Category Archives: Film Reviews

Reviews of new films

Detective Pikachu

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Spoiler free review this time.

Great movie? Not really. But was it entertaining? Yes. Best part: Ryan Reynolds. 100%. As expected. Absolutely hilarious. Some seriously funny cracks out of the little yellow furball. His delivery of them is perfect. But aside from Reynolds, the movie was entertaining. As one of the many people who grew up with Pokemon, it was pretty great to see these monsters come to life on the screen. I loved picking out all of the Pokemon in the background and everything. I especially loved the little Bulbasaurs hopping around. And the cgi was pretty dang good for how much it was in most of the shots.

But apart from that, I can’t honestly tell you it was a great movie. The writing wasn’t great. Besides what felt like the most obvious plot twist in history (that I was 90% sure about from the trailers and just got more sure of throughout the movie) the story was also just weak. I have to remind myself that it is a kid’s movie (despite some of the things out of Pikachu’s mouth, which is great) so I can’t be too hard on it. But it was not great. The story felt way too easy. Like they got several answers so easy. And at the end they fixed things in a moment, which fits the kid’s movie thing I guess, but I wasn’t a fan. There was some pretty rough dialogue in places too. And a few instances (less to do with writing maybe) where it was like “how did they get there that fast?” All around I just can’t say the movie was great from an objective writing standpoint. But it was hilarious and real fun to watch as someone who loved Pokemon. So, if you like Ryan Reynolds and/or (especially) like/d Pokemon, I would recommend. Otherwise, you probably shouldn’t waste your money.

Avengers: Endgame *Spoilers*

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Some spoilers ahead. You have been warned

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Holy cow. Up there among my favorites without a doubt. I’ve never seen anything with this much buildup, this much going into it, something that had to be handled so well because it was the payoff for so much. And they did it as well as you could ever hope.

I went into it having mostly successfully avoided seeing anything about it. I had seen some images, but avoided watching any footage. So, while I had some guesses I was pretty sure about (like time travel), I had no idea what the story as a whole was going to be. I was worried they were just going to undo the whole last movie or more. I was very pleasantly surprised with how it went. These last two Avengers movies really felt like wonderful pieces of writing to me. They go against the typical superhero and Disney stories to be dark and have real consequences and real conflict within each side. Some serious twists I truly didn’t expect. And all with a healthy dose of humor. And callbacks. It felt like half the script was references and callbacks, but done in a way that felt natural while giving us the memories.

I really liked seeing how each character handled what had happened. Each one was different and felt very true and real. I really did not expect the time jump, so seeing how they settled into their new reality was a truly pleasant surprise for me.

Seeing the characters past and present, was wonderful and a great way of wrapping up their stories. Seeing how they had changed (and how they hadn’t) emphasized their arcs and made us really feel for them and the time we had with them. And at the end I feel like each one got what they needed, all (or at least the vast majority) of their arcs came to a natural and fulfilling conclusion, or new jumping off point for the characters that will keep going.

And I just have to say how much I loved Cap getting to use Mjolnir. Everyone is saying it, but for real, that was just awesome. And he and Thor’s interactions after that were fantastic.

I’ve heard complaints about some of the characters not getting enough screen time and Cap and Tony getting too much. But I disagree. While this movie was an ending for the original Avengers as a whole, it was really for those two. They were the bedrock of the Avengers. Cap was “The First Avenger” and their leader. Tony was the first we saw on screen and the other driving force for so long. They deserved the biggest sendoff. They deserved to have the last movie be about their arcs. That’s my two cents on the subject.

I was extremely worried that Captain Marvel would be a deus ex machina and ruin the whole movie. But they handled it well. When she got decked by Thanos I almost cheered, just because that was a moment of relief for me; I knew then that it would be a struggle even with her and that the victory could go to one of our orginal beloved characters. When she joined the MCU I was very worried she would ruin it with the Superman-effect. But they managed to avoid it, which I am very grateful for.

