Friendship

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Friendship follows Craig, a rather inept and lonely suburban Dad who finds his whole world changed when he makes friends with his neighbour, Austin. As Craig poorly navigates the world of adult friendships, we come to see his personal failings and poor character tarnish his life.

This is a fresh comedy from A24 that really leans on the brand of humour you will be accustomed to from Tim Robinson if you have seen his body of work. Scattered throughout this feature are wildly absurd scenes that feel like contained skits, blips of humour that will have you rolling. These moments of comedy might be camouflaged as a group of guy buds handing out before tilting into a perfectly rehearsed chorus rendition of 'My Boo' by Ghost Town DJs. Likewise, we get a classic American comedy drug trip scene, but this film makes me think of films like Booksmart in how it makes this moment unique. The protagonist quietly drifts into a Subway eatery, orders a sandwich from Paul Rudd and suddenly comes back to his senses an instant later. This movie is riddled with some wild points and sincerely fun comedy concepts.

This film is surprisingly sharp-looking for a comedy, transforming American suburbia into this insular and claustrophobic world that is Craig's life. I also have a real sweet spot for a comedy that uses its soundtrack for full punchline material; I mentioned 'My Boo', which steals the show, but putting Slipknot in for the punk rock stage was brilliant as well.

Paul Rudd, who played Austin, seems a little off the beaten path at times, but is clearly having fun here; Rudd really leans into the charming and charismatic aspects of his role keenly. Kate Mara, who played Tami, is probably playing this whole thing the most straight-edged, which works surprisingly well; Mara is a very sobering presence that counters Robinson's antics nicely. Billy Bryk, who played Tony, is a deceptively heavy hitter when it comes to comedy; Bryk gives us the toad scene, which is one of the best parts of the film. Josh Segarra, who played Devon, is in a fairly two-dimensional role, but he fills it very notably; Segarra just has to be the most captivating person in the room for a moment, and it works perfectly. Conner O'Malley, who played Patton, played a small role that stole the show for me; O'Malley turns a small interaction between himself and Robinson into the most side-splitting interaction of the feature. 

However, the best performance came from Tim Robinson, who played Craig. This film is almost exclusively built around Robinson's brand of comedy so there is little surpise he shines the best within that. This is an off-kilter character who wanders away from good intentions at every turn in favour of his own self-interest. Robinson builds a good gag here around making Craig a sort of 'everyman'. We could bump into this guy on the street easily, and the humour lies in watching this everyman figure alight his whole life so easily. Robinson is a loud, destructive force who can play with jokes that subvert expectations or aim to make the viewer uncomfortable. I like how clear it was that his character was a complete narcissist who would happily toast his chances at a good life for one single second of self-satisfaction. A bizarre and captivating time from Robinson.

The moments where we get to sit in the comedy are great, but they're so brief and often swallowed by long sweeping moments of discomfort. This film is hooked around a character who is quite bad at being a husband and a father, he feels immense dissatisfaction and loneliness in his own life. You might think the 'friendship' element that is so titular might be the hinge on which this film swings for dealing with that. But not so! After a brief, failed stint at making friends, Craig just impulsively torches his life. We get an over-the-top comedic figure who is innately unlikable, marching through scenes, blowing up his life. He's a jerk, people don't like him, and the rest of the supporting characters aren't exactly underdogs worth rooting for either. This film basically generally points at middle-aged middle-class guys and says you're the problem, and then fails to evoke much more substance than that. It's a perfectly fine comedic theme, there are some good jokes, but the story and characters presented aren't easy to connect with. I also felt really pushed to the edge of my comfort levels when Craig started chewing on soap or when his teenage son kissed his mother on the lips; it felt like an attempt to be provocative just for the sake of it. There may have been a push for this to fit the A24 portfolio in terms of narrative style more than there needed to be.

The way this film is edited sets a sluggish pace that really ambles us along, considering how energetic Robinson can be; this is quite surprising. I also didn't like some of the circle wipes and other dated transitional effects that were scattered throughout. The score for the film was downright wild tonally. There was this low-toned chorus that sang across several scenes that didn't work for me. I felt like the score was intended to paint this film as a little more thought-provoking than it actually managed to be.

Jack Dylan Grazer, who played Steven, doesn't really serve much purpose here; I found he didn't play his part for comedy, and he added nothing to the overall story.

A phenomenal cast and some skit-like moments of hilarity don't salvage a film that is too busy trying to make you uncomfortable and unsettled. I would give Friendship a 4.5/10.

Superman

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Superman marks the first feature in the new DC cinematic universe. We join the titular hero amidst his third year of being a superhero as he comes up against the intellect of his adversary, Lex Luthor.

One thing I strongly feel about this film is that it's nice to see a Superman who is just a good person. He is motivated by his positive values, and he acts on them; that's the character at his core. It also felt like Superman was genuinely immersed in a comic book world already full of heroes and villains, which is much more interesting than anything done with the DC superheroes in a few years.

Mikaela Hoover, who played Cat Grant, embodied the flirty gossip columnist well; Hoover really plays up her role's curiosity and hunger for juicy info. Skyler Gisondo, who played Jimmy Olsen, was made to play this character; Gisondo manages to be nerdy and awkward while also entirely confident within himself. Frank Grillo, who played Rick Flag Sr., genuinely gives off the impression of a man who has seen conflict; Grillo is quite interesting as a character at the top who is trying to speak to the good side of heroes. Edi Gathegi, who played Mr Terrific, is a real scene stealer; Gathegi has this stoic detached thing going that makes his character one of the most badass. Milly Alcock, who played Kara Zor-El, is only in one scene, but it's a massive show of talent; her more reckless Supergirl was a lot of fun and presents an upcoming film I'm much more excited about.

However, the best performance came from Nathan Fillion, who played Guy Gardner. At first, this outwardly grumpy and arrogant superhero figure is an abrasive one. But the longer you sit with him, the more you realise that's kind of the point. Guy Gardner has always famously been one of the worst Green Lanterns when it comes to attitude, and this iteration gets right to the heart of that. Fillion's Guy is entirely self-obsessed, paints himself the leader of the 'Justice Gang' and is constantly butting heads with his team. His cocky, derisive air results in some brilliant and funny moments of dialogue. Even within all that tough-guy bluster, Fillion presents a hero with a heart of gold at his core. Seeing the worst Green Lantern shine as one of the very best live-action Lanterns was a spectacular treat.

Superman was an unusual superhero film experience to me; it felt like someone I didn't know particularly well had tossed episode seventeen of a random cartoon onto the TV for me to watch. This is a film that hurtles you smack dab into a superhero universe that is well underway, but there's nothing much to the padding in that worldbuilding. There are so many characters here, and so many things going on, that it becomes so very easy to actually lose Superman in all this. The dialogue for many of the characters also feels unnatural and a bit forced to evoke a style or era of comics. This just didn't feel like the best story to reintroduce Superman with. The whole film hinges on Lex Luthor essentially 'cancelling' Superman in the court of public opinion, via talk shows and social media. We even get a weird scene where Lex has trained a bunch of monkeys to hurl insults about Superman onto the internet. Given that the film's director was cancelled online and fired from projects he was involved in a few years back, this is all pretty on the nose stuff; but even removed from all that, why waste the big new Superman film on a commentary about cancel culture? Why are online trolls and incel billionaires so present here? This Superman has been hyped for bringing the good-natured, classic Supes back, but it also presents some very ugly and uninteresting elements of our current society that don't feel particularly necessary to the character of Superman. The humour and moments of parody in this film are bizarre or downright uncomfortable. The film feeds us a global conflict between two sovereign nations that is very clearly an oddball parody of the Israel/Palestine conflict. Meanwhile, other characters are making jokes about their ex-girlfriend's weird toes, or we have scenes of Lex musing that Superman has a space harem of Earth wives. I guess a part of me wonders who all of that is for? Sometimes the humour gets downright simplistic. We all know Krypto is here for this film outing, and he's fun for a couple of scenes. But the Superdog is just here to be badly behaved and played for comedy, so when his presence hinges on winning the final act conflict, I felt quite disappointed as a viewer. I also thought the final act devolving into a simple Superman vs. Superman brawl was ridiculously lazy. If you thought the pseudo-science problems of Jurassic World: Rebirth were shocking, you are in for a real treat here. 

