Deadpool And Wolverine

This review may contain spoilers!

Deadpool and Wolverine serves as a direct sequel to Deadpool 2 (2018) and is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this story, Deadpool is yanked out of his universe and told that it will die due to the death of an anchor being perishing. An anchor being is a figure who keeps a universe alive, in this case Wolverine from the Logan film/the Fox universe. Determined to save those he cares about, Deadpool goes on a multiversal mission to find a new Wolverine to replace his universe's deceased one.

This film really gets to take any shackles that were on Deadpool and turn them loose, I haven't seen the character like this in media for ages. The jokes he gets to make are wild, in fact, as a whole the film has a strong sense of humour that plays to effect well. Even characters who aren't inherently comedic become funny because they're going against the grain when it comes to the merc with a mouth. I loved the adventure elements of the feature, it made the whole thing move quite quickly, sending Deadpool rocketing through the multiverse at speed as he tries to fix a high stakes problem: his very world/timeline being obliterated. Seeing Deadpool get to tumble into different worlds, meet different characters, and throw his wit up against everything Marvel has or hasn't done felt like something straight out of a comic book. I loved the point in the story where the power got taken away from Deadpool and Wolvie, leaving them stranded in the Void. Not only did it result in some crazy returning roles, but it made for a compelling setting where two very different characters had to team up to face against one of the more impressive antagonists I've seen in the MCU. This film delivers fun, laughs, gory action, surprises and an experience that will have you tuned in from start to finish.

Shawn Levy, the director of this film, is one of the absolute best in the business when it comes to making spectacular blockbusters. The way this film is shot draws stunning set pieces out, highlights visceral action, and even feels like whole comic panes come to life on the big screen. The effects are phenomenal; Alioth looks even better than it did in Loki, in general many of the powers and characters within the Void are impressive, certainly it was where the effects budget comes to life. The score is a thrill, but better than that is a soundtrack that feels like it might have been cultivated from the mad mind of Deadpool himself. If you weren't an NSYNC fan before Deadpool and Wolverine, you sure will be after.

 

Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine, is the meanest we have ever seen him; Jackman plays a washed up and jaded version of Logan nicely, and it was immensely fun to watch him turn a character like that on Reynolds. Emma Corrin, who played Cassandra Nova, is one of the finer recent Marvel antagonists; Corrin had wild and unpredictable manners throughout her scene that resulted in bursts of violence or mercy alike. Matthew MacFadyen, who played Mr. Paradox, was having a lot of fun drawing on his Succession days to play this foppish TVA agent; MacFadyen feels like a businessman with a petty streak and too much power to wield. Dafne Keen, who played X-23, felt like Wolverine's conscience in this film; she was hardened but had matured into her own independent hero. Jon Favreau, who played Happy Hogan, is one of the first cameo roles we get in this film, and it is a blast; watching Favreau spar with Reynolds in a job interview/battle of the wits was excellent. Morena Baccarin, who played Vanessa, might not have had as much to do in this film, but she still feels so emotionally connected to our protagonist; watching Baccarin and Reynolds play their characters as separated trying to find their way back to one another was quite sweet. Leslie Uggams, who played Blind Al, is a real nice comedic scene partner to Reynolds; Uggams has a scathing and sharp delivery that really lands with the grittier jokes her character falls into. Wesley Snipes, who played Blade, was one of my favourite performances in this film; Snipes feels as badass playing this character as he did over twenty years ago. Channing Tatum, who played Gambit; gets to really have fun finding the manner and impressive qualities of this role; I also really got a great laugh out of Tatum's 'accent work' and humour around him not ever actually playing the role before. Chris Evans, who played Johnny Storm, was one of the best surprise appearances we got; Evans donned that cocky self-sure persona from all those years ago like he had never let the role go.

However, the best performance came from Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool. There is no doubt in my mind that Reynolds just understands this character, inside out and front to back. There is a real soft-natured quality to the character, where he loves working with Peter or holds love for those close to him. But it is phenomenal watching him ramp up from this more mundane point into an adrenaline soaked, silly, violent goofball who flirts with the camera at every turn. Seriously, this is the best the fourth wall breaking gags have ever been. I loved the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackman, the love/hate relationship is everything fans have been waiting years for. There is no one who does Deadpool better, I don't think there's an actor out there who could have delivered us everything this movie was.

