Films/TV Reviews

My review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The Guardians of the Galaxy movies are weird for me. For many, they are among the best movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have quite the fanbase. Even as interest in the MCU declines, many detractors have claimed that GOTG 3 would be their last movie before they drop off the franchise for good. Personally I have found them to be pretty good, but there’s plenty preventing me from loving them. So I wasn’t exactly the most excited for Vol. 3, not helped by the recent string of fairly underwhelming MCU movies (like Ant Man 3 and Thor 4) and the uninspiring trailers. So it’s to my surprise that it ended up being one of my favourite MCU movies.

Some of my criticisms with James Gunn’s past comic book movies is that some of the attempted emotion and sincerity don’t always works, especially with how its paired alongside an otherwise goofy story and silly antics, leading to a very tonally inconsistent film (The Suicide Squad being a big example of this). Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a massive improvement on this however. This surprisingly darker story and the more resonant moments are quite present throughout; I was able to buy into everything that was happening, and was emotionally invested with the characters and their journeys. For what it’s worth, I’d highly recommend rewatching Vol 1, 2 (and maybe Infinity War and Endgame) before this, because it really helps to emphasise the progression that these characters have gone through. As said earlier, Vol. 3 has a much darker story compared to the previous two movies, with a heavy focus on Rocket’s past, and taking on certain topics including animal testing and eugenics. The flashbacks on a younger Rocket are very well done and hit in the ways that they need to. There’s some good character work here, and the heart and emotion delivered as intended. I also liked the lower stakes of the plot; even when it reaches the climax of the movie, Vol. 3 isn’t about saving the whole world like the previous movies were. While the main antagonist is certainly very powerful and dangerous, the thing that causes the Guardians of the Galaxy to come into conflict with him is more personal. James Gunn’s humour is a little hit or miss, and generally it doesn’t work for me like it does for others. However, it felt less forced in Vol. 3 and doesn’t halt the story for elaborate comedic hijinks. For what it’s worth, it’s most effectively funny of the three GOTG movies. There are some sections in the first half that I potentially could see dragging on a rewatch, but on my first viewing I was on board for the 2 hours and 30 minutes runtime. There’s only one subplot which I felt was unnecessary (which I’ll mention later), but it didn’t take away from the rest of the movie too much. Without getting into it, Vol. 3 is clearly intended as a conclusion, and it was satisfying seeing where the characters end up. Unlike most of the MCU, there is a distinct feeling of finality that really added to the movie.

The actors of the Guardians of the Galaxy with Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper are great in their parts. The found family thing was a little hard to buy into in their earlier appearances, but by Vol. 3, it’s completely believable. The chemistry between them is great, and they deliver on the comedic and emotional scenes. I liked seeing how far the characters have progressed, especially Nebula and Drax. The villain of this movie is named The High Evolutionary and is played by Chukwudi Iwuji. He is over the top, isn’t particularly complex and isn’t given much backstory. However, the writing and the committed way Iwuji plays him makes the character work, and is by far the most hateable villain in the whole MCU. Definitely one of the better villains in the franchise. Not all of the characters in the movie are great, this is especially the case with the roles played by Will Poulter and Elizabeth Debicki. Debicki reprises her role from GOTG 2, and she gets to do even less here. Poulter plays the character of Adam Warlock, and he is funny in his screentime. That being said, my only explanation as to why Warlock is even here is that James Gunn felt obligated to include him after teasing the character’s appearance in Vol. 2’s credit scene. While he is critical to the plot in a couple instances, he easily could’ve been written out of the story, and it would be made for a slightly better movie.