I am a massive fan of James Gunn's filmography up until this point; his works are often visual treats. So it was quite the moment of whiplash for me watching the cinematography of this feature. The flying or action sequences in general looked blurry, flight motion looked awkward and the way the film shoved constant close-ups that looked like a 0.5 phone shot made this one of the worst-looking superhero films I had watched in a while. The visual effects really did very little for me either; there were several instances of CGI characters plastered badly against a CGI background. Once again, fight scenes or flight scenes just looked completely blurry and poorly rendered. The musical score was a warbling affair that didn't feel much like a homage, so much as it felt like a mismanaged imitation. It surprised me that Gunn (who is known for his soundtrack compilations) put together such poor picks for Superman. The fact that this film weirdly mischaracterises Superman as kinda liking punk to the point that the film ends with Iggy Pop is the most ridiculous ending imagined.

David Corenswet, who played Superman, lacks the presence required to really stand out as a leading man; I felt he lacked the range to flesh this character out for the more interesting moments of conflict. Alan Tudyk, who voiced Gary, is becoming a voice presence I'm getting a bit tired of hearing in all my robots and DC characters; Tudyk is a talent, but the monotonous tone played for comedy wears thin. Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan, who played Jor-El and Lara respectively, were some of the most lifeless portrayals of Superman's parents yet; it's a good example of when a celebrity cameo undercuts what could have been a good character performance. María Gabriela de Faría, who played The Engineer, is a rather forgettable henchwoman role that gets buried in CGI; de Faría's over-the-top portrayal of anger and hatred makes her character more of something to laugh at. Sara Sampaio, who played Eve Teschmacher, really oversells this airhead girlfriend role; Sampaio presenting the social media addicted, lustful attache to the villain is a role that doesn't work for a variety of obvious reasons. Nicholas Hoult, who played Lex Luthor, is the same whiny Lex we got from Eisenberg that makes me wish they'd cast Lex older; Hoult's lean into the exaggerated incel billionaire feels completely off character for Luthor. Wendell Pierce, who played Perry White, is quite happy phoning in the caricature of Perry; Pierce plays the newspaper editor like he's in a cartoon. Beck Bennett, who played Steve Lombard, is some of the laziest comedic relief the film has on offer; Bennett could have been cut, and nothing would have been lost. Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince, who played Ma Kent and Pa Kent respectively, fail to really evoke an emotional connection with their on-screen son, nor seem like the origin of his morals; Pruitt Taylor Vince could win an award for really dragging out every single word of dialogue his role had. Rachel Brosnahan, who played Lois Lane, just didn't feel like she gave the role much punch; Lois is often a real fighter, but Brosnahan was used to be more of the girlfriend than anything else. Zlatko Buric, who played Vasil Ghurkos, feels like a strange parody of a real-life figure; I found the way Buric leaned into this parody of a dictator to be borderline perverse at times. Isabela Merced, who played Hawkgirl, is perhaps just too young for this role to be taken seriously; for my money, I'd say her actually shrieking like a bird might be why her performance sucked. Anthony Carrigan, who played Metamorpho, not only looked awful in this role, but his voice did not suit who he was playing; this shrill, panicked figure just comes off as a bit of a joke. 

This is one of the ugliest Superman films I have ever seen. I would give Superman a 4/10.

Jurassic World: Rebirth

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Jurassic World: Rebirth is the seventh instalment in the Jurassic series, featuring a new group of adventurers trapped on a dinosaur-infested island. Martin Krebs assembles a team of mercenaries led by Zora Bennett in an attempt to collect dinosaur bio-samples that could cure heart disease. After picking up a shipwrecked family, things start to go awry for the group, and they soon find themselves landlocked on an island abandoned to dinosaurs.

I enjoyed this film when it knew what familiar beats would actually resonate with audiences. The moments that worked, or the emotional stakes we could buy into. For example, the ragtag band of main characters soldiering about on Dino Island looking for a cure for heart disease weren't especially interesting. Still, the innocent family that got swept up into this unfamiliar landscape was. To resonate with a young family that could be anyone in the theatre made the stakes feel a little more present. I also greatly enjoyed the action sequences and horror elements present across the film. The Jurassic series is at its best when it's chasing thrills. When it allows itself to be scary? Well, that's when these dinosaur films come alive.

The real strength of Jurassic World: Rebirth lies in its impressive visual presentation. Gareth Edwards is no stranger to shooting for monolithic visual effects while also immersing the audience in stunning environments. The special effects just continue to look better and better. I was in awe of how detailed and expressive the dinosaurs were as beasts in this one. Alexandre Desplat weaves a beautiful musical score for this film, and I really felt the moments of danger just as strongly as the moments of wonder.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who played Reuben Delgado, is quite a comforting role as the signature Dad of the film; this is a character who can be quite high-strung but has so much care for his family at all times. David Iacono, who played Xavier Dobbs, is the strongest point of comedic relief in the feature; I actually enjoyed watching Iacono take his character from slacker to protector. Audrina Miranda, who played Isabella Delgado, is quite a strong performer for someone so young; Miranda does an especially good job at showing a child who is riddled with fear come out of that state.

However, the best performance came from Jonathan Bailey, who played Dr. Henry Loomis. I've really been enjoying Bailey's rise to the big screen; he has a lot of talent to give. This is our scientist hero, often the smartest character in a scene, but also the most naturally at home with the dinosaurs. I found Bailey's ability to grandstand and play to the wonder of the Jurassic series highly infectious. This is the sort of character who feeds your excitement of seeing dinosaurs brought to life. I also loved the chemistry Bailey built with Johansson; there was something very playful in their dialogue with one another. I like characters like Henry in the Jurassic series because it just grounds the viewer in a role who loves the very thing we have all turned up to see.

Jurassic World: Rebirth has possibly one of the worst scripts of the series to be frank. When it actually manages to land something right in the story, it is often because the visual and musical production elements are working overtime to lift that moment up. When this film isn't set against an action sequence, there is a very stark reminder that these storylines and characters don't have much bones to them. The whole film hinges on our characters hunting for a cure for heart disease; they need dinosaurs to do it for some reason, and it has to be the biggest earth, sea and air dinosaurs because they have the biggest hearts (the earth, sea and air aspect is still kinda hazy). This driving thing pushes a very odd band of roles together, who fail to become an intriguing main cast of characters. The main mercenary barely feels like a soldier, the financier is the same evil businessman we've had in many other films, the boat captain is here to weep over every character death we experience, and the rest of the roles could be easily described with the words: 'cannon fodder'. These characters could have been made interesting, perhaps even a little three-dimensional, if they didn't fire backstory/character-defining information at one another like it was a one-liner quip. The film fails to really make you buy into it a lot. For example, the opening scene shows a dinosaur laboratory fall into chaos because a Snickers wrapper (woohoo product placement!) gets sucked into an automated door system. The movie also bares no teeth at the end, by cheating the audience out of a semi-decent main character death. This is a film about dinosaurs that has an opening title sequence that states, "The world has begun to lose interest in dinosaurs". Perhaps after this film, that might be true.

Scarlett Johansson, who played Zora Bennett, is in one of her worst leading roles to date; Johansson puts no work in to making us reasonably think her character is even capable of a mercenary occupation. Mahershala Ali, who played Duncan Kincaid, really struggles to make himself known in this; the fact that Ali is playing to quite a tacked-on backstory point makes him difficult to connect with. Rupert Friend, who played Martin Krebs, struggles to get out from the stereotypical qualities of his role; Friend is comfortable in the sleazy, selfish nature of the role and doesn't add any dimension to that. Luna Blaise, who played Teresa Delgado, is the weak link in the family storyline; the obstinate teenager who lashes out shtick wears pretty thin.

It may be time for the Jurassic series to go extinct. I would give Jurassic World: Rebirth a 6/10.

M3GAN 2.0

 

This review may contain spoilers!

