The Accountant 2

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Accountant 2 is a sequel to Gavin O'Connor's 2016 film The Accountant. In this feature, eight years have passed, and Medina finds herself on the path of a new case after the sudden murder of Ray King. When the case comes with a calling card to bring Christian Wolff into the fold, he complies with his gung-ho brother in tow.

This sequel has nearly been nine years in the making, a continuation of a premise that was, admittedly, pretty good the first time around. So how do you take that benchmark of a decent movie and keep it running? Especially after such a long time. The solution has been to double down on the quirkier, unique elements. Suddenly Christian's eccentricities are explored in more settings, his chemistry with his brother is given more room to run, the loose cannon Braxton is firing on all cylinders and Christian's unique supporter, Justine, has more to do. The main story is as thrilling as any old action sequel can be, but what lifts this movie up into real greatness are those unique aspects that evoke humour, wild antics and heart in abundance. This film starts with Christian outsmarting a dating app so that he might be suitable for several dates, only to steer these prospective partners away due to his personality in person. He is actively seeking a means to no longer be alone in the way he knows how. At the same time, his brother Braxton is anxiously hyping himself up for a polite phone call - something entirely outside his aggressive mercenary skill set. The nature of the call? A puppy adoption that sadly doesn't go Braxton's way. Both brothers are struggling by themselves and looking for a connection. The moment they crash together the film shifts gears. These two are hilarious together, you immediately believe there is a sibling bond. They bicker and are in constant conflict but they also pair together and support one another incredibly. The film even hops off the main path at one point for a bar scene in which the brothers grow closer after one gets into a dance and the other a fight. The ending of this film is a very satisfying shoot-out in which both brothers put everything on the line for one another and the kids they are trying to rescue. It rounds out the arc of these two coming together as a family nicely and solidifies this film as one of the most entertaining action features I have seen so far this year.

Something I have to give real props to for The Accountant 2 is the action choreography, this film hits hard and fast when it switches to this. The fight choreography is rough and gritty, but the final sequence of the film is mapped out extremely well. That final scene charts gunfire movement through a space neatly, right down to the more desperate knife and brawl moments that develop over that moment. I also have to give major props to Bryce Dessner's score, which is low and pondering but can find some pulse and movement where required. The track 'See-Line Woman' which opens the film is a wonderful number that puts a bit of building tension to the first piece of action we get.

Ben Affleck, who played Christian Wolff, is remarkable at bringing back an old protagonist he has honed so well; Affleck really disappears into his role's unique mannerisms. Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who played Marybeth Medina, is playing the straight edge to the mystery at the core of this film; Addai-Robinson really performs the heavy lifting when it comes to presenting some of the moral conflicts in this film. Allison Robertson and Alison Wright, who played and voiced Justine respectively, is one of the more unique roles from this series and it takes two incredible performances to bring her to life; seeing Justine as more of a mentor figure in this one was an excellent new angle.

However, the best performance came from Jon Bernthal, who played Braxton. I greatly enjoyed Bernthal in the first Accountant, where he dropped in for a great reveal and action scene. The fact this film seemed quite motivated to show more of this role can only mean the creators had a strong sense of what would elevate this movie. From the go, Bernthal presents a character who feels like he can intimidating, someone who is more of a man of action. The difficulty he shows in having a polite conversation or talking with a woman while eating dessert is what makes this so fun. Bernthal has really defined his character and knows how to use this to play a scene for comedy. Braxton doesn't know how to rein in his aggressive side very well, which makes him a great mercenary but not someone who plays well with others. Despite that, the best part of this movie is the chemistry shared between Bernthal and Affleck. From his earliest scenes with Affleck, Bernthal is ribbing and joking and squabbling and really crafting that sibling dynamic flawlessly. This is a great role for Bernthal and a big example of why he should be leading more major features like this.

