We are just over the halfway point of Robot Wars and our current finalists are Behemoth, Carbide and Rapid. Let's see who will be number four.
LET THE WARS BEGIN
Group battle 1 The Kegs (Clusterbot) vs Tauron vs Iron Awe 6
The Kegs are a cluster-bot with a body shell fashioned out of steel beer kegs. Their team captain is veteran of the original series, John Frizell, who looks like your quintessential mad scientist.
If that name doesn't sound familiar, you've probably forgotten about Terror Turtle. If you have forgotten it, I don't blame you. Made by John Frizell, it was turtle-shaped robot, which always fared terribly. But the Kegs were armed with horizontal spinnng bars, but, as we've seen before, clusterbots have never done well on Robot Wars.
Tauron looked more impressive. With a sleek black finish, they had a vertical spinning hammer, rotating at 3000RPM. Their final opponent was another veteran of the original series: Iron Awe 6. While Iron-Awe always fared poorly in the original series, they did win subsequent untelevised competitions. They were armed with a flipper and an entanglement weapon.
3...2...1...ACTIVATE
One thing I've noticed this series is that the new entanglement weapons are useless. They do nothing to tangle up a robot's spinning weapon. Iron Awe was no exception with the Kegs ripping their entanglement weapon to shreds. To make matters worse, their flipper wasn't working either.
However, one weapon that was working was Tauron's lethal spinning hammer. it was so powerful that just one hit ripped off the Keg's spinning bar, sending it flying across the arena.
Sensing they werein trouble, The Keys hit the Dial of Doom, letting the House Robots out on the loose. Tuaron took advantage of this by veritably disembowlleing the Kegs. Unsurprisingly, the kegs were immobilised shortly after. meanwhile, Tauron and Iron Awe smashed together, which seemed to immobilise both machines. The decision went to the judges who awarded the fight to iron Awe, believing that Tauron was immobilised first. This wasn't the last controversial decision of the heat.
Group Battle 2 Concussion vs Androme 4000 vs Nuts 2
Concussions were finalists last year and so we already knew that they were ones to watch out for. This meant that Androme 4000, armed with a crushing arm, and the full-body spinner, Nuts 2 were complete underdogs.
Nuts has always been regarded as the joke machine of Robot Wars, not unlike Diotoir. But will the Nuts machine with their flailing, weighted arms have the last laugh?
3...2...1...ACTIVATE
Short answer? yes? Nuts' flailing arms smashed into Concussion's exposed wheels, buckling the hub.
The former finalists were in trouble here, as they were then flipped over by the floor flipper. Androma 4000, which hitherto had done nothing, came in for the killing, pinning Concussion down, but then Androma broke down.
Concussion couldn't escape from them and were declared immobilised too. Nuts were the unlikely winners.
Robot Redemption 1 Concussion vs the Kegs
Time for our first loser's melee. If anybody had counted the former finalists down and out, then that was a sincere mistake.
They were on top form here. Their first collision with one of the Kegs led to the latter's bodyshell being torn straight off.
This left the vulnerable insides exposed and Concussion were merciless. They tore one of the Kegs apart. Wires were torn out and circuit boards were reduced to smithereens. Once Concussion had finished here, they brutalised the other Keg machine. The former finalists shoved that they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Robot Redemption 2 Tauron vs Androme 4000
Androme began this fight strongly. They chased Tauron around the arena and pushed them into Sir Killalot. While Tauron hit Sir Killalot, they were unable to get any hits in on Androme.
That was until Androme let their guard down and got too close to Tauron. They paid their price for their recklessness by having their front armour torn away. Androme tried recovering by pushing Tauron into Dead Metal, but they escaped and had their revenge. Tauron's spinning hammer powered up to top speed and smahed through Androme's armour, as well as disabling their wheel.
However, at the end of the fight, both robots were still mobile and so it went to the judges who awarded it to Androme. Considering how badly damaged they were, I didn't understand this decision and I don't agree with it. But as Craig Charles used to say, controversy is never far away on Robot Wars.
