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“Extraction” is a One and Done - Movie Review

With the world in its current state, Extraction offers an exciting (but also very basic) distraction. The plot of Extraction centers around a mercenary, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth),  who is hired to rescue Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the kidnapped son of an Indian crime lord. Although this setup is rather basic,, it allows a lot of room for impactful action sequences. With the Russo Brothers (directors of Avengers: Endgame)  attached as producers, Extraction is at its best when the action and tension are high. However, outside of those exciting sequences is a movie that is easily forgettable.

(Minor Spoilers Below)

Extraction executes most of its action scenes spectacularly. The combat and choreography are excitingly complex while still being easy to follow, especially with the hand-to-hand combat. Sam Hargrave’s directing style during these action scenes is intense and engrossing. The highlight of Extraction is the minutes-long continuous shot that occurs early on in the film. The flow of the action feels natural and does a great job of keeping the audience on edge.

However, outside of these action scenes, there isn’t much that Extraction has to offer. The movie relies heavily on narrative shortcuts, especially when it comes to character work. There comes a point where Tyler becomes personally protective of Ovi, but that development does not happen organically. All of the progression of Extraction seems to come for the convenience of the plot, which is especially disappointing when interesting story elements are introduced only to be thrown away at the end.

It feels like a meaningless exercise to even criticize Extraction’s plot because that’s obviously not its focus. However, with the lack of narrative tension or dread, the stretches of time between the action becomes tiresome. As well, because the movie’s climax happens rather early, the movie’s pacing becomes unbalanced. By the time Extraction reaches its conclusion, there is no real investment in these characters, and ends being disappointing.

Outside of the amazing action sequences, it doesn’t feel like Extraction has a unique voice. It has no aspirations to be a political thriller but also doesn’t have the tongue-in-cheek tone that franchises like The Fast and The Furious bring to the table. Extraction just seems to exist as an easy thrill ride but becomes utterly forgettable with a disappointing conclusion.

While Extraction has several exciting action sequences, the overall movie is something forgettable. Once the movie shows off its most impressive set-piece, it just drags itself towards a slow and predictable conclusion. Extraction functions well as a light distraction from our current reality, but it will be lost to time as the people who put it together move on to better things.

6.0 out of 10

(Photos courtesy of IMDb)

#extraction #movie review #no spoiilers #chris hemsworth #joe russo #anthony russo #the russo brothers #sam hargrave #action movie

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The Most Dangerous Game in “The Hunt” is Tribalism - Movie Review

Rich people hunting regular people for sport is nothing new, especially with modern hits like The Purge and The Hunger Games. What makes The Hunt separate itself is by inserting talking points from modern American politics where Right-wingers are being hunted by Left-wing millionaires. What makes The Hunt work is that it doesn’t focus on the actual politics of either side, but shows how tribalism has brought out people’s toxicity.

(Minor spoilers below)

Politically speaking, The Hunt doesn’t choose which side is right or wrong. While the cast is filled with a variety of colorful characters, they are not people you would be rooting for under normal circumstances. It often plays into the stereotypes of both sides, where the Right is filled with redneck conspiracy theorists and the Left has business yuppies who care little for the lower class.

Despite the marketing, The Hunt is not a horror movie and leans closer to being a dark action-comedy. The humor plays on the audience’s expectations of both groups. And while there is plenty to laugh at, the movie will often go for the low-hanging fruit, which feels unnecessary. The movie does a great job of using humor to explain its message of partisanship, but then loses some of its momentum with someone on the Left unironically using the word “Deplorables” or when someone on the Right makes the comment “I thought they were all vegetarians”. 

What keeps the movie from becoming repetitive is its central character, a young woman known as Snowball (Betty Gilpin), who is part of the group that is being hunted. When we’re introduced to her, it’s clear that she’s very different from her allies. She knows her way around a gun but takes no part in discussing politics. She doesn’t seem to fit cleanly into the Left or the Right, which makes her a strong unpredictable element throughout the story.

Another strong element of The Hunt is its action sequences. In the first scene where we see people getting hunted, it hits hard and it hits stupid (but in the best way possible). It helps set up the hyperbolic tone of the movie with how over the top it can be with its kills and gore. This is especially true at the end of the film with its final confrontation.

