The first 90 minutes of this movie are absolutely fantastic. They build up Marla as such a despicable, horrid creature that I was actively begging for the Mafia to get sick revenge on her.
The last 30 minutes are Season 8 Game of Thrones level of terrible and ruin what was about to be one of my favorite movies this year. The steps they want to strain credibility were insane. Firstly her surviving after being drugged and put in the water were questionable. The mafia failing to kill her girlfriend was just...how in the world did they fail killing that girl?
Marla just fell in the water (and I'm not going into the 3 minutes she was able to kick in a glass front window underwater and maintain holding her breath), but she still has her wallet to buy things at the convenience store. She gets to her girlfriend literally just before the place blows up, which she had no control over because she literally waited for a taxi.
They complain that they have nothing left but the diamonds, and but they also apparently have a handy wig, a taser, some morphine knockout drugs to pull off some James Bond type of killing of Peter Dinklage. And then when Dinklage survives, he agrees to be her partner. Look, I get she's smart and was gonna kill it with the mafia. But the shit she did was unforgivable, and it strains my belief that Dinklage wouldn't just go out and torture her the first chance he gets. They did not present him as being a "money first" guy, so him overlooking the mother being thrown IN A PSYCHIATRIC WARD is nuts.
Look, I enjoyed 70% of this movie. It was an excellent horror thriller to that point. I would've loved if this movie went the route of Dinklage and the mob being mostly outsmarted by the crazy, maniacally, absolutely dastardly woman. But that movie NEEDED to end with Dinklage personally killing Marla. No if, ands or buts, anything but that ending ruins the point they spent the rest of the movie going for.
It really hurts me to trash this movie, because Pike was fantastic again in her role as a villain and Dinklage really made me want his character to succeed. But that ending was the worst type of cop out possible.
If holywood wants people to stop pirating movies, then they have to stop making absolute garbage like this. Seriously glad I didn't waste any money on this.
I so love a happy ending. That was a happy ending, right?
I didn't realize this was a Predator movie the first time I saw the poster and thought this was some random horror movie but the positive buzz certainly didn't pass me by so here we are again. After watching it I'm certainly... shocked?
From the get go this did very little to pull me in, be it the CG animals, one-dimensional plot or the the selfish attitude of our heroine. Now obviously one can argue how much that all matters when the action is good but it didn't really scratch that itch for me either... the Predator fighting with the animals was certainly entertaining but random guys biting the bullet with mostly offcam/unclear CG gore not so much. Would have been nice if they showed some wits when they fought him at the camp but somehow him going invisible is enough reason to lower their weapons and start talking to each other. She saw how the camouflage works multiple times in action already..?!!
What all those scenes, and the movie poster for that matter, certainly established, is that our protagonist has little to worry and that a showdown was coming but I would never have predicted the amounts of bullshit that would contain:
- Somehow becomes a baller and expert in alien technology. Knows when the Predator is coming, takes her magic herbs to immediately lower her blood temperature (but is not shivering and still standing up) and is in the Predators path who obviously doesn't see a standing corpse right in front of it or notices her moving out of the way...
- Never used the gun but knows the right angle to shoot and remove his mask (betting on this being a weakness when this did little to stop it before).
- Gets to conveniently escape for the n-th time and has enough time to finish up some traps (which the Predator even hit on some random tree lol).
- Gets hit to the head twice from the shield that cut through the Predators limbs, spear and even stone but is unscathed.
- Can easily remove a fang attached to it's face to save herself just in time.
- GPS dog that always magically reappears is ready to bring her the tomahawk...
- Manages to sit on top of the Predator and even pull him into the bog with a tiny rope and a much much smaller statue.
- The Predator obviously submerges immediately, but little does it know of her the grand plan to have him placed at that exact LOS of the mask in anticipation that he is gonna fire from his gun (despite not having had his mask for the whole time) while he is already targeted by the laser the entire time... b r a v o. Obviously that one shot was also enough to kill it.
...
Honest to god - how does a movie with such a contrived finale get so much praise, or even leave the script writing phase??
Denis Villeneuve is the man!
There’s only one word that came into my mind after watching it: finally.
Finally, a blockbuster that isn’t afraid to be primarily driven by drama and tension, and doesn’t undercut its own tone by throwing in a joke every 30 seconds.
Finally, a blockbuster that puts actual effort in its cinematography, and doesn’t have a bland or calculated colour palette.