M3GAN 2.0 is a sequel to M3GAN (2022) and follows Gemma and Cady a few years after the M3GAN incident. Now, a new weaponised android called AMELIA has gone rogue and is after everyone ever linked to her creation. With Gemma in the crosshairs, they must rely on an android adversary long thought to be dead.

They really stumbled into the right thing when they decided to make M3GAN camp and irreverent. This could very easily have been a sci-fi horror that played itself too seriously; having fun with the material is what found this film its audience. The sequel holds the exact same strength. While this film shucks the horror elements for the most part, it holds on tight to all the comedy elements that made it so beloved in the first place. Yes, M3GAN hates Gemma, and she lets her know it in what is some of the funniest dialogue in the film. Is M3GAN in a stealth operation? Sure, but you're getting a dance number. Cady just got kidnapped, so of course, M3GAN is going to serenade us with Kate Bush. This is a film that wants you shrieking with laughter now instead of fear.

I really felt like the special effects got a bit of a boost this time around, the M3GAN design still works incredibly well, and her big glidersuit scene is an impressive step up from the first outing. The soundtrack takes a little while to give something, but once it starts, you will have some hilarious additions. Though, as I previously mentioned, nothing beats M3GAN singing Kate Bush's 'This Woman's Work'.

Allison Williams, who played Gemma, seems to be having remarkably more fun with the material this time around; Williams really leans into the humorous rivalry between her character and M3GAN. Jemaine Clement, who played Alton Appleton, absolutely ran away with his scenes in this; Clement took the self-absorbed and idolised billionaire role to a hilarious place. Timm Sharp, who played Tim Sattler, was a really funny new addition to the cast; I loved how Sharp just played up his intelligence agent as a low-intelligence moron.

However, the best performance came from Jenna Davis, who voiced M3GAN. This was my favourite performance in the first film, and it is an easy pick in the second feature. Davis is naturally a bit snarky and biting as M3GAN; she is the reason this role is iconic. I often found the way M3GAN winds up on a pedestal is just how much Davis can go for it in a delivery. When the best you have is your title character, it makes sense to see who is lending all that personality to it. Jenna Davis might not be a performer hurtling through stunts, but every moment of comedy, rivalry or pure entertainment often has her at the centre.

M3GAN 2.0 is quite like the first film, with all of the same flaws, only louder and more obvious. These films have always struggled with their identity somewhat; the first film was supposed to be a horror, and this sequel might be an action sci-fi. Yet somehow, both movies are more comedy than anything else. The genre elements are quite confused, and because this follow-up isn't as sure of what it wants to be, there's not much surprise when we're left with a staggering overcomplicated film about AI threats grappling for saving or destroying the world. The film attempts to ground us with M3GAN, Gemma and Cady rather optimistically. But that's not really the light touch the film hopes for; Gemma and Cady's familial problems are even more underdeveloped than in the first film. Ultimately, the idea that M3GAN and co. are required to rout the oldest, most evil AI is a strange follow-up to 'evil toy goes rogue'. The more the film introduces M3GAN, the more it tends to lose focus on the main story that it too knows is boring. The theme is also buried somewhere along the way, it skews towards the AI is evil path again, while mumbling about technology in moderation. M3GAN feels pretty safe this time around; she is treated like a character who isn't really going anywhere, and therefore, the ending feels neither surprising nor particularly gratifying. It's a pity that the stylistic touch of the first horror outing seems to have been lost in the glamour of a big-budget Hollywood sequel.

While I felt the increased budget allowed for nicer effects, it is a pity that the visual cinematography of this film was less. Every scene had more of a lazily paced feel to it, and none of the framing was especially dynamic. I also didn't take much note of the score; the film didn't really lean on this to bleed emotional beats into the film.

Ivanna Sakhno, who played AMELIA, is quite a dull antagonist to pit against our protagonists; where M3GAN is quirky, Sakhno gives AMELIA nothing defining. Violet McGraw, who played Cady, is a young actress the series is sadly saddled with; McGraw struggles to lend her characters much emotional range, which limits any interest in this central character. Brian Jordan Alvarez, who played Cole, really stood out in the first film, but I really wish we had used him less this time around; Alvarez really tries to be the funniest in this film and comes off as a bit over the top. Aristotle Athari, who played Christian, was a letdown as the surprise human antagonist; Athari just doesn't seem to know when to play for humour or when to play a scene dramatically. Jen Van Epps, who played Tess, fell into the background in the first film and struggles with this issue once again; Van Epps just doesn't really seem equipped to make herself known amongst the ensemble.

M3GAN 2.0 is right to lean into its more comedic side, but flounders when it tries to morph into an action AI film. I would give M3GAN 2.0 a 4.5/10.

F1: The Movie

 

This review may contain spoilers!

F1: The Movie follows Sonny Hayes, a man who chases first place in all major automotive circuits ever since a life-threatening crash from a Formula One race in his youth. When his friend and former rival, Ruben Cervantes, offers him a spot on his Formula One team, Sonny reluctantly agrees.

I was immediately drawn into this racing film. We see Sonny smash through NASCAR like it's the easiest competitive circuit in the world. It is clear Sonny is a prodigy, and there is no doubt in the audience's mind that he could be the answer to Ruben's failing F1 team problems. The film is smart in how it handles introducing Sonny back to F1. He's not a natural winner from the first scene; he crashes, but he shows incredible potential and insight not present in the other members of Ruben's team. The film then spends a lot of time telling us who Sonny is. He physically trains himself for the race, he studies and learns both the car and the track, and he works to build up the other members of the team. One of the big challenges here is the other APX driver: Joshua. Throughout the film, Joshua is resistant to Sonny, disobeying him and insulting him, which eventually leads to the extreme of Joshua getting into a life-threatening crash. The pair then build back up, Sonny especially learning how to become a natural teammate to someone with a lot of talent but who needs to develop respect. This film felt like a very traditional Hero's Journey pathway done right, which will be no surprise to Joseph Kosinski fans post Top Gun: Maverick. I also felt extremely impressed with how immersive this film was. A lot of the racing places you right in the action and makes you feel like the driver behind the wheel.

This film is a technical masterpiece, which is no surprise if you're familiar with Joseph Kosinski as a director. This film uses incredible camera techniques to live-capture real cars positioned within real Formula One races. More than this, the camera work used throughout challenges itself to stay dynamic and is a massive contributor to why this film feels so immersive. The editing present here is some of the strongest this year, piecing shots together in a way that makes the visual storytelling of this film stand out even stronger than the narrative work at play. The soundtrack used throughout is full of comfortable rock and some fresh pop and hip-hop tracks, marking F1 as the trendy forefront of the racing world that it is. I also feel the whole thing being sewn together by a powerful score from Hans Zimmer is well worth noting.

Damson Idris, who played Joshua Pearce, really earnestly plays the young hotshot with an ego bigger than his talent; I appreciated Idris because he really brought Joshua on a journey that humbled the role and lifted him up. Javier Bardem, who played Ruben Cervantes, is entirely charming in this film; I also liked it when Bardem and Pitt got to portray a friendship with some conflict in it. Tobias Menzies, who played Peter Banning, was an oddball left-field antagonist role that I quite liked; Menzies has a couple of insanely good scenes where it feels like he is satirising Elon Musk. Kim Bodnia, who played Kaspar Smolinski, is a character I enjoyed seeing become increasingly frustrated by Pitt's lead; yet Bodnia also quietly built his character's camaraderie with Sonny up too, which worked well. Sarah Niles, who played Bernadette, really grounds Idris' role morally; I enjoyed seeing Niles play a sort of conscience while also having to reach the point of being a distraught mother in this film. Will Merrick and Joseph Balderrama, who played Nickleby and Fazio respectively, are a fun ensemble to the APX race team; I enjoyed the fast banter that adds a bit of levity to the racing or team briefing scenes. Shea Whigham, who played Chip Hart, gives a strong start to the film; this is a character who feels like a seasoned pro really passing grudging respect to Pitt's Sonny.