This movie is brilliant when it shows off what makes it unique, but where it fails is the main mystery throughout. Even from the first scene, the death of Ray King doesn't spark much sadness in the audience nor did I feel particularly pulled into the why behind it all. The film then meanders into this overly detailed and complex human trafficking storyline in which the antagonists only show up when they really have to and there is a link to a child with heightened needs identical to Christian. The way this film presents this mystery makes the main storyline seem less engaging, and certainly less of a priority. The fact there's an extra layer around an El Salvadoran woman who gets in a car accident while running for her life develops some kind of savant syndrome after ridiculous facial reconstruction surgery and becomes a super elite mercenary. The main story is functional but it is a means to an end for what we are all really here to see.

I was probably most disappointed with how dated this film looked visually. The shots all look quite washed out, entirely dark or drained of colour. More than that, there just aren't many interesting frames to reflect on with this film, it is shot in a very simple manner that leaves little impression on the viewer. I was also surprised to see some very old-school wipes used as transitions for this film, it only heaped on to a visual style that was not doing the work.

J.K. Simmons, who played Ray King, seems to know he's got a bit of a bum gig here; Simmons just being in this to perform a lazy scene and die isn't very worthy of his range. Daniella Pineda, who played Anaïs, is a mercenary role that just feels awkwardly placed throughout the film; Pineda doesn't quite hit the mark as a mercenary nor does she seem to reach the emotion required for her role's backstory. Robert Morgan and Grant Harvey, who played Burke and Cobb respectively, come across as afterthoughts; as far as antagonists go Morgan hardly feels like someone who would be pulling strings and Harvey isn't very intimidating. Andrew Howard, who played Batu, is an almost comical element of the film; Howard presents a cloak and daggers mercenary handler that is just a bit on the nose. Dominique Domingo, who played Angie, feels more like a prop than a role to bring out a romantic scene moment for Affleck; Domingo and Affleck really don't have much chemistry in the first place so this angle isn't very convincing.

It's one of those shocking sequels that entertains more than the original. Bernthal and Affleck together are unbeatable. I would give The Accountant 2 an 8/10.

Sinners

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Sinners is a historical horror feature following twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who attempt to open a Juke Joint in their hometown. However, Their opening night is halted when a vampiric force arrives to threaten the partygoers.

Ryan Coogler has been a real champion for Black art and excellence across his entire career, but this is a very real culmination in his efforts. Coogler gives his best original idea yet in this arresting story about two brothers who just want to return home and redefine themselves. They don't want to be seen as criminal anymore, but rather through their own work and hustling they wants to be business owners, they want to build up this massive juke joint and create a space for Black people. In this joint they pull together the best local talent they have, uplifting Black music and art in the space too. This first half of the feature is an exemplary story in and of itself. We are shown a Black America that still is in the throes of Jim Crow law, where the memory of slavery is not so very distant. At the same time, it is a story of Black culture expressing itself, shaping identity both within its roots and what it hopes to become. The community established through the cast of this film really impactfully tells this story and setting very well. Even the tilt into the fantastical horror elements, where vampires enter the picture, tells us a lot about these themes woven by Coogler. Here we see a white vampire (admittedly an Irishman who also would have been ostracized at the time) with intention of taking the player at the heart of the music. It's a very interesting discussion on invasion of Black space, business and art. Coogler points the finger and really levels the conversation around Black creativity or entrepreurship being stolen, assimilated or copied by white people.

This is a real visual spectacle, an absolute feast for the senses. Ryan Coogler makes the South of the 1930s feel expansive, lining the roads with sweeping cotton fields and broad town roads begging for a shoot out. Yet, he often promises artistic cinematography, just look at moments like the wheeling flames as our cast dances in a dream-like sequence paired against the vampires hypnotically dancing to an Irish folk song later. By this measure, I also have to rave about the score and soundtrack in equal measure here. Putting actors who can really sing was right at the forefront of the vision and Ludwig Göransson is one of the greatest film composers living at present. The soulful sound of this film paired with complete reverence for the Blues marks one of the best cinematic sounds of the year.