In fact, it isn’t until the film’s third act when everything meshes together wonderfully. While the explanation for what gets the plot rolling is implausibly ridiculous, when you connect it to the theme of toxic tribalism, it becomes somewhat clever. The Hunt is as subtle as a severely sore thumb, and in its final moments, it embraces its hyperbolic nature hoping the audience at least had some fun.

The strength of The Hunt is that it doesn’t take sides in the political discourse, but instead calls out the behavior of many who participate in it. While some jokes may not land the film does a great job of playing with the audience’s expectations. For those the movie is calling out, it may only add fuel to the fire. The Hunt may not be the smartest political comedy in recent memory, but it is still highly entertaining as long as you’re open to it.

7.0 out of 10

(Photos courtesy of IMDb)

#the hunt #movie review #no spoilers #spoiler free #betty gilpin

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The Lion King (2019) - Movie Review

With the release of The Lion King in 1994, it has maintained a status of being the standout movie of the Disney Renaissance Era. This new version of The Lion King transplants the powerful story, themes, and music of the original into a photo-realistic setting. And while this remake doesn’t replace the original, the 2019 version of The Lion King does a great job telling the story with its breathtaking visuals.

(Minor spoilers below)

The story of The Lion King (2019) is the same as the original, even lifting scenes line for line. It’s obvious that the filmmakers respect the source material, but it feels like didn’t allow themselves to take many risks. While are some new elements added to the movie, Like Scar’s new relationship with the hyenas, it’s unfortunate that it doesn’t add anything to the story or themes.

Sometimes it feels like the filmmakers were following a blueprint of what a retelling of The Lion King should be but didn’t expand further. In an early scene where Mufasa (James Earl Jones) confronts Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the movie is trying to sell you on their clashing personalities, but it doesn’t fully work. It hits all of the important story beats that need to be there, but it lacks the emotional gravity to get the full impact.

The most striking element the movie is how authentic and real the visuals are! From the very moment the movie begins, you forget that you are looking at computer generated animals, and that illusion is never broken. It’s different from Jon Favreau’s previous film with Disney, The Jungle Book, where the animals were more cartoonish. And while The Lion King has achieved a definite technical wonder, this realistic style does come with a drawback.

With the film’s devotion to realism, The Lion King does suffer from having characters with an unexpressive face. This does not mean the movie is soulless; much of the emotion comes from the voice acting of the characters. As well, the body language of each character does a great job of keeping each character alive, especially the more comedic characters like Timon (Billie Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogan).

The reason to see this new version of The Lion King in theaters is for the technical achievement. All the elements that made the original work are still there, even if some don’t completely hit. Nothing left to say but Hakuna Matata.

6.5 out of 10

(Photos courtesy of IMDb)

#the lion king #simba #scar #mufasa #disney #movie review #donald glover

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“Yesterday” is Cute But Not Engaging - Movie Review

Yesterday imagines a supernatural event that causes the entire world to forget the music of The Beatles. The movie focuses on a struggling musician named Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) who uses this as an opportunity to advance his own career. A premise like this exposes itself to a variety conflict, charm, and some great songs the audience can sing-along to. And while Yesterday delivers on the music and fluffy charm, it ultimately falls flat due to a lack of conflict.

(Minor spoilers below)

Yesterday starts out on the right foot with endearing us to Jack’s struggle to make an impact with his music. When he begins claiming the songs of The Beatles as his own, there is excitement in watching him progress from pub gigs to sharing a stage with Ed Sheeran. The audience also connects with Jack discovering new elements of the world he lives in. By the end of the first act, he seems well situated in this world and becomes an international sensation.

While it’s exciting to see Jack perform these great songs on a large stage, part of it feels unearned. Once Jack ceases to be a struggling musician, there doesn’t seem to be much else going on in the story. Jack faces minimal conflict once he is in this new world. There may be times to where he forgets lyrics to a song or has disagreements with a high profile manager, but none of those play any major impact to the story.  Even internally, Jack never doubts himself or asks if it’s right he should be claiming these songs as his own.