However, the best performance came from Brad Pitt, who played Sonny Hayes. At this point in his career, Pitt is picking roles and scripts that really excite him or allow him to stretch his legs. Hayes has that classic 'chip on his shoulder' aspect that Pitt tends to gravitate towards, which results in a nice storyline around living a life post-severe injury. I really felt this character had a gruff yet charming front, while holding deep personal fear behind closed doors. I liked that Pitt's role could be very aloof in one scene, while nothing but hard edges in the next. Yet across all of it, we saw a character with almost superhuman drive and willpower, someone who became self-sacrificing to win. I remember when the latest Mission: Impossible came out, people said Tom Cruise was the last true movie star, but I feel a similar affinity for Brad Pitt.

I think that at the core of this film, the thing holding it back from being an absolute knockout piece of cinema is how safe the story can be at times. I often felt it took the path most travelled, especially early in the film, with Joshua being a punk rival to Sonny. It felt like their antagonistic start could have had more of an edge to it. The ending also felt very cheesy, bringing Sonny back down from all of his development and reducing the feeling I had been sitting with after the big final race. Perhaps most annoying was the really poor romance subplot. The absolute lack of chemistry between Sonny and Kate is unbearable, yet the movie keeps pushing it up the hill. This is a love story that feels like it was mandated to be in the feature; there's no real love in it whatsoever.

Kerry Condon, who played Kate McKenna, just feels like she struggles to make herself be heard or stand out in this; I also really felt like there was no romantic chemistry whatsoever between Condon and Pitt. Abdul Salis, who played Dodge, was a character who really struggled to make himself known; I felt like Salis made little connection on set as his role paired well with nobody. Callie Cooke, who played Jodie, is a character who constantly fails and goes through growth we never really see; I expected more from Cooke and felt this character might have been interesting with some proper screen time. Samson Kayo, who played Cash, is a staggeringly annoying performance; Kayo gives a superficial and easy-going performance that makes him feel like the laziest we get.

Between Joseph Kosinski's ability to weave a visually superior film and Brad Pitt's knockout performance, this is certainly a must-watch on the big screen. I would give F1: The Movie an 8/10.

28 Years Later

 

This review may contain spoilers!

28 Years Later is the third film in the 28 Days Later franchise, and as the title suggests, takes us 28 years after the outbreak. In this feature, Spike is due for the rite of passage his island village partakes in. He and his father, Jamie, venture out onto the mainland to survive six hours alone surrounded by the zombie hordes.

The zombie genre is a realm that hasn't produced as many major hits on the big screen in a while. I certainly haven't been this entertained by a zombie feature since the second Zombieland graced our screens. The thing worth getting excited about for 28 Years Later is the reunion of the creative team; seeing the radical storytelling of Alex Garland partnered with the filmmaking expertise of Danny Boyle is a treat. It's what made 28 Days Later such a timeless gem for the genre. In this film, for nearly the entire first half, we get some of the best onscreen tension I have seen all year. Watching Spike and Jamie stagger through this decaying world is terrifying; any scene can tilt into danger, and even on the cusp of their village gate, they are faced with a spine-chilling threat to their mortality. It's a nice way to tell the audience from the very beginning that the stakes haven't gone away, they're still high, and if anything, the world for our characters is more dangerous than ever. So when the film decides to take a heel turn and have Spike venture out into the world with his ailing mother in the back half, you know this film is prepared to surprise you. The difference is quite worthwhile watching. Spike depends on his father when they leave, but he visually learns what he needs to survive. When he ventures out with his mother, he becomes the person leading them through the wilderness, and he has to grow in moments of danger. The second act was revelatory and held moments of surprising beauty. The Momento Mori tribute to the dead is actually quite a remarkably poignant point in the script. It is a setting in which Spike changes the most; he lets go of his boyhood while still holding on to the love that made him shine out from the others. This film is a beautiful character arc for Spike, and I felt like he really saw a complete journey as a character.

Danny Boyle is a master behind the camera, and there is no point in this film where that was put into doubt. The visuals on display here are incredible and make this world feel so expansive, the way we had these massive wides that showed the scale of the decaying world. I also really liked how shaky and frantic the action sequences got; it was nice that the camerawork didn't feel polished and only served to heighten the tension. The editing is going to be fun for some and awful for others, and at first, I thought it was janky. But the more the film went along, I really got onboard with the purpose of the editing, the tension of the kill and the way a scene was cut perfectly to the beat of the narrative. The soundtrack has a few numbers that will get under your skin, and the working of Rudyard Kipling's 'Boots' poem into the mix really heightens that transition into the world of the dead. I also found the score to be a terrifying piece that only really helped to ramp up those moments where I had my theatre chair armrests in a vice-like grip.

Alfie Williams, who played Spike, is an incredible young protagonist who really makes his mark on this series; Williams' progression from scared child to defiant explorer protecting his mother made this movie at every turn. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played Jamie, has found himself a tough apocalypse hunter role that he absolutely dominates in; how he plays a Dad who often fails his son is something I was very impressed by. Christopher Fulford, who played Sam, is another caring communal figure whom I enjoyed; Fulford also lends himself to being a bit of a storyteller in this role, which worked. Jodie Comer, who played Isla, is a tragic character performed beautifully; Comer's bouts of sickness worked just as wonderfully as the moments where she played heartbreaking clarity. Edvin Ryding, who played Erik, is a surprise addition in the back half, but he does good work; Ryding works the angle of being a complete outsider to this zombie world very well.

However, the best performance came from Ralph Fiennes, who played Dr. Kelson. I found the moment Fiennes appeared onscreen, it was clear we had a performer who was on a whole other level. Fiennes knows how to work the material he is given, when to have some levity with it or when to play it like a master. This is a film that offers him the opportunity to do both. By the time Fiennes first appears, his role has already had a lot of mystique built up around him. So to see this more casual character dressed in terrifying apparel was quite the about-face. Dr. Kelson is someone who has held to his humanity within the end of the world; he can joke with good humour. Fiennes is careful to not present Kelson as mad; he has eccentricities, but he feels fully capable. The way he describes the Momento Mori monument his character has been building is a real moment of beauty in the script that can only have been performed with someone capable of such poetry. In Isla's death scene, Fiennes is a remorseful participant. A true Ferryman. I think the gentle nature of this transition to death is owed greatly to Fiennes' portrayal of the moment. A man who can really craft moving moments in the projects he is in.

I found 28 Years Later to be excellent, but it had a few off-kilter moments, particularly in the second half. When the Swedish soldiers showed up with their guns and heavy-handed comic relief, I felt like the story lost itself to something else for a moment. When it was time for Ilsa to pass on, the whole premise of her flesh being melted off and her skull being handed back to her waiting son would have played for comedy if the acting wasn't behind that moment. The most egregious one was the ending with the introduction of the Jimmys; it was an oddball tonal shift that completely decimated my view of this film. I felt it was a sequel sting that did nothing for the feature and left me less excited for a potential sequel. The other aspect of the film I really didn't like was the zombie pregnancy. It was a perturbing, almost fetish-fueled moment that didn't really add a lot to the story. I've seen this done in Army of the Dead too, and it's an element of the zombie genre I really don't care for at all.

Jack O'Connell, who played Sir Jimmy Crystal, struts into the movie and immediately soured the whole thing; O'Connell's ability to just generate some of the most grating characters in 2025 needs to be studied.

A few narrative oddities aren't enough to undermine one of the more viscerally creative and constructed zombie films of the past few years. I would give 28 Years Later a 7.5/10

Materialists

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Materialists is a romantic-comedy following Lucy, a New York matchmaker who starts a relationship with a wealthy man through her job. However, when she reconnects with John, her struggling actor ex-boyfriend, she has to decide between financial stability and love.

What I really enjoyed about the latest film from Celine Song is the message clearly presented throughout. The deep criticism of modern dating and the commodification of finding your 'soulmate' is such an interesting premise. This film features several sequences in which a character rattles off very specific traits they desire in a partner, often developing an outlandish idea of the perfect partner. This is countered neatly by Lucy criticising the vanity and narcissism on display before her, often doing her best to wrangle her clients' expectations. There is always an underpinning point that emotional connection matters the least in the dating scene; it often boils down to looks, career, status and wealth. When this film shatters Lucy's 'perfect' world of pairing opulent partners together by exposing the dangers of blind matching people, the film really takes an intensive turn. Lucy is confronted with the fact that, though people have good-looking attributes on paper, there is still a danger to personal safety in the world of dating, no matter how luxurious the service. Watching Lucy face a client undergoing something traumatic and then absorb the guilt from that to grow as a person is one of the finer narrative points of this film.