I had a couple of minor complaints, but nothing big. One was I couldn’t figure out Ronin’s bow. Like, it seemed to come out of nowhere, then he threw it aside, next thing I knew he had it again. Maybe I missed something, but I was a little confused.
Another was that moment where the women all came together to help Captain Marvel get to the van. I appreciate the moment, but the way it was set up felt forced. My first thought when they said she’s not alone was “yeah, but does she really need you? She could just flame on and plow through the enemy or fly over.” It was a cool moment that, from a story perspective, had zero effect, because she ended up doing exactly what I said she could have. But I understand why they did it and that I’m not who it was for anyway. I just feel they maybe could have made it more impactful to the story and more organic.

Overall, I think it was a truly great way to wrap up the original Avengers’ story. I loved almost every minute of it. It didn’t feel nearly as long as it was. I am sad it is over, but don’t feel robbed or unfulfilled at all.

How many different synonyms for “great” did I use in this review?
And I didn’t even get into the visuals and acting. This review barely touched this awesome, long movie. So just go see it. Not that I think anyone is unsure about whether they will watch it or not or that I would sway them if they were.

Captain Marvel

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Hey, I’m reviewing something again! Would you look at that?

I am trying a more in-depth review this time, so [MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

Honestly? Better than I expected. I admit, I went into it not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. It isn’t the strongest entry in the MCU, but it is leagues above the DCEU (sorry, not sorry).
Overall, it had a fairly strong, if mostly predictable story. Some of it was a little clunky. It had a problem with exposition in the beginning, but the later info dumps actually felt reasonably natural and a part of the story.
There were a couple of places where it felt like there was no payoff to a seed that was planted. Specifically, I am thinking about during the escape, Talos told his wife to cover their kid’s eyes before shooting someone, but the kid sees. Then absolutely nothing came of it. Had they left it with him saying to cover the eyes, then it would have been a good moment of seeing his protectiveness of his child. But they showed us the kid seeing the bodies. Which should have meant it would affect the kid in some way. And it didn’t seem to, so it was superfluous.
There were a couple of other scenes that didn’t really make sense. Like in the montage of seeing her stand after falling all those times, one of the scenes we saw in its entirety before, and I don’t recall her doing any such standing that time, which leaves me confused about whether she is remembering or imagining these scenes.
The climax suffered from Superman syndrome, in that, especially one her full power was released, she was never in any danger. I never feared for her life. Never even feared she would fail. Even when the danger wasn’t to her directly, I wasn’t afraid, because I knew she would show up and save the day. Part of that is because they didn’t ramp up the tension at all. When the big danger showed up, I never wondered if she would succeed. Then it was over. The big danger was defeated so fast after it showed up and without any problems that it felt like a waste. No surprise there, as I knew going in that she was going to be way overpowered.
They did, however, subvert my expectations a couple of times, in a good way, namely with Fury’s eye. I expected it to be this big plot point. Then they went a completely unexpected route with it. I especially appreciate that because I think too many prequel-like stories try too hard to explain things that don’t really need explaining. In most cases I wish they woukd let mysteries be mysteries, but I think this one was superbly under-played, liie they were laughing at those other prequel-like stories. It also wasn’t as in-your-face pro-woman, anti-man as I honestly expected it to be. It didnt sacrifice story for moral, which I really appreciate. Nothing should take precedence over story in a story, in my opinion.
Characters. I liked Talos, I like Fury obviously. And Coulson. Maria and Monica were great, and the other supporting characters were nothing to complain about, but I personally did not really like Carol Danvers. Being unlikable doesn’t make a bad character, so I don’t dock any points for that (and I’m sure plenty of people really like her), but she did have a few problems with delivery of some lines that were not very well written and several of her lines felt forced. Her actions also sometimes came across a little flat to me. I don’t know how much of that was Brie Larson, how much was the writing, how much was the direction. It just didn’t work real well for me. When the main and title character is the worst part of the movie, I feel like that’s a problem.
The rest of the acting was good, however. I always love Samuel L. Jackson. I am a fan of Ben Mendelsohn as well. Clark Gregg doesn’t disappoint. Jude Law also deserves props. All around, I had no problems with any characters or acting besides Danvers/Larson.
In terms of being an addition to the MCU, I think it fits pretty well. There were a couple of continuity errors that I caught, and I’m sure more superfans will find. But that is to be expected in any addition to a large universe, particularly with a prequel-like story.
I would say this movie deserves a good 7/10. I would recommend it.