Deadpool and Wolverine doesn't always have its eye on the ball, the stakes don't always race, and we need a bit of reminding about the ticking clock at times. But more than that, this film suffers like past films do due to the multiverse. The multiverse does yield some great plot points and characters, but it also comes with long scenes brimming with exposition around timelines, anchor point beings, pruned timelines and the way the Void functions; I enjoy this movie but listening to the fake science ramble drags a movie that otherwise has good pace. I also recognise this as a great Deadpool sequel, but it feels a bit empty for the trajectory of the MCU. I reached the end of the movie feeling like I watched a character I loved go on an adventure, but the grander story hasn't really advanced at all.

Rob Delaney, who played Peter, is a gag that feels a little overused in this sequel; Delaney just feels like he pushes the envelope a bit too hard to draw out a laugh. Jennifer Garner, who played Elektra, is probably the most underwhelming of the surprise returning roles; she barely seems to be trying to portray the character in her whole appearance. Wunmi Mosaku, who played B-15, feels awkwardly shuffled into this to give some TVA exposition; the infatuated with Delaney gag felt extremely forced as well. Aaron Stanford, who played Pyro, is not a performance I ever thought was good, and it hasn't matured with time; Stanford stumbles through his minor antagonist performance. Tyler Mane, who played Sabertooth, must feel very squandered; Mane's Sabertooth is present, but he should have just been left back in the early 2000s. Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Shioli Kutsuna, Stefan Kapicic and Lewis Tan, who played Dopinder, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio, Colossus and Shatterstar respectively, are the old Deadpool ensemble who feel really squandered in this; the movie barely has anything for them and they wind up turning into set dressing.

Truly my favourite performance from the two leads in their superhero roles; this is a brilliant sequel made with love for Marvel fans. I would give Deadpool and Wolverine a 9/10.

Longlegs

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Longlegs follows FBI agent Lee Harker as she joins a cold case investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding multiple family murders. The only consistent thread in all cases is a mysterious note in code, all signed with the word: 'Longlegs'.

 

Longlegs is an interesting film because you walk in ready for a horror film, and those elements are certainly present. But what it actually does really well is craft quite an off the wall psychological thriller about the case work at play. Watching Harker first establish herself as an officer by correctly identifying a perpetrator's hideout and then promptly watching her partner's brains blown out sets the stakes incredibly high. The intrigue of all this is that the investigation doesn't feel like it's necessarily being solved by a super sleuth, though Harker is exceptionally gifted. No, what makes this case so interesting to watch is that it feels like watching a hand run across until it finds a stray thread and pulls, and then you watch in morbid horror as it all just unravels. I also really commend Oz Perkins' work on crafting atmosphere, the tension in the first half of the film is palpable. The opening scene really sets the hooks into you and moments like Harker in her home alone at night feel nightmarish. The chilling moments set in early, leaving you nice intense for it all to come to a head.

I found the cinematography very fresh and creative, there are some shots that feel very washed out and lost in a phantasmal world. Yet, other parts of the film hold crisp bold imagery that feel extremely detailed, really drawing out the crime procedural look in a neat way. The way this film moves from aspect ratio in past or dream sequences to the present feels like an incredibly neat feature. I loved how well-timed the editing felt; it really moved to a considered pace. The score was haunting, and it got under my skin, my nails and wriggled deep into my brain. If there was anything that worked well, it was the haunting instrumentals that aided that atmosphere work.

 

Shafin Karim, who played the Clinical Doctor, is a one scene role that really makes a strong impression on the film; Karim relishes in his lines and draws an energy into his scenes that you just don't find anywhere else.

However, the best performance came from Blair Underwood, who played Agent Carter. There was a real hard edge to Agent Carter from the moment he arrived onscreen, a pensive wall of a man. Yet, what I liked about Underwood was that he really made his character connect with Harker, learn from her and see the potential. Carter comes to place his chips in one very specific basket, he sees an individual who is gifted and that he can trust and lends her power. Underwood starts to let his character become warm, charismatic and opens his family home to his partner in the case. I also loved watching Underwood work those investigative scenes, he felt like a real figure exploring one of the most disturbing criminal cases you have ever heard of. Even down to little bodily moments, moving to grow nauseous from a crime scene or staggering home slightly drunk, Underwood has a real mastery of self and how he moves. The end of the film doesn't serve him well, but he serves this movie very well.

