The Invisible Man: The Dark Universe Reborn.

The Invisible Man is a science fiction horror film directed by Leigh Whannell. The plot follows Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss), a woman who escapes her abusive boyfriend, only for him to then kill himself, or appear to, and then continue stalking her only now he is invisible. Of course, people think that Cecilia is crazy, so she must set out on a mission to prove she is sane, as well as to finish off her abusive ex-boyfriend once and for all.

I thought this was a great film. After the rocky start Universal’s Dark Universe had all hope seemed to be lost, but then this came out. The reason why I think this film is so good and should be the template for future releases of Universal’s classic monster films, is because it is a horror film first. It is not an action film with horror elements, it is not a film hell bent of trying to force in an extended universe, it is simply a good horror film.

To that end, I found the premise to be quite unsettling, being stalked by someone you can’t see, and the film really does explore that in an interesting way. Furthermore, there were moments in the film where I thought for sure they would stuff in a cheap jump scare, but they didn’t and for that I tip my hat to Leigh Whannell. The horror elements in this film are strong, there were multiple times in the film that made me jump, which is something I rarely do these days as I have become use to watching horror films.

Moreover, I think the way the film handles domestic abuse is both in good taste and shocking at the same time, the domestic abuse is the heart of this film, therein lies the horror, The Invisible Man shines a light on this subject and shows how horrific it is, how a person can be isolated and tortured by the person they love the most. What’s more, Elizabeth Moss’s performance highlights the horror of domestic abuse as her character is unable to go outside at the start of the film as she is consumed by fear that her partner will be outside coming for her. For me this may be a career best for Moss.

Overall, this film far exceeded by expectations, as a stand-alone horror film it works very well, as a piece of a larger narrative equally so, other than being a little slow at times, this is a damn near perfect film.

Pros.

The horror.

Not using jump scares.

It actually made me jump.

Elizabeth Moss.

Con.

It is a bit slow at times, it could have done with a tighter edit.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Halloween (2018): Back In The Game

Halloween (2018) is a horror slasher film directed by David Gordon Green. This film acts as a soft reboot of the franchise, ignoring everything after the first John Carpenter Halloween film. The plot once again sees everyone’s favourite maniac breakout of the asylum and return to Haddonfield, to carry on his killing spree that he began 40 years ago. However, a face from his past has been waiting for him, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Laurie is now battle hardened and suffering from PTSD, her whole life has been dedicated to finishing Michael off when he inevitably returns.

This film is a return to form for the franchise, by ignoring all of the terrible sequels, and doing away with the convoluted backstory for Michael Myers, the film returns to its root and is all the scarier for it. The idea that Strode has not been able to move on after what happened to her all those years ago and has now become obsessed, not only makes sense, but is also a really interesting concept.

Despite now being an old man, in the film’s timeline, Michael Myers has some genuinely great scares, he is still the killing machine we all remember him to be. When he drops the handful of teeth over the toilet stall wall, that stayed with me long after I saw it. My one issue with how this film handles Michael Myers is the fake out when it looks like someone else is going to take over the mantle; lucky they get their face stood on by the man himself.

The whole film builds towards the showdown between Myers and Strode and it is safe to say that the final showdown is fantastically well done. It is tense and suspenseful, and you can tell that both parties are giving it their all and that this is the defining moment in their lives. It is nice to see three generations of Strode women fighting back again this man that has been terrorising their family for almost half a century. The final shot of the film seeing Michael Myers trapped in a house that is burning down and it finally looks as though this is the end for him, but of course with this being a slasher film it can’t be, and two more films have been announced.

Overall, after all the harm that had been done to the franchise over the years, it is nice to see a Halloween film that actually cares about the characters that John Carpenter created back in 1978. I loved the Rob Zombie films, but this is definitely a return to form for the series. I can’t wait for Halloween Kills, but at the same time I would like to see the series end.

Pros.

A great return to form.

Michael Myers is still scary.

The PTSD angle is a cool way to take it.

The final showdown is great.

Cons.

It should be the end.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Curse Of La Llorona: Behold The Horror!