Miles Caton, who played Sammie Moore, is absolutely on fire in his first major breakout role; Caton's vocals are next level and he also plays to the emotional crossroads his role finds himself upon very well. Saul Williams, who played Jedidiah, holds so much gravitas as the pastor in the feature; Williams and Caton really challenge one another well as a father/son duo. Michael B. Jordan, who played Smoke and Stack, leads this movie with great competence; as Smoke Jordan is a firm hand leader type while he lets all of his charismas flow as Stack. Yao and Li Jun Li, who played Bo Chow and Grace Chow respectively, are really fast moving business-focused characters; Li in particular stands out with her negotiating tactics and combative nergy in the face of the vampire threat. Hailee Steinfeld, who played Mary, is a firecracker in this; Steinfeld has a remarkably sharp tongue and delivery that can only ever really be matched by Jordan. Wunmi Mosaku, who played Annie, is this very serence and wise figure with quite a spiritual connection to the world; Mosaku plays the role with great confidence that makes you believe in the knowledge her character wields.

However, the best performance came from Delroy Lindo, who played Delta Slim. I thoroughly enjoy Lindo as a performer, particularly at this point in his career. When we first meet the character of Slim we get this wild and drunken entertainer, someone who plays loosely to his code and guards his patch even fiercer. Lindo gives the role a bit of lived history, the man is carrying around years of living and you feel the weight of that. At the same time, Slim is someone who loses himself in the sensation of playing music, Blues is in his veins and you feel that sincerity through the performance. I enjoyed seeing Lindo lock horns with other performers, or share a laugh with them or even fearfully tiptoe around them in the final act. What makes Lindo such a good performer is that he gives everything to a character, I could not tell you where Slim ends and Lindo begins, and that's on being a master of the craft.

I think Sinners is an excellent film at the worst of times, but it does full victim to Coogler's general weakness. He likes to play in a blockbuster sized sandpit, where the film is buffed up through a big cast or the genre. For Sinners the cast component is only a good thing, but I found the genre angle to be a bit pulpy. Obviously vampires serve the metaphor well enough, but the way this film tilts into a vampire horror is quite abrupt and doesn't ever quite click into place super well. The film is filled with little 'vision board' moments like this that serve the theme but look a bit tacky at times. A music sequence with modern music elements crammed in, vampires playing instruments as a disguise to get in, a very sluggishly paced final action sequence and an excessive amount of scenes with our characters just chatting it up with the vampire antagonists at the door. The threat doesn't feel as big as it should, and there are some moments where the tilt into horror just feels performative to get audiences into theatres. Even the ending, with Stack and Mary scoping out Sammie at a 90s Blues joint or watching Smoke gun down the Klan to really ram what the movie is selling home makes it all wrap up on an off beat.

I also find Coogler's movies tend to be letdown by simple or downright bad special effects. Sinners gives us two Michael B. Jordan's which isn't an effect that is particularly hard by modern standards, they were pulling that move with doubling last century. But the ugly fire on water effect that sees the demise of our main vampire antagonist was another poor mark against a rather poor ending.

Jack O'Connell, who played Remmick, just feels a bit paper thin to be the main antagonist of the feature; once you remove the singing and the creature make-up the vampires just don't have all that much to them. David Maldonado, who played Hogwood, gives the same generic older racist antagonist we've been seeing for a couple of decades now; there is nothing unique in this caricature Klansman performance.  Jayme Lawson, who played Pearline, is really just here so that the Sammie character has a love interest; I really didn't feel much of Lawson's acting resulted in a feeling of chemistry between her and Caton. Omar Benson Miller, who played Cornbread, is a performer without a lot of range to give; Miller feels like he's there to serve as a bit of comedy before things get dark but he doesn't really deliver on that. Peter Dreimanis and Lola Kirke, who played Bert and Joan respectively, only served to lower my impressions of the vampire antagonists; these roles just felt goofy in how they played their scenes once turned. Buddy Guy, who played Old Sammie, presented one of the most hollow feeling endings to the film; Guy just plucked at a guitar and fed this really odd gaudy ending.

