Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire

★★★1/2

Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten

Eons past, in a distant star system, the Motherworld Empire, ruled by the evil Regent Balisarius (Francis Martin Fee) waged a destructive war against rebel forces. One of his military leaders, Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) arrives at the farming planet colony of Veldt with his army in tow, seeking to plunder its resources, only to discover that a wanted fugitive named Kora (Sofia Boutella) was hiding amongst its inhabitants. Determined to protect her newfound home, Kora embarks on a mission to recruit fighters to help her ward off the Admiral's impending attack on Veldt.

Let's get to the bad first. This is nowhere close to the best that Zack Snyder has ever done. I've not seen Army of the Dead or the Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, but this is easily at the bottom-most of all his films I've seen. Putting aside whatever grievances you'd have with Snyder in terms of his treatment of story and characters, you have to admit that the man has a strong sense for visuals. However, I was surprised to find that quality lacking here, with a messy aesthetic that seems to randomly blend styles and genres without a clear direction. I understand that it wants to do a Western-samurai-World-War-II-medieval sci-fi hybrid like Star Wars, but the difference between the two is that Star Wars merged the best visual elements from those genres, whereas Rebel Moon felt like it was picking from the leftovers. I've already felt this when I saw glimpses of its teaser trailer, that unease you feel as an artist or designer when you can tell that it's an early draft being submitted as the final work. Also very uncharacteristic of Snyder was how drab the camera work and compositions were, as if he shot the film without any storyboards to refer to, in contrast to his past works where every shot felt precisely crafted. I was really surprised to see so many basic static medium shots of dialogue scenes. In a typical Snyder flick, a character's hair, cape or trench coat would be billowing through wind and rain while hyper-masculine lines are being spewed out of bristled jaws. I know some of you hate that crap, but I don't know why you'd want realism in everything - it's so overrated, sorry Nolan fans. I wonder if it was a very tight budget that gave it a TV movie-like feel. After all this was funded by Netflix, so Snyder may not have the same resources at his disposal like he did with the other major studios.

Anyway, despite all those complaints above, I still enjoyed it. It's just your regular sci-fi fantasy actioner, and I don't think it ever pretended it was anything more than that. There are space ships and strange planets and weird aliens and people getting killed with frickin' laser beams. The action is somewhat decent, and doesn't use shaky cam. The best thing about it are the actors, who are generally good. Snyder went the super-serious route with this one, so the actors were on full-on dramatic mode. Many critics have praised Boutella for handling both acting and action duties, and rightly so. Ed Skrein always does a highly despicable villain so effortlessly, and I like that they didn't make his character a buffoon. His Admiral Noble is terrifying. This movie has a better villain than a lot of the Marvel flicks if you ask me. Surprised to find out that Ray Fisher (Cyborg from the Justice League movies), Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes, Jena Malone and Corey Stoll were in this movie. Great to see acclaimed Korean actor Doona Bae in a badass role. Charlie Hunnam does another bad accent here - he was ok, didn't bother me. I like how the Imperium soldiers act like absolutely detestable Nazi-esque bad guys, so it was really satisfying when they finally get their comeuppances.

I also think there are some strong moments here. The one with the robot (Anthony Hopkins), Kora confronting the soldiers on Veldt, when Noble negotiates his terms with the village head (pretty intense), Tarak riding the giant bird, and the VFX for the spider-lady was surprisingly good. Anyway, these are just my own thoughts. Overall, it's a fun, one-time watch for me.

Wonka

★★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Paul King
Written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby

Based on the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Wonka tells the origin story of the world famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet), who sets out to fulfill his dream with empty pockets but a suitcase full of ingenuity, only to be thwarted by a group of greedy businessmen. Along the way, he befriends orphan Noodle (Calah Lane) who joins Wonka on his confectionery adventures.

Four and a half out of five? For a prequel to a beloved classic (Wilder, not Depp) that seems like a blatant cash grab? Surely, Wei has lost his… way? But this was such an earnest, old-fashioned, wholesome, funny, heartfelt little musical that by the time the end credits rolled*, I was smitten. Was it the silly musical numbers, the colourful supporting characters, the deliciously over-the-top scenery-chewing villain (we haven’t had a good one for ages), the heartbreaking ending, the enigmatic performance by Chalamet that surprised the heck out of me (sorry for ever doubting you bro), the whimsical charm of the movie, or perhaps all of the above? That was rhetorical, but yes, all of it.

(Also stars Paterson Joseph, Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, and Keegan-Michael Key, plus two others I think were surprise cameos? I didn’t know they were in this one until they showed up.)

I don’t know if it will hit a billion at the box office or even earn back its budget, but honestly I don’t care. I’m a fan. Love it, might watch it again, will get the 4K Bluray for sure.

*You’ll probably want to stick around for the credits.

The Marvels

★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Nia DaCosta
Written by Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik

I’m not going to do a synopsis for this one, but instead I will just point out that there will be two “new” key characters that you wouldn’t know about if you haven’t seen Wandavision or Ms. Marvel on Disney+. Three, if you also haven’t seen Captain Marvel, which should obviously be mandatory viewing since this is kind of a direct sequel to that one. You don’t really have to watch the other two shows since it’s pretty common for superhero movies to introduce new superheroes anyway. But Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) is such a lovable, charming character even in this one that I’d recommend checking out Ms. Marvel as well.

Now, the movie. People are going to go to town on this one, because unfortunately it has issues. The whole movie felt choppy and rushed, like it had been edited to hell. It makes for a breezy, undemanding watch, but I thought it undermined some dramatic moments that could have been great scenes if given enough screen time to permeate. There are also some cosmic pseudo-science nonsenses that glossed over some plot resolutions. In comic books, this is par for the course, but with cynical audiences nowadays, prepare to hear a lot of b****ing and moaning about why it didn’t “make sense”. I was already hearing it from the bros sitting behind me after the movie had ended, who said that the answer was because “they were women.” I mean, bro, why are you here, watching it then? I pity the sole girl in their group who had to pretend-laugh at their mockings. I might as well also mentioned that these idiots were also talking through the first half hour of the movie, which was something I never thought I’d ever come across again after I started going to first-day screenings. Apparently, the morons have finally spilled into my safe space.

I digress. Despite the issues, I thought this was a fun watch. The three leads did a good job, but Vellani was effortlessly the scene stealer. I really enjoyed the cosmic-space stuff - it’s similar to the Guardians of the Galaxy flicks but having to explore new planets makes the MC-Universe feels big. There’s nothing really too serious about The Marvels, which is really about three different but special women bonding during a silly space adventure. Their power sets are also a joy to watch even if they don’t make a lick of sense. It is also a pretty funny movie, especially one major gag of a set piece that everyone is certainly going to talk about a lot and spoil it in no time. (They are two; let’s see if you can guess which one I was actually referring to.) I would recommend it, especially for ardent MCU fans, but also warn that this is truly fluff and not a Marvel entry with huge consequences in the grand scheme of things.