The sophisticated visual style of Materialists is probably its winning feature. This is a film destined to be beautiful, with shots that are exquisitely framed and that do well at holding on to lingering moments of artistic decadence. I quite liked the soundtrack for this film; it had an almost rustic indie feel that also evoked a gentle love for New York City, rough edges and all.

Dakota Johnson, who played Lucy, is in one of the better roles I have seen her portray; Johnson's sense of self and how that changes between the men she dates, her work and the trauma she experiences makes for an emotionally compelling watch. Zoe Winters, who played Sophie, almost steals this entire film out from under the leading stars; Winters' raw emotion when she is confronted by Johnson is undeniably the best scene of the film. Dasha Nekrasova, who played Daisy, had some good dialogue exchanges with Johnson; Nekrasova's work friend character really painted the perfect illusion that the matchmakers lived within well. Louisa Jacobson, who played Charlotte, gave a pretty classic rendition of the 'cold-footed' bride; though I found Jacobson's role being coerced back to the relationship by the promise of status and money to be very sobering.

However, the best performance came from Chris Evans, who played John. In any other romantic-comedy, John would be the rough ex from the good old days who has a heart of gold deep down. However, what I liked about John in this is that he can be this constant rock to Lucy, while also making mistakes or not reading the room every time. He's not perfect, but he wants to be a good person for this woman that he cares about. Evans develops a man who is living a poor life well; he hasn't lost sight of his dreams and what he wants. But within the events of the movie, he also learns to grow and show some appetite for life, a drive to progress and show effort in his relationship. I found Evans and Johnson's portrayal of a relationship the most strikingly honest; they are so frank and sincere with one another that they almost crash and burn while sharing a warm smile. Yet, at every turn, this film proved that their immediate chemistry and Evans' phenomenal portrayal of longing made this leading man one worth watching.

This film really held a beautiful message, but I couldn't help but feel my teeth grinding against one another at times. Why, you might ask? Simply put, this film fails to make me feel like I was watching real people. The characters in this are so asinine, sultry and living in an easy-going diamond world that it gets hard to connect with as an average moviegoer. The concept of what a working-class relationship is like versus a more material one often presents a bit ludicrously, and the way the main character splits hairs between them makes her extremely hard to like come the end of the feature. This issue is also presented within the dialogue used throughout the film. No one really sounded like an authentic person; everyone was rattling off dialogue like they were within a play. This might make sense with Celine Song's background, but it made the medium flounder here. Yet, while this film is trussing itself up to position itself as the most poignant romance film of the year, the outcome winds up feeling very predictable. Also, let's get real: the whole caveman thing was stupid.

The editing for this feature seems almost ambling, in a lazy manner. A scene can just linger a little too long with a particular shot, and transitions in general feel like a weak point. I also expected a lot more from a Daniel Pemberton score, beyond a tantalising spike in emotion when things were going wrong, but there's nothing much to write home about.

Pedro Pascal, who played Harry, really just feels like he's here because his name brings a crowd; Pascal's range is not present at all, and he strikes me as emotionless. Marin Ireland, who played Violet, could really do with better control over her facial expressions; watching Ireland's whole head act a different way from how her voice was delivering a line weirded me out.

Despite a decent message and some impressive visuals, I couldn't help but find Materialists to be a little conceited. I would give Materialists a 6.5/10.

How To Train Your Dragon

 

This review may contain spoilers!

How To Train Your Dragon is a live-action remake of the 2010 film of the same name and a loose adaptation of the Cressida Cowell novels.

For a long time now the major complaint about the live-action remake has been the way they have all gone through major deviations, essentially abandoning the original film that they spawned from. However, DreamWorks makes a smart move by placing the original creative lead, Dean DeBlois, back at the helm for this adaptation. This creative link ensures that the original message and narrative beats are conveyed effectively. We get the chance to see the world of Berk, only it feels a little more real as humans interact, fight with and befriend the titular dragons. Taking on Hiccup's journey as an outcast who wants to belong, only to develop an unlikely bond that changes the Vikings forever is incredibly charming. I loved that this movie didn't pull punches. Moments where a fight had to have stakes we would see Vikings fall or our heroes in real peril, Hiccup and Toothless' bonding was really gradual and nice to fall into and the Red Death's reveal is a genuinely terrifying moment in the feature. This film might have lost a couple of scenes but it largely kept the script of the original, allowing this film to bring How To Train Your Dragon to a whole host of new young Vikings in the audience.

The visual effects for this film are pretty good for the most part. I most enjoyed how the dragons felt so characteristic, they were entirely expressive and the designs were as varied as they were in the original series. John Powell returns to give the iconic score one more go fresh, each song really uplifts the quality of a scene. Hiccup and Toothless' first flight is one of those iconic film moments that stays with you long after you've left the movie theatre.

Nico Parker, who played Astrid, does a great job of bringing Astrid's character journey to life; Parker presents a more aggressive character who finds inspiration in Hiccup and Toothless' bond. Gerard Butler, who played Stoick, looks like he is having the time of his life in this film; Butler really leans into the comedy of Stoick more successfully than I expected. Nick Frost, who played Gobber, is an admittedly decent pick for the teacher of the next wave of dragon-slaying Vikings; Frost wears his character's heart on his sleeve a bit which works admirably. Gabriel Howell, who played Snotlout, is a ton of fun as the cocky young Viking trying to impress everyone; I found Powell entirely entertaining without being too arrogant in his character. Peter Serafinowicz, who played Spitelout, did a lot without needing to say much at all; his rough-edged father figure paired nicely with Powell's Snotlout. Naomi Wirthner, who played Gothi, is a performance that really added an intriguing element to the world of Berk; Wirthner's Gothi managed to be mysterious and mystical without even needing to contribute dialogue.

However, the best performance came from Mason Thames, who played Hiccup. I have no idea how far they cast the net for this role but it was clearly the exact right amount. Thames is nearly flawless as the live-action Hiccup. He has a nervous and slightly off-kilter personality that makes Hiccup a bit of an outcast in the Viking village of Berk. Yet, he also has such a big emotional range and is relentlessly earnest. I loved the moments where he got a more determined edge to Hiccup, seeing him fight for Toothless and for his people to change for the better makes How To Train Your Dragon the special film that it is. I hope Thames gets the complete trilogy, he has more than earned it.

For better or worse, How To Train Your Dragon is exactly what the original animated film is. Beat for beat this film is the same, so it will not surprise you nor unfurl some major new plot point to keep it fresh. I feel the big criticism for live-action remakes beyond why on Earth they keep making them is that they often deviate too much from the original material. Here they find the best from the original work, but that can also be its own weakness.

Overall, the biggest failure of How To Train Your Dragon is the visual camera work. I often found the cinematography missed the best angle it could have found in a scene, favouring poorly framed close-ups or shots that only really serve to set up a visual effect. While I think the overall special effects in the film are good, that first village fight scene was really average and many of the flight scenes are blurry.

Julian Dennison, who played Fishlegs, is a New Zealand actor who has really struggled to make his mark in a blockbuster; Dennison was awkward and one of the characters I least wanted to see onscreen. Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn, who played Ruffnut and Tuffnut respectively, just pushed the comedic relief angle too hard; in a film where there was plenty of humour present, there was never much need for performances that oversold it. 

One of the most faithful and entertaining live-action remakes in years. I would give How To Train Your Dragon an 8.5/10.

Ballerina

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Ballerina is the first spinoff film in the John Wick universe, set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. In this film, we follow Eve, a young assassin trained by the Ruska Roma, who goes off on a revenge mission when she encounters the group that murdered her father.