Celebrating the significance of Black music, creativity and business through the guise of a Western vampire horror might just be one of Ryan Coogler's wildest ideas yet. I would give Sinners a 7.5/10.

Warfare

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Warfare is a film that recounts the real life experiences of Ray Mendoza's Navy SEAL platoon, depicting a particular battle within Ramadi, Iraq during 2006.

This movie has an incredible sense of what modern warfare is. It presents us with a room filled with young men in fatigues dancing and cheering to a song as the first scene of the feature. These are our protagonists, a bunch of young partying men who don't seem much like fingers behind the triggers of heavy-duty assault weaponry. But that is who they are. For the next hour and a half, the film draws the audience into this extremely immersive experience, the extreme violence of war in a contained moment. We watch this band of soldiers from holding their position, ranging the street from their sniper's nest, right up until they are ambushed and start taking heavy casualties. The unique quality of Warfare is that once we start from the day of engagement, every moment feels like an actual measure of time. There is little time within the movie where we aren't running in sequence with how long a moment like this could actually play out. It's a very authentic film interms of grounding the experience, which is an impressive feat.

This is a technical masterpiece from Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, who have really pulled out all of the stops to bring the audience into that full experience I mentioned earlier. I wouldn't normally speak to the sound design and editing but it is some of the very best I have heard so far in 2025. The variance in rounds fired from different weapons, to types of explosions and even the range of sound a soldier would or could hear in a moment is presented to us. The film is remarkably brutal to watch, with a real "do not look away" approach to the camerawork. I loved how the camera could switch seamlessly between a very static staged area to a sudden fluid tracking sequence as we spring into action. I even have to give a nod to the soundtrack here, that opening with 'Call On Me' by Eric Prydz is going to be playing in my head for weeks.

Joseph Quinn, who played Sam, runs pretty hotheaded which he seemed to have fun with; Quinn's performance hinged on portraying the horror of receiving a severe injury from an IED which he really went to town on. D'Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, who played Ray, is the role the audience gets to experience the most through; this is such a pivotal role played to maximum experiential effect. Michael Gandolfini, who played Lt. Macdonald, is one of the quirkier figures in the film; Gandolfini really played someone who was in over his head rather well. Will Poulter, who played Erik, holds massive presence at first as the commanding officer; Poulter also loses his composure after the IED attack and presents that loss of self well too. Kit Connor, who played Tommy, is a much softer and inexperienced presence than the others; Connor was the perfect pick to be the rookie amongst the crew. Taylor John Smith, who played Frank, really feels rock solid when first introduced and holds good chemistry with Jarvis; yet this is an interesting character to see lose his mettle a bit throughout the feature. Charles Melton, who played Jake, really comes into the film later and seizes control well; Melton leads the back half of the feature with tremendous presence. Rayhan Ali and Heider Ali, who played Falah and Sidar respectively, were very interesting characters to see on-screen; these allied Iraqi soldiers who presented fear well as they were treated essentially like fodder.

However, the best performance came from Cosmo Jarvis, who played Elliott. This is such an ensemble film, as the war genre typically tends to be, but Jarvis really stands out from the go. When we first really get to know this character he is perched atop this bed, running his sniper scope along an Iraqi street. Jarvis looks fatigued but intent, drenched in sweat but like a rock. He occasionally mumbles out a call or scratches something hurriedly into a notebook. He commands that room while he's holding it, and not even in this macho kind of way. Jarvis feels seasoned, he has a bit of a rougher, grittier edge to him that you respect. When he quips the word "weak" at the character, Frank, it feels Marine-coded. He is the first actor who has to convincingly react to being injured, and his initial portrayal of slipping into shock while holding the ability to push forward is very compelling. Even later on, Jarvis and Quinn are almost competing for the best portrayal of men grievously injured by an IED; for me it was Jarvis' portrayal that sold it.