This is possibly the most thoroughly marketed horror film of 2024 thus far, it has certainly been right at the forefront of horror fans' orbit. So leaving expectations at the door was initially a difficult one, but after a killer opening scene, you really get plugged right in and ready to go. Yet, I couldn't shake a weird feeling about why I wasn't loving the feature as we delved deeper into the first act. But as we started branching into the second, it became apparent: the characters and personal relationships felt devoid of genuine human connection. Harker feels completely drained of personal emotion until she needs to display fear, those involved in the case talk the case but struggle when the scene turns beyond that. Watching characters try to talk to one another in this is grating because you are waiting for a line to come that just feels like something someone would actually say. It doesn't help that Longlegs is a pretty unworthy antagonist, acting odd and bizarre to fit an actor's nature than really to build a unique role. There are whole moments where Longlegs feels like the director just leaving in something the actor did rather than capturing character or scene work. The final act of this film is a bit of a knife twist. A film that has felt like a real crime thriller yo-yos into a supernatural horror. But it just all shunts that way too far and too fast. If the Devil just made 'em all do it, then should I not just tune my brain off and go watch The Conjuring franchise? At least there, poorly concocted supernatural elements are the status quo. Here they are a poorly imagined attempt at saying "AHA!" to the audience. What you imagined there was some sense to the mystery before you? No, in American horror when we can't explain the evil in a satisfying way we always hide in the Devil. He's an easy antagonist to write, and better yet, Americans don't think too hard about him.

The grungy soundtrack felt like the film had awoken in a cold Rob Zombie-like sweat at times, and while Zombie's style holds appeal to some, I couldn't think of anything worse reflecting upon a piece of horror cinema.

Maika Monroe, who played Agent Lee Harker, just feels devoid of an emotional range and is a bland protagonist to follow; I struggled to believe in Harker as a character but very specifically as an FBI agent. Nicolas Cage, who played Longlegs, has been an eccentric figure for some time and that either makes or breaks a role and often a film; when I watched the character of Longlegs I only saw Cage and that is probably one of the biggest failures of the film. Alicia Witt, who played Ruth Harker, is too quick to lean into the psychotic mother shtick that the later turn loses its edge; Witt and Monroe seem entirely alien to each other and there's no semblance of mother/daughter at all. Michelle Choi-Lee, who played Agent Browning, feels like a background role with too much screen time; Choi-Lee is just too stoic in her scenes and fails to draw more from a moment of dialogue than what is on paper. Kiernan Shipka, who played Carrie Ann Camera, is a bit listless and off beat in this; Shipka wants to play a little crazy and that's transparent.

This is a film that feels like it's trying to do two very different things, while achieving neither particularly well. I would give Longlegs a 5.5/10.

Kinds Of Kindness

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Kinds of Kindness is a triptych drama, three stories that all have interconnecting themes of love and power, with the same cast members appearing in each narrative. The first story followed Robert, a successful businessman who was engaged in a relationship with his boss, who also dictated all of Robert's daily actions. The second story followed Daniel, a police officer whose wife went missing at sea. When she is rescued, he doesn't believe the woman who has returned is really his wife. The final story follows Emily, a member of a sex cult who is venturing across America to find the messiah figure of the cult.

 

These are very creative contemporary tales layered in a way that make us think of their connection. What is the thread that holds this triptych together? Yorgos Lanthimos has always been a master when it comes to dissecting relationships, particularly the importance we place within them and the power that is held in a relationship. In each of these stories, power is wielded over another to dire ends; with one partner compromising the other entirely. I loved the first narrative for this especially. Seeing Robert mindlessly bend to Raymond's influence was transfixing, that whole world felt so alien and yet entirely real to the capitalist Western lifestyle. As Robert resists Raymond, struggling from the extremes of control and ownership, we see every part of Robert's life fall apart. Only when Robert compromises his last shred of human morality is he folded back into Raymond's embrace and restored in the eyes of his master. The film drives this sense of theme well over the course of the film, but it delivers its first punch the strongest.

 

Something that I'll always expect from a Yorgos Lanthimos film is an incredible sense of style, visually this film continues to hold strong to that. The film is filled with sharp angles that feel claustrophobic, or incredible unsettling and puzzling wide shots. Yet all of his shots feel very styled and hold a sense of ownership to his signature aesthetic.

