On the surface this film is about a group of people who have been labelled “villains”, working together to save the world. But really, this film is about one man and one man alone, he isn’t strong, but yet he defies all odds and sacrifices his life to save his friends. His only power is his bravery, he is the driver of the van and the main character of this film, Milton.
This is an honest, spoiler-free review coming from your average fan (not a critic):
I just saw this new marvel film, and I have to say... it's no where near as bad as the critics make it out to be.
Yes there is a lot of dialogue. But it gives the characters a chance to shine and for scenes to breathe.
People call this film dense. I would disagree. Yes there is a fair bit of plot and history told, however I would say that other mcu films have simply much simpler plotlines most of the time.
There are moments when things are just about to become exciting, and then it is interrupted with more dialogue which instantly kills the suspension.
There are a number of plot twists in this film, and some unexpected things happen that I wouldn't have seen coming.
This film has a slow burn, but sometimes that's a good thing. Would I have liked more action? Yes. Was I unhappy with the action we do get? No.
I will admit, going into this film I was expecting a masterpiece, and while I wouldn't quite call it that, its definitely a well-made film, marvel or not.
Oh. And expect to have to do some reading at the very beginning. Kinda reminds me of a classic Star Wars opening crawl.
Bloodsport: “Nobody likes a showoff.”
Peacemaker: “Unless what they showing off is dope as fuck.”
James Gunn recently said in an interview that he finds superhero movies “mostly boring” right now. Anything ranging from safe and boring or technically well-made but disposable, at best. Gunn received at bit of heat from fans for those remarks, but in some sense, he’s not wrong. Because sometimes following the same formula will eventually wear fin and more risk taking needs to happen.
And here we have ‘The Suicide Squad’, the soft reboot to the 2016 film, but this time directed by Gunn himself, where he delivers a highly entertaining movie that is bursting with creativity and ultra-violence. James Gunn once again shakes up the superhero formula with a slick style. I’m just glad DC is finally letting directors have a voice and a vision, and I hope it stays like that.
The first 10-15 minutes tells you exactly what the movie is going to be.
I just can't believe we got something like this. It's 2 hours and 12 minutes long, but it's always on the move. It’s bonkers from start till finish, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is probably one of the best shot movies in the DCU. The soundtrack is great as well and used effectively. The action scenes were insane and made the overall experience one of the most fun I had at the cinema in a long time.
A massive improvement over the 2016 film, AKA ‘the studio cut’, is that the movie doesn’t look ugly and isn’t chopped together by trailer editors. The movie is vibrant in colours that made it look pleasing to the eye. The structure at times is messy, and yet strangely well-paced, as there’s a lot going on.
Did I mention the movie is very gory? It’s cartoonish violence, or what people call "adult superhero movie", so it's not for kiddies or for the faint of heart. You would probably guess that not everybody on the team is going to make it to the end credits, so deaths are to be expected, but how certain characters “bite the dust” are so unexpectedly gruesome and brutal, it took me by surprise each time. The marketing for the movie was right, don’t get too attached. As I said before, James Gunn had complete creative control over the movie, and he doesn’t hold back on what he wrote and show on screen. But then again, it's a movie, it's not real, the actors who die on screen are fine in real life...I think.
All the cast members have equal amount of time to shine, and you like these super villains this time around, as each character had wonderful chemistry with each other. John Cena plays Peacemaker, who can be best described as a “douchebag version of Captain America”. An extreme patriot who will do the most horrific things for liberty. John Cena excels in the deadpan line delivery for comedic effect, but surprisingly enough, worked well in the serious moments. Looking forward to the spin-off show ‘Peacemaker’.
Margot Robbie once again nails the role of the chaotic but gleeful Harley Quinn. While the character isn’t front and centre this time around, more of a side character, but whenever the character is on screen, it’s instantly memorable.
Idris Elba plays Bloodsport, a contract killer who’s doing time in prison after failing to kill Superman with a kryptonite bullet, while also dealing with family issues, especially with his daughter. While the character may sound like Will Smith’s Deadshot from the 2016 film, but trust me, the execution here is much stronger. This is by far Elba’s best work in a while. Charismatic and a strong leading presence.
Polka Dot Man, played by character actor David Dastmalchian, a socially awkward, weird, and lame sounding character that has some serious mummy issues, which has a funny running visual gag throughout. However, because of Gunn’s writing and Dastmalchian's performance, the character is more than a joke, but a unique character to watch.
Ratcatcher 2, played wonderfully by Daniela Melchior, who brought so much warmth and heart to the film. I loved how they tied in her tragic backstory into the finale, as it honestly made me cry. And let’s not forget the king himself, King Shark, voiced by Sylvester Stallone. He stole every scene he’s in, because he’s so adorable and has such kind eyes, but when he’s hungry, he can be a killing machine.