Well, except for the end credits scene, of course.

P.S. Just wanted to point out my surprise of seeing Mohan Kapoor here, who plays Ms Marvel’s father, because he was publicly accused of sexually harassing a minor last December, but I’ve not heard or am able to Google any development on that story. It’s possible that they’ve already finished filming The Marvels and were in post-production when that news broke. I can see how it was difficult to cut him out of the movie if they ever had the intention to, because he was an integral familial figure in Ms Marvel’s life and appears in every scene that featured her family. It’s really odd that things like this kept happening to Marvel of late.

A Haunting in Venice

★★★★

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Written by Michael Green

Based on the novel Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Just in case you didn’t know, this isn’t exactly a horror movie, but the third film based on Agatha Christie’s mystery novels that was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played the role of Christie’s world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. The other two were Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. There is no continuity except for the recurring detective character, so no prior viewing of those two films are necessary at all. Murder mysteries are by design standalone stories.

I really liked these series of films because there’s just something really appealing about mid 20th century European backdrops, and I absolutely enjoyed Branagh’s take on the eccentric Belgian sleuth. His third outing did not disappoint, although it isn’t without some flaws. These movies often include a cast of established and up-and-coming actors, and Branagh managed to get Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, the Fifty Shades guy and the baddie from John Wick 2 for this one.

This is a very traditional whodunnit, with the usual suspects of affluent family members, their acquaintances and the help all trapped in a building while the great detective slowly grills each person until the reveal of the murderer(s?) is done in a grandstanding fashion. What’s new this time is the element of the supernatural complicating things for the detective who purely relies on logical deductions. Some of you may find these too old fashioned, but if you’re anything like me you’re going to enjoy it as much as I did.

There is also something a bit off about the way lines are delivered here, which were done so hurriedly that I found it difficult to hear what each character was saying, especially when there are so many different accents at play. There’s also this over-abundant use of wide angle lenses that makes almost every shot looked warped, like you were constantly looking through the point-of-view of a first person shooter video game. It can be annoyingly disorienting at times, even if it was intentional.

Otherwise, this is still a solid but traditional whodunnit held up by lush visuals, a strong central performance and a reliable cast of familiar faces.

The Equalizer 3

★★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Written by Richard Wenk, Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim

I suggest that you go watch this one before reading my review. You won’t regret it. I came out of the cinema with an adrenaline high. A little emotional too. It’s that good!

The Equalizer 3 is kind of a mystery. It opens with our hero Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) in an unexplained situation where he is in Italy, Equalizing a bunch of baddies, but we don’t know why. Then he gets entangled with more baddies, helps out a small Italian town, and somehow gets Dakota Fanning involved in the fiasco. But it will all be explained in the end.

If you’ve seen the first two movies or even the TV show they are based on, you know that McCall is some kind of retired secret agent badass who goes around helping regular folks with his particular set of skills. I might be remembering the past two movies wrongly, but I didn’t recall that the character was this ruthless, because McCall v3 is one scary mofo in this one. I know John Wick is the boogeyman among criminals and assassins, but he was fearsome because of his efficiency in killing. But McCall is more frightening because of how brutal he gets and how much he seems to actually enjoy it, not unlike a serial killer. The bad guys here are merely sadistic and cruel, because they haven’t yet met McCall. It was glorious to see these Mafia scumbags get their gruesome comeuppances when they realised too late that a far bigger alpha male was in town.

It’s not the most original of stories, with many of the action movie cliches we’re very much accustomed to, but I always felt that it’s the execution (executions?) that matters in this genre, and the movie delivers in spades on that. And I loved that they put the effort to set up and pay off with some nice surprises and reveals in the end.

Denzel Washington is really good in the role. Not sure if his sometimes odd and bizarre demeanour was a symptom of his character’s OCD, or just Denzel doing his Denzel thing. Nice to see Fanning reframing with Washington again since Man on Fire, chemistry from that flick still intact here. Man on Fire fans will not be disappointed.

Heard this was the last one, which is sad because I actually want to see more adventures of Robert McCall now.

Secret Invasion

★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Ali Selim
Written by Kyle Bradstreet, Beto Dantas, Jonathan Hirschbein, Matt McRee, Haleema Mirza, Jennifer Muro, Jovan Robinson, Brian Tucker, Michael Bhim, Brant Englestein, and Roxanne Paredes

S.H.I.E.L.D. (or is it S.W.O.R.D. now?) head honcho Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) returns from space to handle a sleeper Skrull agent named Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) who has gone rogue and started his own terrorist organisation. He reteams with former associate Agent Hill (Colbie Smulders) and Skrull ally Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) to stop Gravik, with some help from Talos’ daughter G’iah (Emilia Clarke) who has allied herself with Gravik’s cause. If you didn’t know, Skrulls are a shape-shifting alien race who can physically impersonate anyone, not unlike Mystique from the X-Men films.

Secret Invasion is a spy thriller (more Bourne than Bond) that looks like one, even feels like one, but isn’t in any way as clever as it wants you to think it is. There is a huge potential here to create a very gripping espionage tale where literally anyone could be a Skrull in disguise, but because of budgetary reasons and one hand-waiving excuse, a Skrull needs to remain in one identity for long durations, which is pretty baffling since some Skrull characters here are literally walking about with their most identifiable facade for any covert operatives to easily spot and pick them up or take them out. With that kind of ability, I’d be changing into multiple identities at all times and be virtually impossible to find. I know it makes Skrulls a little overpowered, but I’m sure there are clever solutions that can be concocted to level the playing field, e.g. a Skrull detector of some sort, or just Fury using his wits to sniff out imposters. Instead, what we have here is a weak spy series with a lot of logical problems that they didn’t even bother to hide with great production values, which it also didn’t have. The script was also pretty dire - some of the most cringey dialogues I’ve ever listened to. The series also felt like it had forgotten to edit its footages, with some weird reactions and movements from actors that should have been trimmed away. Like there’s one moment where the President of the United States (Dermot Mulroney) made an odd, out-of-place grunt, or when Fury was pointing his gun at someone and his other arm just briefly flailed about for no reason at all. I suspected that they were forced to artificially extend the series to six episodes and didn’t have enough coverage for it. There is also another big issue that I had with the series that I will rant about in the spoiler section below.

The only saving grace is the cast. Jackson is the reason to watch this, and Olivia Coleman stole every scene she was in as a British clandestine operative Sonya Falsworth. Ben-Adir also happens to be in the Barbie movie that is currently in theatres, and it’s interesting that we get to see an actor doing two very different roles in the same span of time. I enjoyed Mendelsohn, Clarke and Smulders, but their roles are criminally limited.