The only true source of conflict comes from the romantic subplot between Jack and Ellie Appleton (Lily James), a close friend and his music manager at the beginning of the film. The chemistry between these two characters are very solid, making it feel like they have a well developed history together. What’s disappointing is how the relationship becomes tedious half way through the movie. The story has them acting in unnatural ways that seem to want to add unnecessary stakes just to give the third act a proper ending.

What also adds to the tedium is how the plot moves without a sense of flow or reason. There are several scenes  that add nothing to the story and the romantic subplot is forced in at awkward times. This causes Yesterday to having uneven pacing that has it feel much longer than it actually is.

These issues don’t necessarily mean Yesterday isn’t entertaining. The concert scenes are spectacular and the supporting cast really helps the movie come alive. There isn’t a single moment where the movie feels boring either. There’s nothing wrong with fluffy entertainment, but the movie itself feels like it’s trying to say more, but doesn’t put in the effort. These leaves Yesterday being a cute but hallow film.

Without any kind of impactful conflict, Yesterday doesn’t offer much outside of its premise. There is certainly a lot of fun to be had, especially by those who want to ride the wave of nostalgia the Beatles songs will supply. For that, the best way to enjoy Yesterday is to rent and watch it at home where you can loudly sing-along with the hits and vaguely pay attention to what happens in the story.

5.5 out of 10

(Photos Courtesy of IMDb)

#Yesterday #Movie Review #Himesh Patel #Lily James #The Beatles

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“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is Spectacular - Movie Review

While the events of Avengers: Endgame are a very heavy presence in the story, Spider-Man: Far From Home feels like a soft reset for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it doesn’t make any major changes, it acts as a checkpoint before introducing the next major story arc. Instead of tackling a monumental threats likes Thanos, Spider-Man’s biggest challenge seems to be himself, which is Far From Home’s biggest strength. What Makes Far From Home work so well its ability to tell a very grounded story of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) while placing him in an exciting adventure in a world that has changed dramatically.

 (This review contains major spoilers for Avengers: Endgame and minor spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home)

 Even in death, Tony Stark is an active influence in the story of Far From Home. Much of Peter’s internal struggle has to deal with living up to the kind of  hero Stark was. And while he has previously shown the capability of being  a hero, it’s obvious that he is still just a kid. When he’s recruited by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to take on the threat of the Elementals, instead of the Avenger he wants, he gets a teenager more focused on his class trip through Europe.

The first half of the movie focuses on Peter figuring out his priorities and the personal challenges of being a hero. At times, the movie can feel almost sluggish because Peter is very passive as the plot seems to happen around him. The second half of the movie is where it really it plays  off of his internal conflict and starts giving the audience some real payoff. It’s great to see Peter mature as a character and take a more active role in the story, especially when it comes time for him to use his powers.

 Far From Home creates a great external conflict with the various Elemental battles throughout Europe and causes Peter to use his abilities in creative ways. These scenes are made even better when he gets assistance from another recruit of Fury, Quintin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), later referred to as Mysterio. When they engages in battle together, especially in the latter half of the movie, it allows for visually stunning fight sequences that messes with the audience’s sense of reality.

Even outside of the action scenes, the relationship between Quintin and Peter is solid. They both are going through similar character arcs, which allows them to bond and grow from each other. This is something that is well set up when they first encounter each other and has a strong  pay off at the end of the film, where both of them are tested in their capacity of being a hero. It feels like everything has been building towards this moment, and the conclusion is genuinely impactful and leaves you wanting more.

 What makes Far From Home work is how personal of a story it is in the grand scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The action scenes feel fresh and blends well with the story its telling. It’s a fantastic follow-up to Endgame and will leave its audience open and ready for more adventures in this world.

 8.0 out of 10

(Photos courtesy of IMDb)

#spider-man #spider-man far from home #movie review #peter parker #mcu #Marvel Cinematic Universe #Mysterio #avengers #endgame

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Annabelle Comes Home - Movie Review

While not taking too much screen time in The Conjuring, there is no doubt that Annabelle the Doll has left an impact on movie audiences. While the previous two entries in the Annabelle series revealed how the doll became evil, Annabelle Comes Home goes in completely different direction and shows exactly what she is capable of. The end result is well crafted horror film that delivers on the scares while building on mythology it is based on. 

