Top 10 Blockbuster Movies of the 2010s Which Deserve More Love

It’s a little way to go yet, but soon enough summer will be here, which on the film calendar means blockbuster season! The wonderful few months where our cinema screens are taken over by super-powered beings in tights, magical stories of ‘chosen ones’ and all sorts of explosive action. With the promise of the biggest stars and huge budgets, you’d think that these films guarantee success, but fairly often these ambitious projects lead to disappointment. However, sometimes these so called ‘disappointments’ don’t deserve the stick they receive. Rather than focussing on the negatives, I’m going to look through the top 10 underrated blockbusters from 2010-2020 and why I think they deserve more love.

• 10. xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)

You know the phrase “so bad, it’s good”? Well I think that’s the perfect way to describe this action packed and utterly ludicrous Vin Diesel led sequel. The opening scene alone features Samuel L. Jackson’s Augustus Gibbons attempting to recruit Brazil and PSG football superstar Neymar Jr., to become a super spy. Things get crazier and crazier and although it’s ridiculous, it’s anything but boring. A fun supporting cast is assembled here with the likes of Donnie Yen, Toni Collette, Ruby Rose and Nina Dobrev all providing entertaining performances whilst Vin Diesel just does what he does best. You’re definitely going to either love or hate this film and I would understand your feeling whichever way you lean, but trust me when I say that there will at least be a handful of moments which make you smile whilst watching it.

• 9. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Sometimes I wonder how the Terminator franchise survived this long, especially considering there hasn’t been a good film in the franchise since 1991. Terminator 3 had its moments, as did Salvation but Genisys looked like the final nail in the coffin when that crapfest released. Someone somewhere, however, saw life in the Terminator franchise and with 2019’s Dark Fate, produced the best Terminator film since T2. The new cast is great, with Mackenzie Davis particularly shining and Diego Luna proving an intimidating presence, but it’s the return of Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor and Arnie as the T-800, which are the real highlights. Director Tim Miller also nails the action sequences and turns those nasty machines in to antagonists to be feared again. Sadly the film proved to be a bit of a flop at the box office, so it seems that for the foreseeable future the Terminator franchise is once again dead in the water.

• 8. Warcraft (2016)

Having never played World of Warcraft, and with little to no knowledge of the world or characters, I went into this one pretty blind. Warcraft has some issues for sure, but for the most part this is a really enjoyable fantasy adventure that’s well worth a watch. We follow the stories of both Orcs and Men and I think credit has to go to the filmmakers for making the CG Orc characters the more interesting group to watch. I’m sure a lot of references to the games went over my head so I can’t say how accurately it mirrors the source material, but for a newcomer entering this world I had a great time with it, and I’m sure you will too.

• 7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

The Transformers franchise is a peculiar one, when these films are good, they’re really good, but when they’re bad… oh boy. Michael Bay is very good at what he does, that can’t be denied, but it also cannot be denied that what he does isn’t to everyone’s taste. This third film in the Transformers franchise has the best action scenes and visuals of the franchise, and let’s be honest, that’s what we watch these films for. The wing-suit sequence stands out as one of the best actions scenes of the last 10 years and that alone makes this film worth viewing if you ask me! If you’re looking for a well crafted plot and compelling characters then look elsewhere, but for a fun few hours with robots kicking the crap out of each other, then stick around and enjoy the ride!

• 6. Tomb Raider (2018)

The Tomb Raider video game which rebooted the series in 2013 is one of my favourite ever games, so when this film was announced, which clearly looked to be influenced by the newer series of games, I was super excited to see how it was. After a bit of a slow start, things realy begin to get going, and what we’re left with is a really great action film! There’s not much tomb raiding involved but the story is still compelling enough and there’s a few great action sequences which make this stand out compared to the standard blockbuster. Alicia Vikander absolutely kills it in this role and I can’t wait to see more of her as Lara in future sequels, which should hopefully be on the horizon! The always brilliant Walton Goggins plays the antagonist here, so there’s some added incentive to see the movie if you were on the fence at all!

