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At the centre of the plot is Lee (Dunst) a battle-hardened veteran in New York as the Western Forces advance on Washington DC. So she and her partner Joel (Moura) decide to head to the capital and hopefully interview the besieged, belligerant president (Offerman). They're accompanied by the even more world-weary veteran Sammy (Henderson) and bright young novice photographer Jessie (Spaeny), who is thrilled to meet her hero Lee, and has no idea of the horrors that lie ahead of them.

Garland's direction is intense and involving, creating an incident-based road movie (see The Last of Us) in which the characters have quiet and even funny moments in between various terrifying encounters with gun-toting nutcases. The wild tonal shifts actually pull us into the story, so Garland's sometimes simplistic cinematic language (slow motion, an anachronistic song score, beauty in devastation) brings out deeper thoughts and feelings from a cast that plays scenes beautifully, often with skilful understatement.

So it's a rather large problem that the narrative tries so hard to remove itself from present-day political reality. And as a result, even the film's anti-war commentary feels half-hearted. Yes, the president's hard-man tactics echo Putin and Assad, with some Trumpian overtones, but the rebels' gleefully murderous response is just as pernicious, a point Garland is clearly trying to make in the film's final shot. But it doesn't leave us much room to think.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

22.Apr.24

Even though Master Shifu (Hoffman) pushes him, Po (Black) is reluctant to select his successor as the Dragon Warrior. So he's glad for the distraction when villainous sorceress The Chameleon (Davis) launches a plot to drain power from the afterlife and take over the world. But she needs Po's special staff to do this. Accompanying Po to face The Chameleon is sly fox Zhen (Awkwafina), who wants to learn kung fu. And they're followed by Po's father Li (Cranston) and Ping (Hong), who raised him. Indeed, Po needs all the help he can get.

As usual, the film is a mix of wacky comedy, silly slapstick and outrageously colourful action, often all mixed together at once. And underlying everything are gently thoughtful philosophies that add depth of meaning, pulling us in and making the nonsense feel unusually satisfying. Vocal work is excellent across the board, with some extraordinary work particularly from Davis. And there are several properly spectacular sequences along the way.

This is some of the finest animation Hollywood can produce, impeccably catching glorious Chinese landscapes and architecture along with witty nods to culture, food and art. And the large-scale action set-pieces are staged with fiendishly inventive choreography. There are also subtle messages woven throughout the chaotic story, including a comment about the perils of taking shortcuts to get what you want. And of course it's also a salient reminder that when you're in doubt, it's best to trust your heart.

themes, language, violence

26.Apr.24