I would only recommend this for die-hard MCU followers. This one is easily the weakest of the Marvel streaming entries to date.

I HAVE ONE SPOILER-Y GRIPE

Here’s my gripe: Fridge-ing Maria Hill and also Talos. But it’s not really just the idea of it, but the execution, no pun intended. These are pretty important figures in Fury’s world for decades and you’d expect a lot more care in the way their deaths had been handled, and provide a more satisfying dramatic impetus for Fury to stem out Gravik and his operations. But there’s just no impact being felt from their deaths, with a pretty nonchalant Fury who seemed strangely ambivalent towards the abrupt departures of his most trusted allies. Just a few shots of Fury getting, er, furious or upset would have been enough, but all we got were a bit of frowning and grimacing. It’s either an odd creative choice, or (I really hate to say this but) just plain ineptitude.

Barbie

★★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Greta Gerwig
Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach

Barbie is the first film adaptation of the popular doll of the same name from toy maker Mattel. The film is basically a comedy not unlike a live-action The Lego Movie, having similar themes and humour, and there are sequences where the inhabitants of the Barbie “world” crosses into the real world, and hijinks ensue. Barbie: The Movie is clearly an endeavour with the primary goal of selling more Barbie toys and accessories. But because renown indie filmmaker Greta Gerwig was assigned the role of the film’s director, the attention of the film community including film fans were piqued, and with the alignment of the film’s premiere date with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon emerged, and the rest is history.

I thought Gerwig was going to be yet another unwitting indie director about to be disillusioned by Hollywood fortune and glory and come out of Barbie feeling betrayed and creatively curtailed, but she handled the material here with such aplomb, delivering an effective traditional entertainment while still managing to get away with some cleverness and meaningful themes. Incredibly, Mattel okayed her script that was primarily about the deconstruction (and reinvention) of Barbie, long perceived to be a regressive female role model despite numerous attempts to remedy the issues of inclusivity and body image. I disagree with many male critics who felt that the feminist messages were unsubtle; the movie worked really well per se as a fish-out-of-water comedy. Its plot isn’t about feminism per se; it just finds things to laugh (and sometimes cry) about that relates to the female experience. I actually felt that it could have gone a lot further, but it stayed within the confines of its genre. There is no leftfield, mould-breaking filmmaking or screenwriting here.

At the same time, it is also a surprisingly loving ode to all things Barbie, with many references to toy editions, popular accessories and even some funny jabs at controversial figurines that were swiftly discontinued but apparently have not yet been forgotten. Although not an expert in Barbie merch, but I get the feeling that the costume and production designs must be exceptionally accurate to the source materials. They made Barbie World such a visual delight, and despite many stuff coloured in pink here, it never felt like sensory overload. Just the sights alone are worth the price of admission.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are excellent as Barbie and Ken, and these might become the defining roles of their careers. There are two other roles played by America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt who make up the other half of the four core characters in the film. They each have their own grandstanding monologues that are highlights of the movie. I decked half a star because I think it was a mistake that their characters got a little sidelined in the final act. This is also a movie filled with many minor supporting roles occupied by familiar faces, notably Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, and Michael Cera. I cackled when I realised one of Robbie’s famous doppelgangers was in the movie, and it was also hilarious to see Nick Fury’s nemesis from Secret Invasion being so deadly serious in that one, but acting silly here. The new Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa also has a small role here, but it’s likely you’d remember him better as Eric from Netflix’s Sex Education. Also, try to guess who voiced the Narrator if you haven’t checked the cast list; it’s an easy one.

Entertaining, visually arresting, great comedic and dramatic performances, with some meaningful lessons for all and not just the ladies, plus I came out of it with my manhood intact and remained un-gay, so don’t worry you macho, macho religious men out there. I have personally tested the goods, you’ll be fine. Alternatively, you can watch Barbie and then immediately hop over to Oppenheimer next door and ogle at some bewbs to “balance it out”, and you’d have completed the Barbenheimer challenge.

Oppenheimer

★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin

Oppenheimer is the biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb”. He didn’t exactly invent the atom bomb, but he definitely spearheaded its development with a bunch of very smart scientists, and as a theoretical physicist, he was also no slouch himself. The efforts of Oppenheimer and his team ultimately let to the detonation of the only two atomic bombs in history on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing catastrophic military and civilian casualties in the name of saving more lives, events which have also changed the world forever.

Oppenheimer is an ok film, good even. Commendable performances, incredible cast (including Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey, Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, and a lot of very familiar faces), and “arguably” an interesting story to tell – it is about the atomic bomb, for which the danger and implications of its mere existence still lingers in our consciousness today. Yet, why am I still feeling a little disappointed?

Firstly, the IMAX thing. In my opinion, there is nothing in the film that justified an IMAX presentation. Sure, the film looks prettier and all, but I refused to believe that you went in thinking only that, and not that you’re about to see the craziest, mind-blowingly accurate depiction of an atomic bomb explosion ever put on celluloid. I’m sorry to report that the “money” shot that everyone was waiting for was nothing more than a few seconds of a normal looking flaming mushroom shot against a completely black sky with no foreground or background elements used to emphasize its scale. It just… came and went.

Second: There are way too many characters, especially when they start throwing around multiple names in later scenes that I mixed up who they were really talking about. It’s made worse when some secondary characters were referred to by both their first and last names. The key characters were really Oppenheimer, Lewis Strauss (Downey, Jr.), General Groves (Damon) and Kitty Oppenheimer (Blunt). I get that Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock had some significance in Oppenheimer’s story, but I don’t know if it was really necessary to allocate so much screen time for this character other than to show off some superfluously sexy scenes that I felt was a bit derogatory and exploitative also, because Tatlock was after all a real person.

Fourth: I’ve not seen a single trailer and I still felt like the marketing was being a little misleading. This is not some taut and tense thriller of any sort, but really a courtroom drama I kid you not. Downey, Jr.’s Strauss is the only straight up antagonist in the film, heading a campaign to discredit Oppenheimer with a vendetta.

Third: See what I did there? I put the fourth point first before the third… just because, and this movie is like that, but worse. The film jumps across at least three or four time periods for no discernible reason. I think even they started to realize it was too confusing and employed black and white shots to differentiate between the time periods. Even that didn’t help, because normally a black-and-white scene would denote an earlier time period, but they used it for a period ahead of the main timeline, which later also reverted to colour without giving any cue. Or was that just Strauss’ scenes? I don’t know, I’m confused!