• 5. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Henry Cavill and a pre-rumoured cannibal Armie Hammer in a 1960s spy romp directed by Guy Ritchie? Um, yes please! I really don’t understand how this film failed to make more of an impact, it wasn’t exactly a flop but I truly believe there was enough good here to start a successful franchise. Cavill is suave and charismatic as US agent Napoleon Solo, whilst Hammer is brilliantly stern as Russian straight-man Illya Kuryakin, and they make a terrific double act. Alicia Vikander shows up in this list for a second time and she once again delivers a great performance, this time in a supporting role. There’s car chases, shoot outs and a host of gadgets, as you’d expect in any spy film and a cracking soundtrack to back it all up too. Seriously, go check this film out!

• 4. Spectre (2015)

I’m a big fan of James Bond, and Daniel Craig’s version of the character particularly. What Craig has done with the role deserves a lot of credit, for bringing life back to a franchise which many assumed had seen its best days. Spectre didn’t sit well with everyone and was seen as a big step down in quality after 2012’s Skyfall, and I’m aware it’s not exactly a popular opinion to love this film, but I really do! The action is great, some of the classic cheesiness of Bond films of yesteryear returns, and we get Christoph Waltz, what’s not to love?! The dramatic weight of Skyfall’s story might not be here, but that may sound like a relief to you if you’re just looking for a lighter and more fun Bond adventure.

• 3. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

I must have a death wish to write anything about Star Wars online these days! The fan-base has sadly become something so toxic I feel I need to constantly remind myself that it’s not all problematic, and there are people who truly love the franchise for what it is. I won’t get in to it but I think we all know how 2017’s The Last Jedi was so divisive and really split the fan-base in two, and is a big reason behind why Solo didn’t make the impact it should have at the box office. There was always a lot against this film going in and Alden Ehrenreich had the impossible job of playing a role as iconic as a young Han Solo, something which he absolutely smashes here! He’s genuinely great and makes the role his own rather than trying to just copy what Harrison Ford did with the character. The supporting cast features Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover and Erin Kellyman and they’re all great, as well as Paul Bettany who is clearly having a great time as twisted villain Dryden Vos. I’d recommend this film to people even if they’re not a Star Wars fan, it’s just a really fun ride and far too many people slept on it.

• 2. Men In Black 3 (2012)

Coming up just short of top spot on this list of blockbuster movies of the 2010s that deserve more love is Men in Black 3, a superb time-travelling sci-fi spectacular. The Men in Black franchise has always been entertaining, even Men in Black II, despite its drop in quality from its predecessor, still had some great moments. In this third film in the series we find Agent J (Will Smith) chasing villain Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) back in time to 1969 in a clever, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt movie. We get to meet loads of new aliens in the film, all with unique and wonderful designs, but none as memorable as Boris. Clement puts in a brilliant performance as the insane criminal and the only negative thing I can say about him is he isn’t in the film enough! Credit to Josh Brolin too for playing a young version of Agent K and doing the most perfect Tommy Lee Jones impression, superb stuff!

• 1. Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Alita: Battle Angel is great, like super great! If any film on this list is deserving of more love and a sequel/s then it’s definitely this one! Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, this movie has some huge talent working on it behind the camera, as well as a cast of cinema greats like Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali in front of it. The CGI in this is some of the best I’ve ever seen, and the way Alita herself is brought to life is just fascinating, it’s the kind of stuff that’s well worth checking out in the behind-the-scenes footage if you get the chance. What makes Alita stand out on this list is that unlike many of the films previously mentioned here, Alita was actually pretty well received for the most part by critics and audiences, but it just wasn’t seen by enough people to warrant a sequel. It made over $400million at the box office which is obviously a huge amount of money but sadly not close enough to the target to warrant any more than hopeful discussions for a sequel. The ending of this film leaves you wanting more, and wanting to see more of Alita’s journey and her eventual showdown with chief villain, Nova, who is teased in a quick cameo appearance at the film’s climax. There is still some hope a sequel will come, we all thought the Snyder Cut would never happen, but it’s amazing what power a popular hashtag and a few thousand devoted fans have these days so fingers crossed #AlitaSequel makes a similar sort of impact!

