SAS Red Notice: Ruby Rose Finally Gives A Good Performance

Written by Luke Barnes

SAS: Red Notice is a British action thriller film directed by Magnus Martens, based on the book of the same name by Andy McNab. The plot sees the British government turn on a family of mercenaries in their employ when one of the many atrocities committed runs the risk of being traced back to senior figures. A cat and mouse game ensues.

This seems to be a week of humility for me, first I was wrong about the Snydercut and now I am wrong about Ruby Rose- well partially. So, as some of you may know I have strong doubts about Rose as an actor, in that she can’t act or emote with her face. However, the one thing she can do is be a convincing action star and this film proves that. She commands the screen as the unhinged psychopathic villain intent on making the world pay and manages to sell herself as an action presence.

However, Rose is easily out acted by veteran performers such as Noel Clarke and Andy Serkis. By and large the acting in this film is good. The lead performance from Sam Heughan is a little weak, but maybe that was on purpose as the film reveals his character to also be a psychopath and to struggle with emotions.

The film does focus a lot of its time and energy especially in the third act on psychopaths and how they differ from everyone else, and whilst I think it is a fascinating aside that I would love to see more explored elsewhere, it does steal focus away from the film and derail it a little bit.

Though for the most part I enjoyed this film my main issue with it would be that it reduced Hannah John- Karmen, a very gifted actor (who has appeared in Netflix’s The Stranger, as well as playing Ghost in Antman And The Wasp), down to basically a damsel in distress/ girlfriend character, which feels incredibly reductive.

Overall, a strong action film with a few interesting asides, sadly these asides derail the plot and from that position the poor performances are even more visible.

Pros.

Rose as an action star and not as an actor

Some good action/ thrills

Clarke and Serkis

The ending

Cons.

Derailment

Poor acting from some of the cast

4/5

Falcon And The Winter Soldier: New World Order

Written by Luke Barnes

Falcon And The Winter Soldier is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the second Disney + offering. The plot sees Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), existing in a post Endgame and post Captain America world.

As far as first episodes to event TV shows go this one is quite slow. There is a fairly tame opening action set piece to start with, but the main purpose of this episode entitled New World Order is to function as a character study of the two leads- and to clearly define where they are at, both as heroes and as people.

This episode delves into some quite deep areas, such as loss, accountability and self-loathing and is far darker than most content coming out of the MCU in recent years. The show feels mature, and the themes and ideas explored further this as they feel very real and lived rather than fantastical.

Moreover, this episode also has a socio-political/ racial message to it, which again is a first for the MCU. Whilst not being overt and choosing to use the returned people after the blip as a standin for oppressed Black Americans, the metaphor is clear. Sadly, this will make the episode polarising as there will be those asking to keep real world politics out of this action/ fantasy show.

In terms of wider lore building this episode introduces us to the new Captain America (Wyatt Russell), who will factor into the events of the show heavily going forward. Likewise the new villainous group the Flag Smashers are also introduced, and this is important as comics wise this group has ties to the New World Order, The Masters Of Evil and The Dark Avengers- so might be an indication as to wear the MCU is heading.

Overall, not what I was expecting, far slower and more introspective, however it does do some great character work and sets up a series of interesting events to come.

Pros.

Bucky’s arc

Sam’s arc

Setting up battles to come

Cons.

It is very slow

It might be too political for some

The new Captain America reveal feels a bit rushed

2.5/5

Zack Snyder’s Justice League: The Day Is Finally Upon Us

Written by Luke Barnes

The Snydercut or as it is sometimes more formally known Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, serving as a remastered cut of the 2017 Justice League film that Snyder had to step away from due to personal reasons. The plot focuses on the formation of the Justice League in an attempt to fight off the invading forces of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and Darkseid (Ray Porter).

So as many of you know, I have thought for a long time that this film was going to be bad, or at the very least unnecessary. However, I can admit when I am wrong and am pleased to tell you this film is a vast improvement over what we got in cinemas 4 years ago: now I am not saying it is perfect, but I am saying it is a marked improvement, buckle up this is going to be a long one.