Round 2 Battle 1 Concussion vs Iron Awe 6
Concussion continued to be on top form, as they smashed into Iron Awe, stopping them from getting any flips in. And then Concussion buckled Iron Awe's flipper and managed to flip them over, with another wicked hit by their awesome spinning drum. As Iron Awe's flipper still wasn't working, they couldn't self-right and Concussion were through to the heat final.
Round 2 Battle 2 Nuts vs Androme 4000
This was another fight that was over very quickly. Androme went straight on a foolhardy attack and resulting had Nuts tear away their hydraulic tubing, which powered their weaponry. Hydraulic fluid squirted all over the arena.
Stunned by this attack, they drove onto the floor-flipper and were flipped over. With their hydraulic fluid leaking everywhere, they were unable to self-right and were out. Nuts 2, the supposed joke machine were in the heat final.
Play off Androme 4000 vs Iron Awe 6
Time to see who will join Apollo, Sabretooth, Eruption, Big Nipper, Terrorhurtz and Tracktion in the ten robot rumble. This was perhaps the cagiest, and one of the most boring, fights in Robot Wars. To quote Craig Charles, it wasn't relly a fight, but pushing and shoving and calling names.
Neither Iron Awe or Androme's weapons were working properly, and thus this became a war of attrition. Instead, the robots chased and pushed each other around the arena.
Iron-Awe showed better control, pushing Androme into Matilda's flywheel and eventually the pit. Iron-Awe were through to the robot rubmle, all without a working flipper.
Heat final Concussion vs Nuts 2
Time for the lethal Concussion to face off against the supposed joke machine: Nuts 2. To protect their vulnerable wheels, Concussion installed plastic wheel guards.
The battle began explosively with both robots smashing into each other. And then Concussion stupidly drove onto the floor flipper.
Taking advantage of this, Nuts whacked into them, and while Concussion were recovering, they drove onto the floor flipper again, but this time they were flipped over. This was a poor demonstration of control.
Usually, Concussion can run either way up and this wouldn't be a problem. However, because of the newly added wheelguards, they couldn't properly drive across the floor. Nuts continued smashing into them, while Concussion desparetly tried using Shunt and the arena spikes to flip them back to their whees, but to no avail.
As Concussion were no longer fully mobile, they were counted out and Nuts 2 will be joining Behemoth, Carbide and Rapid in the final. Nuts 2 are certainly no laughing matter. Not anymore.
Dim the lights
cue your applause
Nuts 2 is our fourth finalist
on Robot Wars
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Inglorious Basterds review
Number 120 on the top 1000 films of all time is Quentin Tarantino's war-comedy-drama Inglorious Basterds.
Set during WW2, Inglorious Basterds tells the storyfictional story of two different attempts to assassinate leading members of the Nazi party: Hitler, Goebbels, Goering and Boorman. The first one revolves around Shoshannah Dreyfuss. (Melanie Laurent) Dreyfuss' family were massacred by Hans Lauda (Christoph Waltz) a ruthless Nazi, known as the Jew Hunter.
The second revolves around the eponymous Inglorious Basterds, a crack-commando team of soldiers led by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt.) They are charged with an operation to blow up Hitler and the other leading Nazis.
Despite having two separate plots and multiple subplots, everything within Inglorious Basterds worked perfectly. it would be easy to become confused by the large ensemble cast, which includes Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl amongst others, but it was always clear what was going on. And considering Tarantino's films can be complicated and told in an unchronological fashion (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) this is saying something.
And of course, another problem with having such a large cast is that it can be easy for one actor to overshadow another. But I don't think thishappened here. Every character had their chanced to have their story told. One particular example is Daniel Bruhl who played Private Frederick Zoller, a soldier who single-handedly fought off 300 Italian soldiers, killing over half of them. Armed with a machine gun, he was able to mow them down from his position in a clocktower. Goebbels decides to create a propaganda film about Zoller's exploits, yet upon watching it, Zoller finds himself sickened by the level of violence. He leaves the screening halfway through, as he is so disturbed by what he sees. This was a nice way of humanising his character. And, while it didn't romanticise the Nazis, it did show that some were human who were capable of feeling guilt and remorse.
