1. This Means War

 

 

Okay so as this is my first post I thought I'd do a fairly new film that some people may not have seen an easy breezy one to get people used to my writing style.
Right then, 'This Means War' directed by McG is an action RomCom which in all honest isn't my usual genre. I can appreciate the romcom however it's not my first choice and in most cases they flop, badly. Which is why when you find one that genuinely makes you smile and feel happy and get that terrible warm fuzzy feeling inside it is a definite accomplishment.
        The basic concept of the film is that there are two guys 'FDR' a bit of a womanizer and 'Tuck' a divorcee who is lonely in love, who both end up falling for the same girl 'Lauren'. Both of the men work as spies and so the comedy enters the film in the way in which they use their 'special agent tactics' to try and win Lauren over whilst still trying to deal with a classic baddy by the name of Heinrich.
        Girls! I think that there is no need to ignore the fact that starring Chris Pine as 'FDR' and Tom Hardy as 'Tuck' this film is not short of hotties and boys, you definitely get your fair share of eye candy from the leading Lady 'Lauren' who is played by Reese Witherspoon. However, angling away from my raging teenage hormones I think that firstly I should mention the chemistry between these three actors. The bromance that occurs between Tuck and FDR is not far off perfect, the first time I watched the film through I thought they were brothers however just note: they are not, just childhood best friends. I should point out now that I usually watch films through twice, once for enjoyment and once to pick fault or analyse or whatever you want to call it #propermediastudent. Anyway, both of the boys go about wooing Lauren in different ways and it basically ends up being a competition between the two boys.
        The audience is kept guessing the whole way through the film and Lauren doesn't favour either one at any point, the coinciding dates are actually funny, maybe not side splittingly laugh out loud funny but they are definitely worthy of at least a chuckle or two. I think this is partly achieved through the contrast. Tuck being the sweet and sensitive type takes Lauren to a fair/circus or whatever you want to call it and takes her to the trapeze because he found out that she used to be a gymnast through her online dating page. However, FDR takes her to a club in which he has VIP access which Lauren gets bored of quickly and walks off. The irony is that she only stays with FDR that night is to show him off to her ex boyfriend who is now getting married to another woman. Personally, I didn't feel the usual overwhelming boredom that I usually do when watching a romcom and I think that keeping Lauren's decision is what did it for me.
        In all honest there's not a right lot that I can say about this film as it is cheap an cheerful, in that I mean that it is simple. There aren't really any plot twists, no clever filming techniques and no Oscar winning performances. However, I haven't read any other reviews on it, which again is something I commonly do so, maybe I'm just short for ideas. The one thing I would say is that the production of the film definitely contributes to the happy/happy feeling of it. I'm not sure how it is done whether there is some sort of orange gel or something on the camera lense (oopsie, technical knowledge is not up to scratch over here!) as it doesn't look specifically like that however there is some sort of bright wash on the shot which makes the film look very bright and warm all the time. This combines with the beautiful people and the Hollywood smiles makes it al... well, just that, very Hollywood. It is not realistic at all but it is at heart a feel-good romcom, and there's nothing wrong with that - I believe this was the purpose of the film and that if the director had wanted to create realism then it would not have been difficult to do but that's not the point.
         One thing I haven't mentioned is Heinrich, played by Til Sweiger. The film opens with Tuck and FDR going after Heinrich and his brother to take them out. They succeed with Heinrich's brother but Heinrich himself gets away and tears away a piece of FDR's suit. He then spends the rest of the film focusing his efforts on finding the two spies. The irony is that THEY should be looking for HIM not the other way around but obviously they are using their gadgets and surveillance teams to follow Lauren. Although the film does not centre around the actual spy/action plot it definitely adds another layer to the film that detracts it away from just a wishy washy romcom. The Heinrich case ties the whole film together at the end (I'm trying my best not to give spoilers so I won't go into this) and is done very well for a sub plot as it is not focused upon too much that the film becomes too complicated to understand the different plotlines.
         At the end of the day 'This Means War' isn't going to be winning any awards however, despite it being unrealistic and very cheesy it is definitely a film that I think will make it onto a lot of people's 'Guilty Pleasures' lists which is absolutely fine! You need a fluffy movie every now and then! So even though I think the big bag dog critics will rip it to shreds in the 'is it well made?' 'how's the production?' and 'big budget?' type fields it is what it is: that is a great movie in terms of audience satisfaction that is perfect for a pick me up and a giggle with your mates.
        SO the big question....
        IS IT WORTH THE WATCH?!

THE VERDICT:
I say YES: It's a fun film that satisfies both the testosterone fulled action lovers but is definitely completely estrogen friendly at the same time, what more could you want?! Perfect for watching as a couple, you can both mmm and aaah over the pretty people in it and appreciate the story at the same time.

If you agree/disagree/have any questions or just want to have a chat about the film then either comment or email me at suzy.keeping@hotmail.com
CHEERS GUYS! :) x