Last (or is it First?): Imagine Michael Bay or Tony Scott directing courtroom scenes, or even the dramatic ones – that’s what Nolan did with some of the talky bits. Hard cuts to close-ups and loud sound cues and bombastic music ad nauseam to emphasize the AGONY Oppenheimer is FEELING about the ACCUSATIONS and INSINUATIONS being thrown at him, because ARE YOU FEELING LOUDLY THE IMPORTANCE OF IT NOW? I found this a little odd coming from a confident and assured filmmaker like Nolan, who was never shy about letting his dialogues just play out as they were.

Maybe I’m just nitpicking too much. Maybe upon second viewing it will finally reveal itself as the masterpiece that it truly is. Or maybe it’s just an above-average, streaming-budget-looking courtroom drama that they tried to pass off as a cinematic event for the ages, and I’m just simply miffed that I actually paid IMAX prices to watch it.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

★★★★

Mild Spoilers

Directed by James Mangold
Written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold

Like a lot of franchises nowadays, Indiana Jones is also back for one last ride, but perhaps for this franchise, it might just stick. Harrison Ford, who is already in his 80s, did announce that this was his final time playing his most famous character. In the fifth Indiana Jones movies, the intrepid archaeologist is once again in pursuit of the Antikythera mechanism, a real-life artifact believed to be as old as 205 BC that can predict astronomical events. But Nazi scientist Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) believe the device has other uses and is hell-bent on obtaining it at all costs. Also hot in pursuit of the artifact is Indy’s goddaughter and stealer of rare antiquities Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).

Going into this one, there is one thing I know for sure I will not be getting: Indiana Jones pummelling and getting pummelled by hordes of goons while leaping from tanks and trucks and horses like he’s still in his prime, because Indiana Jones is now a septuagenarian. I can see why they did the opening flashback with a de-aged Indy in 1939. (EDIT: It’s 1944, sorry.) For several minutes into the film, we get a taste of younger Indy battling Nazis again in pursuit of a Christian artifact and it was joyous! This is the Indiana Jones a lot of fans have been craving to see that Crystal Skull did not successfully deliver on. It was exciting and funny, but also serious and violent; the “flavour” that was lacking from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Once this itch was scratched, I was ready to accept the unavoidable latter “old man Indy” section of the movie, which I thought was going to be a more slower paced endeavour. But thankfully, the rest of the movie also managed to maintain this key essence of the series, albeit with a much less athletic lead, though he still gets to do quite a bit more action than you’d expect someone of his age to.

Other things that I enjoyed:

The villains are back to being serious, menacing antagonists who mean business, and you get a bigger satisfaction here when they finally get their comeuppances than in Crystal Skull, which felt as though the filmmakers were pulling their punches.

*
There are properly choreographed set pieces and chases, and no “shaky cam” was applied. The standout was definitely the opening flashback sequence.

*
I like that they bothered to make us care about some of the characters here by adding some unexpected drama and tragedy for the actors to work with.

*
I spotted Ford impersonator Anthony Ingruber in a bit part! I wonder if he got to do more than just this blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, if you know what I mean.

*
I like the finale, which I can understand why some people might think it was a bit goofy. I still prefer it over Crystal Skull’s, and I think they paid it off with that emotional moment with Indy and Shaw.

*
John Williams’ score. Bliss.

Some things that could have been better:

*
Although I did like and understand what they did with the finale, but I do wonder if there was another better way. I believe a lot of fans are going to gripe about this one, and that is just going to be hella annoying to read for years to come. At least I get to chuckle at some of the snarky memes.

*
Also, another point of contention for many people would be the character of Helen Shaw. There’s no hiding the fact that she is somewhat a Lara Croft-esque character that some are already decrying as Lucasfilm’s attempt to replace Indiana Jones. I doubt that is ever going to happen, nor was it ever their intention. At the very most a spin-off, but it’s not like she’s donning the hat or anything close. There was no “passing the torch” moment at all. But my problem isn’t with all that (though I’m not looking forward to all the inevitable bitching.) Waller-Bridge did a commendable job, but I didn’t think she had enough of that sassy energy that you need in a larger-than-life, eye-brow-arching character like Helen Shaw. Think Angelina Jolie or even Karen Allen as young Marion. I’m not saying Waller-Bridge isn’t capable of a similar performance, but she chose a more subtle approach. It wasn’t a wrong choice, but I don’t think it was the best choice.

*
Other than the opening action sequence, the rest of the action set pieces are serviceable, but not as memorable as anything from the first three films, though they are better and more grounded than Crystal Skull’s.

*
The movie does bring closure to Indy’s character in a way, but it didn’t feel like a satisfying close to the entire series of films, which I thought they should have done. It felt a tad too dreary and sombre for a movie that is supposed to be about adventure and excitement.

*
James Mangold is a good director, but he’s no Spielberg. I missed seeing those hidden long takes and dynamic camera work that Spielberg is so good at, and there are always a few of that in all his Indiana Jones films. Even if you don’t notice technical things like this in movies, you can feel that the scene is somehow a little more special than usual. Even James Gunn does this in his own movies. But I didn’t notice any in this one.

*
The deepfake was a little rough, but admittedly I didn’t really care.

I know that I wrote a little too much on the negative side, but I’m actually quite positive on this one. It manages to bring back the glee and excitement of the Indiana Jones of old that the last one didn’t. The opening sequence alone is already something I see myself revisiting a lot, and the movie did an apt job in making an appropriate close to the Indiana Jones series, although I would have preferred a more upbeat one. Moving ahead, I hope they (and the fans) would consider the possibility of rebooting the franchise and reset Indiana Jones’ adventures back to the 1930s, because the opening sequence is proof of how much we really missed and want more of that part of Indiana Jones. Doing a modern take or a spin-off is just pointless and a show of a lack of understanding of what makes Indiana Jones special in the first place. Ingruber is even in your movie, he’s right there, grow some balls and use him!

Also, my ranking of the films:

1
Raiders of the Lost Ark

2
The Last Crusade

3
Temple of Doom

4
Dial of Destiny

5
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The Mandalorian, Season 3 (Disney+ Series)

★★★★★

Massive Spoilers

Directors: Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey, Bryce Dallas Howard

Writers: Jon Favreau, Noah Kloor, Dave Filoni, George Lucas

Reading how people are complaining about The Mandalorian Season 3’s final episode, their hearts must be frozen cold to be able to idly dismiss one of the greatest Star Wars battles ever put onscreen involving Mandalorians and Stormtroopers with jetpacks, or that they felt nothing when Bo Katan charges forward with the Darksaber in hand alongside the Armorer and dozens of Mandalorians behind them. Their souls must be made of rock if it mattered not to them that the three deadly Praetorians who dispatched Paz Vizsla last episode were hewing down IG12 with Grogu in it while the blast doors closed behind a wounded Din Djarin who could only watch in horror.