Firstly I want to address something that for me was a glaring issue with the film and that is the overly sexualised nature of the female characters. Sorry Snyder fans this is going to upset you, but there is a recurring theme in Snyder’s work of ogling women and that is very much here as well. Wonder Woman’s (Gal Gadot) skirt seems shorter, the Amazonians are basically just wearing fancy metal underwear in some cases with their midriff fully exposed, because that is wise in battle? Iris West (Keirsey Clemons)is included just as a plot device and a damsel to be saved by Barry (Ezra Miller), and of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the camera’s fascination with Gadot’s behind.

Though Cyborg (Ray Fisher), is given more to do, his look and crucially the CGI aspects of it are still quite a ways off and are distracting throughout the film, if they could remove the light in his forehead it would look infinitely better. The same can be said of Steppenwolf the other major CGI character who looks like he has come straight out of a videogame and is again distracting.

The film does benefit from better pacing with the 4 hour runtime allowing the film to feel grander and more epic. I feel that by stretching the film out more a lot of things that didn’t make sense the first time around through lack of context suddenly do, and the world as a whole feels better explored and created.

Oddly enough despite the sexualisation Snyder seems to understand Wonder Woman better than Patty Jenkins, and after watching this I think the reason the first Wonder Woman film was so good and the second was so bad was Snyder’s involvement. Snyder gives Wonder Woman a lot of good character work that makes her feel far more central to the narrative, and also far more interesting. Moreover, by redoing the bank scene and the Amazonian battle scene Snyder it able to make both more inspiring and appear better on screen; the shortening in the Whedon cut really hurt the film.

Similarly, Snyder finally seems to understand Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), here as well, moving away from some of the edgy aspects of their characters from his previous films and giving us a more comics accurate portrayal.

I think the tone is much better here than it has been in a lot of the other DCEU films as there are moments of levity amongst an otherwise serious affair, but they aren’t treated like dumb cringey jokes like in the original version of Justice League here they feel far more natural to the characters and importantly work.

I think this film is improved by being a Snyder film and from having his sensibilities applied to the project, I think his trademark use of slow motion is often used to great effect especially with the Flash stuff. I also feel like this film could be viewed as somewhat of a spiritual successor to Watchmen,also directed by Snyder, and think it would make for an interesting double bill.

Ezra Miller’s flash does still stand out for all the wrong reasons, and I do hope in future films they tone down the character and his awkwardness as it does become cringe at times, but not as much as in the previous version. Likewise, I also found the amount of problematic people cast in this film off putting as you have Miller (who choke slammed a fan allegedly), Amber Heard (who is the internet boogeyman) and Jared Leto (look it up), all rubbing shoulders with each other in a troublesome trifactor. Though I will give Snyder the benefit of the doubt the incidents involving two of them didn’t come out until it was too late to change it, but it is a shame.

The score by Junkie XL is terrific and really does bring the film together, with the music really adding a lot to the fight scenes in particular; with the new motif they have for Wonder Woman probably being my favourite.

Sadly, there is a large amount of product placement in this film that really does cheapen the film to an extent, admittedly only brief sections feel almost like adverts within the film.

The things added that have made this film R rated are a mixed bag, the blood does add to the intensity of the battle scenes, though the swearing really adds nothing and on the whole the film does not need to be R rated.

Moreover, the reach around line from Joker, is creepy and needless and should have been left out of the film.

Finally, I just want to talk about some of the stuff from the end of the film. Batman’s attempted self-sacrifice does still feel needless though it is handled better here, and the Nightmare section feels forced in at the end for no real reason. With the nightmare section it is clearly Snyder setting up for another film that he does deserve but most likely won’t get. Furthermore, the film does not really neatly address the Flashes’ warning from the previous film, and there are a number of other outstanding questions left to be answered as well.

Overall, a moment of triumph for the DCEU, something far better than the recent offerings (BOP and WW84), though sadly let down by sexual objectification, poor CGI and product placement.

Pros.

Solid world building

Good character work

The battle scenes are far more intense

A lot of the scenes flow better with more context which is allowed for with the longer run time

Cons.