 

Margaret Qualley, who played Vivian/Martha/Rebecca/Ruth, is an upcoming actress with a developing sense of range I find fascinating; Qualley played a meek housewife worst, which made sense when her other roles gave her so much more to bite into. Willem Dafoe, who played Raymond/George/Omi, feels so natural to Lanthimos' style of character; Dafoe inhabits these roles but also the eccentric setting of a Lanthimos mindscape. Emma Stone, who played Rita/Liz/Emily, really shows her ability to inhabit such a varied range of roles; Stone leaps from someone soft and caring to a role that is frantic and desperate for a certain kind of satisfaction.

 

However, the best performance came from Jesse Plemons, who played Robert/Daniel/Andrew. Plemons plays some very interesting figures who wield insecurity at the forefront of their being. These were roles defined by their commitment to others, in two cases their desire for the other consumed them in uniquely unsettling ways. Plemons could break your heart in one storyline, while feeling like an abhorrent force of abuse in another. His character work as Robert and Daniel was some of the best character acting of the film. He delivered dialogue with a disarming distance that is trademark Lanthimos; yet within that he found room to define those roles all his own.

 

 I watch a lot of cinema, but I'm not always the best at judging a feature with surrealist or even absurdist elements. The truth is, I feel these aspects have to be really well worked on to craft something artistic and purposeful. Lanthimos is a director I have always gone back and forth on, The Lobster puzzled and lost me at times, while The Favourite was one of the finest films I had seen that year. Kinds Of Kindness is that hazy middle ground for me, it tells some masterful themes but the narratives are heavy-handed, perverse and a little exploitative at times. I thought the second narrative lost all sense of trajectory for the film, telling a story that contributed the least. However, the final story had something interesting to say, but it delivered those themes like a blunt force impact; slogging through sexual violence, suicide and perverse displays of eroticism to gather those meanings. I wondered if those extremes found their way to being art? The first story held tough elements such as these, but their work within the narrative was far more deliberate. The triptych quality of the film also meant the pacing fell flat if you every hit a narrative you weren't invested in, though this is more of a flaw in the medium.

 

I found the editing entirely roguish, bouncing around and really running rough shod over the flow of a scene. While the film looked impressive, the way a scene was held together often felt confusing and aimless. I also thought the disconcerting score was abominable, a simplistic device to convey discord. The soundtrack was extremely random and rarely paired nicely with the scenes in which these tracks were used.

Hong Chau, who played Sarah/Sharon/Aka, felt very bland within this film; her time spent as a spouse on the side felt like it gave little to play with. Mamoudou Athie, who played Will/Neil/Morgue Nurse, really just felt like he was rattling through the script; Athie delivers dialogue in a mild disinterested tone that makes his roles hard to care about. Joe Alwyn, who played Collectibles Appraiser/Passenger/Joseph, felt like he really struggled the most in this style of role; his roles all felt quite two-dimensionally reprehensible too. Hunter Schafer, who played Anna, didn't really give much to her scene; Schafer found like a bigger name dropping in to a film she didn't necessarily blend in nicely with.

Yorgos Lanthimos' latest feature has all of his traditional wondrous strange style but often strays in its trajectory. I would give Kinds Of Kindness a 6/10.

The Bikeriders

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Bikeriders is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Danny Lyon. It tracks the early history of the Vandals, a motorcycle club that started as a racing meet up and transitioned into a full-fledged gang. The story is told through a dramatisation of Danny's interviews and the love story of Vandal member, Benny, and outsider, Kathy.

 

This film feels like a really well-told history, shedding a light on a small sub-culture of America pre- and post-Vietnam War. This is a film that really documents what the Vandals are, which is a brotherhood that goes deeper than blood. The bonds of loyalty evidenced by this club are fascinating, and the way this group ignites into violence or tremendous demonstrations to underline their loyalty to one another is impressive. I loved seeing the Vandals evolve out of a small racing friendship, taking a more stalwart turn before finally evolving into a brutal beast. Blending the identity of the gang with the state of America is quite interesting as well; at first, the characters feel like the last cowboys. Making their own rules as they ride around a frontier they have carved out for themselves. Yet by the end of the film, the Vandals have lost what they set out to be entirely. The group has become too big to control, ex-soldiers are joining and hashing out their own brand of justice on other members. The whole thing is becoming chaotic and violent, all while losing the shreds of honour it once held. I also loved the personal storyline of Kathy and Benny throughout all of this, two individuals who found something romantic about the club and were tied to it as a result. The film wrestles with the journey of this pair in fantastic contrast to the state of the Vandals throughout history.

