short

Director: Adam McKay
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Melissa Leo, Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez, Karen Gillan, Finn Wittrock, John Magaro, Hamish Linklater, Jay Jablonski

Description: In 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the US motgage market. In their research they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.

Review: “The Big Short” is based on the true story of fraud within American banks, right before the financial crisis. Four outsiders try to expose these banks and want to make money from it at the same time. Dr. Michael Burry starts this, when he discovers that most mortgages aren’t as safe and secure as they seem. Most banks think he is crazy and there are only a few others that believe him.
The cast of “The Big Short” is one to be proud of. They are all big names in Hollywood and are all seemingly enjoying the roles they’re playing. Christian Bale portrays the eccentric Dr. Michael Burry, Steve Carell is the loud Mark Baum, Ryan Gosling is the slick Jared Vennett and Brad Pitt plays the reluctant Ben Rickert. All characters are well-developed and the performances are fantastic.
And that’s where I’m going to stop with the positive, because aside from this, I hated this movie. And it’s not the director or the style it is filmed in. It’s simply the theme and story. Adam McKay tried so hard to create an intense and interesting film with the somewhat dry material he had. But in my opinion he didn’t manage to do that. At least not for me.
The film is too long and it drags. I think 90 percent of the dialogue and story didn’t interest me at all and sometimes I had no idea what they were talking about. This movie made me feel dumb, but then again I don’t know much about the financial world nor am I interested in it.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad movie. Because it’s well-made and all performances are great. Most critics praise this movie and it’s a typical film for the Academy Awards. “The Big Short” simply didn’t do it for me because of the theme it was dealing with. And if a movie’s theme doesn’t appeal to me and I can’t sympathize with any of the characters, you lose me as a viewer.
A movie not for everyone, and I’m sadly one of the haters. And I don’t often share the more unpopular opinion.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - Birds of Prey

Director: Cathy Yan
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong

Description: After splitter with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) joins superheroes Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save a young girl (Ella Jay Basco) from an evil crime lord.

Review: We met crazy anti-hero Harley Quinn in the essemble film “Suicide Squad”. Margot Robbie, as Harley Quinn, was the one that made this film better. And we all looked forward to seeing a movie about Harley. Again, Robbie is what makes “Birds of Prey” worth watching. But this is not a Birds of Prey movie, it’s a Harley Quinn movie.
In an animated intro we see some history on Harley, who was born as Harleen Quinzel. We see how she grew up with nuns and didn’t have a great childhood. Still she manages to go to college and become a pshychiatrist at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum. That’s where she fell in love with the Joker, who dragged her to the dark side.
Back to the here and now. Harley Quinn broke up with her Joker. And there isn’t a lot of time to let that rest. Quinn has made a lot of enemies along the way and police detective Renee Montoya is also breathing down he neck.
“Birds of Prey” is not a standard origin story, of how the group got together. Because as I stated before, this movie is mostly about Harley Quinn. They get together and work together almost at the end of the movie. We are introduced to the other characters, through narration by Quinn and flashbacks. But any other characters beside Quinn don’t get that much attention. Their development is rather seen through lightning-quick flashbacks and don’t get too much depth. For instance, the main villain Black Mask, is an evil man, he is more evil then Quinn and her companions. But there is hardly any backstory.
I like Quinn narrating the story, sometimes even breaking the fourth wall, but it happens very often that Quinn stops in the middle of her story and goes back in time with a flashback. It sometimes takes some time for the film to get back to the original story, which makes the film a bit messy at times.
Despite the profusion of madness and witty dialogues and one-liners, “Birds of Prey” excels with its action and fight scenes. They don’t only pop off the screen visually, but are also very original.
“Birds of Prey” is slightly better than “Suicide Squad”. Its power is in leading lady Margot Robbie and the amazing action sequences. That is enough reason to watch this film. But character-wise and story wise it is lacking substance.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Reviews - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 161 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradd Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Kurt Russell, Scoot McNairy, Clifton Collins Jr. Rumer Willis, Zoë Bell, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern

