Review: The Creator

“Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child.”

It must be said, The Creator is a visually stunning film, and true work of art in terms of its use of CGI in a more seamless manner than maybe ever done before. Gareth Edwards just might be the master on making things look and feel REAL, like in a way that’s hard to describe. There’s no point in this film where you ever question the realness or the validity of the CGI here. The non human characters have a really interesting design where there is a hole running through the base of the head/neck area, which instantly shows you that they are non human, but its done so fluidly well that you NEVER ever question that its a CGI effect. Not to mention the cinematography and color grading here that gives this movie a level of realness that makes you truly feel like you are right there with them. The world here also feels lived in and real in a way that feels extra connected to our current time with the current level of AI in our world now. The place where this production falls down a bit is the writing, as some of most typical tropes of the genre are in here, and it can make some of the plot a bit contrived. I think part of the writing issues may also come from the tightness of this film, because it is very tightly put together and that tightness might be keeping back some of the deeper character development that some of the character here are missing. The score here is also phenomenal and it serves to really heighten the tension and suspense that this movie is able to deliver in its more action oriented scenes (and there are a lot of them), and they do a great job to heighten the terror of what a war like this can be like, in its brutality and clinical-ness. All in all, The Creator is one of my favorite movies of the years, even if it falls short of being one the best of the year outright.

Review Score: 8.5 out of 10

Review: Avatar – The Way of Water

“Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.”

The first thing we have to just get out of the way, is this movie is an EXPERIENCE as much as it is a film. And you have to keep that in mind because that is genuinely part of what this movie is and is about, and in some ways it takes up part of how this movie is made, and needs to be remembered when viewing. There was a new wave of film making that came from the last Avatar movie, and there will be a similar boost after this movie, because once again, James Cameron has changed the game. The visuals in this movie are nothing short of astounding and ground breaking. I get why this took so long to make…this shit is crazy. Also many people who had issues with the story or perceived lack there of, of story in the first Avatar, would be glad to know there is a lot of story in this sequel. So much so that the long ass run time, doesn’t isn’t feel as long as it is. This movie also kicks off a real long form storyline going forward for the planned sequels of this movie. There’s been a lot of doubt of this movie, and whether it could be any good, but you never bet against Jimmy Cameron, and the man knows how to make an epic 4 quadrant film with MASSIVE appeal. There are so many areas and elements of this movie that give viewers areas to connect with in a really smart way, that anyone watching it can find something that resonates with them. All in all, I really think that this movie outdoes its predecessor in just about every way, and is an amazing visual experience that probably deserves multiple viewings.

Review Score: 9 out of 10

Review: NOPE

“The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.”

I think there’s a really good chance, if you’re a certain kind of film goer, that you can miss a lot of what’s going on in this movie and have a completely different experience from someone else. Jordan Peele has shown time and again now that he is a very thoughtful film maker, and as such he puts a lot of meaning, symbolism, and layering into his films. Not to mention on top of which he always layers in the black experience and black history also allowing him to turn certain narrative commentaries on their heads. This is all to say sometimes you really have to pay attention in his movies, and Nope is no exception. The movie tell a series of basically revolving stories that may not always seem to tie together from a narrative perspective, but do from a thematic one, and in this movie, that’s the more important case. All the themes also play on each other, and keep repeating themselves in a way that’s actually really satisfying when you see it happening. This movie is also not just beautifully shot, but Peele does a really wonderful job of knowing when to just hold on a shot and let things breathe, not to mention the way he can build tension to insanely high levels. Nope is a movie that can seem kind of empty on the surface, but still waters run deep, and there is a lot of depth to this movie. I love the way as a viewer you never really know what a Jordan Peele movie is about before you watch it, and they never give it away in marketing, which always makes his movies a real experience. All in all, Nope is a really expertly crafted movie that can goes deeper and deeper, the more you look and peel back, and its definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Review Score: 8.5 out of 10

Review: The Batman

“When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.”

I think the thing that really does strike you first about this movie, is that it really took 60 years for us to finally get detective Batman, and I couldn’t be happier. The Batman is truly a phenomenal adaptation of the Batman comics that we know and love, and its amazing to see such a faithful, yet bold and new feeling take on the dark knight (Batman not the movie). Also let me just say, all slander of Robert Pattinson must end right now, because he pulls out an acting tour de force as Bruce Wayne and Batman. His physical acting alone, in the way he carries his body as Batman versus Bruce Wayne, and the way he creates this sense of scale and physicality in the suit is just awesome to see. His first introduction as the Batman in the movie is riveting, tense and intense. We constantly get these introductions throughout the movie also to the new versions of classic items, and each time they are shot so wonderfully, and allowed to truly be works of art that pay so much tribute to them. The reveal of the new bat mobile, literally had my mouth wide open. Everyone here is so good also, Kravitz as Catwoman, Dano as the Riddler, Farrell as the Penguin, Wright as commissioner Gordon, they all carry out their roles flawlessly and wonderfully. Its also really nice to have a new Batman, that doesn’t have to re-establish a lot of the things we already know about Batman, but that most movies go over anyway. The score by Giacchino is also incredible, and constantly swells into grand overtures, that just make each frame that much more dramatic and able to feel both stylized and incredibly down to earth at the same time. Matt Reeves deserves a tonne of credit here also for what he has done here. The visuals of this movie are visceral and dramatic, but they also ring so true to the visuals of comics, and there are some scenes here that truly jump off of the page like hardly anything I’ve seen before. There is truly a really strong case here for this being the best Batman movie ever made, but its hard to say as I’m still so close to this, and only over the course of time will the truth of it really reveal itself. The Batman is a pulse pounding, thrill inducing, terror filling, awe inspiring film that HAS to be seen in cinema. All in all, The Batman actually over delivers on the promises of the trailers and media that has come out before it.