 

The film is beautifully shot, the long riding shots have a sense of majesty to them that makes the Vandals feel almost noble in the first act. I loved the leached colours of the surrounding town, paired nicely with the yellows and greens of the highway plains surrounding. I loved the grunge rock and old country soundtrack, it places the audience well and fleshes out the identity of the Vandals.

 

Jodie Comer, who played Kathy, has an intense Minnesotan accent that really startles you at first, but she wields it well; Comer really feels like someone surviving in a place her character is quite an outsider in. Austin Butler, who played Benny, has found one of his better roles to date here; Butler is all rough edges and unbreakable loyalty here. Michael Shannon, who played Zipco, was a wonderfully eccentric figure throughout this; Shannon often makes you feel there is a tragic side to his role that is presented impeccably. Mike Faist, who played Danny, is an interesting periphery role that really makes his mark known; Faist is quietly witty and throws genuine interest back at his scene partners. Norman Reedus, who played Funny Sonny, feels like a true bona fide biker; Reedus is grungy and filthy but he feels like he has lived upon the road and found his people in this too. Damon Herriman, who played Brucie, is surprisingly the heart of the film; Herriman feels like the moral compass of the club and the way he balances out Hardy early on is wonderful.

 

However, the best performance came from Tom Hardy, who played Johnny. This character is quite to himself, doesn't make a big show and yet you sense the power he wields within the club. Hardy plays Johnny as quite enigmatic, you're never too sure which way he is going to swing on an issue. At times, Johnny can be quite a passive figure and attempts to de-escalate violence; but then he also can turn into someone very vicious in the blink of an eye. Johnny fights scrappy and mean when first we see him, inflicting violence but also demonstrating a willingness to help his people. But as the club gets out of control, Johnny has to follow in order to maintain power and respect. His bond with Butler throughout is fascinating too, you can see just how much he sort of yearns to be a figure like Benny. Watching Hardy's last few scenes where he seems so tired but puts up this stoic front is a phenomenal departure for his role.

The Bikeriders is a really interesting film that feels like an intimate telling of a piece of American history, but it can feel really varied in terms of pace at times. There are long stretches of time where not a lot happens, nor is the film ever especially surprising beyond sudden bursts of brutality. I thought the interview/voiceover angle was an interesting way to deliver the narrative, but it just wasn't consistent enough, and more than that it made the timeline a little difficult to follow. There are a lot of supporting characters in the film, but they are poorly fleshed out and are used to craft a few punchy dramatic scenes here and there.

The editing of the feature favoured a slow pace, it also could have done more to highlight some of those issues in conveying the timeline.

Boyd Holbrook, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen and Karl Glusman, who played Cal, Wahoo, Cockroach and Corky respectively, feel like motorbike gang side characters who just add a few more to a scene; there is an attempt to craft an emotional sub-plot out of Cohen's role but this doesn't stem from Cohen. Toby Wallace, who played The Kid, is quite disappointing as the ultimate antagonist of the feature; Wallace is just a violent young upstart role that feels fated to get the ending he does from the moment his character is introduced.

This feels like one of those American epics, charting a long gone frontier. I would give The Bikeriders an 8/10.

A Quiet Place: Day One

This review may contain spoilers!

A Quiet Place: Day One is a spinoff prequel to and the latest entry in the A Quiet Place series. Within this film we follow Samira, a poet with a terminal illness, who is caught in central New York when the alien creatures arrive at Earth. As the world falls to ruin around her, Samira must navigate a ravaged and dangerous New York in an effort to find her last meal before death takes her.

 

This film takes what is really just an interesting point in time and location and runs away with a plot that matches up to the original A Quiet Place. This is a feature that really understands the horror component of this series, the way sound invades scenes and condemns certain characters to a final fate. I loved that most of this film sat in the silence, showing how quickly people learned about the creatures and how they hunted. More than that, it is interesting to see how sound works against the human characters of this film. One of the strongest scenes in the film is when we watch a crowd of evacuees trying to stay quiet but making too much noise just by existing in proximity to one another. This film has a neat and methodical way of quietly expanding on the mythology of the series, and I enjoyed that simple nature of adding to the world building.