A very big exception to this point is the character of Hans Lauda, played superbly by Christolph Waltz. His first scene sees him interrogating French dairy farmer, Perrier La Padite, whom he suspects of harbouring the Dreyfuss family. The tension in this scene was palpable especially when Lauda's suspicions are confimred. But what makes Lauda a despicable feeling is how he is only loyal to himself. Despite wearing a Nazi uniform, he does not share the Nazi ideology. He proves himself a turncoat, where at the film's conclusion, he helps to allow Raine's assassination plot to continue, in exchange for amnesty. Waltz won the best supporting actor oscar for his role and rightly so.
And now we've come to Brad Pitt who was great as Aldo Raine. Raine and the rest of his commandos were essentially mercenaries; not giving a damn about the rules of war, as long as the job is done. In fact, Raine says that the Nazi's aren't human and, as such, don't deserve the same level of respect. Raine and the rest of his men were anti-heroes - brutal and violent, but with their own strong moral code.
Finally, we've reached my favourite storyline of the film: the Shoshanna Dreyfuss subplot. I was rooting for her, because her motivations were crystal clear. Her only desire was to avenge her murdered family. To implement this, she plotted to burn down the cinema where Zoller's film was showing. Although she knew this would lead to lots of collateral damage, the fact that we saw her tragic backstory accounted for this. We understood why she was just so cold and this made her the most human character.
All in all, we had all the hallmarks of a great Tarantino film. There was a gratuitious amount of violence, plenty of dark humour and even Samuel L. Jackson cameoed in an uncredited role.
Set during WW2, Inglorious Basterds tells the storyfictional story of two different attempts to assassinate leading members of the Nazi party: Hitler, Goebbels, Goering and Boorman. The first one revolves around Shoshannah Dreyfuss. (Melanie Laurent) Dreyfuss' family were massacred by Hans Lauda (Christoph Waltz) a ruthless Nazi, known as the Jew Hunter.
The second revolves around the eponymous Inglorious Basterds, a crack-commando team of soldiers led by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt.) They are charged with an operation to blow up Hitler and the other leading Nazis.
Despite having two separate plots and multiple subplots, everything within Inglorious Basterds worked perfectly. it would be easy to become confused by the large ensemble cast, which includes Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl amongst others, but it was always clear what was going on. And considering Tarantino's films can be complicated and told in an unchronological fashion (Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction) this is saying something.
And of course, another problem with having such a large cast is that it can be easy for one actor to overshadow another. But I don't think thishappened here. Every character had their chanced to have their story told. One particular example is Daniel Bruhl who played Private Frederick Zoller, a soldier who single-handedly fought off 300 Italian soldiers, killing over half of them. Armed with a machine gun, he was able to mow them down from his position in a clocktower. Goebbels decides to create a propaganda film about Zoller's exploits, yet upon watching it, Zoller finds himself sickened by the level of violence. He leaves the screening halfway through, as he is so disturbed by what he sees. This was a nice way of humanising his character. And, while it didn't romanticise the Nazis, it did show that some were human who were capable of feeling guilt and remorse.
A very big exception to this point is the character of Hans Lauda, played superbly by Christolph Waltz. His first scene sees him interrogating French dairy farmer, Perrier La Padite, whom he suspects of harbouring the Dreyfuss family. The tension in this scene was palpable especially when Lauda's suspicions are confimred. But what makes Lauda a despicable feeling is how he is only loyal to himself. Despite wearing a Nazi uniform, he does not share the Nazi ideology. He proves himself a turncoat, where at the film's conclusion, he helps to allow Raine's assassination plot to continue, in exchange for amnesty. Waltz won the best supporting actor oscar for his role and rightly so.
