I was mad about something that happened like two minutes in, and I never got over it.
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4,613 reviews
The Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass used to believe up to 6 impossible things before breakfast. This is the movie for her! This films asked you to believe about 250!
Pretty much takes every ancient machination you’ve seen in ALL the Indiana Jones films and crams them into 2-hours.
Not bad per se, and I’m sure it looked amazing in the theater, but it failed to really do much for me in my home viewing.
It's a little weird watching an MCU movie that has no references, cameos, or connections to any of the existing ones. I can't even remember the last time that happened. Even movies like the Eternals name-dropped The Avengers at least once.
I was pretty neutral heading into Fantastic Four: First Steps. I've seen the other F4's, and obviously they have never really nailed it. This one is definitely the best. I love the retro-futuristic vibe, and I appreciate that it's not another origin story (despite the name First Steps sort of sounding like it is). It could have used more action, especially more of Mr. Fantastic's powers. He didn't even get that stretchy.
Saddled with a name you can’t pronounce “Xibalba,” or a one that makes it sound like a late night History Channel documentary, this film takes 3/4 of the run time to get us to the climax in excruciating detail, (I know more about safety measures of cave diving than before, so there is that…) and when the finale comes, it is such a sharp turn that if you weren’t paying attention, you might think you feel asleep and you were in the middle of completely different film.
The cast feels like it is a dozen clones. It is honestly difficult to tell who is who at times. When you CAN figure out which one is which, there are some good character traits given and shown in some nicely done ways, but that feels better suited for a short film rather than stuck in this.
Wanted to like it but the story, in the end, left me cold.
I think the biggest problem with this film is a very weak cast lead by Tom Cruise. He walks through the film relying on his “charm,” and little else, as if that is all he needs to offer.
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with the movie otherwise. Nothing that we haven’t been willing to hand wave away in other films. There is just a lack of anyone believing in what they are doing. If they don’t, why should we?
It has a good enough cast and enough funny moments to be worth a singular watch.
After seeing <I>Dangerous Animals</i> in theaters a short time ago, and now seeing it on VOD, I have to say that it's one of my favorite films of the year.
Jai Courtney puts on a fantastic performance, one which reminds me of a blend of <I>Wolf Creek</i>'s "Mick Taylor" and <I>American Psycho</i>'s "Patrick Bateman". He can have that charm, but it's a mask that only further hides the sick and twisted games his character plays with each victim. And what a game this all is. Hassie Harrison naturally falls into her role, a care-free spirit turned hostage who will do anything to escape the deadly situation she's placed in while also conceiving tricks of her own. The tension between the two plays out well throughout the film.
<B>Final thoughts:</b>
Take a bite out of this one!<B>Setup</b>: <A HREF="http://letterboxd.com/lgoled">LG OLED TV with Filmmaker Mode</A>.
<I>M3GAN 2.0</i>, in some ways, went the <I>Terminator 2: Judgement Day</i> route. Where the first film featured a decent storyline and kills, <I>2.0</i> strayed from its original path and opted more for the unnecessary, such as placing comedic one-liners in situations where it wasn't needed and a dynamic that just didn't find the right pieces for the puzzle at the end.
While it didn't connect with theatergoers, it's hard to say what the future holds for the <I>M3GAN</i>-verse, including <I>Soulm8te</i>'s proposed theatrical run, but you can never keep a Good Guy down. Whoops, wrong franchise.
<B>Setup</b>: Both <I>M3GAN</i> films were very colorful, so we watched the film on our <A HREF="http://letterboxd.com/lgoled">LG OLED TV with Perfect Color</A>. If you weren't familiar with the film's marketing, the colors were quite vibrant, as was the film itself, so while we may not have enjoyed it, our setup did its job (and quite well).
I'm going to be honest, I couldn't stay awake unless Denzel was talking. Denzel's still got it. I don't think he'll ever lose it.
I've never watched this before, because it really seemed like it wouldn't be my kind of movie. I was right, it's not, but I enjoyed it anyway.
I've seen this twice but I've never watched the first one because I find Jared Leto's existence so upsetting.
I remember watching the original <I>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> in theaters many years ago, and leaving somewhat entertained (and excited for a <I>I Still...</i> sequel, which I did not care for at all). Was it a great film? No, but the scare sequences and over-the-top acting made it fun. Oh, and Jennifer Love-Hewitt, of course, made it worth watching.
Years later, I'm not shocked that a legacy sequel has finally come about (Hello, <I>Scream</i> (2022)), but was it worth it? In my honest opinion, no.
In this sequel, we're fed a similar group (a carbon copy) of self-centered, obnoxious characters who, of course, mess up their lives in one night because of one person's reckless behavior (and, to be fair, this was an accident unlike the first film where they actually (accidentally) killed someone).
Anyway, moving on.
After the events one year prior, our characters gather for one character's bridal party (two fiancés in one year!). The eventual "I know what you did last summer" card appears, and everyone goes into shock mode. As the events begin to unfold and people in their group start to get killed, they don't even spare a moment to mourn. They carry on, make jokes, "snuggle", and go about their day... while also trying to find out who's doing this to them.
Bringing back FPJ and JLH was a nice touch, but both the delivery was forced and acting misvalued. JLH looked like she had better things to do, while FPJ has the same constipated look on his face as he always does. I'm not going to spoil it, but there were more creative ways to reintroduce the two and to dive into their story and have it become a bigger part of this film's legacy. Unfortunately, that didn't happen (or work).
So, will this film bring applause from the original's fanbase? Yes. It delivers some great kills and sets. However, next year, if someone asks me what I did last summer, I'm not bringing this film up at all.