Review Score: 9.5 out of 10

Review: The King’s Man

“In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.”

The King’s Man is an interesting new direction, or redirection maybe on the storyline for this take on the adaptation of the “The Secret Service” comic book. All three movies have been helmed by the same director in Matthew Vaughn, and while he hasn’t changed his directing style or ability or anything like that, he has been able to alter the trajectory I think of this series. Taking things back to their roots was definitely a good decision for the franchise as it really did allow for them to start over in more ways than one. Ralph Fiennes is an amazing actor, and he has the range required to do justice to the character of the Duke of Oxford, and the many things he has to go through over the course of this movie. The cast is overall really great here, and everyone plays their role really well no matter the size. Vaughn is still in his creative bag, but, he does take a surprising turn here in his restraint from his usual additional flair. It does make sense however, as this movie has way more of a message to it than any of the previous films as there is a surprisingly strong anti-war message here which is interesting to see in a movie that could otherwise be considered a glorification of violence. I do think The King’s Man is a return to form for the franchise, and a genuinely entertaining movie that can breathe some life into a new version of the franchise but with a new cast and storyline.

Review Score: 8 out of 10

(See Frank, I gave it an 8 okay)

Review: Ghostbusters – Afterlife

“When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.”

I don’t know if it was my lack of expectations or just the quality of this film, but WOW, this movie is so much better than I could have ever hoped. The easiest way for me to describe this movie, is it feels like a Spielberg movie in the truest sense. The main cast being mostly kids, the relationships they foster, the lighting, the cinematography, the feeling of wonder, its really all here, and I’m fully here for it. I really was impressed by Jason Reitman and his direction here, truly, what a job buddy. The thing that this movie also does really well, and so much better than the previous Ghostbusters movie, is everything in here feels real, and grounded, and heavy, and lived in, and just like they actually exist. The proton packs and the ghost traps and ECTO 1, they all seem and feel real, and that was the same feeling the original movie had to it. It was also really interesting to see what they were going to do in reference to the death of Harold Ramis, who played one of the original busters, and what they do with that…let me just say, tears were shed…phew. All in all, Afterlife is really a wonderful trip down memory lane, while also being its own movie that packs a lot of heart and feelings into its run time.

Review Score: 8.5 out of 10

Review: Eternals

“The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.”

For better or for worse, I think its pretty safe to say Marvel has a formula to their movies, and its very interesting in the wake of this whole lowest Rotten Tomatoes scored movie, that this is also one of the most divergent from that formula.This movie is directed by Academy Award winning director Chloe Zhao, and it definitely shows in the directing, as this movie has some of the most bold directing choices in all the MCU, and Zhao does create some really striking frames here. You can see how much having her eye for drama and storytelling comes into play here with how well she plays up and plays on the emotions of the characters, which is a really big part of this movie. There have been other movies in the MCU that had to deal with heavy topics and with lots of emotions, but none had as deft a directing hand as Zhao and thats where she really shines. The place she doesn’t shine however, is in the other formulaic parts to the movie. The action is certainly lack lustre, don’t get me wrong, the CG work looks really great when it comes to the powers of the Eternals, but the staging and the choreography of those actions scenes wasn’t as well realised as we have come to expect from the MCU. I think thats going to make the biggest split in how people view this movie. I don’t know how much they are going to accept an MCU movie done in such a metaphorical way, while still trying to have this movie fit into the wider MCU (which it needs to), but it lacks a lot of hallmarks of those MCU movies. The cast here I think does do a great job, as the cast of eternals all seem to be a great fit for their roles and their power sets, but they really only have so much to do here. I do think it was great to get a lot of the new lore into the MCU, and it was great seeing the celestials and so on and really finally having those storylines brought into the MCU proper here. All in all, I think the thing that might really be a big undoing for this movie, is it doesn’t have that one real signature moment. All our favourite MCU movies have at least one of those moments that we all remember, and I don’t think this movie has one of those. I’m really interested to see what the real audience reaction to this movie is compared to its critical response, but I am very curious about some of the ground work that is laid here.

Review Score: 7 out of 10

Review: The Suicide Squad (2021)

“Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.”