I love how scrappy Ballerina is throughout. Where watching John Wick is about watching a master assassin sweep his way through a room brimming with goons, Ballerina presents more of an underdog revenge mission. Eve enters this film through a fairly compelling tragic origin and an adrenaline-filled training sequence that sees her getting moulded into the fighter we've all come out to see. This is a film in which the protagonist struggles, she is smaller than most of her opponents and her punches don't pack a wallop. Seeing this character learn to fight more effectively as if her life depends on it, makes this an interesting premise from the beginning. We know Eve is going to hurl herself at her opponents like an animal, clawing her way through a fight creatively and without compromise. Eve's descent into the world of the High Table is fascinating, and this development introduces a new cult faction, making for a unique adversary. I appreciated watching Eve work her way up the ladder to achieve her revenge - even being judged for her righteousness by the Baba Yaga himself. The best aspects of this film come from seeing Eve fight her way through a killer village, that felt fresh for the John Wick universe.

This is a film that captures action brilliantly, thinking of ways for the camera to latch onto the most original form of movement to really make those brawls flow. Pairing neatly with that is just how nicely the editing weaves this production together; the action sequences involve very intensive cutting, which makes the film look all the better for it. I was blown away by the stunts across Ballerina, like a John Wick film the theme seems to be creativity first and choreography only half a step behind. The score for this film is nothing short of thrilling, with a real adrenaline pulse present throughout and a neat Tchaikovsky number scattered to weave an emotional bond with the character. Having a track from Evanescence and Halsey both meant this film had a broody, tough edge to close on that perfectly mirrored the tone of Ballerina.

Ana de Armas, who played Eve, leads this film with the same amount of intense drive that made Reeves' Wick so famous; de Armas has a primal ferocity and rage on show that really makes you sit up and pay attention. Keanu Reeves, who played John Wick, is such a staple of this franchise and a welcome return; Reeves presents a more morose and benevolent side of Wick here that I quite enjoyed. Anjelica Huston, who played The Director, is still an imposing force within this world; Huston lends a cold edge to this character which I loved. Gabriel Byrne, who played The Chancellor, is one of the most memorable antagonists in the John Wick universe yet; Byrne presents himself with such charisma while talking about spine-chilling actions. Ava Joyce McCarthy, who played Ella, is a brilliant child performer; she didn't get boxed into type and really gave her role a mean edge where required. Norman Reedus, who played Daniel Pine, is giving more than you might expect with his fatherly assassin; this role was quite a selfless type who pushed himself for the sake of his daughter. Lance Reddick, who played Charon, isn't in this for long but gives as good as ever; Reddick was a real treasure as Charon and he is an actor who will be sincerely missed. Abraham Popoola, who played Frank, is a role I'd love to see back in this universe; Popoola found the perfect balance between campy and cool.

However, the best performance came from Ian McShane, who played Winston. This character is such a brilliant fixture of the John Wick universe. McShane is entirely elegant and sophisticated in his delivery, making the actual person he is portraying both alluring and mysterious. In this feature we get the more benevolent side of Winston, seeing him shelter and protect young Eve. McShane does a great job of being the doorman in this almost fantastical world of killers and assassins. I was especially impressed with the way McShane subtly steers de Armas to her path of revenge. Winston becomes this figure for justice within the world of darkness he resides in, which has always been one of the most fascinating facets of his character.

I greatly enjoyed Ballerina, it feels like another sign that the John Wick universe is the safest place to go for good action. However, where Ballerina suffered is just how ridiculous it decided to get at times. I felt this film tried to be creative wherever possible, but it so frequently undercut this with a sequence that felt almost cartoonish. The grenade sequence and the flamethrower sequence in particular got a bit overbearing. Ballerina also tried a bit too hard to come off as a dramatic character piece at times, delivering Eve some plot twists around her past that were uninspired. This movie didn't need to make Eve's story overly complex, her revenge angle served the narrative enough. I also enjoyed seeing John Wick in this, but he was used a lot more than was really required. John Wick diving into the action at the end of the film as Eve's fight sequences were tapering out stole the thunder of her ending a bit. The focus was shifted from Eve right when it should have stayed squarely on her.

Catalina Sandino Moreno, who played Lena, just feels like an error within the story; the commitment to the secret sister arc is an emotional push that winds up having no weight behind it. Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who played Nogi, really gets saddled with the exposition dumps for this feature; I also found her being delegated the constant pep talks quite frustrating. David Castañeda and Victoria Comte, who played Javier and Young Eve respectively, weren't the most interesting aspects of Ballerina's opening; I particularly found Comte a difficult young performer to engage with as the child version of the leading role. 

This is just further proof that the world of John Wick continues to dominate the action film scene. I would give Ballerina a 7.5/10.

Mountainhead

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Mountainhead is almost a one-room drama of sorts involving four billionaires as they vent about their business woes, the disruptive consequences of their own A.I., and the idea of taking over world nations and crafting the perfect murder.

This movie is an interesting take on satirising modern billionaires and the power they wield. While I felt a lot of this movie lacked a decent narrative throughline, the presentation of the message was clear and decent enough. These characters are all very callous, none of them come near to being grounded and one even acts like 'other people' don't really exist. These characters release products into the world that have a global negative impact, and don't assess how to fix it but instead attempt to find humour in the situation. Everything is about reputation and how to get an edge over others to enhance their financial profiles. One character takes a sociopathic bend because he becomes convinced he needs to kill one of the others so that his consciousness can be uploaded digitally when the science progresses there. This seemingly convoluted fear of mortality turns into a crazy plot where three of the characters attempt the most ineffectual murder in history. This film does a lot of this, the characters talking about doing these big serious sweeping things and not really advancing towards an actual outcome. A light barb that billionaires are morally bankrupt and also only looking to make effectual change for themselves.

Jesse Armstrong has a pretty crisp visual style, with the camera keeping things active and interesting in spite of the singular location. I loved how dynamic the lighting was and how the camera sought every possible interesting angle of interaction. The score by Nicholas Britell is quite a delicate, almost trance-like sound that is virtually crystalline and perfect in sharp contrast to the characters at the core of this story.

Steve Carell, who played Randall, is a more sociopathic and emotionally devoid role; Carell's character is probably the most cutthroat in his willingness to betray others to preserve himself. Cory Michael Smith, who played Venis, looks to be having incredible fun playing the clear Elon Musk parody; this is a character who runs through some very extreme turns of emotion that happen at very surprising points in the script. Ramy Youssef, who played Jeff, is very intriguing as the more morally conscious member of the group; Youssef's character incites the most conflict which makes him fun to watch.

However, the best performance came from Jason Schwartzman, who played Souper. This is a character who is a simpering hanger-on to the big billionaires at the table. Schwartzman's role isn't a billionaire, the only one at Mountainhead with a net worth only in the millions. He walks around desperate for the approval of the other three, wanting to be seen as something close to an equal. The initial grovelling is embarrassing in the face of unabashed confidence or indifference, yet Schwartzman doubles down further and further. When he gets so desperate that he becomes the active pawn in a murder plot, we see how wretched and shallow this character truly is in the face of his ambition. He barely contains his glee at rolling over a rival to be held in better esteem by the end of the film. None of these characters is likeable, but Schwartzman's role certainly has the most interesting dimensions to it.

I really struggled to find the plot in Mountainhead. The story is really these four band together, talk some ideas but act impotently about them and then turn on one another for the sake of greed. It's a pretty shallow satire at best, depicting familiar celebrity billionaires via dramatic parody but without anything deep to say beyond what one might expect criticism of billionaires to look like on a surface level. The fact the comedic murder attempt story is as close as this film gets to a linear narrative is underwhelming. It's clearly a movie that thinks it has more to say than it really does, but the points aren't really these big intellectual discussion topics. This is a film that feels more like a corridor debate between university students than something helmed by an Emmy-winning creator.

The editing for Mountainhead is slow, no doubt owing to the limited ability to cut within a singular location. Unfortunately, it still contributes to a more sluggish presentation of the story.

More of a college philosophy bro's character assassination of a pack of billionaires than a groundbreaking satire. I would give Mountainhead a 6/10.

Fountain of Youth

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Fountain of Youth is an adventure film that follows Luke Purdue, an art thief and explorer, as he seeks the Fountain of Youth alongside his team. When he hits a snag in his journey he ropes in his younger sister, Charlotte, to reluctantly unlock the last pieces in the puzzle.