To get critical about Warfare feels like you have to get a bit hard on the genre. This is a movie bannered with a title that might have well just called itself 'War'. Every single war film under the sun has this formula: start out with a slower pace with the soldier lads bonding and getting us a little emotionally invested, then a big battle or ambush happens and casualties begin and some of them get out of it. The end. This filmhas the unique pitch of trying to make us live in the time sequence of the the moment, but this really slows the pacing in a few moments where some urgency could have been maintained. This film is also an experience but it doesn't feel like a very well-rounded story. The protagonists almost entirely get away, the Iraqis world gets rocked...and that's kinda it. The film is a blip of a battle but there are barely any themes present, Warfare has little impression to impart of the audience other than a bleeding heart behind the scenes during the credits homaging the platoon. But this surface level commendation to the troops doesn't feel earnest or even particularly earned by the end.

This movie is almost a real home run from a technical lens, I just really hated the visual effects. The most glaringly awful effect was the one generated twice: the fighter jet that bombed the road. Nothing about this aircraft looked very real set against the backdrop at all, and it was such an eyesore I felt pulled out of the moment when it was used.

Adain Bradley, who played Sgt. Laerrus, is the only performer within the main platoon who I would describe as forgettable; Bradley has minimal unique interactions or character traits to make his role stand out from the crowd.

A technically stunning war film that will pull you deep into the carnage of an Iraqi skirmish and leave you feeling horrified. I would give Warfare a 7.5/10.

The Amateur

 This review may contain spoilers!

The Amateur is an adaptation of Robert Littell's 1981 novel of the same name. In this feature, CIA cryptographer Charlie Heller goes on a one-man revenge mission after his wife is murdered in a hostage situation gone wrong. Flung into a criminal world, he is learning to understand, and with the CIA hot on his heels, Charlie will have to act smart and fast to get the justice he seeks.

There is an overarching quality to this movie that shines best: getting to watch Charlie race against the clock to get justice for his wife. When this character actually gets passionate about the need for justice, utilising his skills to blackmail a CIA Director and get his demands met so that he can get his own brand of justice is the point at which this film starts to get lively. As Charlie sets out on this journey and begins to realise he can only get these kills through his own technological savvy, we start to see a more unique quality to this revenge narrative. The way this vendetta pulls Charlie and the audience all the way up until that final confrontation with the man who pulled the trigger is a gripping moment, and the highlight of the feature. I also only wish this film had been bold enough to play with the dirty politics in the CIA storyline more; the subplot around Director Moore had good legs and could have been given more of a focus.

Jon Bernthal, who played The Bear, feels like the whole nine yards when it comes to a menacing CIA agent; Bernthal's last scene of the feature feels like a grounded moment of trying to talk someone off a ledge. Holt McCallany, who played Director Moore, emits a dangerous presence in this film; McCallany holds tremendous power and control just in how he delivers the lines. Danny Sapani, who played Caleb, has an incredible dynamic with McCallany in this; you could have replaced Fishburne entirely and have Sapani hunt Malek all movie long.

However, the best performance came from Michael Stuhlbarg, who played Schiller. I love performances that are one scene long but are the most arresting thing about the film. The Amateur is riddled with moments like this, but none trump Stuhlbarg's antagonist. He has this gentle calm to him, a general indifference that makes him one of the most threatening characters in the feature. Stuhlbarg shared the scene well, allowing for a bit of a grapple between himself and Malek. Stuhlbarg is a real threat who draws out all of the hero's weaknesses, his misgivings and low points. Stuhlbarg holds a set and becomes the focal point of it here, making his role something that truly elevates the film.