Description: A faded television star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

Review: It’s the end of the 60s and we meet television actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth. Dalton sees his career fade and has to deal with the villain roles in cheap TV pilots.
Dalton’s next door neighbors are director Roman Polanski and his beautiful wife Sharon Tate. And when you think of Hollywood in 1969, you think of Charles Manson and his cult, who left a trail of blood in L.A. at the time.
When Tarantino’s ninth film was announced, and it became clear that the ‘Manson family’ was a part of it, people were afraid that he was going to exploit the murder of Sharon Tate. But Tarantino wouldn’t be Tarantino, if he didn’t use his revisionary spin on it and mix fiction with reality.
If you would ask anyone what “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is about, I don’t think many people could give you an exact answer. Because it’s mostly people talking and it’s more ‘a day in the life’ kind of story. We follow Cliff who is on his way to feed his dog, we see how Sharon Tate visits who visit a theater to watch her own movie. It’s a hangout-film, who can mostly be compared to Tarantino’s “Jacki Brown”. But even better.
Most of Tarantino’s movies are very violent. And overall, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” isn’t a very violent film. But when you get to the final twenty minutes, the violence gets really violent! And this scene is simply brilliant.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is definitely Tarantino’s funniest film, it can in fact be called a comedy. Even Leonardo DiCaprio is funny here. He shows great and awkward moments, where he feels an insecurity inside thinking his hay days are over. But the best part of the film is definitely Brad Pitt, as Cliff Booth, who I will say is one of Tarantino’s best characters. At first he seems like just a stunt double to DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, but digging deeper he is a more complex character. And Pitt is hilarious in his role. Margot Robbie, who plays Sharon Tate, doesn’t get that much to do. And I would say that some of her scene could have been cut, without it having any effect on the story.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” definitely didn’t disappoint and it’s up there on my favorites list of best Tarantino movies. A great portrait of the golden days in Hollywood and in my eyes the most beautifully shot Tarantino movie.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Slaughterhouse Rulez

Director: Crispian Mills
Genre: Horror/ Comedy
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Michael Sheen, Margot Robbie, Finn Cole, Hermione Corfield

Description: An illustrious Britisch boarding school becomes a bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site unleashing unspeakable horror.

Review: Slaughterhouse is an elite boarding school. Boys and girls are prepared for greatness. The old and structured school is about to be confronted with something they could ever be prepare for, when a giant sinkhole appears nearby and unspeakable evil is unleashed.
I think the main reason for most people to watch this film, is that it stars Nick Frost and Simon Pegg and it’s a horror comedy. Sadly enough the two share only one scene together and both don’t have a leading role. But, the scene with them in it, are the best. Pegg and Frost lift the film to a higher level.
The first act is an introduction to the main characters and a build-up to the disaster that is going to happen. And when it all turns to shit, that’s when this film gets funny. And gory, but that’s what I love most about horror comedies.
If the main characters were as fun and interesting as Pegg and Frost’s characters, this film would have been much better. Now it’s still real fun, but they underused their best players.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - I, Tonya

Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan, Bobby Cannavale, Mckenna Grace

Description: Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband (Sebastian Stan) intervenes.