But my favorite moment of the episode wasn’t even any of these, or Bo Katan fighting a Beskar-ed Moff Gideon, or Din going full John Wick on a bunch of Stormtroopers with just a f***ing dagger, or even when Grogu saved Din and Bo with the Force while his emotionally soaring theme played in the background. No, the scene I loved the most, that got me all welled up, was during the initiation scene at the Living Waters of Mandalore, when Din finally, officially adopts Grogu as his son. The orphan who lost his family now becomes the father of another. It didn’t happen in this episode, but I’m looking forward to the upcoming one where he no longer calls Grogu “kid”, but “son”.

Stay bitter and aloof all you want. Feel proud of your refined cinematic palate that The Mandalorian somehow failed to appease. Pick the series apart for its plot holes, lack of logic, and cameos of people you detest to your heart’s content. But I will continue to enjoy the heck out of the 24 glorious episodes of the best, most faithful, exciting and heartwarming Star Wars show since the original trilogy, and more if we’re lucky. This IS Star Wars. This IS the way.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

★★★★★

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley

Written by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley and Michael Gilio

Story by Chris McKay and Michael Gilio

Set in an alternate medieval fantasy world, thief Edgin (Chris Pine) and a ragtag team of wizards, warriors and more must embark on a quest to save the city of Neverwinter from being usurped by the nefarious Red Wizards, and rescue Edgin’s daughter Kira from the clutches of the Lord of Neverwinter (Hugh Grant).

The synopsis above doesn’t really do the film justice, because the movie is a lot more fun than it sounds. It takes its inspiration from movies like The Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and even Army of Darkness. You can say it’s a silly, low-brow action comedy, a parody even, but with a bit of class and wit. I’m not sure if the movie has satisfied the expectations of D&D fans, but for me this is a welcomed return to the kind of comedy that I thought Hollywood has forgotten how to make. Some of its highlights include the graveyard scene, certain magical spells and artifacts, a guy named Jonathan, and I kid you not, Regé-Jean Page. Yes, the dude from Bridgerton and The Grey Man was FUNNY. There are even unexpected cameos and funny Easter eggs from the game and other reiterations.

But what impressed me more was how it also did the other stuff just as well. Firstly, every one of the main cast of characters are likeable. Each has his or her own story arc, cool skillsets and relatability, and brought to life perfectly by the actors playing them, which includes Pine, Michelle Rodriguez (from the Fast & Furious movies), Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and Sophia Lillis (It: Chapter One and Two). There are even some genuinely touching moments that are testaments to how well-realised these characters are. The action sequences were surprisingly well-choreographed, from the hand-to-hand combat to the magical melees. Hugh Grant was effortlessly great as the awkwardly charming villain.

Honestly, for an obviously commercialized endeavour to promote the Dungeons & Dragons brand, it delivered a lot more than it ever needed to on a creative level. It could have been the Top Gun: Maverick of 2023 because of how similarly well-put-together it was, if only it did just as well box-office wise. Don’t let these detract you from watching the movie, though. If you enjoyed movies like The Princess Bride, you’re going to love this one, I guarantee it.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

★★★★

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Aaron Horvath

Written by Matthew Fogel

Another surprise of the year, especially with all the dire warnings from critics that this was going to be godawful. It’s not even close. I didn’t just like the film - I loved it! But there’s a catch. If you’re not familiar with the games at all - knowing what they are isn’t enough; at the very least you have to had played them before - you’d be confounded by all the love this vanilla Hollywood animated flick is getting. But to Super Mario Bros. fans, this is not vanilla at all. There is genuine love for the games on display here; from the use of iconic musical cues to the integration of actual gameplay into the action sequences. Weaved into all that is a relatable story about two down-on-their-luck Italian-American plumbers who find their calling when they become heroes in a magical world found under the sewers of New York. It was a good call not to do this as live action, as the animation design is almost indistinguishable from the latest iteration of the Mario or Mario-adjacent video games, making the game-to-movie transition basically seamless.

Next, let’s address the elephant in the room. Chris Pratt, who was controversially cast as Mario (for some reason), is actually not bad here. I also didn’t once think that Mario sounded like Starlord, Owen Grady or Andy from Parks and Recreation. The rest of the cast did a good job too, among them are Charlie Day (as Luigi), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), and Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), but it was Jack Black’s Bowser that stole the show. Actually, that isn’t entirely true. There is another scene stealing character that I suspect is going to be a big meme star after this, but I’ll let you discover that one yourself.

The movie is also loaded with many references and Easter eggs not just to Mario games but also to other Nintendo games. You can find some of this already listed on the IMDb trivia page. As of this writing, it has not mentioned about Charles Martinet who was the first to voice Mario in the games, who I think made an appearance in the movie because 1) I heard his voice, and 2) his name is listed on the movie’s IMDb cast list.

EDIT (13 April 2023): I forgot to mention about the very well-depicted brotherly bond between Mario and Luigi, which led to an unexpected emotional catharsis in the end. So, there IS a story here, one with heart. Not a 1UP heart, but better. I suspect people who said there was no story here was just not relating to that relationship, but I have two brothers myself so this did connect with me. I wonder if it’s the same for anyone else who are close with their siblings.

Overall, this is a solidly enjoyable adaptation of a beloved video game that will please fans and befuddle everyone else. It’s funny, fun and faithful to its source material. Stay on for the end credits scene, but it’s minor enough to skip over and ask someone else about it later if you needed to leave right away.

John Wick: Chapter 4

★★★★1/2

Mild Spoilers

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Written by Shay Hatten, Michael Finch and Derek Kolstad

Previously, on Chapter 3: Fueled by vengeance, the renowned ruthless hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) launched a one-man campaign against the international assassination syndicate known as the High Table, only to be betrayed by ally Winston (Ian McShane) and left for dead. But Wick survived, and with the help of the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne), Wick recovers from his injuries and continues his warpath towards the High Table members in Chapter 4. But unbeknownst to him, the High Table has appointed one of its members, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) to hunt Wick down, with the help of Wick’s old acquaintance, known only as Caine (Donnie Yen).

If you’re new to this series of action films, it helps to check out at least the first John Wick movie just to know who he is, what he can do, and why he is doing all of this. Not that it’d make any more sense, but it’s ludicrously fun to watch how a simple revenge quest escalated into having hundreds of bad guys killed, which sets it apart from other more generic action movies. John Wick is the kind of movie where you see a goon knocked violently into the air by a car, most likely dead from impact, yet John Wick shoots him anyway, multiple times, while his body is in mid-flight, just because. It’s a story about what happens when the world’s most feared assassin turned against his own organization. The John Wick films are highly influenced by Hong Kong action movies, with its elaborately choreographed action sequences and martial arts battles, and painful-looking stunt sequences. If you like what you’ve been reading so far, then you’re going to love all the Wick movies, including Chapter 4.