The Curse Of La Llorona is a supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves and is the 6^th instalment in the Conjuring universe, though that fact is not marketed, for what reason you decide. The plot revolves around social worker Anna (Linda Cardellini), who after unwittingly letting a supernatural entity kill two kids, now has to face down the same entity, La Llorona (Marisol Ramirez), when her own kids become targets.

I am just going to say this once, the only reason this is a part of the Conjuring universe is because Warner Brothers know that without that title this film would flop, hard. What makes it even worse is the fact that its tie to said universe is so small and flimsy, most people won’t even recognise it. The way this film ties into the shared universe is by having the same actor who played a priest in the first Annabelle film return to his role for a blink and you will miss it cameo.

I understand that the folk tale of La Llorona is something that means a lot to people and that it was THE fear of their childhood, but that just makes this film sadder. Rather than give us a good film that explores La Llorona, the myth, the person, we have this forgettable bland excuse for a film. La Llorona could be swapped for any of the Conjuring universe baddies and the results would be the same. La Llorona in this film could easily be the nun from other entries, as they don’t bother to make her feel unique and different.

Moreover, the characters in this film are as dull and cliché filled as they can possibly be, these are characters that you have seen thousands of times before in this kind of film there is nothing to them and that makes them incredibly hard to care for. There were moments in this film when I was hoping La Llorona would kill one of them just to liven things up, but no. It is all just predictable and safe.

Don’t even get me started on the jump scares in this film, they are the most blatant and obvious ones I have ever seem in a film. Never has it been truer than in the case of this film where the creative team are putting in forced jump scares because there is no actually horror in their horror film. This is so un-scary it doesn’t deserve to be called a horror film, it could be shown in schools and even then, little kids wouldn’t find it scary, just tediously, aggressively, horrifically bad.

Pros.

The new priest guy is kind of cool.

Cons.

Oh, wait no they ruined him.

La Llorona herself is dull and repetitive.

It shows everything wrong with jump scares.

It is not in any way, in any shape or form a horror film.

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sorry To Bother You: What Would You Do To Succeed?

Sorry To Bother You is a dark comedy film directed by Boots Riley. The plot follows Cash (Lakeith Stanfield), a young black telemarketer who adopts a white accent to be successful at his job. Once Cash is a success he must decide where his priorities lie and who his real friends are, as everything is not as it seems, and dangers lurk at every corner.

I love this film satirical take on the world, I think there are parts of it that are genuinely hilarious and parts that make you think, as good satire should. However, I do believe that the absurdity of this film reaches a point where it becomes silly and loses the point. I am of course referring to the horse people that show up in the films final act. I understand that they are acting as a metaphor and are part of the satire, but at that point in the film I had given up trying to understand it as it had ventured into silly territory. I think this film could have been even stronger without the horse people being in it. I do believe the horse people will be polarizing to people watching this, you will either love them and think they’re inspired, or think their inclusion is dumb and confusing.

The main positive of this film is Lakeith Stanfield’s marvellous breakout performance! Stanfield nails the performance on every level, he is warm and likeable, he is funny, and he also evokes real emotion from us the audience during some of the film’s heavier scenes. This was and has proven to be a Star making turn for him and I think it is fully deserved.

However, on the flip side I think all the scenes with Cash’s girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson), drag on and on. I have yet to be impressed by Thompson in a single one of her performances, she is fine but she never blows me away, she was good in Thor Ragnarök, but that was a small part in a larger cast, not one of the main characters as she is in this film. I think many other actresses could have done a better job than Thompson in this role to name but a few off the top of my head, I think both Zazie Beetz and Lupia Nyong’o could have had interesting takes on the character, but ah well.

Overall, this is mostly a great dark comedy, Stanfield is terrific, and this film is worth watching for him alone, however a weak and strange third act and a less than average performance from Tessa Thompson stop this film from being a 5/5.

Pros.

Lakeith Stanfield.

A great dark comedy.

It makes you think and laugh.

Cons.