The sexualisation and using of women as a plot device

The reach around line

The poor CGI

The product placement

3.5/5

Mechanic Resurrection: The Most Pervy and Exploitative Film Of 2016

Written by Luke Barnes

Mechanic Resurrection is an action thriller film directed by Dennis Gansel. The plot follows Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham), a very effective assassin who gets roped into pulling of a series of puzzling murders, after someone from his past kidnaps his girlfriend (Jessica Alba). Apparently this is a sequel to the 2011 film The Mechanic though I wasn’t aware of that until I started writing this review.

From that brief description of the plot you can see how this film is furthering the sexist damsel in distress stereotypes but hold on dear reader- it is far worse than that. Not only does this film want to carry on old cliches and stereotypes, it also takes every opportunity, and I do mean every, to ogle Alba’s body. This film seems averse to Alba wearing many clothes at all and frequently objectifies her, including in quite a icky sex scene; honestly after watching this film you need to take a shower.

The film is made better than some other subpar, Statham flicks by the fact that it is mostly played for laugh, or at least that is how I took it, and it never tries to be too serious. Though this does not translate over into Statham’s performances and he plays the role deadly serious, without even a hint of charm in the entire film.
Overall: I guess my takeaway from this film is that the days of Statham being in good action films like the Transporter series, or Crank are long over, and now he seems content to just make mediocre, sexist action fare and collect a pay check.

Pros.

The film doesn’t take itself too seriously

The dumb and over the top kills

Cons.

Statham plays it far too serious and has no charm

The way they treat Alba’s character throughout

Everything to do with Tommy Lee Jones’ supporting role

2/5

Raya And The Last Dragon: A Win For Kelly Marie Tran, A Loss For Everyone Else

Written by Luke Barnes

Raya And The Last Dragon is an animated action adventure fantasy film directed by Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada. We follow Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), a warrior who sets out to collect all the pieces of the dragon gem, to save the world from a dark evil.

So before I get into this review, I just want to say how nice it is to see Kelly Marie Tran come out swinging like this after all the hate she endured online, it is truly inspiring.

I enjoyed the premise and thought the story was a neat idea, it was original yet also a little familiar.

However, sadly that is where my praise for this film ends. I did not hate this film, but I did think it was very, very generic.

So firstly, none of the characters feel likeable- they just don’t click. They all have their moments here and there across the course of the film, but these aren’t enough and the second the film ends you forget all about it and its character’s none of them leave an impact on you.

Likewise the emotional heart of this film feels very hollow. The two big driving forces in terms of the heart of the film, are Raya being able to revive her dad and Raya’s rivalry with her arch enemy Nammari (Gemma Chan), both of these plot threads are resolved, but the payoff leaves you feeling cold and unmoved. Disney animation needs to take a few cues from Pixar to fix this.

Another fault of the film comes with ancient dragon Sisu (Awkwafina), who is the comedic side kick of Raya for most of the film. The issue with Sisu is that the narrative builds her and other dragons up to being these immensely powerful beings and yet they don’t show the dragons doing anything to justify this reputation. Moreover, Awkwafina is not funny in the role and doesn’t not nail the performance, her character feels like it is trying to be Eddie Murphy’s Mushu and Robin Williams’ The Genie, all at the same time and yet doesn’t bring the charm of either.

Overall, this is very watchable and is fine fare for families just looking for something easy to watch. However, I would not say it is worth the price point, as the film itself is deeply average. Wait till June.

Pros.

Kelly Marie Tran gives a good performance

The lore and the world is interesting

Cons.

The emotion doesn’t stick

Awkwafina is badly miscast

It is very safe and predicatable

2.5/5

Nest Of Vampires: Sucking Blood In The UK

Nest Of Vampires is a British action horror film directed by Chris Sanders. The plot sees an MI5 officer become wrapped up in the affairs of a vampiric cult after trying to find the people responsible for the death of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter.

There is something of an early Neil Marshall here, still rough but full of promise.