James Gunn’s direction is pretty good, definitely the best work I’ve seen from him so far. The visuals are pretty good, especially when compared to the look and CGI of the recent MCU movies. The production design is solid, and there’s a lot of great prosthetics and makeup. As expected with it being a GOTG movie. the songs are well picked, and the score from John Murphy is also quite good.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a surprisingly heartfelt, dark, and emotional conclusion to the GOTG movies, with a great cast and characters, and entertaining action. While it’s certainly possible that it won’t work as well on repeat viewings, this movie really worked for me considering that I was a massive sceptic going in. Of the 3 solo Guardians of the Galaxy movies, it’s by far the best, and is also one of the best films in the MCU.

thecinemacritic.wordpress.com/2023/05/17/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-2023-review/

My review of The Covenant

The Covenant (sometimes known as Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, likely to avoid confusion with the 5 other movies also called the Covenant) was a movie that I was interested in, even just for the director. I generally like Guy Ritchie, but I particularly liked his recent string of movies of the 2020s starting with The Gentlemen. The Covenant however looks like a different movie from him, not only a war movie set in Afghanistan, but one that looked gritty and grounded and lacking the strong style that the director was known for. I thought it was quite good.

The Covenant is up there with Wrath of Man as one of Guy Ritchie’s most different movies. It is a modern war movie, and as such the story is rather familiar yet predictable. Still it works and it is executed well. It has a serious tone, tackles darker themes and showcases the consequences of the Afghanistan war, as well as the impact it had on civilian populations. There’s a good balance between the action sequences and character moments. The pacing can be a little messy and sluggish at times, but it picks up as it goes along and it is fairly riveting all the way through.

There’s a cast of good performances, but it mostly comes down to Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim; they help to elevate the screenplay and get you invested in the story. Gyllenhaal gives another reliably great performance, and Salim is incredible, probably the standout in the cast. There’s a compelling dynamic between the two characters, and the actors commit to their parts in such a way that the connection is strong and believable.

Guy Ritchie directs this well, and has made probably the least Guy Ritchie movie yet. The cinematography is strong and striking, the camera work is exceptional, and the lighting and colour pallet enhanced the story. Additionally, the editing is on point, and the sound design and mixing were excellent. The action is intense and chaotic, and realistically executed, and there are many suspenseful sequences. It lacks Ritchie’s usual style, but it is for the better in this case. While it is definitely an R rated movie, the violence is fairly restrained by the director’s standards (especially when compared to the likes of Wrath of Man). However, this probably works for the more grounded approach. Christopher Benstead has been Ritchie’s go to composer ever since The Gentlemen, and considering his scores always elevates the movies, it’s for good reason. His music does for The Covenant what it did for Wrath of Man. The phenomenal score adds another level of suspense and elevates the film to a whole other level, and its already one of the year’s best film scores.

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is a solid and strongly directed war thriller, made better by the great performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim, good action, and an incredible score. It’s not one of Ritchie’s best, but it’s pretty good, and is worth checking out.

thecinemacritic.wordpress.com/2023/05/23/the-covenant-2023-review/

My review of The Flash

Saying that the timeline of The Flash movie was a rollarcoaster would be a massive understatement. It’s been in the works for nearly a decade, cycling through multiple different writers and directors. Even when they production began there were tons of setbacks and issues, whether it be with the reshoots, alterations due to regime changes at Warner Bros and DC, and even controversies (to put it mildly) involving its lead star Ezra Miller. As the years went on, my anticipation for it greatly lessened, especially when it became clear that it would serve as a reset to the DCEU. It was clear that WB had a lot riding on it with the way it was promoted, known stars like Tom Cruise and Stephen King highly praised it, and there were declarations about it being ‘the best DC movie since The Dark Knight’. I had doubts after seeing the unimpressive trailers and especially the leaked footage of the movie. Still, I decided to watch the movie and if it’s any consolation to WB, The Flash is mostly functional and isn’t nearly the disaster it could’ve been considering the behind the scenes issues. But on a quality level, it is probably closer to Shazam 2 than The Dark Knight.