THE GOOD:

The best thing about Chapter 4 is its cast, beginning with Keanu Reeves, who is a bona fide action star that deserves a place with the likes of legends such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li. From regulars Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne and Lance Reddick to new additions Donnie Yen (also an action legend), Hiroyuki Sanada, Bill Skarsgård, Scott Adkins, Shamier Anderson, Clancy Brown, Rina Sawayama and Natalia Tena, they ranged from good to impressive, and were not superfluously used. Yen’s character is called Caine and carries a cane (ha ha) but gets to do more than just being another laconic villain muscle. Unlike many of his other Hollywood roles, he gets to up-play his innate charisma in both the dramatic and the action scenes. And my god, the guy still got the moves at 59! The surprising standouts were Anderson’s Tracker that became increasingly likeable throughout the film, and Sawayama’s Akira doing an impressive chunk of the action during the Osaka Continental scene. If you managed to stay away from all the posters and trailers, then you’re in for a surprise with Adkin’s character. I really loved that Sanada got to do way more action here than he did in Bullet Train. It’s sad that Reddick passed away just before the film’s premiere. He was always great in everything he did, and I will miss seeing him at the New York Continental.

The cinematography by Dan Laustsen, who also shot John Wick 2 and 3, is astounding. It’s like watching the most expensive looking action movie ever. The movie also boasts impressive production and costume design work, with the many opulent European sets and backdrops, and the exquisite suits and designer dresses the actors were wearing.

THE BAD:

Story-wise, Chapter 4 wasn’t as tight and cohesive as the original film but is on par with the other sequels. It also suffers a similar problem with the others where it relied too much on made-up arbitrary rules of the High Table that conveniently saved characters from certain death, or even reinstate outcasts out of technicality despite all the bad blood caused. Chapter 4 does at least attempt to give the single-minded protagonist a little more depth, albeit just a tinge. But there’s no hiding the fact that the screenplay was designed first and foremost to incorporate the action set pieces at the expense of the story. I did like the unconventional ending that relied more on smarts than fisticuffs or firepower.

THE UGLY:

Don’t get me wrong – this is Hollywood action at its best, and seeing Wick dispatching bad guys with a variety of weaponry and techniques never gets old for me. But compared to its predecessors, Chapter 4’s action choreography seems less elegant and not as clever. There were brilliant moments like the one involving nunchucks, but some of the close-combat sequences were getting a bit too repetitive. Reeves himself was already looking sluggish even back in Chapter 3, and he is no different here, not surprising since he’s already pushing 60 years of age. Regardless, his intense dedication to his work is undeniable, and what he pulled off here is still incredible and highly commendable. There was a great action scene near the end involving vehicles that I wished didn’t incorporate that many obvious CG effects. I understand the safety reasons, but I’d rather have realistic but simpler, safer stunts over fake looking elaborate ones that needed CG for them to work.

Overall, this is still a high recommendation for this three-hour film that didn’t feel its length, as long as you are able to surrender yourself to its ludicrousness and just enjoy it for what it is – a classily made Hong Kong-style action movie with a big Hollywood budget.

Note: There is one end credits scene.

RANDOM SPOILERY THOUGHTS:​

• My heart sank when Charon was very quickly dispatched early in the film. An eerie, freaky coincidence that is still felt until now.

• Like I mentioned before, I really liked that the ending was more about outsmarting the Marquis than simply resolving it with more brute force. It’s clever that they concealed the true stake of the duel – Caine’s daughter. I believed Wick, Winston and Caine had already planned this earlier on, offscreen. The whole conceit rests heavily on the Marquis’ bloated ego, which explains why Winston was fanning the Marquis’ flames during his final meeting with him before the duel.

• I guess John Wick finally dies, and it does look definitive - the vision of his wife, the epitaph. The character has nowhere else interesting to go, so it makes sense to end it now.

• Caine and Akira’s conflict is very Kill Bill-like, which was also echoed in the end credits.

• I like how the Tracker has “nuts” as an attack order for his dog.

• Funny how some people were dissing the Osaka Continental action set piece, but I thought the weakest one was Killa’s nightclub. Osaka has Sanada and Sawayama doing their own action, and that nunchucks sequence, which I was nervously giggling at the brutal way Reeves was using it to continuously bash people’s head with. The Paris action set piece was undeniably the best. The top-down view of the chateau battle, the explosive shotgun shells, the Arc de Triomphe vehicular mayhem, and the fight up the Montmartre stairs were exhaustingly thrilling.

• If you found Adkins’ fat suit offensive, I think what they were trying to do here was to give a nod to legendary Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung, who is famously rotund and yet is capable of performing mind-blowing martial arts moves and stunts. And Adkins did do some sick moves in the suit.

• I believe the arm branding during the Ruska Roma scene was a homage to David Carradine’s Kung Fu show. Shaolin monks do not practice this, if you’re wondering. Complete fabrication.

• I thought there’d be some significance or foreshadowing with Clancy Brown’s amputated wedding finger, but they didn’t do anything with that.

• When Winston whispered “farewell, my son” in Russian, does that imply Winston is Wick’s daddy?

• Greatest, unexpected and most satisfying utterance of an expletive by Caine after the Marquis told Caine to “remember your daughter”.

• Missing in action: The Adjudicator, Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare), the previous Elder played by Saïd Taghmaoui (I think he died offscreen), Sofia (Halle Berry) and her dogs, Aurelio (John Leguizamo), Cassian (Common), Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, and a missed opportunity to introduce Ana de Armas’ Ballerina.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

★★★1/2

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Written by Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan and Bill Parker

Events from the first Shazam movie caused the barrier between two worlds to crumble, and the Daughters of Atlas, goddesses Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu) traverse to the world of Men to exact vengeance on the race that imprisoned them. Standing in their way are Billy Batson (Asher Angel/ Zachary Levi), Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer/ Adam Brody) and the Shazam family.

Here we have yet another one of those with the same stupid plot about otherworldly villains who want to destroy the world through yet another one of those conveniently available magical artifacts. Their finale would always be set in a city on the verge of destruction, with the heroes saving it just in the nick of time. If you’re expecting more of the same from Shazam 2, you’re not going to be disappointed.

I was not a huge fan of the first, even though I liked some things about it, so expectations were low going into the sequel. I thought the characters in the first film were interesting, especially Freddy and some of the dramatic moments were really strong, like when Batson reunites with his mother. There are some good albeit brief familial drama here, but the actors sold it really well. I also enjoyed the humour, with quite a number of pop culture-related ones, as well as some self-referential stuff. I appreciated all of that since I found the superhero stuff to be very rote.