And now we've come to Brad Pitt who was great as Aldo Raine. Raine and the rest of his commandos were essentially mercenaries; not giving a damn about the rules of war, as long as the job is done. In fact, Raine says that the Nazi's aren't human and, as such, don't deserve the same level of respect. Raine and the rest of his men were anti-heroes - brutal and violent, but with their own strong moral code.
Finally, we've reached my favourite storyline of the film: the Shoshanna Dreyfuss subplot. I was rooting for her, because her motivations were crystal clear. Her only desire was to avenge her murdered family. To implement this, she plotted to burn down the cinema where Zoller's film was showing. Although she knew this would lead to lots of collateral damage, the fact that we saw her tragic backstory accounted for this. We understood why she was just so cold and this made her the most human character.
All in all, we had all the hallmarks of a great Tarantino film. There was a gratuitious amount of violence, plenty of dark humour and even Samuel L. Jackson cameoed in an uncredited role.
Saturday, 11 November 2017
Robot Wars Series 3 Episode 3 Review
The third episode of the metal-mashing, chrome-clashing, steel-smashing show has just hit our screens. But no further preamble:
LET THE WARS BEGINS
Group battle 1 Bucky the Robot vs Tracktion vs Rapid
Bucky the Robot was a curious machine. Described as a biter, it had a doubled-sided axe blade that could swing from side to side. They had an even more curious mascot. Tracktion was the youngest team in the competition, controlled by a group of school children aged 12 and 13. Their robot ran on caterpillar tracks and was armed with a crusher.
Finally, we had Rapid, which cost £25,000 to build. It was armed with a flipper and their team captain who ran a development company and was prepared to hire anyone who could beat them.
3...2...1...ACTIVATE
This battle began slowly with the various robots dancing around each other. And then the Fog of War was activated and things changed very quickly. Tracktion became confused and was toppled by the arena spikes. Rapid took this opportunity to fling them from the arena.
The Traction team took their defeat with grace, which was nice to see. Sometimes children cry when their machines are beaten, but not this time.
Meanwhile, I think Rapid lost a lot of power after flipping out Tracktion. They hoisted plenty of opportunities to flip Bucky, when they did get flips in, they were powerful. There were times when Bucky was wedged against the arena wall or were flipped into Matilda. Whatever way you look at it, Bucky was definitely on the defensive and they lost on a judge's decision. Rapid were the winners.
Group Battle 2 Apex vs Vulture vs Terrorhurtz
Apex had the biggest bar spinner in the competition at 39KG. They were facing Vulture who had a vertical spinning disc and were competing to prove you didn't need to be an engineer to win Robot Wars. I guess they're forgetting that Apollo was holiday camp performers, but never mind. Their final opponent is veteran of the original series: Terrorhurtz.
Terrorhurtz came 4th in the 6th wars and has won subsequent, untelevised competitions. They are armed with a double-headed axe.
3...2...1...ACTIVATE
The Apex team used to be the Foxic team aka one of the worse robots to ever perform. It should then come as no surprise to learn that just after one hit, their mighty weapon broke down. Knowing they were in trouble, they activated the Fog of War to no great effect. Meanwhile, Terrorhurtz were having their own private war with Vulture.
A war that Terrorhurtz dominated. They chopped and sliced into Vulture. And once they had a grip, they didn't let go, Terrorhurtz tactically held Vulture over the arena flame pit, leading to their weapon and drive system. This was great control by John Reid in the Terrorhurtz team.
After this, Terrorhurtz turned their attention to the toothless Apex. It wasn't long before Apex were immobilised too. Terrorhurtz were through to round two.
Robot Redemption 1 Apex vs Tracktion
Time for the first loser's melee to see which robot will join Terrorhurtz and Rapid in the next round. Courtesy of the Vulture team, Tracktion began this fight with a pushing wedge, designed to deflect Apex's spinning bar, which as we quickly learnt was too powerful for its own good.