The first half is generally okay, if very flawed. The opening action sequence is questionable with some weird choices, but after that I was on board with the plot for a surprisingly long time as it gets into the main driving force of the film. Barry Allen/The Flash’s mother was killed and his father was framed for her murder. In the present day, Barry goes back in time to save his mother, leading to great consequences and changes in the timeline. This aspect is the only genuine part in the whole movie, so it’s a shame that not enough time is given to it despite the importance to the story. It’s quite underdeveloped, and I noticed more problems the more I thought about it. You can certainly argue that the movie is still about Barry’s story and revolves around him. However, it is still overshadowed by the multiverse stuff, which the film is more interested in. For those familiar with DC Flash lore or the tv series in the 2010s, you can probably tell that this movie is somewhat based on the Flashpoint comic story where Barry goes back in time to save his mother. That comes with its own issues from that original story, including the way that Barry’s decision caused random things in the past to change, including the members of the Justice League. At the same time, it isn’t really a full on Flashpoint adaptation, as many of the key aspects seen in the comic aren’t here. The way the movie tries to portray the consequences of changing the past is underdeveloped and poorly done, and the conclusion is especially disappointing. The whole plot is like that, badly thought out and making less sense the more I thought about it. For a 2 hours and 30 minute long movie which felt overstuffed, not much of substance really happened in that runtime. There is a lot of bad humour which is grating the vast majority of the time. There’s even a joke during the opening action scene which is lifted straight from Justice League (2017), in fact much of the comedy in The Flash feels in the same vein as that movie and that’s not a good sign.

For the first two thirds the movie chugs along as it gets into Batman nostalgia, introduces Supergirl, and occasionally remembers that little important story about The Flash. The third act is where everything falls apart, it’s funny how you can exactly pinpoint the exact moment it does, as it rushes towards a visually ugly climax. The situation that the characters find themselves in and the way it plays out is just so contrived that it is pushing credibility even by superhero standards. The Flash movie blatantly relies on nostalgia, with the most notable of appearances relegated to Michael Keaton’s Batman, Supergirl, and General Zod from Man of Steel; I have issues with how those were handled and will elaborate on them later. But I’m going to now touch upon a particular sequence in the third act which contains a ton of cameos. It showcases horrific CGI recreations of past DC characters (non DCEU) in another desperate play for nostalgia. Most vile of all is the fact that most of these are of long dead actors. I knew of this scene beforehand, and that did improve my viewing experience. Nonetheless, there was still something depressing watching awful CGI recreations of dead actors mugging for the camera, waiting for audience applause. It’s truly a ghoulish addition and possibly the worst scene in the franchise, one which easily could’ve been removed. Barring one genuinely good emotional scene, the third act is flat out bad. With The Flash being seen as somewhat the ending of the DCEU, you’d think they would attempt to give some sort of satisfying conclusion or lead the way for the reboot. Instead, they end on a gag which will never be resolved. If this is really the official end of the DCEU, then it’s got to be one of the strangest and most baffling conclusions to a major franchise, down to the final lines and shots. There is an end credits scene, but its really not worth sticking around for.

Ezra Miller returns as Barry Allen/The Flash and while I’m aware that not everyone likes their version of the character, I liked their performance. Much like Justice League (2017), the film unfortunately leans into the character’s goofier aspects to an annoying degree; his social awkwardness is cartoonish and while people could put this down to Miller’s performance, it’s clear that the role was written and directed with this intent. This is further seen in Ezra’s other performance as a younger more insufferable version of Barry. That said, Miller’s emotional scenes are acted very well. Ron Livingston (replacing Billy Crudup) and Maribel Verdu play Barry Allen’s parents and they are good in their screentime. Ben Affleck returns as Batman/Bruce Wayne in a relatively small role to give his final performance as the character before walking away for good. I have very mixed feelings on his portrayal in the opening action set piece, but I liked his last scene.