Avengers Infinity War

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Yep. That was good. Worth it. And having avoided pretty much any of the trailers and videos, I managed to go in with very little idea of what was going to happen.

It is very hard to write this without spoilers, but #ThanosDemandsYourSilence so what can I do? While on the subject of Thanos, let’s start with him. One of the best Marvel villains without a doubt. They finally took the basic writing advice of making the villain the hero of his own story. He is sympathetic. Definitely the bad guy, but a sympathetic one. His logic makes sense in a twisted kind of way. And his story in the movie goes well beyond just going through killing people like most Marvel villains do.

The story, too, was very well done. I wasn’t sure how they woukd be able to pull off having so many characters, but they did it quite well. Lots of different storylines that wove together in a way that was not distracting and all felt right (not like The Last Jedi). Each character that we care about got their time to shine in the action and with their jokes and the mix of the two was good, less cringey than some movies. The movie was also finally a superhero movie was a bit different. It wasn’t as much good vs evil. It didn’t have the same ending, which felt more realistic. Granted, this is essentially part one of a two movie arc and the story will go back to the Disney/Superhero norm before the end I’m sure, but this was a nice temporary relief.

In terms of production value, itbwas really good. The long list of visual effects people earned their spots in the credits. A couple of places I felt it was off, but most of it was really good and with how much there was, thats pretty good. The sound mixing was good too. Especially with the introduction of the Guardians. You knew they were coming before you saw them.

There were a couple of small things that bugged me. Like a certain scene involving tactics, or the lack there of. Maybe they thought it through and have a reason I didn’t think of, but to me it seemed totally unrealistic, it just got it to look cooler. I was also bummed about Iron Man’s new suit, not because of the suit itself but because it is very similar to something I came up with like 10 years ago and have introduced to my writing, but haven’t really gotten out into the world yet and now it might look derivative.

Overall, definitely one to see if you have been watching the MCU. If you haven’t, I would ask you what rock you have been living under, why you are reading this review, and recommend that you go start with Iron Man, watch all of them, then definitely watch this one.

A Quiet Place

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Man… That was good. Extremely well made. The use of sound was incredible. It had to be given the premise, but I wasn’t sure how well they would pull it off. They pulked it off very well. They made you fear the noise just as the characters did. And, incredibly, without the use if much dialogue, even less actually vocalized, they were able to establish relationships between characters, make us care for them and drive the plot forward meaningfully. They used the lack of sound as powerfully as the sound itself. And I am impressed with the actors for giving such powerful performances without their voices.

It was a good one from just a watching standpoint too. It kept you on the esgr of your seat. The way it opened really grabbed you and set the tone for the whole movie. The plot moved well, nothing out of place that I noticed. Every gun on the shelf in the first act was used to shoot someone in the third as they say. Something about the end was less suspenseful to me, though I can’t explain why. It may have been as simple as I was getting antsy and was ready to leave, not something with the movie itself. But overall, I think it was a well-paced, well-crafted story. Definitely worth the watch.

The Greatest Showman

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Wow. Right from the get-go this movie is amazing. Seriously, from the first shot. One of the best opening scenes to a movie I’ve seen. And from then on it was truly awesome. Visually it was beautiful. From the sets to the costumes to the choreography, it was all around just wonderful to watch. There are several scenes I can pick out that were just entrancing because of the choreography. I am very impressed with both the performers and the choreographers. The music too. Every song was great. The singers all did a great job and the writers are certainly skilled.

It was a fun movie that made you feel good, but had the moments of downfall and struggle in procedural format you would expect. Not full of twists or surprises, but that isn’t the point of it. It did a great job of being a fun and heartwarming tale full of great music and dancing and remarkable cinematography. It ranks up there in my list of favorite musicals and even movies in general. One that I will certainly be seeing again.