Review: Driven by her rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding stepped onto the ice in Lillehammer in 1994. Her second time at the Olympics, but also her last. Her performance was dominated by a broken lace. She didn’t win a prize, while Kerrigan got a silver medal.
“I, Tonya” is not your everyday biopic. It’s a light satire, filled with irony and based on contradicting interviews. The real truth will probably never be revealed.
Leading lady Margot Robbie, who is fantastic by the way, even breaks the fourth wall a couple of times. Telling us how it really happened.
Nancy Kerrigan was Harding’s biggest rival and the all American girl. The complete opposite. When both girls were amazing figure skaters, Tonya was maybe better. She took more risks. But Harding’s image and background didn’t fit in that world. When Kerrigan was attacked after a training and someone shattered her knee, rumor had it that Harding had something to do with it. It was all over the news and at the time, she and Bill Clinton were the most famous people.
What is true and what isn’t, will always be the question. What we do know, is that Harding had a rough life. Her father left her when she was young and she stayed with her demanding and cold mother. LaVona was the one dragging her on the ice when she was four, constantly pushing her. She was loveless, tough and convinced that Tonya only did well when pushed.
And then there is Tonya’s stormy and violent relationship with Jeff Gillooly. He beat her and treated her bad.
Tonya didn’t blend in with the rest of the girls. She didn’t dance to classical music, but choose ZZ Top and she made her own outfits. But she was also the first American woman to perform a triple Axel, with success. She was good at what she did, but somehow always ruined it for herself. But Tonya kept fighting. When she fell, she got up, no matter how hard it was. And she deserves a certain respect for that.
Like I stated before, Margot Robbie is fantastic in her role. But it’s Allison Janney that steals the show as Tonya’s mother LaVona. Her character is comical and almost cartoonish, but she is also a terrible woman and treats her daughter like trash.
“I, Tonya” manages to combine extreme characters and the real humans they are deep inside. This movie really surprised me with its tone, not at all what I expected. Such a great film!

Rating: 4,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 112: Suicide Squad

Director: David Ayer
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Crime
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jay Hernandez, Adam Beach, Scott Eastwood, Ben Affleck

Description: A secret government agency recruits a group of imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency, which inevitably leads to chaos.

Review: DC Comics got a crazy follow up for “Batman V. Superman”, which was a big and epic film, but was way too long and didn’t meet our big expectations. “Suicide Squad” is a daring film with fun characters, but it’s a bit messy.
“Suicide Squad” is set right after the happenings in “Batman V. Superman”. Amanda Waller decides to fight fire with fire, in the crime filled world they live in now. She assembles a groups of criminals that are all messed up in their own way. She wants them to fight the evil in the world and finally do something good. If they don’t cooperate, they will be killed.
The start of the film is an introduction to the characters. That’s a big part of the opening, but the film is very fast paced and holds that tempo the entire film. But some of the members of the suicide squad get more attention than others. Especially Deadshot and Harley Quinn get more focus, but they are also the most interesting characters of the bunch. Both Will Smith and Margot Robbie do a fantastic job portraying them.
Jared Leto plays the Joker and he does it in his own way. His interpretation is okay, but he doesn’t succeed as well as Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger did with their performances of the same character. And the Joker isn’t in the film that much either. Cara Delevinge as Enchantress is just strange. I didn’t like her and her character never gets interesting. And I hated that weird voice she had.
The editing of the film is the biggest problem. It’s very messy and it sometimes looks like scenes were cut and it was all edited without giving it the proper attention.
“Suicide Squad” has enough entertainment and is very fast paced to keep my attention the entire runtime. Overall the film is messy, but Will Smith and Margot Robbie make up for a lot. It has action and humor, but it’s not DC’s big comeback.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 97: The Legend of Tarzan

Director: David Yates
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou

Description: Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård), having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