Apex got in some good hits on Tracktion, beefore their spinning bar hit the ground and came flying off. A 40kg piece of metal was sent flying across the arena, shattering a pane of bulletproof carbonate, designed to protect the audience.
The fight was stopped for safety reasons, but Tracktion were the clear winners.
Robot Redemption 2 Vulture vs Bucky the Robot
This was a close-fought battle. Vulture didn't have the best control, repeatedly driving onto the floor flipper.
They then drove into Bucky's grasp who pushed them into Dead Metal and then Vulture's weapon broke down. Knowing they were on the ropes, Vulture depressed the pit button, but then bad driving saw Bucky being toppled by the arena spikes. They couldn't self-right and their Robot Wars journey ended there. But Vulture were through to the next round.
Round 2 Battle 1 Tracktion vs Rapid
If ever there was a battle, which epitomised "Blink you'll miss it," it was this fight.
Rapid knew that their CO2, compressed gas used to fire their flipper, was leaking, so they needed to get this fight over quickly.
And that's what they did. One drive, one flip and Tracktion were thrown from the arena. This all happened in six seconds, making it the shortest fight ever.
Round 2 Battle 2 Terrorhurtz vs Vulture
While Vulture's spinning disc spun at 6000RPM, Terrorhurtz was armoured with high-angled steel and polycarbonate designed to absorb kinetic energy. This meant that Vulture didn't stand a chance. Terrorhurtz just battered them. They took out their armour, their armour and the wheels, and eventually the robot itself.
Vulture was so badly damaged, they couldn't compete in the playoff, against Tracktion. This meant that Tracktion won by default and were automatically through to the ten robot free for all to decide the sixth finalist. They join Apollo, Sabretooth, Big Nipper and Eruption.
Final battle Rapid vs Terrorhurtz
Time for the main event. This was a great, close-fought match. Rapid started the stronger, using the arena tactically. They repeatedly pushed Terrorhurtz onto the floor flipper and into the house robots.
This was clever thinking by the Rapid team, especially, as I didn't think their flipper was up to top form. But the Rapid team quickly proved me wrong by almost flipping Terrorhurtz out.
Terrorhurtz recovered to damage Rapid's armour, but then they were flipped again, and then pushed onto the floor flipper, before finally being flipped out of the arena. But we'll see Terrorhurtz again in the Robot Rumble.
Meanwhile, Rapid joins Behemoth and Carbide in the final.
Dim the lights,
cue your applause,
Rapid is our third finalist
on Robot Wars
LET THE WARS BEGINS
Group battle 1 Bucky the Robot vs Tracktion vs Rapid
Bucky the Robot was a curious machine. Described as a biter, it had a doubled-sided axe blade that could swing from side to side. They had an even more curious mascot. Tracktion was the youngest team in the competition, controlled by a group of school children aged 12 and 13. Their robot ran on caterpillar tracks and was armed with a crusher.
Finally, we had Rapid, which cost £25,000 to build. It was armed with a flipper and their team captain who ran a development company and was prepared to hire anyone who could beat them.
3...2...1...ACTIVATE
This battle began slowly with the various robots dancing around each other. And then the Fog of War was activated and things changed very quickly. Tracktion became confused and was toppled by the arena spikes. Rapid took this opportunity to fling them from the arena.
The Traction team took their defeat with grace, which was nice to see. Sometimes children cry when their machines are beaten, but not this time.
Meanwhile, I think Rapid lost a lot of power after flipping out Tracktion. They hoisted plenty of opportunities to flip Bucky, when they did get flips in, they were powerful. There were times when Bucky was wedged against the arena wall or were flipped into Matilda. Whatever way you look at it, Bucky was definitely on the defensive and they lost on a judge's decision. Rapid were the winners.
Group Battle 2 Apex vs Vulture vs Terrorhurtz
Apex had the biggest bar spinner in the competition at 39KG. They were facing Vulture who had a vertical spinning disc and were competing to prove you didn't need to be an engineer to win Robot Wars. I guess they're forgetting that Apollo was holiday camp performers, but never mind. Their final opponent is veteran of the original series: Terrorhurtz.