Finally, a blockbuster with a story that has actual substance and themes, and doesn’t rely on intertextual references or nostalgia to create a fake sheen of depth.
Finally, a blockbuster that doesn’t pander to China by having big, loud and overblown action sequences, but relies on practical and grounded spectacle instead (it has big sand worms, you really don’t need to throw anything at the screen besides that).
Finally, a blockbuster that actually feels big, because it isn’t primarily shot in close ups, or on a sound stage.
And of course: finally, a blockbuster that isn’t a fucking prequel, sequel, or connected to an already established IP somehow.
(Yeah, I know Tenet did those things as well, but I couldn’t get into that because the characters were so flat and uninteresting).
This just checks all the boxes. An engaging story with subtext, very well set up characters, great acting (like James Gunn, Villeneuve's great at accentuating the strengths of limited actors like Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa), spectecular visuals and art design (desaturated but not in an ugly washed out way), pacing (slow but it never drags), directing, one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores: it’s all here.
I only have one real criticism: there’s too much exposition, especially in the first half.
It can occasionally hold your hand by referencing things that have already been established previously, and some scenes of characters explaining stuff to each other could’ve been conveyed more visually.
Other than that, it’s easily one of the best films of the year.
I’ve seen some people critiquing it for being incomplete, which is true, but this isn’t just a set up for a future film.
It feels like a whole meal, there are pay offs in this, and the characters progress (even if, yes, their arcs are still incomplete).
8.5/10
The fact that the main stream media is telling you not to watch this movie tells you everything you need to know — it's a must watch for everyone!
LOVED the intro! Let's do that for every season premiere and finale from now on.
Why are the fairies such assholes? And why is Julia, of all people, the only one left who can still do magic?
Let's be real here. This isn't a good film. And it's flawed from the get-go.
The casting. Dreadful. Hanks is a creation from Batman Returns. Priscilla has none of her beauty. And the most fundamentally unforgiveable issue - Elvis doesn't look like Elvis. Who signed off on an actor to carry this film where the eyes nose and mouth are absolutely incorrect?
The editing. Horrendous and overdone. There is barely a moments peace from the onslaught. However, for this catastrophe of cinematography to only cost 85 million USD is a triumph.
The pov aspect. Why in the hell would you base this around the ridiculous story of Colonel Tom Parker only to then leave out half of the facts? And it's not short on time at 2hr 30.
And finally, the pacing. When Elvis is washed up prior to the 68 Comeback special we haven't been fed enough of him at his peak for the rise and fall to make sense. When he passes, the bloatedness isn't shown and then arrives unexplained but for a single line of voice over. Periods that needed to be shown are glossed over and periods of relative unnecessity are dragged out.
But the real crime is the music. I counted 2 uninterrupted performances. The rest were manic collages or mixed in with - wait for it - modern hip hop... What egotistical mind decided that was a good idea...?
I watched. Now I'll hope to forget. And for anyone who wants an actual representation of Elvis from an actor who actually looks like him and tells the actual story, look for the Jonathan Rhys Meyers TV miniseries biopic.
To paraphrase a Bill Burr routine... Elvis was the first to be a major superstar. He made all the mistakes because he had nobody who had led the way.
Why is that not spelled out?
The 'theft' of black music. The 'child' marriage... I get that 2022 eyes see the world differently but a film like this shouldn't pander to the modern trend for rewriting history. It should provide perspective.
If Elvis hadn't grown up surrounded by black culture and organically witnessed that music, he'd be Pat Boone. But he wasn't. He was a true child of the musical influences. If he hadn't had his career, then it might have been another 20 years before black music found white ears... And it wouldn't have been a black artist who brought it. That's the sad truth. There needs to be a conduit and Elvis was that.
To labour this point... Tom Hanks being cast as a gay man afflicted with HIV (Philadelphia) opened the door to films of that nature being mainstream. Nowadays a gay man must be cast in that role. But you don't get to where we are without Tom Hanks being the conduit. That seems to be lost on people these days.
Progress is a series of incremental steps.
And look at the Priscilla marriage. The age of consent and the times and the location were all a world away. Don't be outraged at this, be outraged at Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry.
How sad the film was so overwhelmed by its desire to create ridiculous camerawork that it failed to deliver any of the impact of the first major superstar.
5/10
Solid movie. A perfect balance of levity and psych thriller. I didn’t come away feeling 100% satisfied, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless.