The rest of the supporting cast, even in the smaller roles, still manage to stand out amidst all the chaos. I liked Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag a lot more this time around, because the actor was given more to work with in terms of good material. Viola Davis is brilliant as the cold and ruthless Amanda Waller. And Peter Capaldi is always a pleasure to see. Also, I like the character of Weasel, who I can describe as a unholy offspring of Shin Godzilla and Rocket Racoon. He may not be beautiful to look at, but he's beautiful to me.
Like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, the movie has a lot of heart and I like how they took certain characters, who on page sound stupid and ridiculous but are handled with such love and depth, while also being self-aware of its own characterization.
You can literally watch this as a standalone movie and you won’t be lost or confused, as you don’t need to watch 22 other movies to understand it. This is by far the strongest entry in this jumbled mess of a cinematic universe.
Overall rating: Nom-nom!
I was surprised by how much I liked this. I went in with low expectations of just a dumb action movie, which it still kinda is, but it is also a decent sci-fi and the action is pretty great. The beginning is a little slow but once Grey gets Stem then it picks up. Logan Marshall-Green (or better known as the Tom Hardy look-alike, Tom Hardly) does a good job here. He moves like a robot pretty well. The action is great. There are plenty of action scenes and the short runtime makes it move fast. There are a few decent laughs too. The cinematography was very interesting too. The way the camera moves in certain action scenes are really cool, it makes a normal scene stick out as something special. One of the best things was the world it set up. Modifying humans with different upgrades is really cool. The whole gun in the arm is stupid but a crazy, cool stupid and I want to see more of that. I would like a sequel.
Good acting, it is a shame they went with the Scooby Doo writers guild. They had so many options for the writers to do more than making just another cop show. Zombies, crime writers, cops from the future, people with amnesia all fighting crime. Seems that the only professions that exist in TV land are cop, cop sidekick, doctor or lawyer.
I soooo love it how the trailer completely ignores that the all-female Ghostbusters movie ever existed. Like it never happened, like it was only a bad dream. :heart:
EDIT:
Just watched it. I can't say the movie was spectacular, but it was darn spectacular to me.
I believe the movie paid all due respects to the Ghostbusters and that it was carefully made not to disappoint. It worked!
And yes, I'm high on nostalgia while typing it.
P.S. Anyone else got emotional when Ecto-1 first sounded the sirens?
Ah, I love it when I genuinely have fun when watching a murder mystery! I hope they'll manage to write another extravagantly entertaining adventure for Benoit Blanc's third screen exploit!
Oh, by the way, with everything that's been going on with Twitter, was anyone else eerily reminded of the mercurial "Chief Twit"'s antics when witnessing Miles Bron's chaotic decisionmaking? I don't think this was originally intended, but that character now definitely feels like a parody of Elon Musk lol
Eternals really changed the whole MCU. This is a new take on a whole new mcu film without the same old formula. And I kinda like how divisive and deep, dark they went for this. There's so much complexity in each character that I know people can identify with, it's everything the other mcu films could've been. Fuck rotten tomatoes.
I know it's a bullshit movie okay, everyone who watched it knows that! But it's some great bullshit and I'm glad i watched it. Trailer was right, it is the Michael Bayest movie of all Michael Bay movies.
To be enjoyed like a long, rambling fantasy novel -- not like a punchy action flick (though it is sometimes also that).
This is a really special movie. It honours the originals and serves as a direct sequel, expanding the lore of their universe and creating new characters that are fun to follow. It feels like an old-style adventure movie of the likes of "The Goonies", "The Sandlot" or "E.T."
Marc Spector, Steven Grant, and a hippopotamus walk into a mental hospital.
After starting off looking like another cliché procedural crime drama, Lucifer evolved into one of the best shows of the year.
There is no longer any reason to continue making art. Perfection has been achieved. Best thing since Paddington 2.
In all seriousness, this reminded me a bit of Pig in that Cage isn't remotely as over the top as you'd expect. He has a couple scenes where he leans full into the exaggerated performance we are there to see, but the movie caries itself on a clever, self-aware script that is genuinely fun and with good character arcs. It's not incredibly deep, but I do suspect a lot of this fictional Cage mirrors the experience that the real Cage has lived. That shows, and it was a thrill to watch.
Makes no sense why they insist on rebranding this as a new show. Just making it even more confusing for new watchers.
EDIT: After the first few episodes - not really on board yet with the writing and stories so far. BUT Ncuti and Millie are absolutely fabulous and amazing.
I have watched the movie in Cinemark preview yesterday, and I can say, well done! The movie is genuine and funny, you will enjoy every moment of it and won't feel bored at all. The dynamic between Ryan and the boy is amazing, and the story, camera, and dialogs are good, and there are some emotional moments too in the movie, plus the action, drama, and sci-fi. I highly recommend watching this movie.
I feel like my reactions to and enjoyment of this show is the adult equivalent of how 13 year-old me felt about The Vampire Diaries... and I don't mind.
Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage is a friendship I didn’t know I needed in my life. :sparkles:
Such a fun movie, with lots of comedy and laugh out loud moments.