(Minor spoilers below)

This new entry in the Annabelle series capitalizes on the mysteries that are surrounding the occult museum that is a part of the housed owned by demon hunters Ed and Lorriane Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Annabelle Comes Home has a slow start as it introduces the Warren’s daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace). The movie takes its time to build the relationships of the people around her, especially with her overnight baby-sitter, Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman). Although it can feel slowly paced at times, the movie does a great job at building these relationships so that when they are in danger, the audience feels connected to them.

Once we do get to the occult museum, the tension slowly begins to build, especially once Annabelle is released from her glass box. Annabelle acts more like a ring-leader of the haunting, allowing a great variety of different demons and spirits to act as the main creatures of terror.  While the film does go into some exposition for these entities, many of them are a mystery that must be figured out by the audience. The movie wisely gives just enough context clues to figure out an objects connection with the demon. Even if one of the demons doesn’t completely land, there is enough variety to keep the film exciting.

The scares in Annabelle Comes Home are some of the best in the  Annabelle series. It relies less on jump scares and more on building tension. Throughout the movie, you’ll see strange beings in the background only for it to disappear without much interaction with the living characters. This creates a real feeling of dread in the movie as we become aware that the characters are in real danger.

Annabelle Comes Home rises above expectations a delivers a great story with some well-crafted scares. The movie really makes Annabelle feel like a threat and gives you characters that you want to root for. While some may find the beginning slow to start, once Annabelle is free to roam the house, it creates a wild ride that’s worth seeing in the theater.

 7 out of 10

(Photos courtesy of IMDb)

#Annabelle #Annabelle Comes Home #Annabelle Doll #Movie Review

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Stay Far Away From “Five Feet Apart” [Movie Review]

It’s impossible for me to watch a movie like Five Feet Apart the same way as a general audience member. I was born with a terminal illness and had a heart transplant nearly 7 years. While I can usually leave my biases at the door when watching something new, y own medical history causes me to focus on how authentic a piece of fiction based around terminal illness feels. And while the trailers for Five Feet Apart weren’t all that promising, I went in with an open mind, hoping to see something with endearing characters who were caught up in bad circumstances. Instead, Five Feet Apart turned out to be a complete illogical mess of a movie that shields its poorly written characters behind their terminal disease.

(minor spoilers below)

Within the first five minutes of the movie, I knew that this wasn’t going to be an accurate representation of being in the hospital. We are introduced to Stella (Hailey Lu Richardson) in an extended stay to get treatment for her Cystic Fibrosis, but she doesn’t have an I.V. in her arm or connected to any kind of vital monitor. Usually this is something I could let slide, since it’s something small that only I would notice. However, the movie also goes out of its way to show Stella’s medication, vest, G-tube, and other elements of getting treatment for Cystic Fibrosis. It’s almost baffling how they can include those details but miss out on smaller ones to help it feel grounded and real.

And it’s that lack of detail that dooms the movie from having any kind of authenticity. We follow a group of young adults who are dealing with a very serious illness, and the movie seems to give zero weight to it. Another example is that are several scenes of these kids roaming around the hospital, exploring the rooftop, and even leaving the hospital at one point. Not only is this dangerous, it’s also completely illogical. Even if Stella wasn’t on the lung transplant list, it  completely forgets that any reasonable doctor, nurse, orderly, or other hospital staff member would stop them. I am very aware that this could be me relating my own experiences to the movie, and not everyone watching it is going to have that baggage. It could just be them taking creative liberties for the sake of the story, which isn’t my biggest problem.

My issue with Five Feet Apart, and other movies like it, is that the storytelling is lazy. Because we are dealing with characters living with terminal illness, the movie is using that as a substitute from any kind of characterization. This is apparent when we first meet Stella’s love interest, Will (Cole Sprouse). The scene lacks any kind of charm as he speaks in clichés about death and shows how lacking in chemistry these two characters are. Sprouse and Richardson are not bad actors, but they are not strong enough to elevate this bland material. Take away their illness and it’s clear that there is no depth to these characters.

And with shallow characters comes a shallow story. After their first meeting, Stella becomes obsessed with Will, but it feels very forced. It happens in the movie because the story demands for it, not because of any motivation in the character. It’s pacing like this that makes it obvious that it was adapted from a young adult novel, where the internal monologue can be used to make some sense of things. So instead of showing the audience a natural progression of the relationship, it just moves on to the next plot point with little motivation or reason.