This movie holds a lot of charm, particularly in the moments where the adventure transitions into an action piece. I'm not necessarily speaking of the strange shootout at the end between Interpol and the security team, but rather those classic moments where the adventurers have to scramble out of harm's way. Watching Luke navigate a number of situations where he has to keep his research or discovery safe from Esme is often the high point of the feature. The best point of all this was the introduction to the film where Luke is engaged in a high-stakes chase sequence and then a train carriage tussle in Thailand.

I'm used to a Guy Ritchie film having a decent musical score and Fountain of Youth is no exception to the rule. This is a thrilling musical arrangement that builds into the sense of wonder present at times. I also loved the Thai version of 'Bang Bang' kicking the film off, great soundtrack choice there.

Natalie Portman, who played Charlotte Purdue, has a pretty good bickering sibling chemistry with Krasinski; she is the more stoic and cautious presence across the film. Eiza González, who played Esme, has some cracking chemistry with Krasinski across this that makes them the most fun of the film; she is a dangerous yet entertaining presence throughout. Daniel De Bourg, who played Harold, is perfect as the ex-husband role to Portman; De Bourg is so despicable in his role that he winds up being the more memorable antagonist.

However, the best performance came from John Krasinski, who played Luke Purdue. This is a pretty classic explorer figure. Krasinski plays a real rascal here, someone who you can't take very seriously as he works with a quip and an improvised plan. Luke is the sort of role who enjoys the chase of the score, often being pulled by the lure of his own greed. I enjoyed Krasinski's comedic displays of confidence and flirting, all while ensuring Luke came off as bumbling and lucky. This isn't a world-famous explorer character in the making but it's certainly a solid show that Krasinski can lead well in this genre.

The adventure genre hasn't been flying high for quite a while now. The new Indiana Jones was a disappointing end to the character, the Uncharted film was a pale reflection of the game and no one turned up for the National Treasure Disney+ show. So perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that Guy Ritchie's foray into this genre is such a disappointment. I mean, Ritchie hasn't been making very good or memorable films for the past few projects himself. Yet it would be fair to say that Fountain of Youth is perhaps one of the worst features in Guy Ritchie's filmography. This is a film that kicks off with a very compelling opening scene and then promptly descends into a slow, rambling story that moves our characters from point to point. The conflict present in this film is often very easily resolved if that conflict doesn't involve stuntwork and even the puzzles our heroes are solving don't feel especially inspired. Watching young Thomas wallop the drums until a secret Ancient Egyptian passageway opens up is one of the worst things I've seen in film this year. The film struggles with interpersonal relationships too, Luke and Charlotte squabble like siblings but their conversations rarely hold depth. Along those same lines, Luke and the entire team barely engage with each other on a personal level. This film also does what a lot of these sorts of films do and presents a potential mystical component, but the mystique around this is barely there. The secret organisation protecting the Fountain makes itself known to Luke before the audience even gets to meet his team. When the fountain is revealed it never felt like it was hard to reach and when it immediately starts exhibiting magical powers the reveal is underwhelming. I also cannot believe the amount of time this film wasted with Interpol as an organisation having a presence. The Interpol subplot just felt like an anchor on the whole story.

I love Guy Ritchie's style as a rule but the cinematography here was remarkably dull. The film didn't really capitalise on set pieces or locations as much as I expected and the gentler scenes of conversation looked very blocky and simplistic. The special effects for this film were ghastly, the whole Fountain sequence with the visual effect of the water looked like something out of M. Night Shyamalan's Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Domhnall Gleeson, who played Owen Carver, used to be a really promising up-and-comer but now seems to be circling some average roles; Gleeson is a very stereotypical greedy British businessman villain. Arian Moayed, who played Inspector Jamal Abbas, is one of the most annoying members of the cast; Moayed is overbearing in this and struggles to make his character feel relevant. Laz Alonso and Carmen Ejogo, who played Patrick Murphy and Deb McCall respectively, just feel like extra bodies to give the adventurers a 'team' vibe; the fact is these characters are barely engaged with and often forgotten about. Stanley Tucci, who played The Elder, has no real reason to be in this film; Tucci rattles off some dull exposition and nothing else. Benjamin Chivers, who played Thomas, isn't a great young performer; his dialogue delivery isn't great and he struggles to form convincing relationships with other cast members. Steve Tran, who played Kasem, is an odd novelty antagonist that gets more screen time than is really needed; the way the role hounds after Krasinski's is almost cartoonish.

Guy Ritchie used to be one of my favourite film directors ever. Now he makes lifeless adventure films that can't even beat out the Uncharted film. I would give Fountain of Youth a 3.5/10.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning marks the eighth and allegedly final film in the Mission: Impossible franchise. This film picks up where Dead Reckoning left off, with Ethan Hunt and the IMF team racing to destroy the AI adversary known as The Entity. On their mission, they are beset by other parties seeking to control the Entity, both enemy and allied.

The Mission: Impossible series has been one of my very favourite action series for some time. The death-defying action that escalates in these movies is something that really authenticates the stakes. Over the years, Ethan and his team have grown increasingly isolated from their allies as their enemies crawl out of the darkest global underbellies. This places our protagonists in a very interesting place from the top of this film. They are extremely isolated because they are the only faction working towards the destruction of The Entity, everyone else simply wants to put it on a leash. This 'out in the cold' position IMF finds themselves within marks them as the underdogs the whole film, with only one another to fall back onto. The film does a good job of escalating the tension with a simple ticking clock across the story. Three days until The Entity nukes the world, giving our heroes barely any time to deep dive into military submarines, disarm city-levelling bombs or have a bi-plane altercation. There is a desperate edge to everything with this race against time that I loved. Another simple trick is that the hero and the villain just have it out for one another, Ethan and Gabriel tangle with one another across this which is a nice driving force.

The stunt work in these films has always been out of this world, and the final film continues to deliver on that front. Watching Cruise navigate complex underwater sets or walk along the exterior of an active aeroplane is a spectacle well worth watching. The visuals for this film are impressive, with dramatic well-lit close-ups in your more intimate scenes paired alongside grand-scale action sequences with stunning views. I really enjoyed the score for this film, it utilised the main theme nicely while also holding some really tense or poignant pieces throughout.

Hayley Atwell, who played Grace, is one of the freshest faces on the main team and she is entirely superb; Atwell plays to the stakes of a scene really well. Ving Rhames, who played Luther Stickell, is a bit underutilized in this feature but works extremely hard in his scenes; Rhames has a more earnest and melancholy edge this time around that will leave you mourning. Simon Pegg, who played Benji Dunn, gives his most grim take on the character yet; Pegg really plays a loyal and desperate soldier here who mirrors Cruise nicely. Pom Klementieff, who played Paris, really finds her place in this feature; having a more dangerous assassin in the IMF mix really added some new flavour to the team. Henry Czerny, who played Kittridge, has been nice to see back in the role he inhabited so long ago; Czerny leaves you guessing as to his character's allegiances which makes him a wild card in scenes. Holt McCallany, who played Serling, is the saving grace to the Presidential War Room scenes; McCallany has a seasoned edge and a propensity for character acting that sells him as this Intelligence Head. Tramell Tillman, who played Captain Bledsoe, was an incredible scene-stealer; Tramell really had fun with his character which made him a little unpredictable and interesting. Shea Whigham, who played Briggs, is just one of the great working character actors right now; Whigham presents a figure hounding after a deep-seated personal vendetta neatly. Rolf Saxon, who played William Donloe, is a surprisingly great returning role; Saxon's gentle genius who has been living in exile is a really intriguing addition to this film. Katy O'Brian and Paul Bullion, who played Kodiak and Shirley respectively, had this tough edge and banter that worked alongside Cruise; these scenes felt fun because it was just strong performers showing off against one another. Pasha D. Lychnikoff, who played Captain Koltsov, was a surprisingly fun minor antagonist; Lychnikoff crafted a respectful combatant with a begrudging chemistry shared with the IMF team cast members. 