 

This film functions so strongly because it serves as a real character piece. Samira is angry at the world even before it has all gone to hell. She is in constant pain, and in hospice making the motions before she passes away. When the world falls apart, we get very real horror and fear at all that has transpired, yet her determination that emerges is a nice subversion of expectations. Samira doesn't want to evacuate like all the other characters we see; instead, she is determined to make her way across the city to Harlem and get a last slice of pizza before she dies. This journey is a trial to be fought for, in which she makes new connections, fights against the odds and reconnects with her past and her joy. It is watching this moment of joy in what should be total abject misery that makes this film all the sweeter. We remember the nobility of sacrifice in Lee's death from the first film, but the ability to rediscover joy in a world lost is a really beautiful theme to work towards. I loved Samira's journey from start to finish, it felt like one of the better character arcs in this movie series.

Day One manages to show off the larger scale of New York while also narrowing down and holding to the intimate focus of Samira's story. The visual style is isolating and suffocating, but it also paints giant, boggling vistas of carnage and destruction. The way unique horror set pieces like the flooded subway tunnel are set up are so gripping in how they are shot. The special effects design of the creatures is the best it has ever really been, perhaps the most detailed and varied these creatures have looked onscreen. The score is really intense at times, making the danger feel very present across the film. But I also loved the more emotional tracks; portions of grief and rushes of cheer in some of the most memorable moments of the film. The use of "I'm Feelin' Good" is perhaps the capstone on this well-crafted feature.

 

Joseph Quinn, who played Eric, is quite a compassionate figure within all of this; his shell shocked terror is so genuine when first we meet him and the bond with Nyong'o that evolves from that is one of the best aspects of the film. Alex Wolff, who played Reuben, had this really fostering and kind nature; his determination to do right by Nyong'o made him one of the sweetest characters in the film. Djimon Hounsou, who played Henri, was a welcome return back to this series; Hounsou's big scene where he had to make peace with killing another human being in order to keep all the other survivors alive was one of the most arresting moments in the narrative.

However, the best performance came from Lupita Nyong'o, who played Samira. It is rare for Nyong'o to find a role that she doesn't completely dominate, this film is no different. Samira is resentful of the hand she has been dealt in life, coiling her rage tight around herself and letting it out in a few very powerful scenes. I loved the very realistic way Nyong'o portrayed living with constant pain, the reliance on medicine and the body language for the moments where her pain was at its most severe. This role really knew how to bite back at others, she's very quick-witted and is framed in a way that her poetic background makes a lot of sense. Nyong'o's emotional portrayal of a woman wanting to reconnect with the memory of her childhood and her father was a special one, an emotional point that elevated the entire feature. I loved how naturally expressions of terror came to her, it resulted in some seriously tense scenes. Nyong'o and Quinn built up a beautiful dynamic with one another that resulted in an extremely satisfying conclusion to the final act. I have missed Lupita Nyong'o leading blockbusters, and this performance showcases exactly why.

A Quiet Place: Day One is an incredible new entry in the series, but my big pondering coming out of this was: is there enough new ground being trod here? Ultimately, while a few new details were added to this world, and we got the perspective of a city falling, a lot of the same discoveries are repeated in this narrative. A Quiet Place has to find a next step forward that feels appropriate at some point soon, falling back on those safe in-universe details aren't going to last forever. I also felt this movie wasn't the most focused at times, the story sidetracked itself a lot and didn't seem to intent on following a steady narrative direction.

This film just goes to show just how far the Quiet Place series can go, so long as it remains creative and fresh. I would give A Quiet Place: Day One an 8.5/10.

Trigger Warning

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Trigger Warning follows Parker, a military intelligence officer who returns to her hometown after the death of her father. However, when closer inspection around her father's death leads to suspicious circumstances, Parker delves deeper into the conspiracy sitting at the root of her home. 

This film boasts some pretty pulse-pounding action sequences. While a lot of the fights feel choreographed, they have a gritty edge to them that really makes the action come off as scrappy and desperate.

 

 Jake Weary, who played Elvis, was a really despicable antagonist; Weary's role just felt like he was rotten to the core and had become trapped in that way of life.

However, the best performance came from Anthony Michael Hall, who played Ezekiel. The one thing this film does well, outside of the action sequences, is place some pretty decent antagonists at the forefront of the conflict. This role is a snake of a politician, a conservative individual who masks his more vile traits with a thin helping of charisma. Hall's weapon is that winning smile and his charming line delivery, you know you can't trust him, but he navigates other character's trust well. The real testament to this character is how he descends once the pressure is on, his mania as he fears his empire crumbling. The torture scene where he is rageful and manipulative is probably the best scene of the film.

