Trolls
When the painfully-positive, pop-song-belting Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and the sullen, song-less and serious Branch (Justin Timberlake) witness the taking of their fellow pointy-haired trolls at the large hands of the “Bergen” – monsters who eat trolls in an effort to become happier – it’s up to them to journey to Bergen Town to rescue them. Cue a fun, fluff-filled yet fairly-forgettable adventure that dips into strangely-psychedelic set pieces whenever Poppy bursts into song, reminiscent of the evidently drug-inspired The Magic Roundabout series of the sixties. And while the retro, pocket-sized, pencil-toppers are sure to be loved all over again by a new generation of children, DreamWorks’ latest flick is consequently nothing more than a feast for the eyes and ears, leaving little – if anything – for us miserable adults (are we the metaphorical Bergen?), with of course the exception of Timberlake’s superior and forever-catchy “Can’t Stop The Feeling.”
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
In this sequel to 2012’s Jack Reacher, based on the bestsellers by Lee Childs, Cruise reprises his role as the titular character who returns to help friend Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) when she’s implicated in a conspiracy involving the murder of two soldiers. Despite his age, Cruise is on top-form, but if you’re expecting action by the cruise liner-load, then look elsewhere, as there’s an even split here between action and drama. And while the latter is used to explore some depth with the revelation that Reacher may be the illegitimate father to the film’s whiny, teenage, Kevin McAllister-alike Samantha Dayton (she is home alone, steals a credit card to check into a hotel where she orders pay-per-view while eating candy and is chased by thugs throughout. Come on), the more meaningful layer is ill-executed, making Never Go Back as underwhelming a drama as it is an actioner.
The Accountant
Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, an ingenious forensic accountant who suffers from autism. By day, he is said-accountant, but by night, he is a gun-wielding assassin who helps detect financial deception for criminal enterprises, who is Punisher-esque in execution, and Batman-like via “world’s greatest detective” qualities. The film also stars Jon Bernthal (Marvel’s The Punisher) in a similar gun-toting role; J.K. Simmons (formerly Spider-Man’s J.J. Jameson, now DC’s new Jim Gordon) as a cop trying to crack the case of the “mysterious accountant.” There’s even a Daredevil-esque backstory for the ex-Daredevil himself, which sees him forced by his father as a child to learn martial arts to ready himself for the world, before his father is shot dead a’ la Daredevil and Batman. Though it carries all the right ingredients, The Accountant is, of course, no superhero flick, but you can’t help but feel it has strangely been set up add more credibility to the Batfleck, and even if it hasn’t, it’s hard to ignore all the above while watching. Nevertheless, it’s fun and surprisingly action-packed, and if its aim is to leg-up Gotham’s new knight in Kevlar, it somehow succeeds.
