Review: ‘Stratton’… Your Typical Mindless Action Movie

Stratton

Theatrial Release: January 5, 2018

Available On Demand & Digital HD: January 5, 2018

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Stratton (based on the novel series of the ​same name), a Special Boat Service operative for MI6, and his American counterpart Marty, scope a laboratory complex in Iran in order to intercept deadly biochemical weapons. This most complex of missions goes spectacularly wrong however and in the mayhem Marty (Tyler Hoechlin) is mortally wounded. Stratton (Dominic Cooper) knows his trusted friend isn’t going to make it. Back at base Stratton is summoned by the big boss at MI6 (Connie Nielsen). She has received intel that a former Soviet operative, Barovski (Thomas Kretschmann), has gone rogue. Thought to be dead for the last 20 years, it is believed Barovski has plans to take revenge on his former paymasters by using stolen chemical weapons. From hereon in, Stratton and his team (Austin Stowell, Gemma Chan, Jake Fairbrother, & Tom Felton) must draw on all their training and experience to race against time and stop the unimaginable happening.

Stratton is your typical mindless action movie. Reminded us of a lower budget James Bond or Jason Bourne. We found ourselves getting caught up in the plot (at the time), but in a few days we’re sure it will blend into every other movie that’s similar and we’ll forget exactly what the plot was. It was nice seeing Malfoy (Tom Felton) in another movie, that isn’t Harry Potter, but it did lead us to make assumptions about his character in Stratton (and we weren’t too far off). Also in reference to the acting, Gemma Chan… give her more scenes! That certainly wouldn’t have disappointed us if she was more involved.

We’d recommend waiting for Stratton to hit Netflix or a free movie channel as opposed to paying to see it in theaters or renting through On Demand, but we do suggest giving it a watch. And to be honest, we wouldn’t be opposed to seeing a sequel.

Reel ROB Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review!

Michael’s Review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

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Hard to believe but it’s only been seven years since Marvel set in motion this grandiose plan to create a cinematic universe that would bring many of it’s popular comic book character to life. A slew of solo films introducing Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Hulk all lead to one moment in 2012, when director Joss Whedon unleashed Earth’s Mightiest Heroes into cinemas to complete Phase 1 of the company’s plan, a feat that would result in the third biggest box office worldwide. Three years later Whedon returns to take this franchise to another level and looks to top the achievement many believed to be too large to tackle. Seven years and so many memorable films has lead to this moment, Marvel’s crowning jewel, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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In Ultron, we find the Avengers back together and on a mission in the Eastern European city of Sokovia looking for Hydra operative Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann), who has been experimenting on humans using Loki’s scepter. The team encounter two of Strucker’s experiments, Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who has superhuman speed, and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who can manipulate minds and throw energy blasts. Tony (Robert Downey Jr) encounters Wanda’s power during the apprehension of the scepter and has a vision of a cataclysmic event that would see the end of everything and everyone he loves.

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Haunted by this vision, Stark and Banner (Mark Ruffalo) discover an artificial intelligence within the scepter’s gem, and secretly use it to complete Stark’s “Ultron” global defense program, but things don’t go as planned.  Ultron (voiced by James Spader) misinterprets the directive and believes the only way to save the Earth is to eradicate humanity. Believing his biggest threat to be the Avengers, the program sets his sights on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as the first hurdle in his grand plan. Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), feeling betrayed by the duos secret plan, confront Stark and Banner for answers. Believing it will take all of them to take down the creation, the Avengers set out to find Ultron before he can enact his evil plan and destroy the Earth, but it will take not only the Avengers, but new alliances with the Maxinoff’s and a newly created AI named The Vision (Paul Bettany) to see this mission to completion. Can the team save the Earth one more time?

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Like Captain America: The Winter Solider, Marvel has begun to evolve it’s films with more mature storytelling. Avengers: Age of Ultron has a darker tone than the previous Avengers film, but it helps escalates the tension and performances of these actors to new levels not yet seen in the MCU. The addition of new characters, including the performances of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen as the Maximoff twins and Paul Bettany as The Vision are crucial to keeping the Avengers franchise from growing stale and all three actors bring a wonderful presence that fits perfectly in with the core team. Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye takes center stage for many crucial scenes in the film and shines with the increased screen time. The growing chemistry between Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner works wonderfully within the structure of the film and never feels out of place.

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Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans are exactly what they need to be for this film. The action sequences involving these two are spectacular as usual and each actor adds a nice dose of humor to the film. Robert Downey Jr is perfect as always. The human side of Tony was flushed out in Iron Man 3, but the effects of the events he’s faced have begun to multiply and lead to many hard decisions for the character. Downey Jr carefully dissects these effects and portrays them to perfection. James Spader is a tremendous presence as the voice and mo cap of Ultron. The seasoned actor is menacing and devilishly charming and his mannerisms and facial expressions are portrayed perfectly within the Ultron character.

Overall, Avengers: Age of Ultron should thrill audiences and set new records worldwide. The film is a true test of the power of story telling and takes the Marvel brand to a new height. Stay in your seats for a mid-credit scene which will no doubt set up the next adventure of our favorite heroes in 2018! But don’t fret, there will be plenty of Marvel films before that, including next year’s Captain America: Civil War! Buckle up, they’re just getting started.

Stars:

4 out of 5

After credit scene?

Yes. Mid credit scene, nothing after the credits

Trailer:

Idris Elba Reveals Heimdall and Loki Will Appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron!

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Just over a week ago we were all freaking out watching the debut of the Avengers: Age of Ultron, now comes word that the cast may have just gotten a bit bigger. British actor Idris Elba says he will appear as Heimdall alongside Tom Hiddleston as Loki in next year’s sequel. Read More →