It’s also weird that there seems to be two protagonists given almost equal importance, but I felt that Freddy’s character was way more compelling that Batson’s to the point of overshadowing the main star. This time round, Freddy’s pining for new girl in school Annie (Rachel Zegler of West Side Story fame). Although Zegler’s character didn’t have much depth, but Zegler and Grazer had such great chemistry together that I was rooting for them despite how predictable their teen romance got. Batson’s character got really underserved here with yet another routine discover-the-hero-in-you arc that was repetitive, unfocused, and not very interesting.

I was also quite surprised by the action in this one, which looked very well planned and polished, and much larger in scale. I will admit it was a lot of fun watching the six caped superheroes going about saving people. The VFX looked really good. Normally, you could see the transition from a live-action shot to a rubbery CG double, but I think the tech has gotten so impeccable that I can’t really tell anymore. The VFX shots of citywide destruction looked solid, and there were a lot of them. This is an expensive looking show.

It was fun to see Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu play baddies in a comic book flick. Mirren came off a bit better as she was the only one who got the funnier moments, but I thought they both played it a bit too straight. Would have loved to see them ham it up instead as that would have better suited the lighthearted tone of the movie.

Usually, I would have ended the review here by saying that this is an enjoyable but imperfect movie, go watch it and all that, but there’s more. The movie has one unexpected cameo (at least for me; I heard they revealed it in recent trailers - I don’t watch trailers), and two end credits scenes that was surprisingly puzzling to me, since James Gunn announced earlier in February that he was going to set a new trajectory for DC, and that the Snyderverse is no more. I get that they’re putting out the last few Snyderverse films that were already in production or completed before the upheaval, but since you’re not continuing with the Snyderverse, why still leave these scenes in, especially when you could have easily excised them with no impact to the film? There’s even one end credits scene that connects the film directly to one of Gunn’s own DC projects. Does that mean some remnants of the Snyderverse would remain while others are jettisoned? Why even tease these stuff if you’re not going to do anything with them anyway? It’d be real funny to see the WB suits scramble to do an about-turn if Shazam 2 unexpectedly makes massive B.O. money. (It flopped. - Wei from the future.)

Cocaine Bear

★★

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Written by Jimmy Warden

Cocaine Bear is very, VERY loosely based on an actual incident in 1985 when a drug dealer tried to dump his stash of cocaine from an airplane, only to end up dead from a parachute malfunction, and his loot gobbled up by a wild bear who subsequently overdosed and died from its exotic meal. In the movie, the bear fictitiously went about tearing people to shreds in search for more of the white powder scattered across a forestry to sate its addiction. With the boffo box office that it’s doing (relative to its production costs), don’t be surprised to see more cheap bearsploitation films being released within a week.

I felt guilty for not defending M3GAN when people were deriding it for being silly and dumb. At least M3GAN had something to say, and that “audition” scene with the board of directors was absolutely riveting. Cocaine Bear had none of those. Outside of the cheap thrills of seeing a wild animal gratuitously dismember human beings, the majority of the movie was really dreary, with barely anything of interest to keep you engaged until the next bear rampage, while a number of other things even annoyed and frustrated. And speaking of bear rampages, the best and biggest set piece actually occurs in the middle section of the movie, which leaves the ending with a disappointingly unremarkable finish.

I did enjoy Aaron Holliday’s performance, who played one of the three smalltime crooks, and I did want to know if the bear survived by the end. (But not the humans, though.) The bear VFX wasn’t too bad.

If you enjoy B-movie schlock, go for it. For me, this felt like a waste of time. I doubt I’d ever revisit this movie again.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

★★★1/2

Mild spoilers

Directed by Peyton Reed

Written by Jeff Loveness

Quantumania is frustrating. Ant-Man has always been about the little guy (even the movie mentioned that repeatedly), but like the big boys he now has to handle a universe-ending threat of his own. (It even tries to ape Aquaman’s gonzo visual aesthetics, likely in an attempt to also achieve a similar box-office result.) But that makes Quantumania feel just like a formulaic Marvel entry instead of the fun “palate cleanser” (a term used by Paul Rudd himself) that many of us are reluctant to admit we needed, even as we griped about how inconsequential the Ant-flicks were.

Other problems:

Too many characters, a very smart villain that started doing stupid things near the end, the sorely-felt absence of Luis and his compadres of X-Con Securities Consultants, and the jettisoning of that wonderfully snappy editing style from the earlier films.

However, all is not lost.

The cast is fantastic. Jonathan Majors is the standout here, and his performance alone is worth the price of admission. Kang is absolutely menacing but also interestingly complex. I was fascinated by the level of gratitude expressed by the supposedly ruthless multiversal conqueror towards his savior, when he had absolutely nothing to gain from doing so, except a tiny sliver of what’s left of his humanity. Pfeiffer was given more to do this time, and her scenes with Majors were electric and made you forget you’re watching a superhero flick. Rudd, Douglas, and Lily are reliably good in spite of the limited material they had to work with.

I also liked that they pitted the main supervillain of the entire Multiversal saga against the most bottom-ranked Avenger, lower than even Hawkeye. This created a palpable sense of danger, where for the first time in the series of Ant-films you don’t feel that any of the characters are safe, by simply having the villain being way out of the heroes’ league by a million fold. There were a few times I thought, “they might actually be doing it.” A major cull to set the path for future Ant-Girl/ Stature/ Stinger Cassie Lang. The stakes in Quantumania certainly felt a lot higher this time round.

I know it should have been obvious just from the title alone, but I didn’t know the movie was set almost entirely in the quantum realm. I don’t watch trailers, so this was a genuine surprise for me, which worked in favour of the film. The other thing I wasn’t expecting wasn’t the identity of the big star cameo of the film, but that they made the person do something a little more sinister than just the usual jokey schtick cameos are expected to do.

Speaking of cameos, there is another one that seems to be getting mixed opinions, but I thought it was really funny, and the one where the aforementioned has a scene with Cassie Lang got the biggest laugh from me.

All an Ant-Man flick needed to do (for me) was to be entertaining. Despite some story directions that didn’t work and some other quality issues, I think it did the job, and there are a few but enough of the good stuff here to at least warrant a watch. Some of you might disagree, but I think Quantumania has a slight edge over most of the Phase 4 films but not as good as No Way Home or Shang-Chi.

My thoughts on the mid and end credit scenes (SPOILERS):

I thought the Kang variants (army?) were quite goofy. The Empire Spoiler Podcast gang joked that it reminded them of the Eddie Murphy’s films where he played multiple characters. The one with a clip from Loki Season 2 was just a very short teaser that featured Loki, Mobius and Kang in a scene, but doesn’t seem like anything of consequence, or even exciting, other than the fact that it’s coming.