As somebody who is not American and has never really been exposed to either this case or any of the people involved: is OJ really as dumb as he is presented here? He seems positively mentally disabled in some scenes! That aside, the show is decent enough. The performances are for the biggest part pretty great, everything else ranges from ok to decent enough. I don't find it very compelling, but I think that's down to me not having any prior ties to the story: I'm enjoying it as if it were pure fiction rather than a fictionalized account of reality. And it sure as hell is crazy enough to pass for fiction, mostly due to the ridiculously broken American legal system.
Unequivocally, unmistakably, undeniably Disney's greatest animated film. A masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned. Long read ahead!
Film and reviews are all about opinions, which is only a positive thing. I, for one, though have yet to find a better animation than this. No doubt I'm probably partly clouded by nostalgia, but even a tonne of years later I still remember how blown away I was when I first watched it. Nothing's changed.
Where to start? I love every single detail about this film, for which there are many. Not only does it improve upon the studio's earlier 1950 production about Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel, but it manages to create an incredibly touching, amusing and rather thrilling story for all. They don't rely on the usual, overdone Disney front and center romance to do it either.
It's a story of a young kid coming-of-age into the world. You really go on a journey with Jim Hawkins, who hadn't had the most happiest childhood. We see him grow into a man across just 95 short minutes. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings Jim to life superbly, no surprise to see he has done other great things in his career.
Gordon-Levitt isn't the only outstanding performer here, with Brian Murray and Emma Thompson showing their talents in the roles of John Silver and Capt. Amelia. I adore the dynamic between Silver and Hawkins, Murray is truly brilliant. Thompson is great in her role, also.
Even below those aforementioned names, you have memorable characters in Delbert (David Hyde Pierce), B.E.N. (Martin Short) and Mr. Arrow (Roscoe Lee Browne). Morph (Dane Davis) is a cracking little sidekick, too.
Away from the cast, you also have the sensational animation. They mix hand-drawn 2D and computer generated 3D, which comes out exquisitely. Sure some of it hasn't aged impeccably compared to now, but it all to this day still looks utterly stunning. I love the attention to detail.
That's not all. How about that music? I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've listened to that soundtrack down the years, it's so beautifully crafted by James Newton Howard and John Rzeznik; the latter's, as part of the Goo Goo Dolls, "I'm Still Here" fits so, so well.
Can you tell how much fondness I hold for this? It's fantastic! Did Disney mishandle it? Sure. Does it deserves more respect? Definitely. However, I'm kinda glad they just let Ron Clements and John Musker do their thing. Heavy Disney interference could've ruined it. The fact this has zero pointless sequels is marvellous, even if it's for the wrong reasons.
There are minor rumours they plan to live-action this. Normally I'd argue against classics being remade, but I think this 2002 production is in a win-win position in that regard. If it's a big success it'll be good for it, if it's terrible then it'll put more eyes on the original.
It's kinda funny, I don't see myself as a Disney fan and yet my two favourites films (this + 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl') are from this studio - and both pirate-y, interestingly. Hmm.
Go watch 'Treasure Planet'!
Pretty incredible show. Reminds me a lot of Sherlock Holmes. Highly recommended.
Something felt off about the pacing and the fights looked like they were from a video game.
They never should have made this into a "universe".
Overly-complicated long fights that make no sense.
Keanu has 10 lines literally.
The only time he delivers lines with emotion is when he's speaking to Laurence Fishburne or - surprisingly - when he's talking in Russian.
Too many new characters that are there only to be killed / to be forgotten and basically nobody cares about them.
The villain is weak.
Too long, which equals too boring.
I am convinced that people just don't get what a good action movie is these days, not only because of the majority of the comments here, but also most people in my theatre liked it so much. Just because there are long complicated fight scenes, doesn't mean that this is a good action movie.
First John Wick film is a perfection. Second one was also very good. I will rewatch them and pretend that this was never a "universe".
Comedy? You mean there's supposed to be humour in this? ... Uh. Okay then. Can't tell where, but whatever.
The acting is solid, although I'm not sure it's enough to carry the movie as a whole on its back. In trying to offer criticism, I think it ends up being just like the thing it criticises: cold, obsessive, and indeed in Margot's very own words: "fancy, deconstructed avant-bullshit". After which we are left hungry, too, because despite all the display, there isn't much substance to it at all.
Absolutely fantastic. A well-executed original idea, packed with brilliant performances, impactful suspense, and many absurd laugh-out-loud moments.
HERE IS NO SPOILER, JUST THE MOVIESTRUCTURE.