One of the most notable parts of the movie is the fact that Michael Keaton would play Batman again, here playing the Batman of the timeline that Barry finds himself in after making the change. Most of the marketing used Keaton as the film’s biggest selling point, either wanting the nostalgia factor to draw people in, or they didn’t want to focus too much on Ezra Miller for obvious reasons. Keaton really isn’t as committed as he was in the Tim Burton Batman films, so it’s just as well that his character can get away with this. His inclusion in the film is confusing, especially as the Flash didn’t travel to the Burtonverse. Aside from the aesthetic including the Batcave, Batsuit and the score (and of course the actor), Keaton’s Batman here doesn’t resemble the Batman in the Burton films, especially not in personality or backstory. You could easily swap him out with any other Batman actor, and it would’ve been narratively identical. The only thing we learn about this Batman is that he’s retried, he’s basically a variant of Affleck’s Batman who looks different for some reason. Otherwise, he lacks any sort of actual character. The films plays on nostalgia by getting the aesthetic and feel of Keaton’s Batman movies without any of the personality or character. There are many moments of him saying lines from his prior appearances that feel crowbarred in, he comes across more like a talking action figure than an actual character. Not to say that there isn’t any enjoyment to be had with him, but for a movie relying so much on this popular portrayal, his appearance here is shockingly hollow.

I was more interested in Sasha Calle’s Supergirl, since I could tell that they weren’t going to rely on cheap callbacks with her. I liked the setup they did with her character, especially with the alternate Man of Steel timeline. It’s a shame then that she isn’t utilised that well; the writing and character moments for her were limiting and not much is actually done with her. The closest thing to a main villain is Michael Shannon as General Zod. Zod’s invasion of Earth is built up over the course of the whole movie, but he really only makes his direct appearance in the third act. Shannon’s performance in Man of Steel is one of the most memorable and energetic supervillains from the past 10 years, but here he gives an uncharacteristically bored performance. To be fair there isn’t anything for him to do here, just to serve as a physical threat. If you told me Shannon spent an hour delivering lines in front of a camera and then they pasted his face onto a CGI body, I’d believe you.

There were a large number of directors who were attached to this movie, but it was Andy Muschietti who completed it. I liked his work on the IT movies, so there was at least some potential here. One of my favourite parts about the DCEU is that with the exception of Justice League, each film has a distinct style which differentiates them from the other movies in the franchise (especially in stark contrast to the MCU). While Muschietti is a solid director, this is probably the second least inspiring direction I’ve seen within the DCEU, and the best thing I can say is that he delivered a completed film despite the disastrous production. Many of the technical aspects are a mixed bag, from the action set pieces to the visual effects. Some moments look decent, but most of it looks really fake. Superhero movies utilise a lot of CGI, but in The Flash you lose track of the number of times you see characters become blatantly fake looking weightless digital models. There’s an argument made that things look weird because its from the Flash’s perspective, and while I understand that to a degree, that can only go so far. The uncanny looking characters in the time travel scenes are no doubt a deliberate stylistic decision, beyond that there’s no reason for the visual effects to look blatantly unfinished. The third act is where things are at their worst. In no doubt a move to avoid getting the same heat that Man of Steel’s climax received, it takes place in this empty desert and is among the worst looking set pieces I’ve seen in a superhero movie. Some have said that it looks like a video game cutscene, but more accurately it looks like an ad for a DC mobile game. For what its worth, the score from Benjamin Wallfisch is pretty good.

Aside from dabbling in digital necromancy, the most damning part of the movie is the lack of commitment to being anything. It aims for a multiverse story, but really only settles for a few notable changes to the timeline and characters, and isn’t a good Flashpoint adaptation at all. It wants to indulge in nostalgia but in a rather hollow way which serves no purpose, especially with how it brings in a very surface level version of Michael Keaton’s Batman. The ending doesn’t commit to a partial reboot, a full reboot, or an ending for the DCEU. The story’s message is about how you shouldn’t linger on the past and instead move on, rendered meaningless by the film’s own reliance on the past. The biggest thing going for it was its attempt at being a somewhat personal Flash story, but even that didn’t receive enough attention and was overshadowed by everything else. The Flash is the worst kind of crowd pleaser, trying to appeal to every possible group and not succeeding in any way. All the conflicting choices make it the most confounding movie in the DCEU, and they aren’t bold decisions made by visionaries, but mandated and ill advised choices made during a nightmare of a production.