However, the best performance came from Tom Cruise, who played Ethan Hunt. I find that in almost every single one of these films, this note rings true. Cruise is an actor/producer combo dedicated to this craft like few else, and across this film series, he has repeatedly put in the work. In his hands, Ethan Hunt has turned out to be a classic hero. An action hero with an unwavering moral compass who runs headfirst into danger to save the world around him. This film Cruise presents Hunt as being almost haunted by that drive, he knows the stakes through and through. This is a character entirely desperate to save everybody and willing to sacrifice himself in fifty different ways to do it. This is Cruise standing up and showing us all how much he loves Ethan Hunt one last time, and it's a true spectacle.

My issue with The Final Reckoning seems to be quite a bit of what I disliked about Dead Reckoning, showing a real unwillingness to learn. This film takes off with a bang in London, pitting Ethan and Gabriel against one another once more. We're then sadly pushed deep down into planning stages, political jargon and long stretches of exposition for the remainder of the first act. This is not a short film and it would benefit from a strong sense of pacing, but that vision just isn't present in this film. Once again, the film takes a strange turn by really doubling down on an omnipotent AI antagonist, weirdly making Mission: Impossible feel like it has taken on a sci-fi bend. The robotic antagonist is dispassionate and doesn't mesh well into this espionage world. I strongly feel this film series would have been better served with a more human antagonist to close us out. This film also continues the trend of the last one in another way, hosting a long bloated subplot revolving around American bureaucrats in a room hosting a debate. It's very dry storytelling that kills the rhythm. This last instalment loses a lot of the light-hearted charm of modern Mission: Impossible films, it just takes itself far more seriously than it really needs to. The Last Reckoning has a stern edge and the loss of levity is punctuated throughout.

A flaw the past couple of Mission: Impossible films have had is elements of the editing. It often feels like nothing is left on the cutting room floor and as many shots are pushed into a scene or sequence as possible, resulting in a slow pace and entire scenes that feel crammed.

Esai Morales, who played Gabriel, loses a lot of his menacing edge from Dead Reckoning; Morales is almost a cartoonish bad guy in this with his constant ultimatums and maniacal laughs. Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Charles Parnell and Mark Gatiss, who played Walters, General Sidney, Richards and Angstrom respectively, were quite a bland ensemble who were very unconvincing as figures of major authority; Offerman was perhaps the most disappointing as the blustering and self-sacrificing general. Hannah Waddingham, who played Admiral Neely, had a ridiculously impassive exterior; Waddingham gave this role little to no emotion whatsoever. Angela Bassett, who played Erika Sloane, wasn't especially engaging as the President for the film; Bassett helmed an ensemble that seemed to grapple with one another for who could come off the most stoic. Greg Tarzan Davis, who played Degas, is one of the worst main characters introduced into the IMF team; Davis barely brings personality to the film and feels like excess weight. Lucy Tulugarjuk, who played Tapeesa, is a bit of a curveball addition to the film with more screen time than the role demands; Tulugarjuk playing the Inuit woman who gets laughs for not understanding anyone was an odd bit of running comedy. Stephen Oyoung and Tomás Paredes, who played Pills and Hagar respectively, were the dullest aspect of the submarine storyline cast; Oyoung really grinds the audience through some average exposition delivery.

Far from the conclusion Mission: Impossible deserves but a decent tip of the hat to many years of Ethan Hunt. I would give Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning a 7/10.

The Wedding Banquet

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Wedding Banquet is a remake of the Ang Lee-directed 1993 film of the same name. Within this feature, Korean trust fund baby, Min, faces an impending return to South Korea due to his visa expiring. When his American boyfriend, Chris, turns down Min's proposal, Min presents a new solution. He will marry their lesbian friend, Angela, and in return pay for Angela and her girlfriend, Lee's, next round of IVF. However, the plan encounters a hitch when Min's grandmother arranges a visit to oversee the wedding.

Andrew Ahn is a queer director and storyteller whom I greatly enjoy and want to see more of. His work on Fire Island was very memorable and indicative of the way he lifts up queer and Asian culture via his storytelling. The Wedding Banquet is similar in the way it presents a lot of facets of these cultures that the average viewer wouldn't consider. The film opens with an allusion to Chinese dragon dance, that is immediately subverted with performative drag for a gala. I think many people wouldn't be used to the conversations this film is willing to have; like Angela's mother presenting as such a strong ally and putting herself on a pedestal for supporting her daughter when there were parts of their history where this wasn't overtly true. We get a very detailed examination of IVF motherhood, and the parenting choice conversation held between queer couples. I felt Angela grappling with this amidst her previously mentioned mother issues made for an interesting lead role perspective. There is also a discussion of commitment in queer relationships, which is another conversation point that doesn't get a major spotlight. I most especially loved how queer friendships are presented through a 'found family' lens, due to shared experience and interest this is something very true of the queer community and The Wedding Banquet presents this very well. I mean just look at the last shot of the film, it's a special one.

The score for this feature is beautiful, setting a melodic tone that resonates consistently and yet manages to evoke a range of emotions throughout.

Bowen Yang, who played Chris, is surprisingly better when he's not playing it up for laughs here; Yang's character isn't the nicest and yet he still finds a way to ground the character and make him feel sincere. Lily Gladstone, who played Lee, just shows us all why she is an Academy Award nominee; I loved Lee and her enormous capacity for love and reflective conversations about the future of her relationship. Kelly Marie Tran, who played Angela Chen, really leads this film in a way that I loved; Tran presents a protagonist with a real chip on their shoulder and who wants to do right by others despite her own insecurities. Youn Yuh-Jung, who played Ja-Young, has a really well-rounded character arc; Yuh-Jung presents an older Korean woman who grows from her more conservative views out of love for her grandson.

However, the best performance came from Joan Chen, who played May Chen. This was a character you know from the opening scene will steal the show more often than not. Chen's energy is infectious and she definitely winds up carrying the comedic load of the film. Just watching her grind up on that Chinese dragon had me in fits. Chen is playing a mother who is this sort of 'mega ally', she's involved in more queer support groups than her lesbian daughter. She is this overbearing gossip and she loves to make things larger than life. It is a real whirlwind of a character that could have just been played for comedy. Yet, Chen brings a lovely bit of nuance to the character. Her scenes with Yuh-jung in which she gently supports the Korean grandmother towards a more loving approach to her grandson are quite beautiful. I also loved the dynamic she shares with Tran; that scene in the bathroom where she comforts her on-screen daughter and reflects on her own flaws is one of those real human moments only fleetingly captured in film.

I found The Wedding Banquet to be another Andrew Ahn success in that it had a lot to shine a spotlight on, but I'm not convinced the story told really did a good job with that. These conversation points deserved to be the focal point and they often lost their edge just as we started delving a little deeper into them. This is a feature that tries desperately to be a romantic comedy, but it feels more naturally aligned to being a romantic drama. The humour often feels misplaced, sudden or it straight up doesn't land. I found the constant need for a scene to get a little goofier distracting, and essentially it dumbed the story being told down. While I liked the conversation around commitment in queer relationships, this film doesn't make Chris very likeable which makes the good turn ending a bit harder to swallow. I also felt this film let the novelty of the fake relationship die out too soon. The grandmother working everything out straight away was realistic but it took a lot of fun out of the story. It was also hard to believe Min came from the type of money he did when the film rarely could present a location or character dressed in a manner that reflected this descriptor.

This film clearly didn't have much budget behind it and it sadly showed in the production elements of the film. The cinematography tries for this cosy, light indie vibe most of the time but tends to land on blocky framing and restrictive sequences that feel pushed for time. The editing doesn't really support this either, with static cutting that sets a dull pace to the whole thing. The soundtrack for this film is just too empty, beyond one excellent track from Chinese American Bear, there is nothing here to lift the film up.

Han Gi-Chan, who played Min, just seems confused by the tone of the film; he is almost always playing to comedy in an over-the-top cartoonish manner. Bobo Le, who played Kendall, feels a bit surplus to requirements in this film; Le is meant to be a guiding point for Yang's role but the pair have quite a disinteresting chemistry with one another.

It is an impressive queer work that gets lost in the weeds trying to be funny and could have been a little stronger with some of the messages it was trying to convey. I would give The Wedding Banquet a 6.5/10.