Tessa Thompson

The horse people.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Mile 22: Run As Far As You Can It Won’t Make A Difference

Mile 22 is a espionage action thriller directed by Peter Berg. The plot follows a team of special operatives as they race around the clock to try and find the location of missing packages of caesium. It then turns out that one man Li Noor (Iko Uwais), has the locations on a storage drive that is slowly destroying itself, Li is prepared to trade the drive in order to escape the country, as he says it contains secrets that could bring down the government; what follows is the special forces team lead by James Silva (Mark Wahlberg), trying to get Li out of the country.

I had very low expectations of this going in, truth be told I put it on because I just wanted to watch a dumb action movie, I could turn my brain off to and enjoy regardless of its quality. Not only did Mile 22 live up to my expectation of dumb fun, but it was also much better than I thought it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t must see cinema, it is dumb and none of it really makes sense, but in terms of an action movie, this might be one of the best I have seen in a while.

The action choreography is great, but as soon as Iko Uwais name appeared in the credits I knew that was going to be true, Uwais is on top form as ever and did a great job of the fight sequences, Lauren Cohen who play’s Alice in the film also had a great fight scene towards the end of the film that I thought was particularly well done. The editing during fight sequences is jumping around all over the place, which can be off putting for some as you don’t really get a good look at anything, personally I didn’t mind the style of editing I thought it added to the overall kinetic feel of the action.

Finally, I want to talk about the twist. All the way through the film we see that the American coms have been tapped by the Russians and that they are listening in, but it is not revealed why until right at the end. Suffice it to say the twist at the end genuinely surprised me, I didn’t see it coming. It would be nice to get a follow-up to this film so we could see what happens next, but we will have to wait on that.

Overall, more than just dumb fun Mile 22 packs some great action scenes and a great twist ending that help to elevate it over standard genre fare.

Pros.

The twist.

The fight scenes.

Iko Uwais.

Cons.

None of it makes sense.

The editing may be jarring for some people.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Mummy: One Of The Worst Films Ever Made!

The Mummy is an action adventure film, directed by the talentless hack Alex Kurtzman. The plot of this film revolved around Nick Morton (Tom Cruise), a solider who whilst on a mission in Egypt accidentally unleashes an ancient evil into the world. This was originally supposed to be the film that kick-started Universal’s Dark Universe, instead it was the film that ended up killing it.

First off, the abandoning of the horror roots of The Mummy series is a crime, but then replacing them with samey over the top generic action sequences is a crime against humanity. Whoever came up with the idea to turn The Mummy into an entirely action driven film deserves to be fired and never allowed to work in Hollywood again. Yes, I know the Brenden Frasier films exist, and yes, they were action focused as well, but there was also some horror in those films, there were many scenes that genuinely scared me the first time I saw them.

What makes this worse is the fact that they cast Tom Cruise in the lead role, he is horribly miscast and also brings no charm whatsoever to the film, he just plays a generic action hero type. The end of film sees him possessed by some kind of demonic force, yet he is still a good guy and the film still wants us to root for him. The film wants you to root for the devil, where was the moral outcry about that?

The supporting cast are all terrible, but for different reasons include some that aren’t their fault. Sofia Boutella as The Mummy does bring a great physicality to the role and she as a character is intriguing, however to the film’s bad luck, Suicide Squad was fresh in people’s minds as Boutella’s Mummy seemed all too familiar to the villain of that film. Also, the over reliance on CGI really shows with her character and the film could have been improved with more practical effects. Annabelle Wallis as the love interest (because that is all her character is), has absolutely nothing to do except be saved by Tom Cruise. It has to be said as well though that Wallis can’t act, she just can’t, wooden would be too nice of a word to describe her acting ability, her involvement in any film should be a huge red flag. Finally, we have Jake Johnson as the comedic sidekick character, who I actually liked, I thought he was funny, and I enjoyed what they did with his character. However, because this film was so poorly made his comedy stuck out like a sore thumb and didn’t mesh well with the overall tone of the film.

Overall, Jake Johnson is the best thing about this film, his character might be on screen for all of 20 minutes but hell you will miss him when he isn’t there. Tom Cruise is terrible, just terrible. This film deserves to rot in hell.

Pros.

Jake Johnson.

Cons.

Alex Kurtzman is a hack.

They ruined a great franchise.