But it wasn’t until the third act of the movie where all these elements went from annoying to problematic. Five Feet Apart tries to raise the stakes by adding a ticking clock and throwing any sense of logic completely out of the window. This leads to several moments that feel like cheap tugs at the audience’s heart strings only for it to lack any kind of bite. Not only is this awful storytelling, it’s offensive to anyone who has had to deal with this as their reality.

Five Feet Apart, while it might have some good intentions, left a bitter taste in my mouth. It’s bland characters and bad pacing are clear signs that there was no real care put into making anything feel authentic. And where it ends, it left me feeling physical upset and throwing away any kind of good will I had for the movie. Take my advise and stay far away from Five Feet Apart.

3.0 out of 10

#five feet apart #movie review #hailey lu richardson #cole sprouse

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“Alita” Brings Hype to the Big Screen! – Movie Review

Over the past few years, anime and manga seem to be taking major leaps into the mainstream, but is still noticeably struggling connect with a general western audience.  While  there seems to have been a cult audience for movies like Edge of Tomorrow or Death Note, Hollywood’s live action anime adaptations seem to fall below the mark. When it comes to Alita: Battle Angel, it does a fantastic job at being a great action film. And while its story can seem contrived at times, the audience has a great cast of characters that it can latch itself onto.

(Minor spoilers below)

From our first few scenes with Alita (Rosa Salazar), you get a good grasp of who she is. Salazar does a great job of making her vulnerable and optimistic, but not naïve. While it may take awhile to adjust to Alita’s oddly proportioned features, it feels like it helps the audience get a grasp of what this world is like. It’s clear that this is a world still recovering from a great disaster, which in this movie’s case is an attack from Mars known as “The Fall”. Nearly every character we come across has body parts replaced by a robotic limb, which is just one small aspect of this wider world.

What really grounds this grand story is the relationship between Alita and Dr. Dyson Ito (Christoph Waltz), who constructs a whole body for her after only finding her head in a scrapyard. From their first few interactions, the chemistry between Salazar and Waltz is so strong that they suck you in, like you’re also a part of their non-traditional family. They are playful, and they get angry at each other, and that hurts to watch. And this bond plays beautifully into the thematic elements of the movie, mainly finding what makes an individual person “complete”.

The climax of the film is the two of them fighting alongside each other, but knowing that they have to be ready to let go at any time. And this is just one of the various action sequences of the film that make it worth the ticket price alone. The movements of the character are very fluid, and they move with a genuine sense of purpose, whether they are attacking or defending. And this is how we also get to really know Alita’s personality early on, seeing how she uses her mind and her body to overcome her opponents.

However, the process of how we get to some of these great action sequences can feel contrived. Alita: Battle Angel has a great first act, where it introduces us to some fantastic characters and their mysterious lives. A noticeable portion of the focus is on Motorball, a mix of roller derby and soccer, and how it can be used to leave the dusty earth and go to live on Zalem, the great city in the sky. Half way through,  we are introduced to bounty-hunters, conspiracies, and a main villain called Nova,  who has the power of taking over the minds of his underlings.

The movie seems to be tackling a lot, probably trying to fit many major elements and plot points from the source material. Instead of feeling faithful, it comes across as bloated, and can have the audience questioning the purpose of the scenes they are watching. One casualty of this is Chiren (Jennifer Connelly), a scientist who seems to have a very ambiguous allegiance. Given the weight of her character in the third act, it feels like she was supposed to mean more, but was never given proper focus, which makes it feel like something contrived to move the story along and not because her character would do so.

While the final act of the film seemed to go ��one ending too long”, Alita: Battle Angel is able to give an ending that can leave most audiences satisfied and showcases one of the most hype clichés that anime has to offer. Alita: Battle Angel stands as a pretty solid action film on its own; and while it may feel weak when it comes to the story, it more than makes up for it with a character you can get behind. It’s highly recommended to watch Alita’s battles on the big screen, where you can see her shine like the angel she is.

7.0 out of 10

(Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

#alita battle angel #alita #rosa salazar #christoph waltz #movie review