The Last Jedi

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I really liked it. One of my favorite Star Wars movies. I can see why people hate it–it is different and. . . certain things happen that I can imagine people are angry about. But I disagree. I’ll start just by saying that it is visually stunning. There are a lot of amazing shots that I would not be opposed to having as a desktop image on my computer or as a poster on my wall. But the shots are just part of it, there isn’t time spent lingering on it and it doesn’t go out of its way to set them up. Basically, aesthetically I think this movie is a work of art.

Now, story-wise, still loved it. It had some surprise twists that totally worked. I really like what they did with Kylo Ren and even Luke. I do still have a lot of questions (where were the Knights of Ren and what the heck is Snoke?) but this is the second in a trilogy and you are supposed to leave it with more questions than answers. The answer we did get that I am very pleased with is Rey’s parents. Out of all of the theories I saw, the one I liked most was correct. I can’t say much without giving it away, but I think it makes Rey’s character better and the story better and fresh. Any other answer would have been. . . unimaginative and unprogressive (not talking anything political, just this moved it past the previous movies). So, yeah, the story was really good and more my speed than many of the others. Closer to something I would write than, say, A New Hope. There are only a couple of points I dislike. One might be cleared up in the next movie and the other just felt stupid at first, but I can see why they did it.

The characters were great too. I have come around on Kylo in The Force awakens and appreciate his character in that movie. That said, I like him so much more in this one as a character. But it builds on the first one for all the characters. They develop well, but are still obviously the same characters. I was worried that I wouldn’t like what they did with Luke, but I actually do. I think it fits the new storyline well. I like the “Legends” version, but I also like this one. Now, I do have to complain about Phasma. I had high hopes for her in TFA and was seriously let down, so I was hoping they would fix it with this second chance. She had one moment where she seemed badass and awesome. Then it was gone and I am still disappointed. I think they should have used her more and given her some actually badass-ness rather than an imposing look but a terrible character. Missed opportunity.

Lastly: porgs. Porg’s Chewbacca scream. Porg everything. The porgs are the best. And the other creatures are awesome too.

I am excited for the next movie, hopefully to get some answers to my questions. I really hope they stick on this route rather than listening to the backlash and going back to what they were doing before. This felt less Disney and more gritty and real and I love it. It was less all in on good vs evil than the new canon has been I feel like, which was good. I think they should have gone farther in that direction, but I’ll take what I can get. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and if you go into it with an open mind, I think you will too. In terms of Rotten Tomatoes, I am on the side of the critics. Forget the backlash and go see it for yourself. 

I look forward to seeing what Rian Johnson does with his trilogy. I hope it is new, not trying to bring previous stories or characters to the new canon as many people are hoping for. He did a great job of making something new and breaking away from the past (though still paying homage to it) in this movie and they should definitely let him do that with his new trilogy.

Justice League

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Been a while since I’ve done one of these. Let’s see if I remember how.
I think this was a step up for the DCEU. It started out weak, but got stronger. Still not a super great movie, but leagues (heh) ahead of the previous DCEU movies. Story wise, it was alright. I like that they brought in a family near the source of things so that we could have an emotional investment in what was happening. It wasn’t just a random city being destroyed, there was someone we cared about there. There wasn’t anything really special or new about the story otherwise, but it wasn’t terrible. The telling of it suffered at first. Too many characters without a backstory in place already, so they tried to force too much in in a small amount of time. It came off as awkward and expository. But, once that was out of the way it got easier to get lost in the movie. I do take issue with the ending. It was a classic alien cop-out. I hate alien cop-outs. Almost as much as “it was all a dream” cop-outs. At least this one set up for it throughout the movie.