For that reason, I have no idea who I could recommend this movie to. Admittedly, hearing and seeing the worst aspects of the movie beforehand did help my viewing experience. I even liked parts of it, like some of the performances and well handled moments. But on the whole, The Flash is an absolute mess. The end result of the story is mostly hollow and unfocused, the humour is largely unfunny, its use of nostalgia is grating and highly questionable, and it is visually ugly, especially in its subpar final act. What’s frustrating is that there is some genuine potential here. But I consider it to be amongst the worst of the DCEU, not as bad as Justice League (2017), but it still gets worse the more I think about it. If Blue Beetle or Aquaman 2 end up being worse, then that’s a pretty depressing end to the DCEU.

thecinemacritic.wordpress.com/2023/06/20/the-flash-2023-review/

My review of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I like the films in the series, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade are classics and among my favourite movies. I was very mixed on Temple of Doom; it has as many bad things as it does good things, but there’s a lot to admire in it. I even genuinely like the much-derided Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and consider it to be a good movie. While the next film wouldn’t be helmed by Steven Spielberg, Logan and Walk the Line director James Mangold would be stepping in, and I thought he was a good choice. With its rather muted reception after the premiere at Cannes, things weren’t looking good for it. Still, I watched the movie and I’m happy to say that I liked it at the very least, but I am disappointed I didn’t like it a lot more.

The strongest part of the movie is it’s opening action sequence, in which it focuses on a younger (and de-aged) Indiana Jones in World War II. It’s a little too long and there are some issues with the visual effects, but I enjoyed it. The main adventure however felt less compelling than the previous four movies. The concept of the story is good enough and the plot was fairly entertaining, but I just wasn’t that invested. The story feels as tired and worn out as its main character, and while the film leans into Indy’s older age, that excuse can only go so far for a film this low energy. Dial of Destiny is 2.5 hours long and you certainly feel the length. So much of the movie felt drawn out and padded out, it’s not helped by the sluggish pacing. To me, the biggest issue of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is that it was too safe, even among all the alien stuff. Perhaps the backlash to that movie caused the writers of filmmakers of Dial of Destiny to take a less adventurous approach, as Dial of Destiny plays as a greatest hits of past Indy films. For all the implausible action and over the top moments, it doesn’t do anything that special. Much of the movie felt repetitive with the situations that Indy and co. find themselves in. That said, the third act does go in a more insane direction and regardless of the execution, it is really the only time the movie does something unexpected and daring. It’s a shame that this turn happens before the closing of the film instead of much earlier. Also, whereas the previous adventures are resolved in definitive ways, Dial of Destiny ends very abruptly without a satisfying conclusion. Even the attempt at an emotional close felt surface level and unearned. While it isn’t one of the main issues of the movie, the attempts at playing on nostalgia especially with the dialogue never worked for me. I won’t get into it too much, but going into the movie, I was curious as to how it would jump off the ending of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull since to me that was a fitting conclusion to the character. Dial of Destiny basically destroys that happy ending in order to place Indy in his current state for the film. Comparing the end points of the 4th and 5th films, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a far more satisfying ending to the character, and while I don’t like saying this about movies, DoD really doesn’t do enough to justify its existence.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is unsurprisingly one of the best parts of the movie. You can tell that he absolutely loves playing this character and that shines through as he once again puts everything into one of his most iconic characters. While the emotional scenes aren’t always handled the best, Ford undoubtedly plays those moments perfectly. Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays Indiana’s goddaughter and she was pretty good, though the writing of her character was very inconsistent and confused. She is meant to go through an arc or change over the course of the film, but it’s not very convincing. Still, PWB adds a lot of well needed energy to the film. Unfortunately, the chemistry between these two leads isn’t that great, but I’d put that down to the writing again. Mads Mikkelsen plays the main villain, and the role isn’t all that special (a disappointment considering the large number of antagonists he has played). Still, Mikkelsen as usual has a great screen presence and does a lot with what he’s given. Other actors like Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas give commendable performances, even if a lot of them were underutilised.