I spent a lot of this movie wondering when it was going to ramp up, when Charlie was going to become this central spy character the audience really roots for. In truth, the film only really ramps up when Charlie is committing revenge, but everything around these moments feels very lifeless. The core problem is that Charlie Heller just isn't that compelling to watch. Heller is an awkward individual who has this bold switch into an international rogue super spy, and it doesn't work for this movie. He's not interesting, and he never becomes better as a character through this journey. He even tracks down the Russian widow of an old CIA informant, pulls her into the field and gets her gunned down. He is also motivated by the death of his wife, a character who has no character beyond being 'the wife' and gets the pleasure of existing in this film to be killed and incite Charlie's big revenge quest. While out on his rogue quest, Charlie's big CIA adversary is some old, overweight trainer who gets sent after him, too. The whole film feels very poorly conceived, and feels like it wouldn't have been hard to step back and make some obvious adjustments to secure a better film.

The Amateur is also a thoroughly ugly film to spend your time watching; it is devoid of any kind of colour palette and doesn't know how to get creative with shooting a scene. The editing sets a slow pace that only agonises the trundling pace of the narrative. The score barely provides a pulse to key scenes, and the soundtrack isn't even there at all.

Rami Malek, who played Heller, really struggles to lead this film; Malek fails at being an interesting spy type or a besotted husband seeking vengeance after an emotional loss. Rachel Brosnahan, who played Sarah, had very little to work with here; Brosnahan dances about with a very shallow role and fails to make much of a connection with Malek. Adrian Martinez, who played Carlos, is rather awkward in the workplace friend role; Martinez doesn't seem to know where his character sits in this and only half commits to scenes. Julianne Nicholson, who played Director O'Brien, feels entirely miscast as the head of the CIA; Nicholson has no gravitas or authority to her, which makes this whole character fall on her face. Anna Francolini, who played Anita Garrison, has quite a dull role in this cast of characters; Francolini's therapist character doesn't draw out any significant emotional points from the lead character. Laurence Fishburne, who played Henderson, is the last actor in this cast who should have been chasing Malek around; trying to sell Fishburne as this former elite field agent on one last job made my eyes roll. Caitríona Balfe, who played Inquiline, is also just another female character placed here for an emotional death scene; Balfe's stoic deep cover character draws no further emotional weight from this script.

The spy/thriller genre is really going through it this year, and this lifeless feature led terribly by Rami Malek is no exception. I would give The Amateur a 4.5/10.

A Minecraft Movie

 This review may contain spoilers!

A Minecraft Movie is an adaptation of the hit video game, Minecraft. In this film, a band of down-on-their-luck Idaho denizens are whisked away to another world where imagination is the most extraordinary power you can wield. Desperate for a way back home, our heroes must team up with a seasoned adventurer, Steve, to save the Overworld and return home.

This is probably one of the most insane movie-going experiences I'll have this year. Sitting through audience members shouting out lines alongside the characters, hurling objects around in excitement and applauding multiple times to make fun of the experience made me realise what this movie had done VERY well. A Minecraft Movie fully commits to the absurdity of what it is trying to achieve; it knows there is no serious way to breathe life into Minecraft, and there's a lot of fun had in just pushing the envelope. Watching Steve and Garrett cuddle midair while strapped to a wingsuit, right through to Steve singing about his lava chicken contraption, is the sort of ridiculous fun this film allows itself and the audience to have.

While there are some problems with the special effects in this film, the base design and animations of the Overworld and its creatures look very creative. I found myself pretty immersed in just the experience of visually seeing the video game world brought to the big screen. The score for the film is extremely fun, inviting us on the adventure while also paying homage to the gentle tracks from the video game itself. The soundtrack is also a pretty fun blend of old-school rock and original Jack Black-led pieces that elevate the joy of this whole experience.

Jason Momoa, who played Garrett, really leans into the fun of a comedic role here; Momoa seems to revel in portraying this arrogant ex-Gamer of the Year who has fallen on hard times.  Jennifer Coolidge and Matt Berry, who played Vice Principal Marlene and voiced Nitwit respectively, worked in tandem to bring out the most amount of comedy from an unusual storyline; Coolidge really carries the work by throwing herself into these over-the-top flirting scenes. Jemaine Clement, who played Daryl, has quite a fun, macho trailer park type role here; Clement's bluster in the face of Momoa ruining his character's event was hilarious.