Tom Cruise.

This film hates itself and the audience.

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Us: An Exercise In Failing To Live Up To Expectations.

Us is a horror film directed by Jordan Peele. The plot follows Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), who, as a girl, had a run in with a doppelganger version of herself in a Santa Cruz house of mirrors. Little did she know that everyone has a double, these doubles are called the Tethered and they live in underground tunnels everywhere, all across the USA, maybe even the world; for years they have been planning one thing, their revenge, this film chronicles them getting it.

The expectations for this film after Peele’s seminal breakout hit with Get Out were sky high, how was he going to top it? Well in my opinion, he didn’t. Whilst Peele’s earlier film had some cerebral elements to it, it was still a very straightforward narrative, by that I mean when the film ended you knew what had happened. However, Us likes to smell its own farts, the whole film seems to be up to your interoperation and the themes seem to be more important than the story itself, there are numerous scenes and plot holes, such as why the Tethered don’t always copy what their surface dwelling doubles do even though it is established early on that they do, which ruin the great concept the more you think about it.

For me the biggest issue with this film is it’s ending. There is a twist reveal that who we thought was Adelaide has actually been the evil Tethered version of the character all along, which is a good twist, but then the film just kind of ends. The way the film ends with the Tethered all linking up and joining hands across America, leaves more questions than answers and it doesn’t feel nicely wrapped up, like Get Out did, which to me makes the writing seem weaker.

I have to talk about Nyong’o’s performance which was fantastic. Was it Oscar nomination worthy, no it wasn’t. However, what Nyong’o did was create two characters that felt entirely different, but also similar enough that they could be switched over and we would believe it. Moreover, she also brought a great physicality to the role, the final fight scene between her and Red, (Or who we believe to be Red), was excellent and really well done.

Overall, this film fails to live up to expectations as it leaves us going what? Rather than feeling satisfied. I still think however, this is a good film and Nyong’o is great in it, just that the challenge of having to follow Get Out proved too much for it.

Pros.

Good premise.

Scares.

Nyong’o

Cons.

Far to up its own arse.

Unsatisfying.

Fails to live up to expectations.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bad Boys For Life: Is It Time To Retire?

Bad Boys For Life is an action comedy film directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. The plot returns us once again to the lives of Miami cops Mike (Will Smith), and Marcus ( Martin Lawrence), who are now on the cusp of retirement, with the two men disagreeing about whether they should or not. However, when a figure from Mike’s past comes back to haunt and hunt him, the Boys have to be Bad one last time.

This film knows what it is, it isn’t trying to be clever it is just dumb popcorn fun, think Fast and The Furious but with less of a focus on cars. The life blood of this film is the chemistry and banter between Smith and Lawrence and I am pleased to report that this chemistry is just as strong as ever, you buy them as two cops who have been partners for years and are more like brothers than friends at this point.

Moreover, the boy’s interactions with Ammo, the new policing group that does things differently to the Boys, is fantastic and had me laughing multiple times in the cinema. I think Alexander Ludwig of Vikings fame is the standout of this younger cast and the joke of him being a big burly guy who prefers to stay in the van never stops being funny. Also, some of the meta jokes in this film are also brilliant, an example of one of these is having Michael Bay announcing things at Marcus’s daughter’s wedding, which made me laugh as he was the director of the other two films.

The action in this film is pretty good the choreography is done well, however, when I was watching I often thought I don’t think Will Smith should do these type of roles anymore as I just don’t believe him as an action star anymore, he is past it and it shows in this film.

I thought the storyline of it being Mike’s son that was trying to kill him, was incredibly obvious from the beginning and is a little too similar to Smith’s other recent film Gemini Man.

Overall, I think that for a belated sequel this is probably as good as you could hope for, there are some laughs, it treats the characters with respect, it is an enjoyable turn your brain off sort of film, however it is still far from perfect and the issues that plague the film are fundamental, so aren’t easily changed. See it if you have nothing better to do!

Pros.

Smith and Lawrence’s chemistry.

The Boy’s interactions with Ammo.

Alexander Ludwig.

The meta jokes.

Cons.