The biggest thing working against the movie is the fact that Steven Spielberg isn’t, it would be a great challenge for whoever would take on the job instead. James Mangold is a more than capable director, and his involvement was one of the things that gave me hope for the film. And yet, it was likely the most disappointing part of the whole film. That’s not to say that is direction is bad, far from it. It is competent and much of the technical elements are solid, with some great production design and a decent score from John Williams. At the same time, it felt that any director could’ve made this movie, even one less skilled than Mangold. Directionwise, there isn’t anything clever or distinct, and it really feels like it’s missing something. The action is well shot and coherent, but much like the rest of the movie, is sorely lacking in energy. Most of these sequences go on a lot longer than they needed to; they get boring after a while and aren’t creative or interesting enough to sustain my interest. The imagery is mostly fine, but the imagery isn’t particularly memorable. The worst aspects on a technical level are the visual effects and CGI, especially with how reliant the movie is on them. The occasionally dodgy effects don’t ruin the movie, but they took me out of the movie when present. Dial of Destiny uses de-aging effects on Harrison Ford in the younger Indiana Jones scenes, and when he isn’t in motion is looks fine (if bordering on uncanny valley), but really suffers during the scenes of action.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is entertaining enough with mostly competent direction and good performances. Overall though, it’s a disappointingly safe film, with a stretched out and passable story and lacks the memorable elements, passion and energy of the previous 4 movies. I can’t really tell who this movie will be for and who it won’t be for, but I guess if you hated Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, you might get some enjoyment out of this. For me though, that film at least had a far more satisfying end to Indiana Jones’s run than Dial of Destiny. For what its worth, it is worth checking out if you liked any of the previous movies. While I’m not unhappy that I watched it, it’s by far the most disappointing movie I’ve seen this year.

thecinemacritic.wordpress.com/2023/07/04/indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny-2023-review/

My review of BlackBerry

BlackBerry was a very intriguing movie for me. It seemed to be among the recent string of movies based on products people recognise, like Tetris or Air (Air Jordans). But the movie about the BlackBerry seemed to be receiving some genuinely great reviews, and having seen it I think it lives up to all the praise.

BlackBerry benefits from a great screenplay. I certainly knew about the BlackBerry, but I didn’t have an in depth knowledge of its history, and it was interesting to learn about it. It’s an entertaining watch; it is paced well, there’s a good amount of enjoyable comedy, and the dialogue is very sharp. At the same time it really hits with the drama. It is yet another biopic focussing on a rise and fall, and while it does skip over some sections about the rise, on the whole I think it really delivered. You can probably figure out how it will end, but its nonetheless absorbing, even tense at times. There’s enough here on a story, character and thematic level that it doesn’t feel like yet another standard biopic.

The performances are all great, particularly with the main two leads in Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton. I’m used to seeing Baruchel in more comedic works, but this is the best I’ve seen him, he’s particularly fantastic in the second half. The standout from the whole movie however is Howerton, delivering a fierce, fiery and scene chewing performance. Director Matt Johnson is really good and convincing in another significant role, and other actors like Michael Ironside, Cary Elwes and SungWon Cho also perform their parts really well.

This is the first movie I’ve seen from Matt Johnson, based off this one movie, he’s a really solid director. he camerawork is reminiscent of a documentary/mockumentary, and with the camera zoom ins and movements, it does feel like its filmed like The Office or Succession. It captures the comedy incredibly well, but also the tension and claustrophobia, particularly in the second half. The only big criticism I have is that there are a lot of unconvincing wigs, mostly with the two leads. That said, the movie is good enough that you get used to it after a while.

BlackBerry is a surprisingly riveting and entertaining biopic that’s excellently written, well directed, and has fantastic performances, especially from Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton. I highly recommend checking it out, it’s one of my favourite movies of the year.

thecinemacritic.wordpress.com/2023/07/22/blackberry-2023-review/