It's a difficult movie. Nolan (director) has cut the movie into two pieces. Part A and Part B:
These two pieces are again cut into several minor pieces. And these pieces are presented backwards. So that you see the Beginning of the story at the end of the movie.
So the Moviestrcture is like this:
A9 B1 A8 B2 A7 B3 A6 B4 A5 B5 A4 B7 A3 B8 A2 B9 A1
The obvious Question is: Is it not boring, to watch the End first ? NO ! Because the story is so good written, that the tension gets higher when you come to the beginning of the story.
I know, it sounds weird, but works perfect. And it rewards you with the best ending of a movie.
10/10
I thought there is no way any producer could end a series as bad as 'Game of Thrones,' but seriously this one is an all time low. I am honestly stunned Amazon let it end on episode 6 and calling it a finale.
Please Amazon stick to shipping boxes, cus my gawd you really know how to suck the life out of art.
I finished the book recently and when I was watching this movie I thught I was reading the book again. This is one of the best adaption of a book I've ever seen. The acting was great. Leonardo DiCaprio did a marvelous work, as always. I also love Toby McGuire performance. The worst is the music, too modern for that age.
how could someone possibly deny Olivia Wilde
The reason I wanted to see this was to see some dark twisted fantasy about ragdolls living in a postapocalyptic setting, fighting for their lives. And that's what I got: visually stunning, beautiful grim environment, some nice action moments and a rather superficial story to tie it all together. The story moves pretty slow, almost to the point of boring, but the better parts made me deal with it and enjoy it all in all . Glad I saw it, won't be watching again, but sure hope there will be more 'dark' animated movies.
I've quickly become a fan of the burgeoning "True Corporate" genre (as opposed to True Crime). Between this film, Tetris, and Air, I consider the genre three for three this year. I'm sure the films aren't for everyone, but having worked most of my career at the intersection of legal and finance/accounting, I find the stories fascinating. The case of BlackBerry is even more so given that it took place within my lifetime. Being able to map the events in the film against my own recollection of BlackBerry's prevalence definitely adds something. Combine that with solid writing and fantastic performances from both Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton and the end result is an easy recommend.
As a tiny little nitpick, I think "save the cat" moment of Mike fixing the buzzing intercom in the opening scene was a bit cliché and ultimately unnecessary. I think the theme/message would have been equally (if not more) effective had he just identified the buzz, given the same commentary about it, maybe even opened it up and tried to fix it, but not actually fixed it. It's just a bit of an eye roll, because I don't buy that thirty seconds and a paper clip is enough to fix much of anything. But I'm not an electrical engineer, so maybe I'm totally off base. In any case, not a big deal, and ultimately the scene works just fine as is, but I would have tweaked it.
Very enjoyable and quite unexpected too. Hopefully season 2 will come sooner!
Different from the first in all the right ways while expanding its own identity. The villain becomes secondary to a larger plot in a natural way.
This sequel takes even more liberties with the art style and uses each dimension’s art to set them apart beyond just structure. Gwen’s universe in particular uses constantly shifting colors and focuses to show character emotions visibly, which I appreciated more the second viewing. The story, this time, still features Miles but isn’t only about him. At first, I was upset, but the film came to balance all the threads. I kept fluctuating between hating and loving other characters (Gwen). Also, this film isn’t afraid of silence and pauses, which was refreshing in this ‘constantly stimulated’ day and age.
Incredibly rare for the first and second to be this highly rated by me. The first is more emotional, second brings more conflict and group dynamics.
Its transformers, so you already know what you're getting. You don't complain at McDonald's when you order a McChicken and they serve you a McChicken.
This one has a far better plot than the original and everything else is also improved slightly. I don't get why everyone was bitching about it when it came out.
Extremely unrealistic movie! I mean who would choose the real world over Barbie world
“Yeahhhh” — John Wick
I don't know what is the movie everyone has seen here, but I truly believe this one to be the weakest entry in the franchise. Not saying it's bad, just saying it's not THAT good.
Every time you thought the fight scenes are almost over, there’s still more and it gets crazier! Some people might think low of Keanu Reeves’ acting range, and it shows clearly here, but he seems to fully accept that and enjoys the ride. That’s the least of the problems though, when it comes to doing action scenes, he totally delivered as always. The story is kinda meh and pedictable, but at least the cinematography is neat and lots of beautiful shots to please our eyes. 7.5/10
R.I.P Lance Reddick