This feels like a Liam Neeson movie. I don't mean a classic one like Taken, but rather his more recent work of fading action set to a predictable and convoluted thriller plot (so Taken 3). Trigger Warning is a puzzling film, we know Parker is military at first, but the film doesn't really want to ground her exact role in that world of intelligence. She returns home to bury her Dad and the audience is confronted with what feels like a murder mystery; like it's extremely obvious, and it takes the film so long to even open us up to the possibility of suspicious circumstances. That's the ultimate issue here, the film is an obvious blunt instrument of a script, intent with hitting you over the head with the most dull and uninteresting plot details. The fact Parker is caught between her two hometown flames as if this film wants to do some sort of love triangle but never expands on it is odd. The film does this a lot though, Parker's bar burns down, but it doesn't really matter, her buddy Mike is growing a secret weed farm for no reason, there's a terrorist leader who never steps into the role of big antagonist and the whole town rallies behind Parker in the final act for no reason whatsoever. The film barely has a sense of research to the script, I felt the military elements, criminal elements and political elements had barely been worked on for more than a surface level. Worst of all, Parker was a character who never changed nor grew as a person. She found out what happened, took a beating and then killed the bad guys. There was nothing more to her or this film, which wound up making this whole thing one of the worst action-thrillers I've seen in a long time.

This film really doesn't know how to shoot action, which is arguably the most interesting thing about the whole film, the camera just felt slow and simple in how it captured everything. The moments where the film tried to craft a striking visual, such as when Parker twirled her machete, were cringeworthy at times. The editing set a slow pace for the whole time, cutting in action sequences was so bad that the clip between stunt and actor got very apparent. The score was barely present and didn't lend anything to the big moments of the film. The soundtrack felt like the lesser known picks playing off a country radio station at 3am.

Jessica Alba, who played Parker, was entirely the wrong fit to lead this sort of film; Alba was unconvincing as a military personnel member and her brand of stoicism was bland. Mark Webber, who played Jesse, was the weak link amongst the antagonists; his teary-eyed wilting corrupt cop was such a strange role. Alejandro De Hoyos, who played Harry, was a generic flashback father figure; hollow sage-sounding dialogue that you probably won't remember after the scene in question. Tone Bell, who played Spider, felt like an odd and inconsistent role; he was a professional military operator at times and at others he was s smooth individual quibbling over his sneakers. Gabriel Basso, who played Mike, feels like an overeager point of comedy in this; Basso just doesn't mix in well with Alba which leads to a mismatched dynamic. Kaiwi Lyman, who played Ghost, was a very stereotypical menacing guy with a gun big bad; his involvement in this was to just be the meanest presence, but I'm not convinced he succeeded. Stephanie Jones, who played Georgia, was disinteresting as Basso's onscreen Mum; she neither landed the dramatic beats nor the comedic moments offered to her character.

Jessica Alba really fails to be the military intelligence action hero this movie needed, not that this movie had much of a script to work with in the first place. I would give Trigger Warning a 2/10.

The Three Musketeers: Milady

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Three Musketeers:Milady is the sequel to The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and picks up with D'Artagnan searching for his lost-love, Constance, while France steadily moves to war waged against the Protestants. It will be up to the Musketeers to unveil the shadowy plot that has lead to war before the country is engulfed in a needless conflict.

 

This film continues on the story in an immediately thrilling manner, watching D'Artagnan's personal quest to find his love become embroiled with the mysterious Milady de Winter was the perfect hook back in. The politics of the war play quite interesting, with a number of the more mysterious or politically embroiled figures tilting the plot, strategizing or revealing allegiances you wouldn't expect. I loved seeing how the Musketeers factored into this plot, often being used as pawns out of duty and showcasing their incredible skill; while also standing out as the heroes capable of resolving the mystery around the origins of this war. Martin Bourboulon has crafted a series of films that use the classic 'ticking clock' well, setting our heroes hurtling across the country to unveil the true instigator of this conspiracy. I loved D'Artagnan's reckless hunt for Constance, a narrative that feels consuming, makes him new enemies and holds a decent tragic trajectory. I also felt this film was only enhanced with more Milady de Winter, a character whose existence ruins Athos and D'Artagnan in very different ways. De Winter is a more interesting threat than one might expect and lends a very wicked streak to this sequel. I also have to give honourable mention to Aramis and Porthos' sub-plot in which they try to find a suitable husband for Aramis' expecting sister; it is a hilarious storyline that gives some much required levity to this story.