I enjoy British horror quite a lot, not knocking anywhere else’s horror, but there has always been something special to me about homegrown horror; there is just a certain edge to it that I haven’t seen elsewhere. The last Marshal comparison I will make today, in Dog Soldiers you can see what I mean about this edge, the dark countryside area, the rough practical effects, the gore- there is just something to it.

That is very much the case here as well, there is a grime to it all- I think that is the best word for that special British something that I am talking about. The grime makes everything just pop that little bit more. The violence stands out and becomes even more visceral, and the characters and the world feel real and lived in.

I enjoyed the plot of the film for the most part, there were a few pacing issues here and there, but I thought it worked well and I have not seen a vampire film like this in a while and it had almost a retro like appeal to it that I enjoyed.

I thought the horror of the film was strong, I wouldn’t call it scary rather oppressive as the action elements often stop there from being jump scares and that sort of thing. However, I do think the action and the horror work well together to create almost a dark fantasy film, which again is an under represented genre in current cinema.

Overall, a very entertaining watch, more so perhaps if you are already a fan of British horror cinema.

Pros.

That special something

The action

The horror elements

A strong villain

Cons.

A few light pacing problems

The lead could do with more development

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wandavison: The Future Of The MCU Is On Disney + ?

Written by Luke Barnes

Wandavison is a superhero TV series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe directed by Matt Shakman. The plot follows on from the events of Avengers Endgame that saw Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), lose the love of her life Vision (Paul Bettany), in the fight against Thanos. This makes things odd when government agency S.W.O.R.D starts picking up reports of a town that has been turned into a sitcom, with Wanda and Vision at the centre of it- what is going on?

So this was the big first series of the Disney + Marvel era, how was it? Well for the most part it was solid and just what you would want out of the MCU, however, there was also a tinge of disappointment as I finished the series. Now as I am writing this series review, I am torn.

First things first, the opening few episodes won’t be to everyone’s speed. They are very different from the wider MCU, and instead focus on being a faithful homage to different classic sitcoms, with Marvel easter eggs being thrown in to keep people invested. If you are a lover of classic American sitcoms then you will definitely get more out of this show. However, with episode 3 things start to progress quickly, and crazy shenanigans begin.

That brings us to my first little issue with the show, so for the most part these shenanigans are good, and they nicely feed that MCU itch we have all had for over a year now. However, the series has far too many characters, and can’t balance its cast at all. This becomes an issue when you have the return of Kat Dennings’ Darcy, who yes, has a few moments in the lime light but for the most part feels relegated to a bit player when she could have been so much more.

This is contrasted with the main performances from Bettany and Olsen, who both benefit from more screen time and a wider focus on their characters. Olsen and Bettany really make the show as good as it is, and the final scene they share is a testament to both of them as actors, a dry eye will not be found in the house.

The ending of the show poses, a few interesting questions about where Wanda is going in the MCU, and what we might see from her in the future. With the final post credits scene (there are two), being particularly interesting. Also the new costume is rad as hell.

I found myself disappointed by the finale, not because like many I had read theories online and expected all kinds of crazy nonsense to happen, but rather because I was expecting the finale to be bigger to feel more impactful. Yes, the ending we get is intimate and personal and serves as great character work, but I really thought the ending of the first Disney + Marvel series was going to end with more of a bang. Maybe my expectations were too high.

Overall, as long as you realise that for the most part this is atypical MCU fare, and don’t read articles online about wild character reveals, there is plenty to like here especially if you are a fan of American sitcoms or the wider MCU.

Pros.

The intimate love story

The crazy mystery

Olsen

Bettany

Peters

Cons.

The ending doesn’t have as much of a bang as you would want or expect

There are a few too many characters

4/5

Curse Of The Blind Dead: The Templars Were Even More Evil Than Assassin’s Creed Led Us To Believe

Curse Of The Blind Dead is an action horror film directed by Raffaele Picchio. The plot sees the restless spirits of a group of satanic Knights Templar haunt a forest after being massacred by a group of locals. Years later in a far-flung future a father and his daughter must be battle against the undead knights along with a post-apocalyptic murderous religious sect led by a mad preacher.

