Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Genre: Action
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Batuista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell  
Duration: 137 minutes
Class: N/A
KRS Releasing Ltd

The sequel to the 2004 blockbuster sees the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy in another high-stakes space adventure.

Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot find themselves pursued by a villain and once again are given the task of saving the universe.

They are joined along the way by Gamora’s petulant sister Nebula, space pirate Yondu and Mantis, an empathic alien.

The cast members include Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Batuista as Drax the Destroy, Vin Diesel as Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket andPom Klementieff as Mantis. Sylvester Stallone makes an appearance as Stakar Ogord leader of the space pirates known as “ravagers”.

The film premiered in Tokyo on April 10 and is opening in the US on May 5 but early reviews are mostly favourable. The film opens in Malta on Friday.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: “Shot for shot, line and line, it's an extravagant and witty follow-up, made with the same friendly virtuosic dazzle. Yet this time you can sense just how hard the series' wizard of a director, James Gunn, is working to entertain you.”

Geoffrey Macnab of  The Independent UK gave it the thumps up too. He said: “The second Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel Studios near its best: spectacular, funny and with a very likeable self-mocking quality.”

Some critics were, however, less impressed as they thought the plot was too familiar.

These included Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, who commented: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 plays like a second ride on a roller-coaster that was a real kick the first time around but feels very been-there/done-that now.”

Irrelevant of such criticism and the sales revenue at the box office, Gunn is already booked to write and direct the third Guardians film, due for release in 2020.

Ratings
IMDB: 9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Empire: 4 stars

Love blooms between Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin in times of conflict in Their Finest.

Their Finest (2016)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Lone Scherfig
Stars: Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Jack Huston, Paul Ritter, Richard  E. Grant, Jeremy Irons, Henry Goodman
Duration: 117 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

The film is based on the 2009 novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans. In 1940, a married woman (Gemma Arterton) and a screenwriter (Sam Claflin) develop a growing attraction while working together on a propaganda film about the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France.

The film and its main protagonist (Arterton) were praised by critics.

Ian Freer of Empire wrote: “Anchored by a superb Gemma Arterton, Their Finest is a funny, winning, beautifully acted ode to working women and cinema.”

Manohla Dargis of The NYTimes said: “Their Finest is too understandably serious to be called a romp, yet it has a buoyancy that lifts you and, in Ms McCrory [Arterton], a woman who does, too.”

Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal was no less pleased. “Their Finest is one of the smartest, funniest and most surprising movies I’ve seen in years.”

The critics’s consensus on Rotten Tomatoes sums it all:  “Carried along by a winning performance from Gemma Arterton, Their Finest smoothly combines comedy and wartime drama to crowd-pleasing effect.”

The film, which opened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, was released in the UK last weekend.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.2
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Empire: 4 stars

Dennis Quaid’s best friend is a Golden Retriever in A Dog’s Purpose.

A Dog’s Purpose (2017)
Genre: Adventure
Director: Lasse Hallström
Stars: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Britt Robertson, Peggy Lipton, Bryce Gheisar, K.J. Apa, Juliet Rylance, John Ortiz
Duration: 100 minutes
Class: PG
KRS Releasing Ltd

Based on the novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, the drama is about a Golden Retriever named Bailey whose life is shown from his birth to his death and to his reincarnation through four different dog breeds. Each time he is reincarnated, the film tells his story from life to death, except in the latest life, where he meets his original owner again.

The film received quite poor reviews even though Swedish director Lasse Hallström once again pulls at one’s heartstrings in another tearjerker revolving around a canine after Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009).

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “A Dog's Purpose offers an awkward blend of sugary sentiment and canine suffering that tugs at animal-loving audiences' heartstrings with shameless abandon.”

The film was also subjected to scrutiny after a video fromthe set was leaked of a dog being forced into running water, then submerged and requiring human rescue. Resulting investigations concluded that the video images were authentic but had been edited.

The film grossed $181 million worldwide since its release in January.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Empire: N/A