Review: “The Legend of Tarzan” is the newest film directed by David Yates, whom we mostly know for his “Harry Potter” films. This is the first film since and before he returns to the wizard world with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. Can Yates make this other book series into a success? Personally, I wasn’t very excited about this film.
Leon Rom works for the Belgian king Leopold. In his name he is send to Africa to find valuable diamonds. Unfortunately for Rom, Mbonga, the leader of an African tribe isn’t, planning on handing these diamonds over to him. Mbonga does want to make a deal: when Rom can deliver him Tarzan, he is willing to give the diamons to him.
“The Legend of Tarzan” isn’t an origian story. We meet Tarzan when he has already left the jungle and leads a life in England as John Clayton, with his wife Jane. Under false pretenses, the couple is lured to Africa. They immediately fall into the trap of Rom, where Jane is abdicted and Tarzan has to save her.
There have been many movies about Tarzan, even a Disney film and a couple of tv shows. But in 2016 Africa isn’t as mysterious as it was a hundred years ago, when these stories were released. This somewhat old fashioned story of a man between wild animals, will it still speak to the audience? Yates tried to add a little more depth to the script, themes like slavery, colonization and racism. A brave try to make Tarzan a bit more political correct.
Although they tried to add more depth, “The Legend of Tarzan” is still a basic story about a damsell in distress waiting fort he hero toe save her. And although the action scenes are spectacular, there is only a handful of action sequences and it’s nothing that we haven’t seen before.
Alexander Skarsgård has the looks fort he role, but is missing the charisma to convince me. His cool, distant behaviour fit him perfectly as vampire in “True Blood”, but not so much as Tarzan. Margot Robbie gave her character a little bit more spice, but her role is a bit thankless. She can do more then this. Christoph Waltz plays the villain, but he is doing a routine job. Samuel L. Jackson is the best part of the film, although he only has the role of the sidekick.
“The Legend of Tarzan” isn’t a terrible film. The film starts off slow, but eventually does have some entertaining elements and is sometimes even funny. It’s a straight forward adventure film, a light film that won’t stay with you for very long. Overall “The Legend of Tarzan” is okay, but nothing special.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 129: The Wolf of Wall Street

Director: Martin Scorsese

Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 179 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumely, Ethan Suplee, Shea Wigham

Description: Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Review: “The Wolf of Wall Street” is based on true events, about the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort. He is an acrid, clever stockbroker who came from nothing to eventually own over thirty million dollars. Not long after Belfort had his first taste of Wall Street, the company he works for collapses. He is forced to search for something new and he finds this little, amateurish business. Because he is convincing and the extreme high commission, he gathers a loyal yet eccentric team and starts his own business. Belfort manages to sell worthless shares for a lot of money and his company, Stratton Oakmont grows and grows.

A film about capitalism, directed by Martin Scorsese and blessed with a strong cast. All the ingredients for a sharp film. “The Wolf of Wall Street” starts strong and sucks you in with some strong dialogues. Especially the lunch conversation between Belfort and his mentr Mark Hanna is masterfully acted. Matthew McConaughey is very intense and it’s hard to look away. Sadly for us, McConaughey is only seen for 10 minutes. Also great is the scene were Belfort meets FBI agent Patrick Denham, very subtly played by Kyle Chandler. It’s fascinating to see how the two man go from having a civilized and friendly conversation to a heated dialogue.

As the main protagonist, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a very impressive performance. Navigating between the calculated coldness, the manic urge to self-manifestation and the insatiable greed for money, drugs and alcohol all of which are typical for the character Jordan Belfort. DiCaprio really loses himself in the role. But Belfort never gets as interesting as movie archetypes like Gordon Gekko (“Wall Street”) or Daniel Plainview (“There Will Be Blood”). That’s because the character is very one dimensional and doesn’t have a lot of depth. Especially during those speeches he gives for his team, it’s hard to make that credible.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” isn’t all that original for Scorsese either. If you replace the mob for drugs, sex and greed, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a lot like “Goodfellas”. Not only is the story told by the main character in the form of a voice-over, the accent and the way he talks also sounds a lot like Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”.

In the beginning the confronting scenes, sex orgies and drug escapades are shocking. Especially because of its satire. But after a couple of those hedonistic outbursts, you’re done with it. The movie looks like it’s on repeat. With that, the movie is way too long. A movie with hardly any likeable characters, is hard to watch for me. I can only sympathize Jordan’s foulmouthed father and FBI agent Patrick Denham. And especially Belfort’s spineless, white teethed business partner Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) is one of the most annoying and terrible characters I’ve ever seen. “The Wolf of Wall Street” also constantly shifts between admiration and social criticism. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is definitely a good movie, but it gets way more credit then I think it

deserves. There were many Scorsese movies that I loved more.

Rating: 3/ 5