So, there is a lot going on with this one and I do mean a lot. What might on the surface sound overly complicated or too much actually works really well here. The old and the new come together beautifully, in a way I would not expect them to, really giving this film a nice sense of originality and personality.

I enjoyed the horror and the gory violence of this film. I thought the gore was just right, it was nice and visceral but also not too much. The battle scenes, if you can call them that, with the knights are well done and leave quite a menacing impression. Moreover, the scares are quite strong here it is not so much jump scares scary as it is an oppressive atmosphere that builds over time, until a satisfying and impactful climax.

Overall, it ticks all the boxes you would want it too based on the premise and is mostly satisfying, no major complaints.

Pros.

The gore

The Knights Templar

It is an interesting idea

The future and the past plotlines actually complement each other quite well.

Cons.

The leads are lifeless and dull, but its okay as the gory action is what you are watching it for

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Monster Hunter: We Need Cat Chefs And We Need Them Now

Monster Hunter is a science fiction action film directed by Paul W.S Anderson, loosely based on the Monster Hunter series of video games. The plot sees a group of soldiers be transported to a world unlike our own, with the major difference being cat people and giant monsters.

So before we get into this review I just want to say I have not really played A Monster Hunter game before so I can’t say how faithful this film is or isn’t to the games. I can say that some of the elements that I have heard people talk about seem to bleed over.

Paul W.S Anderson gets a lot of very unnecessary hate as a director, I really don’t get it, with the exception of Pompeii, and the final Resident Evil film I have enjoyed everything he has done, and this is no different. Very much like Zack Snyder or Michael Bay, Anderson’s focus is on the visuals rather than the plot and as long as you understand that going in and check your expectations you are usually in for an entertaining time.

I think the best part of this film is the action scenes, both in terms of fighting the giant monsters (that actually look pretty good), and also in terms of the hand to hand fight scenes: in particularly I think the fight scene between Mila Jovovich’s Artemis and Tony Jaa’s Hunter is truly well done and the action feels very connective and visceral; I tip my hat to the choreographer.

Overall, an entertaining time with some nice visuals and fight choreography, is it going to be the best film you have ever seen? No. Though there are worse ways to spend an hour and forty-five minutes.

Pros.

Mila Jovovich

The fight scenes

Faithful to certain elements of the games

Cons.

A little bland at times

The story is very meh

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Mandalorian The Series So Far

The Mandalorian is a science fiction television program set in the Star Wars universe. So this review/ discussion will serve as a general one for the show so far, rather than a review of either season one or two. The plot of the show centres around the life of a lone Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), as he travels around the Star Wars universe getting into trouble. The main through-line of the series is The mandalorian’s mission to find a home for a young jedi named Grogu (or as the internet has dubbed him Baby Yoda).

So, before we get into it, yes, I do believe Disney was right to axe Gina Carano from the show, as she has being spouting some heinous garbage on social media to try and chase clout and make herself a martyr of the conservative cause, and frankly I don’t want someone like that anywhere near my Star Wars content.

I’ve always had a strained relationship with Star Wars personally, I liked the animated shows, I like the books and comics and I like the games: the films not so much. However, this show a long with the new season of Clone Wars has got me back into Star Wars in a big way.

I enjoy how rich the world of this show is, and how characters return often. Do I think it is a bit lazy that the show has to rely on the team up mechanic for it’s season finale in both seasons so far of the show, yes I do, they should have tried something different with seasons two, but hey the finale was still pretty rad. I think the most interesting thing about Star Wars is the lore and this show really dives into that. It was fun seeing Ashoka (Rosario Dawson), again and I am excited for her spin off show.

I think the best thing about this show is its action, even in pretty standard middle of the season episodes we still get nice full on set pieces and action and it really helps the show to stand out from the competition and feel more like you’re watching a film then you are a tv show.

Overall, I won’t give it a score, as I don’t feel like that is where this piece was heading, but I will conclude to say this is a very good show, a show that restored by faith in Star Wars, does it play it too safe sometimes yes, but we are still very much entertained.

Pros.

The action

The lore

The characters

Making Star Wars interesting again

Cons.

It relies too much on team ups

Reviewed by Luke