You know, imma be honest with you guys, I really don’t know if I like this movie or not. On the one hand, this movie has things going for it that are certainly better than the 2016 Suicide Squad, but it also does things and goes places that I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I think this movie is actually operating on two levels. One level is the emotional, great acting, great character building movie that exists in parts in this movie. The second is the oh we got an R rating???? lets make sure we don’t waste that. On the former side, we do get some really great stuff and moments from some of the team here, and I think this is the best version of Rick Flag we’ve ever gotten. Idris Elba’s Bloodsport brings some great action, but more importantly some of the best acting in this movie. Ratcatcher 2 also basically steals this movie with her acting and her portrayal, and her scenes with King Shark really stand out. The scenes where they really do get to act are also really well done. Some of the subtle details of the acting in scenes like when Bloodsport and Ratcatcher 2 have their kind of heart to heart are probably some of the best acting we’ve ever seen in a comic book movie. Then there’s the rest of the movie…There are good things from the R rating, but then there are lots of not so good things. I know this is a team of villains turned anti-heroes, but I feel like some of the decisions they make, are truly just crossing a line, for crossing a line sake, and I think things like that are meant for entertainment, so if they don’t entertain you, how are you supposed to feel about it? In the end, I think that duality of this movie makes big parts of it a mess, but then in-between, there are some stunningly well done and well acted scenes. This feels like a really expensive and not so great attempt at a “course correction” to the DCEU, but in a way that seems way more directionless, and even if you didn’t like the previous movies of the DCEU, they’re nothing if not bold and consistent in their creation, and I feel like James Gunn let this movie get away from him.

Review Score: 6.5 out of 10

PS-

I don’t really ever refer to like other reviews or anything like that, but I feel like this needs to be said. So a long time ago I wrote a piece that spoke on how the website Rotten Tomatoes works. I bring this up because I want to address how highly this movie is currently scored on that system, and I don’t think enough people realise how that scale really works (please go read my article). But basically, the Tomatometer is a percentage based score on the overall ratio of positive to negative reviews. For example, if movie gets 10 reviews, and 7 are “positive” and 3 are “negative” it will have a score of 70%. Simple enough, the biggest catch however, is that the this score doesn’t take into account what the actual ratings where, just wether its over 6/10 for positive or below for negative. So on that scale, my review even would add to the positive scores which is currently at 92%. And I’m not saying this because I want to bash this movie or anything, I just feel like this is one of those times where people will see that score and maybe decide to watch this movie and given the nature of it, I don’t think this movie is for everyone, so I just felt like it needed some sort of note to keep in mind before viewing.

Review: Jungle Cruise

“Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travellers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.”

Jungle Cruise is honestly a much more interesting movie than I would have thought going into it. On the one hand, I don’t know how much I really ever expect from a film made based on a theme park ride, on the other hand, that does mean that there is a lot of room to wiggle with here. The biggest issue I tend to have with movies like this is the story, which usually either tend to be ridiculous, or an after thought to the more “fun” parts of the movie. Jungle Cruise however, has a surprisingly strong narrative, with layers of storytelling, multiple mysteries, and some genuine surprises. All of which came together to pleasantly surprise me. This movie has all the charm of the first Pirate of the Caribbean, it has a super charismatic lead in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and a co-lead Emily Blunt, who’s character is both infuriating, but steadfastly headstrong in her character motivation. There is an over abundance of CGI, which I wish was a little less heavily relied on, but it didn’t pull too much from the movie in my opinion, just more a personal preference. The movie does has some fairly over the top aspects to it, but the key here is all of those decisions are fully bought in, and as such, the actors take it seriously and that allows for it to not come across as cheesy or over played. Thats an important fact also, because this movie does try to exist on both a real and then a more fantastical plane, and it does pretty well at doing so. All in all, Jungle Cruise is a surprisingly charming and entertaining movie thats great for entire family, but is also fun enough for anyone, especially those who are fans of movies like the Pirates series.

Review Score: 7.5 out of 10

Review: A Quiet Place Part II

“Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path”

The first Quiet Place movie I think really came out of nowhere, and surprised a lot of people with how good it was. Anytime that’s how your series starts off, the second movie is always instantly under a lot of pressure because now it has expectations to deal with, where the first didn’t. That fate definitely befalls this movie. That’s not me saying it’s bad or anything, far from it, it’s just more me saying this movie wasn’t going to have the same path to success. This movie picks right up where the first left off, while also giving us a nice flash back to the beginning of it all, or as they call it, Day 1. At the same time, this entry also seeks to up the stakes a bit, by somewhat adding in a secondary villain to the series, which is done well, if a little forgettable afterwards. It’s nice to see the cast be able to be expanded out a bit also, as we widen the scope of the current world also compared to the previous movie. Part II is an interesting movie. It definitely feels like a middle film, as it feels like it doesn’t so much have a beginning and end, as it feels like it’s just trying to bridge a super suspenseful thriller, that wants to be an all out action movie by the third installment. This movie also loses some of the novelty the first was able to play with so well. The sound design here is still done very well, but now that we’ve seen it before, it carries a little less weight this time around. All in all, part II is a solid entry, and a solid sequel, even if it doesn’t fully reach the heights of the first movie.

Review Score: 7.5 out of 10