In terms of characters, I like the new additions. Their characters felt more natural, like actually people. Their dialogue felt more real and natural. They were easier to connect to and like than Batman or Superman. Wonder Woman stands her own with the new guys in that area. I do like the new direction with Superman though. I was not a big fan of his last two movies and, even though I tend to like the darker, grittier stuff, I think this lighter, smiley-er direction is better. They could stand to make some of his (and Batman’s) dialogue less cheesy however. Still better than Suicide Squad’s Enchantress by a mile. 

I think the actors played the characters well. Again, I think the newcomers deserve the most praise. Jason Mamoa and Ezra Miller in particular. I think they were cast very well for their characters. 

The direction was alright. There was not quite as much slo-mo and the like, or it was done more tastefully at least. It wasn’t distracting and cringe-worthy like the rest of the DCEU movies. I wouldn’t say I loved it or anything.

Overall, it wasn’t an MCU movie. That is not a compliment. But it was enjoyable. One of the top two DCEU movies for sure.

Baby Driver

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This one was good.  Very well made movie.  In terms of storytelling, I can think of only two things that made me question them.  One was one character’s motivations near the end.  It felt kinda vague and weak.  The other was how prepared one minor character was to the point that I was certain he was a bigger character than he was.  Otherwise it was very well put together.  Everything tied in well with no excess pieces.  It carried through in a smooth, but exciting ride without sudden and uncalled for diversions.  A wild ride right to the end.

I have nothing but praise of the director.  There were many scenes I was just marveling at the way it was filmed.  Showed exactly what had to be shone and nothing more.  Set the mood of every scene perfectly.  And the use of music was incredible.  The way songs were incorporated into the construction of so many scenes.  Just awesome.

And the actors.  Oh man.  I was captured by every single one of them.  Kevin Spacey was remarkable as always, executing every line perfectly.  And Ansel Elgort played his character so well.  His interactions with the music and with the other characters was great.  His character felt real and I felt connected to him.  The others did a great job as well, special mention to Jon Hamm.

Overall, I really have nothing but praise for this film.  Serious kudos to Edgar Wright for a well done film.  I highly recommend this one to most everyone.  Not the young ones, but most everyone else.

Kong: Skull Island

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Not my favorite movie. The special effects were pretty good, though it was sometimes pretty obvious when there was blue/green screen. It was fairly enjoyable on the surface, but with my focus on my stories and characters, I over-analyze everything I see or read. So, I didn’t like this one a whole lot.

For starters, the pacing felt weird for much of it. It was jumpy. It bounced between times and characters rather suddenly. And some of the events just seemed to happen out of the blue with no build-up and then the story jumped again. That can work when it creates shock, but I never really felt shocked or surprised, just confused.

And the whole movie was trying too hard. It worked hard to push a message with blatant images and statements. The cinematography also tried too hard. There were some cool shots, but also quite a few that didn’t make sense and were distracting. Too much slow motion. At one point the camera focused on a character’s hand for too long and it didn’t really make sense why, the scene would have been exactly the same, but flowed better had that shot not been in there. Similarly, it tried to foreshadow. A lot. In obvious ways. A whole shot of a guy walking by just to settle on a gun on a table. Setting a sword down and lingering on it for too long. There were so many blatant foreshadowing shots. There were some points that tried too hard. Two in particular come to mind. Two moments of huge heroism that looked fake and/or came out of nowhere and served to purpose.

My biggest complaint has to be the characters. Only one character seemed to come off naturally and that’s because he was supposed to be strange and awkward. There were too many characters and not much time spent on any of them. They had a few moments where they tried to force-feed who the character was to us in the most obvious way. Basically the closest showing can come to telling. In distracting ways. Their interactions and dialogue were awkward and unnatural. Their relationships seemed to come out of nowhere and grew with no real sense of what went into it or even what it was. I felt no attachment to any of them and got no real sense of who they were. Aside from the traits forced down my throat, I got nothing from them. There were some great actors in the film, but I felt like most of them didn’t really get into it.

Overall, I wasn’t thrilled with it. Others thought it was pretty good, so I can’t say you won’t like it. Again, I’m into over-analyzing stories right now, so you could disagree and not see anything I did or not care. There’re my thoughts, but, as always, make your own.