Terrorhurtz came 4th in the 6th wars and has won subsequent, untelevised competitions. They are armed with a double-headed axe.
3...2...1...ACTIVATE
The Apex team used to be the Foxic team aka one of the worse robots to ever perform. It should then come as no surprise to learn that just after one hit, their mighty weapon broke down. Knowing they were in trouble, they activated the Fog of War to no great effect. Meanwhile, Terrorhurtz were having their own private war with Vulture.
A war that Terrorhurtz dominated. They chopped and sliced into Vulture. And once they had a grip, they didn't let go, Terrorhurtz tactically held Vulture over the arena flame pit, leading to their weapon and drive system. This was great control by John Reid in the Terrorhurtz team.
After this, Terrorhurtz turned their attention to the toothless Apex. It wasn't long before Apex were immobilised too. Terrorhurtz were through to round two.
Robot Redemption 1 Apex vs Tracktion
Time for the first loser's melee to see which robot will join Terrorhurtz and Rapid in the next round. Courtesy of the Vulture team, Tracktion began this fight with a pushing wedge, designed to deflect Apex's spinning bar, which as we quickly learnt was too powerful for its own good.
Apex got in some good hits on Tracktion, beefore their spinning bar hit the ground and came flying off. A 40kg piece of metal was sent flying across the arena, shattering a pane of bulletproof carbonate, designed to protect the audience.
The fight was stopped for safety reasons, but Tracktion were the clear winners.
Robot Redemption 2 Vulture vs Bucky the Robot
This was a close-fought battle. Vulture didn't have the best control, repeatedly driving onto the floor flipper.
They then drove into Bucky's grasp who pushed them into Dead Metal and then Vulture's weapon broke down. Knowing they were on the ropes, Vulture depressed the pit button, but then bad driving saw Bucky being toppled by the arena spikes. They couldn't self-right and their Robot Wars journey ended there. But Vulture were through to the next round.
Round 2 Battle 1 Tracktion vs Rapid
If ever there was a battle, which epitomised "Blink you'll miss it," it was this fight.
Rapid knew that their CO2, compressed gas used to fire their flipper, was leaking, so they needed to get this fight over quickly.
And that's what they did. One drive, one flip and Tracktion were thrown from the arena. This all happened in six seconds, making it the shortest fight ever.
Round 2 Battle 2 Terrorhurtz vs Vulture
While Vulture's spinning disc spun at 6000RPM, Terrorhurtz was armoured with high-angled steel and polycarbonate designed to absorb kinetic energy. This meant that Vulture didn't stand a chance. Terrorhurtz just battered them. They took out their armour, their armour and the wheels, and eventually the robot itself.
Vulture was so badly damaged, they couldn't compete in the playoff, against Tracktion. This meant that Tracktion won by default and were automatically through to the ten robot free for all to decide the sixth finalist. They join Apollo, Sabretooth, Big Nipper and Eruption.
Final battle Rapid vs Terrorhurtz
Time for the main event. This was a great, close-fought match. Rapid started the stronger, using the arena tactically. They repeatedly pushed Terrorhurtz onto the floor flipper and into the house robots.
This was clever thinking by the Rapid team, especially, as I didn't think their flipper was up to top form. But the Rapid team quickly proved me wrong by almost flipping Terrorhurtz out.
Terrorhurtz recovered to damage Rapid's armour, but then they were flipped again, and then pushed onto the floor flipper, before finally being flipped out of the arena. But we'll see Terrorhurtz again in the Robot Rumble.
Meanwhile, Rapid joins Behemoth and Carbide in the final.
Dim the lights,
cue your applause,
Rapid is our third finalist
on Robot Wars
Rush Review
Number 119 on the top 1000 films of all time is the high-octane biopic Rush.
Rush tells the story of two Formula 1 drivers in the 1970s: the British James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth= and the Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) Their intense rivalry with one another and their rises and subsequent falls from fame are explored.
