Transcendence, Godzilla and Edge of Tomorrow

You can tell it's nearly summer when the cinema screens are full of blockbusters or American comedies. As I avoid the latter at all costs, and superhero movies have lost their appeal, I'm left with mainly science fiction. Fortunately these three are not bad at all. The worst thing about Transcendence is Johnny Depp. It's as if he has a bad hangover or the flue and is articulating through a haze of aspirin. Apart from that, the movie has a decent story and a tolerable screenplay by Jack Paglen. The director, Wally Pfister, makes reasonable use of his big budget with some interesting set pieces and Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany bring some class to an otherwise disappointing cast.

I had to see Godzilla twice (both times in 2D). The first time was the opening day and I had avoided all the early reviews. The best part this first time was the opening redacted credits. Fantastic. But I became totally confused as, having (wrongly) expected our friendly monster to put in an early appearance, I originally mistook him for the first Muto. Well who wouldn't be confused when the star doesn't appear until well over halfway through. The second time things were a whole lot clearer and more enjoyable as a result. Gareth Edwards does a great job as director. Some spectacular sets that reminded me of Spielberg at his best.

It's a hard job to make a movie interesting when the same day is repeated over and over. So it is to director Doug Liman's credit that he cleverly edits the action so as to make the whole thing a pleasing experience. What I hadn't expected, and what this movie has in bucket loads, is that is pretty witty. Tom Cruise is touchingly funny as the cowardly Major dumped into the front line of an alien war. Emily Blunt is solid as his co-star. The script is far superior for such a sci fi blockbuster. Writer Christopher McQuarrie is a close associate of our Tom, but the real surprise is that he is joined by playwright Jez Butterworth (the creator of Jerusalem) and his brother John-Henry with whom he also wrote the award winning screenplay for Fair Game directed by .... Doug Liman. This combination has turned what could have been just a boring action film into a more thoughtful and enjoyable story. OK, the fights with the aliens do go on just a fraction too long but these are soon forgotten. So a nice surprise.