However, the best performance came from Jack Black, who played Steve. I mean, if you want to point a cast member who committed the whole nine yards, it has to be Black. From the moment he first appears, you immediately know he's going to give this role everything he has. Jack Black seems to have boundless energy and enthusiasm, wheeling through scenes with more exuberance than his younger co-stars. If bringing imagination to life were a person, it might be Black. He plays so well in this fabricated world, which just helps you believe in everything. He seems so full of confidence and commands the screen that you believe him to really be a fabled Minecraft warrior. That diamond armour scene alone... Black's humour carried this movie on solid shoulders, and the fact that he was able to lend his singing to the film only made it better.

As a whole, this film is riding on the hype and the social media memes that have seen people flock to it in droves. But the reality is, this isn't much of a story. Just as a concept the film barely knows how to begin, forming Steve as this goofy cartoon-like individual who is purely motivated by one location in a janky attempt to get a character into the Minecraft Overworld. We get a massive opening narration from Steve that is burdened with exposition before sending the action hurtling back to Earth. Unfortunately, the leads we are introduced to for this film are very strange character choices: a washed-up arcade owner, two orphans (one of whom is deemed creative because he draws a jetpack) and a family support worker/travelling zoo worker (I didn't get it either). The film mashes these downright odd character archetypes together and finds a way to shove them awkwardly into the Overworld. The film then proceeds to send all the characters on one long fetch quest to get a box for the portal cube, and later inevitably wrestling it off the big villain, all while sidelining their two leading actresses. In amongst all of this, there is a subplot of Jennifer Coolidge romancing a Minecraft villager, because the 5 (yup, 5!) writers were just that freaky. Even characters that should have more conflict with one another wind up getting along because the actors clearly wanted to have a bit of a bromance. It's a poorly crafted script, no better than your typical American general release comedy, except this has Minecraft stamped on the poster.

The film is rather ugly to look at in terms of shots; it really shows the limits of the effects-heavy world. There aren't many truly creative shots, and the film feels very limited in what it can achieve. While the core design of the special effects looks good, they blend terribly with live-action characters, with whole aspects reminding the viewer that we're not watching something entirely immersive. The budget for special effects clearly didn't extend to the live-action shots, as it is this setting where the visual effects look the worst.

Sebastian Hansen, who played Henry, is such a focal point of the film and yet entirely annoying to watch; Hansen just lacks personality and doesn't feel like the kid full of wonder who has something to bring to the Minecraft world. Emma Myers, who played Natalie, is in such an awkward role in this feature; Myers playing an orphaned older sister who has to take on a guardian role doesn't feel like a character who is easy to engage with. Danielle Brooks, who played Dawn, is one of the characters who just did not need to be in this film; Brooks seems very earnest, but her character adds absolutely nothing to the overall narrative. Rachel House, who voiced Malgosha, is a pretty cut-and-dry antagonist; House doesn't do much with this role and is satisfied with just playing bad. Jared Hess, who voiced General Chungus, felt like a simplistic comedic character; Hess voices a role played for comedy but drawing absolutely no laughs.

This strange, absurd, indecipherable movie is entertaining even when it has no reason to be. I would give A Minecraft Movie a 4.5/10.

Death of a Unicorn

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Death of a Unicorn is a fantastical horror-comedy in which Elliot and his daughter, Ridley, venture out to a wilderness retreat owned by Elliot's billionaire boss. Unfortunately, plans go awry when Elliot hits a unicorn on the way to the retreat, unravelling the horrors that come with discovering the existence of a mythological beast.

This is a film that many people will see because of its utterly wild premise. It's not very common for a unicorn to be the centre of a darker genre like horror, so the novelty of this is quite fun. I'd go a step further here after watching this and say the fantasy elements of Death of a Unicorn is what was worth seeing it for. There is a big question mark over the unicorns. What does their very existence mean for us? Across the film, I wanted to know what powers they had, or how they might act or better yet, exactly what purpose did the unicorns serve? Is their magical presence for something? The rewarding thing about the mystery at the core of all the magic is that we can really steadily get the answers or infer them from what the film is showing us. It's a very real point of intrigue in the movie, and I greatly enjoyed getting lost in that fantasy aspect.

