Eleanor Reviews

Director:  James Gunn Cast:  Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Joel Kinnaman, John Cena Where can I watch?:   The Suicide Squad  is in cinemas now Rating:  1/5 Review:  There are some directors who, upon deciding they will direct an 'adult' superhero film, choose to prioritise excessive swearing, grotesque violence and a lot of shouting over an engaging, meaningful plot. James Gunn is one such director. Taking on this sort-of-remake, sort-of-sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad, Gunn's foray into the DC-verse is nothing short of rubbish - or, if we were speaking like one of Gunn's characters, 'f*cking rubbish'. Firstly, there are exchanges that are clearly meant to be humorous - they are not. Secondly, there are too many characters fighting for screen time for any sort of meaningful (if that could even be possible!) relationship to be built, either between themselves or the audience. Thirdly, what even is the plot here (slight spoilers ahead!)? That a gang of supervillai

Director:  Jaume Collet-Serra Cast:  Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramirez  Where can I watch?:   Jungle Cruise  is in cinemas and streaming on  Disney+ Rating:  3/5 Review: Maybe it's my old age or my enduring girl crush on Emily Blunt getting the better of me, but I actually found Disney's latest, Jungle Cruise , reasonably enjoyable. Undoubtedly daft and peppered with toe-curling dialogue it may be, but when was the last time you watched a proper adventure film? With influences from the Indiana Jones series and Pirates of the Caribbean films evident throughout, Jungle Cruise takes the viewer on a fast-paced, action-packed ride down the Amazon in the company of roguish skipper, Frank (Dwayne Johnson), all-round babe, Dr Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt, sigh) on their quest to find a mythical tree. Jesse Plemons, chewing the scenery as German baddie Prince Joachim, is hot on their tails, however, in his mini submarine... Yeah, I said it was daft. Despite an o

Director:  Anders Thomas Jensen Cast:  Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz  Where can I watch?:   Black Widow  is in cinemas and streaming on Disney+ Rating:  2.5/5 Review: Pipped to the post by DC, Marvel's first female superhero-fronted movie introduced us to a completely new character in Captain Marvel. Years later, and only after (spoiler alert!) her character was killed off in Avengers: Endgame , we get the much-awaited, highly anticipated Black Widow  movie. One of the most complex characters of the MCU, surely this female-led, female-directed film would break the usual Marvel formula and bring us something a little more interesting? Unfortunately not. Despite being helmed by Cate Shortland, this is hardly a feminist film. Aside from the numerous establishing shots of Scarlett Johansson's ass, a misjudged joke about menstruation (seriously, are periods still funny?) and multiple glimpses of svelte young women in skin-tight suits, the film never