M3GAN

★★★★

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

Written by Akela Cooper and James Wan

Box up your toys and delete your AI apps, boys and girls, because if you’ve always been creeped out by life-like dolls and super-smart AI, this latest amalgamation of the two isn’t going to make things better! Allison Williams of Get Out fame plays Gemma, the creator of a sophisticated robot doll called M.3.G.A.N., whom she uses as a surrogate parent to her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) while she works overtime to keep her demanding boss David (Malaysian comedian Ronny Chieng!) from firing her. Stupidly, she forgot to put Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics into M3GAN’s programming, and the android begins to test its boundaries, and eventually crosses them.

Predictably, with robots-gone-berserk movies like this one, the robot does go berserk. And no, there are no Shyamalan-worthy twists here, sorry. But what’s not predictable though is the execution, which was way better than expected in terms of how it beautifully set up its premise and the relationships between the core characters, and that includes the robot itself. I respect that they took the effort to do this when everyone was just pre-judging this to be another shoddily put-together horror cash grab that is only all about the violent pay-offs. It’s really something that the movie could make me feel relieved when certain peripheral characters survived till the end of the film, because it made me care. They even managed to squeeze in a commentary about the use of devices and gadgets to babysit our children.

This certainly isn’t a reinvention of the wheel, but it gave it new treads and a sleek, shiny new hubcap, and I have to give credit where credit’s due. Williams, McGraw and Chieng were all great here, especially McGraw.

A lot of people would compare this with the Chucky/ Child’s Play films, but I think M3GAN has more similarities with the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell. You’ll know it when you see it.

Avatar: The Way of Water

★★★★★

I don’t know if it will have longevity in the physical media format, or that its breathtaking spectacles would translate well on the small screen, but Avatar: The Way of Water is a sight to behold on IMAX 3D. James Cameron may be asking us to pay a little more than twice the ticket price to see it, but boy did he make every cent count! The 3D effects were fantastic, but what’s more impressive is how the CG has gotten so advanced that my eyes just surrendered and accepted that Pandora and every living thing on it is real. The attention to detail is also just insane (wait till you get to the underwater bits), and is integral in selling the realism. The visuals are truly a huge part of what made this movie amazing, thus it is imperative that you see it on an IMAX 3D theatre.

But all is for naught if the storytelling wasn’t good. I have to admit, the story here is pretty standard affair, but a very well executed one. The reason the film was three hours long was because Cameron actually took the time to establish all of his characters, and gave each one a distinct and likable personality, so that when things got real serious, you’d actually care. Once you’re emotionally invested with the characters, it doesn’t really matter if the same plot device from the first act was recycled for the finale. I was impressed that they even created some shades of grey to some of the characters on both sides of the fight that added an interesting dynamic to their relationships. This actually made me want to watch the sequels now because I’m dying to know how this is all going to turn out in the end. So, yes, generic story, lazy even, but done better than any crowdpleasing affair like this ever deserved to be.

Overall, Avatar: The Way of Water is visually stunning, emotionally engaging, and one heck of a thrill ride! A true blockbuster film in every sense.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

★★★1/2

Before I proceed with my assessment, there are two things that need to be mentioned.

One, with the passing of Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther 2 team, led by returning director Ryan Coogler, has an unenviable task of continuing the franchise without their star lead. Should they recast, and if not, how are they going to explain the absence of such a popular character as King T’Challa, the Black Panther? For that, I’m truly grateful of the work and effort they have done here, to honour Boseman in a movie that also needed to be popcorn entertainment.

Two, that many of us are still mourning two years after. Boseman’s friends and colleagues were probably already working on the sequel when it happened. They needed an outlet for their grief, and the film needed to reflect that in some ways, and it did. The tone of the film was more sombre and darker than the first. Grieving fans would also be expecting and appreciative of an acknowledgement of his loss in the film. The film was successful on this part.

These two components should be enough to make a great Black Panther sequel, taking into consideration the circumstances, and it has been for many people. I was saddened by what has happened, and I do feel with the rest of you. The movie is a great tribute to the star, and I am glad that everyone is loving it immensely.

So it might be irksome to hear any criticisms about the film. And I do have a few, despite my admiration and appreciation of what they have attempted to do. Apart from the great craftsmanship and work done by the crew behind the camera, the actors have all done exceptionally in front of it. Angela Bassett, Tenoch Huerta, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and many others did amazing work here. It seemed unfair that Letitia Wright had to shoulder the burden of the lead role and all the expectations and responsibilities that come with it. She is a real champ for pushing herself the way she did in this film.

But I wished Marvel would have given the team more time to come up with a tighter and more coherent story, because the end product felt like a patchwork of mismatching tones and intentions. It started off promisingly; it looked like we were getting a character exploration on Shuri, that we get to understand her as a character of her own, what makes her tick and what drives her. But then Marvel has to Marvel, so several new characters needed to be introduced and set up for future use, including comic book favorite Namor, who even got a lengthy flashback while Shuri only had brief wordless cutscenes from earlier films. Then we have Riri Williams here to promote her upcoming Ironheart series, and the return of (or a dropped-in-out-of-nowhere character if you’ve never seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series) CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine because they needed people to remember who she was when the Thunderbolts movie rolls out. There are some character moments for Shuri during the Talokan scenes, but it wasn’t enough. She has always been a peripheral character in all the films she has appeared in. Wright and Boseman did a great job establishing their relationships, but it was still surface-level stuff. Shuri desperately needed a Wandavision-like backstory, or like a flashback to her childhood with T’Challa to flesh out her relationship with her brother a little more, so that her grief would be a little more understandable, relatable and impactful when it culminated close to the finale. I find it puzzling that her arc was painted in quick and broad strokes, while the fish guy got more time for nuances.

I could be wrong about this. I was wrong about films like The Batman, The Dark Knight, and a few others, where my feelings changed for the better upon second viewing. But as it stands right now, and as much as I appreciate the work of these wonderful people who poured their hearts into this film, the movie still felt bloated and uneven at least to me, and I wished they had tightened the story a little more, and find a more coherent way to inject in all the future project tie-ins, if that is even possible.

But of course, the real burning question on everybody’s mind is:

Is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever better than Thor: Love and Thunder?

Yes.

And thus ends Phase IV of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Barbarian

★★★★1/2

Mild spoilers

That’s it. No more AirBnB for me.

That’s all the synopsis I’m going to reveal, because they’re right about us needing to see this one for ourselves.

So, what’s good? It’s not really about the story, which is good, but the execution was better. And it’s refreshing to see someone finding different ways to tackle the horror genre and keep it (mostly) unpredictable.

My only complaint is that it still relies on people doing stupid things, because if not the movie would have been a lot shorter. But that’s genre conventions for ya. Also, the AirBnB lady, what the hell?? Did she even know??? Plot hole!!!

Still, good stuff.