The score for this film feels very experimental and downright unnerving at times. I felt the music tailored for this feature really uncoupled us from the world we knew and contributed the most to the moments in which the unicorns felt unsettling.

Paul Rudd, who played Elliot, has a very natural charisma that makes you want to root for him; at the same time, Rudd also presents a pretty interesting performance of a weak-willed father who picks his ambition over his daughter nearly every time. Anthony Carrigan, who played Griff, might not be front and centre of this film, but steals more than a few scenes; Carrigan has a real talent for subtly inserting his own brand of comedy into a scene. Téa Leoni, who played Belinda, is the only actress who understood how to present a ridiculous billionaire character; Leoni really finds a way to balance the comedy and absurdity of her role in a way that appeals to an audience.

However, the best performance came from Jenna Ortega, who played Ridley. Ridley is a very outspoken role that fits neatly into Ortega's wheelhouse. She doesn't let anything slide and tries to combat the ignorance of her Dad and his employers across the whole film. Ortega plays to Ridley's more rough-around-the-edges habits in a very grounded manner, meaning that even if she is the one cussing others out, you are almost always rooting for her. This is a character grounded in empathy. Ortega plays Ridley as the one who tries to understand the unicorns and the balance of nature the most, making her a very sincere person. Ortega also does incredibly in the horror genre; her reactions in a terrifying scene pull you in.

Death of a Unicorn is another foray into the peculiar for A24, or at least that's how it presents itself. But the truth is a tad more disappointing. This film is really trying to pull off a clever dark comedy about capitalism and the greed of billionaires without ever really managing to achieve that whole 'clever' part. The comedy in this film is very exaggerated or downright obvious, delivered by characters who don't naturally evoke very funny moments. I really can't believe that in a market over-saturated with good stories dealing with themes of capitalism, billionaires and financial imbalance, this film managed to present such a theme like a dull, blunt instrument. Death of a Unicorn feels more like a bumbling, low-brow American comedy that doesn't naturally fit into the A24 portfolio. The fact that this film builds the whole story around a tapestry presented by a character and then presents the story identically from that makes the whole concept feel a bit simple too. Even more emotional matters, such as Elliot performing an about-turn and shaping up as a father, don't feel particularly earned. In fact, it's a very sudden and late point of the film that does nothing to endear the audience to Elliot. The ending for Death of a Unicorn feels quite sudden and doesn't leave the viewer feeling entirely satisfied with the conclusion either.

I don't know how a movie with such a fun premise and good-looking location wound up looking so bland as a film. The way this thing is shot is remarkably dull and simplistic, and the horror sequences are far too blocky. Even the special effects, which the film really hinges on, are a huge letdown. The design of the unicorns isn't especially appealing, and they don't sit nicely within a scene. The soundtrack for the feature is pretty absent, and when it does kick in, the music on it feels lifeless.

Richard E. Grant, who played Odell, just doesn't know when to play things more restrained and when to oversell it; Grant prances around a set waffling through his lines without landing much of an impression. Will Poulter, who played Shepard, doesn't know how to play this character any other way than over the top; Poulter really brings this film down to dim-witted comedy territory. Jessica Hynes, who played Shaw, is really wasted in a henchwoman with a gun type of role; Hynes gives no range of emotion across this whole thing. Sunita Mani and Steve Park, who played Dr. Bhatia and Dr. Song respectively, are relatively boring as the generic scientist characters; even with a bit more screentime, Mani fails to be a bigger player within the cast.

The latest A24 promises a lot but delivers almost none of it, opting instead for a more traditional half-baked American comedy. I would give Death of a Unicorn a 5.5/10.