So there you have it, the top 10 blockbuster movies of the 2010s which deserve more love! Let me know if you agree with my picks and if there’s any film/s you think I’ve missed out. Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far, and hopefully see you next time!

Transformers: Age of Extinction review

Transformers: Age of Extinction is director Michael Bay’s fourth film in his entertaining yet critically panned alien/robot franchise. This film is set five years after the events of Dark of the Moon where most of the city of Chicago was destroyed in an alien invasion before being stopped by Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. Now it is present day and the remaining Transformers, both Autobot and Decepticon are being hunted down by the US government and another mysterious enemy. After a short recap of events we meet down on his luck inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and his 17 year old daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz, who is clearly in the ‘dodgy acting but good eye candy’ role for this film) who struggles to have a normal life with her overbearing father, she does however have a boyfriend called Shane (Jack Reynor) who she’s been hiding from her dad. Everything changes for them when Cade discovers an old truck which just so happens to be Optimus Prime! This leads us in to a story full of car chases, evil government types and of course massive explosions! Exciting stuff right? Sadly not…

Having enjoyed the previous Transformers films despite being well aware of their flaws I went in to this movie knowing what to expect and in fairness you do get all the customary Michael Bay features, most within the first 5 minutes of the film! The man is well aware of the criticism he receives and if anything he’s on his worst behaviour in this film. Explosions come thick and fast, each one seeming to say “f**k you random critic who doesn’t like me blowing shit up!” The action has never been a problem for me with these movies but in this film I think the quality of the set pieces has dipped since the previous film which really had some jaw dropping moments, for example the wingsuit scene which I still enjoy watching back. This film does get it’s standout moment when we finally see the Dinobots, they prove to be just as badass as you would imagine but they have such small screentime they are soon forgotten about.

We get a few new Autobots in this film and they all play their part and are voiced adequately by John Goodman, Ken Watanabe and John DiMaggio, although you never really care much for their characters. The standout voice actor again however is Peter Cullen reprising his role as Optimus, a role he has played since 1986 and he has never sounded better. A special mention too has to go to Mark Ryan who voices Lockdown, the new threat that the Autobots have to face. He is a brilliant villain who rivals Megatron from the previous films as most ruthless and pure evil baddie. His mission is to take out Transformers and he does it with a chilling ease.

Mark Wahlberg is the main human protagonist in this film and he is actually a very likeable and believable hero. His performance is one of the highlights of the movie as you see the love he has for his daughter and that everything he does is to protect her. As well as his caring side he does get several chances to prove himself as the hero, one standout moment being when he is chased down several floors of a Chinese housing estate by a CIA agent, a great setpiece which ends in a bloody fight. Some of the other new human characters we meet are Kelsey Grammer’s hate fuelled CIA operative Attinger, who works with Lockdown in tracking the remaining Autobots and Decepticons, and Stanley Tucci’s Joshua Joyce who is the head of a company called KSI which plans on creating Transformers of their own. Both of these are experienced and well loved actors and as expected are the standouts in this film, especially Tucci who adds some great moments of comic relief which helped me stay awake during a painfully long finale.

Yes, painfully long you read that correctly, this is a 2 and a half hour film after all. Now I have no issues with long films BUT they have to do enough to keep the audience’s attention. You can’t just keep a film running with robot fight after robot fight, it needs more! The last 30/40 minutes of this film had me checking the time just hoping it was nearly over and that’s just not good enough from a summer blockbuster.

Transformers: Age of Extinction does have a few things going for it such as the performances of Tucci, Wahlberg and Grammer but it sadly proves to be one movie too many in this franchise many thought they had seen the end of. If the ending of this film is anything to go by we are in for at least one more Michael Bay smash fest, let’s just hope it’s a little shorter next time.

2/5