 

I love how this film looks from start to finish; the camera is so primed to move, be that in an action sequence or a sudden dramatic moment. The camera feels really free and yet it doesn't for an instant lose sight of some of the bold landscapes, or more intimate close moments. The visual effects aren't plentiful, but they work, I loved the cannon tower scene and how the boats being attacked looked. The score for these films is also unmatched, Guillaume Roussel has been one of my favourites to listen to in cinemas this year.

 

François Civil, who played D'Artagnan, seems a lot more wild and urgent due to the nature of his quest in this one; I loved seeing Civil let D'Artagnan's reckless streak consume him. Vincent Cassel, who played Athos, has a very heavy air of guilt hovering over him; Cassel's role is constantly torn between his bonds to others and his higher sense of duty. Romain Duris, who played Aramis, is very charismatic and captivates you with his showmanship; I found Duris' portrayal of his character's dogged hunt for a suitor for his sister to be entirely one of the funniest points in the film. Pio Marmaï, who played Porthos, is the comedic backbone of the Musketeers; the way he stumbles through trying to support Aramis leads to some of the best moments. Louis Garrel, who played King Louis XIII, is a severe figure at times who acts with some stronger finality in this feature; I do like that Garrel had more scenes to not lead a scene but partake in the levity of the dialogue. Vicky Krieps, who played Anne d'Autriche, is a great counterbalance to Garrel's temperamental role; Krieps serves as a grounding point and is more than up to the task. Lyna Khoudri, who played Constance Bonacieux, is a figure who is very tragically entangled with D'Artagnan and Milady; Khoudri finds the most goodly role of the cast and brings forth all the moral high notes you would expect. Eric Ruf, who played Le Cardinal de Richelieu, is a very interesting morally grey role; his big moment of confrontation with D'Artagnan had me on the edge of my seat. Marc Barbé, who played Capitaine de Tréville, remains an engaging stalwart leader of the Musketeers; his bravado in the siege scene is something noteworthy. Patrick Mille, who played Le comte de Chalais, is a figure who really shines with more screen time; Mille brings forth a real duplicitous snake of a role that adds well to the range of antagonists. Camille Rutherford, who played Mathilde, really fans the flames of comedy in her role; I also adored the chemistry she shared with Marmaï as they headed towards romance.

 

However, the best performance came from Eva Green, who played Milady. I am so happy Green really got to run with it in this iteration because she is so exceptional to watch. Milady de Winter feels like a caged, vicious animal at times, launching herself at foes with nothing but hatred and scorn in her eyes. She is a phenomenal manipulator, be that through trading emotive or seductive dialogue. Green has crafted a woman who was hurt and betrayed so much in her life, and when she found hurt and betrayal in the one she gave trust to, she hardened. This is a woman turned weapon. The character calls herself the Devil multiple times, and it's believable in many moments across the script. Eva Green plays an antagonist in this you cannot trust and love to hate.

 

I really couldn't stand the opening of this film, the long and lengthy flashback of key events from last film felt like the recap paired with a TV show. For a film watcher it set an offbeat when moving into the film. I was also quite surprised that the pace was slow given the push into conflict this time around, there wasn't always much of a hurry to push characters into their next moment of hardship or plot point, this pacing often felt like it took some of the punch out of what could have been an even stronger overarching narrative.

 

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, who played Duc de Buckingham, is quite a reserved figure with little to give to the film; he has little presence for someone who is meant to be portraying a figure of political significance. Julien Frison, who played Gaston de France, is a bit too obvious as the major antagonist of the film; his wheedling demeanour means that he really doesn't hold the menace required for the big reveal. Ralph Amoussou, who played Hannibal, is quite an out-of-the-blue addition to the cast; Amoussou just sort of shows up in scenes, and he never slots in nicely across the film. Gabriel Almaer, who played Benjamin de la Fère, is probably one of my least favourite parts of this Musketeers series; I just don't genuinely believe the brotherly bond between him and Cassel. Ruben da Silva, who played Joseph, is not a strong young performer; this feels like a young kid still working it out and wasn't quite capable of fleshing out a whole character.    

Martin Bourboulon has crafted what Hollywood has lost with their blockbusters; these historical adventures are magnificent. I would give The Three Musketeers: Milady an 8/10.