For me, the biggest problem with this film is that I am just not interested in Formula One or motor car racing. This was a similar issue I had with boxing films Rocky and Raging Bull, and it isn´t a criticism of the films as such, but rather my perception of them. As can be expected from a film about Formula One, there was a lot of racing in Rush, which I just didn´t find interesting.
Another problem was with the characters of Niki Lauda and James Hunt. I know that the producers took a lot of dramatic licence, especially with the supposed rivalry between Lauda and Hunt, which was nothing more than a friendly rivalry in real life, but neither character was very likeable. Both of them were arrogant in their own ways. Hunt was a hedonistic, free-spirited playboy womaniser, evidenced by his whirlwind romances with Nurse Gemma (Natalie Dormer) and his wife, Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde)
As an aside, I think that neither of these relationships were portrayed very well. Both of them were rushed and both characters disappeared as suddenly as they appeared.
But back to the main event, Niki Lauda was very much the opposite of James Hunt. He was calculating, demanding, cold and didn't care at all what anybody thought of him. yet he was still quite unlikeable. Between him and James Hunt, it was difficult to find a character to root for.
Having said all this, Rush was definitely better than other car-racing films like the Fast and the Furious franchise. And I think this was because it was about more than just cars. While I might not have liked either, director, Ron Howard, did well to make both Lauda and Hunt sympathetic.
After Lauder is in a horrific car crash, which results in him receiving third degree burns to over 80% of his body, he decides to return to Formula One. In a following press conference, a probe asks whether Lauder's burns has negatively affected his marriage. Lauder quite rightly tells the reporter to fuck off, before storming out. Later, Hunt privately confronts the reporter and beats him up.
While the latter incident was fabricated, this was a great way to demonstrate how both characters are flawed humans.
Although the content of the film wasnºt for me, Rush was still an enjoyable watch. It had great camerawork and empathetic characters, even if it did play with the truth a little.
Rush tells the story of two Formula 1 drivers in the 1970s: the British James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth= and the Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) Their intense rivalry with one another and their rises and subsequent falls from fame are explored.
For me, the biggest problem with this film is that I am just not interested in Formula One or motor car racing. This was a similar issue I had with boxing films Rocky and Raging Bull, and it isn´t a criticism of the films as such, but rather my perception of them. As can be expected from a film about Formula One, there was a lot of racing in Rush, which I just didn´t find interesting.
Another problem was with the characters of Niki Lauda and James Hunt. I know that the producers took a lot of dramatic licence, especially with the supposed rivalry between Lauda and Hunt, which was nothing more than a friendly rivalry in real life, but neither character was very likeable. Both of them were arrogant in their own ways. Hunt was a hedonistic, free-spirited playboy womaniser, evidenced by his whirlwind romances with Nurse Gemma (Natalie Dormer) and his wife, Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde)
As an aside, I think that neither of these relationships were portrayed very well. Both of them were rushed and both characters disappeared as suddenly as they appeared.
But back to the main event, Niki Lauda was very much the opposite of James Hunt. He was calculating, demanding, cold and didn't care at all what anybody thought of him. yet he was still quite unlikeable. Between him and James Hunt, it was difficult to find a character to root for.
Having said all this, Rush was definitely better than other car-racing films like the Fast and the Furious franchise. And I think this was because it was about more than just cars. While I might not have liked either, director, Ron Howard, did well to make both Lauda and Hunt sympathetic.
After Lauder is in a horrific car crash, which results in him receiving third degree burns to over 80% of his body, he decides to return to Formula One. In a following press conference, a probe asks whether Lauder's burns has negatively affected his marriage. Lauder quite rightly tells the reporter to fuck off, before storming out. Later, Hunt privately confronts the reporter and beats him up.
While the latter incident was fabricated, this was a great way to demonstrate how both characters are flawed humans.
Although the content of the film wasnºt for me, Rush was still an enjoyable watch. It had great camerawork and empathetic characters, even if it did play with the truth a little.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)