I'm half tempted to give this full marks just for daring to play Radiohead's Everything in Its Right Place during your typical military in dropship scene. Anyway my boy Gareth knocked out another cracking piece of scifi. You really don't mind when a director takes a few years off and comes back with something like this. There's certainly a fair amount of Rogue One, Blade Runner and Terminator in the mix, the latter of which he takes the Judgement Day plot and turns it on its head defying expectations where I assumed it was going just due to the tropes of the genre.
There's also a lot of stuff on screen for 80mill in comparison to other recent effects heavy films. Gets you wondering if budgets elsewhere escalate to $200 mill mark due to talent demands or that something like this has less behind the scenes VFX artists but take longer to bake? I dunno. Either way, check it out. The trailer gives too much away (as always my opinion) however there's plenty more that isn't shown.
NB. Watch out for the Scarif Easter egg
Great movie, which gave me a couple of laughs and kept me entertained the whole time.
The cast has good chemistry and does a great job. Ryan Reynolds basically plays his funny and saracastic Deadpool/talkshow persona, which I personally really enjoy.
Would recommend and looking forward to the sequel :fingers_crossed_tone1:!
Round 3 of Gareth Edwards proving he’s a great visual director that doesn’t know how to breathe life in his scripts. Its best asset is easily the worldbuilding, combining influences from other science fiction material to create a new world that feels fresh. The technical execution is also really well done, with its cinematography and CGI being among some of the most visionary stuff I’ve seen since Avatar 2. Unfortunately, the sci-fi concepts this is working with are stale, it’s all stuff you’ve seen before and the movie doesn’t know how to put its own creative spin on it. Add to that a bunch of characters that aren’t written in the most compelling way (as well as bland, understated performances that will keep everyone questioning whether JDW is actually a good actor), and you have a movie that’s already pretty dull from the start. Now, a big saving grace of Rogue One and Godzilla were their strong climaxes, however that’s not the case here. Instead, The Creator starts to rush to the finish line, which leads to the big emotional beats not hitting the mark. It’s like the pacing of this movie is constantly either rushing or dragging, annoying my inner Terence Fletcher in the process. Overall, while I’d love to champion this as the savior of original science fiction, there’s not much more originality here than a typical franchise film. I don’t want to call Edwards another Zack Snyder, because I think he’s certainly more talented, but he’s suffering from the same problems and doesn’t seem to learn from his previous mistakes.
5/10
It is enjoyable to watch the movie, and it moves fast so you won't be bored. It has good laughs and it discusses a good idea at the end so it is not just a waste of time.
8.5
what the actual fuck, gosh I loved it. a perfectly weird mix and Sebastian Stan is MADE for unhinged characters
Slick, suave, and sexy, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., although occasionally incoherent, is a fun, old-fashioned spy romp with a lot to look at.
This is what Nic's fans have been waiting for. Doesn't get more Cage than this.
Rian Johnson is starting to turn into the white Jordan Peele. He's another one of those filmmakers that loves to work in this niche of subversive genre films that include a heavy dose of social commentary, and I'm all here for it. Specifically, with this franchise we’ve gone from satirizing old money with Knives Out to satirizing new money with this new film (chances are Knives Out 3 will center around a group of homeless suspects). Now, a lot of films in that same vein have been released recently (Triangle of Sadness, The Menu), but I think none of them do the satire as well as this film. To me it’s too easy at this point to simply aim your commentary at these people by making a statement about how stupid and incompetent they are. It seems like low hanging fruit to me, because everyone with a brain knows that these types are vapid and contribute nothing to society. Luckily, Rian Johnson understands this too and goes one step beyond that, filtering all of his commentary through this idea of the glass onion. These people aren’t just stupid and incompetent, but they’re using a veil of eccentricity and ‘complexity’ to hide that. This is a brilliant deconstruction that rings very true for today’s society, and of course you can’t quite escape the obvious parallel with Twitter’s manchild CEO firing himself this week. This subtext is woven into a lot of elements of the film (character, location, plot, even some props), which means that some things are a lot dumber and simpler than they appear to be. I think that will annoy some people, but I think it's quite clever. Like the first film, you get a great cast of colourful characters. Some of them are given depth, some of them are just playing funny caricatures. Daniel Craig owns the whole movie again, but Janelle Monáe comes pretty close to outperforming him. Even people like Dave Bautista do a great job, and it’s because Rian Johnson knows how to use these actors despite their limited range. There are plenty of twists you won’t see coming and the filmmaking is again terrific. It looks very cinematic with the blocking, lighting and compositions, and the score feels very 60s (lots of strings, some minor baroque orchestration), which reminded me of The White Lotus and a certain Beatles song. In the end, what puts it over the first film for me is the fact that the tone feels more consistent here. The more tense and dramatic moments of Knives Out didn’t really hit home for me when you have Daniel Craig doing a really campy accent, and this one just fully embraces that it’s a silly comedy. And it’s a great one at that, nearly all the jokes landed for me. Maybe could’ve done with a little less shouting from Kate Hudson, but ok, it makes sense for the character. Probably the most fun movie of the year next to Top Gun: Maverick, and definitely one of the most well constructed.
8/10