The Boys are pasted their prime and it shows.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Sonic The Hedgehog: The Hero We Need!

Sonic The Hedgehog is an action-adventure comedy film based off the beloved 90’s videogame figure. The plot follows Sonic after he flees his home world and takes up residency on Earth, there he meets Donut Lord (James Marsden), who accidentally tranquilisers him causing him to lose his rings, which Sonic needs to travel between worlds. While all of this is happening the US, government calls in a specialist to check out all the strange goings on, Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who them seeks out Sonic to capture him and use him for his own odds and ends.

Can I just say that as someone who grew up playing Sonic in the early 2000’s this film is a triumph they nail Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Robotnik and the world, more over that post credits scene when they introduce Tails had me giddy with excitement. I am actively looking forward to a Sega shared universe and if all of the entries to the universe are as good as this, we might finally have something to rival the MCU.

My only complaint about this film is that occasionally it focused a bit too much on it’s human characters, while Marsden did a good job the same can’t be said for his in-film wife Maddie/ The Pretzel Lady (Tika Sumpter), who added nothing and was incredibly underdeveloped, the scenes that focused on her and her sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell), dragged on and on and took away from the overall enjoyment of the film. The joke of Rachel not liking Donut Lord/Mike is used for all it is worth and it is never once funny.

However, Carrey’s turn as Robotnik more than makes up for the lack of comedy and he is phenomenal and hilarious. I didn’t realise until I was sat watching this film how much I had missed seeing Jim Carrey on the big screen, as he was a favourite of mine when I was growing up. Carrey brings some real menace to Robotnik, but also makes him super over the top in the best way, he perfectly walks that line between scary and funny.

Sonic himself looks great and reminds me of the Sonic from my youth, Ben Schwartz does a great job voicing him, he brings a lot of energy to the character and also makes him warm and likeable; there are elements of the latest iteration of Paddington mixed in the there I am sure.

Overall, there is a lot to love about this film, it is not only a great videogame movie, but also the perfect start to a wider universe. Loved it! If you’re a fan of Sonic or, a newcomer to the character I guarantee you will have a good time with this film.

Pros.

Setting up the world.

I missed Jim Carrey.

The post credits scene.

Sonic himself.

Cons.

Any scene with Maddie or her sister.

4.5/5

Birds Of Prey: Margot Robbie’s Vanity Project

Birds of Prey is a superhero film based on the DC characters of the same name directed by Cathy Yan. It serves as sequel to Suicide Squad and is set in the DC Universe. The plot of this film is that following her break-up from the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), set out to find out who she is and live her own life, she then gets targeted by a local drug lord and gets mixed up with a wide assortment of characters.

Why did you do this DC? You were on such a streak recently, but then this film came out; which may be the weakest film in the DCEU, but hey I like Batman Vs Superman and Suicide Squad so what do I know.

My issues with this film are on a fundamental level, firstly this isn’t a Birds of Prey film, it’s a Harley Quinn film that is using that name. Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) are in the film for maybe 30 minutes in total and are shockingly underused. This film is all about Harley Quinn and it isn’t afraid to show it. Adding to that Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), a future Bat-girl is also in this film and she may be played by one of the most annoying child actors ever; but that is low hanging fruit, so I won’t rag on it too much.

This film is clearly heavily inspired by the New 52 run on Harley Quinn, which I loved, it has a lot of tonal similarities, but where the comic works the film doesn’t. I don’t know if it is issues in translating it over, but it just seems like it is trying to hard. The random asides, musical and otherwise and the jumping around in time for no real reason, reek to me of them trying too hard to make it edgy and random. Robbie is clearly doing her best Deadpool impression as well. I think the fact that this film doesn’t have Poison Ivy in it, to act as a new love interest for Harley is one hell of a missed opportunity.

The thing I dislike the most about this film is its message which is as aggressive as a punch to the throat. We have two incredibly on the nose scenes in this film, we have on scene where Harley is almost taken advantage of, why include this in your Harley Quinn superhero film as it just sticks out? As well as another scene of Black Canary singing ‘it’s a man’s world’ and it is like I get it film I get your point can you please stop ramming it down my throat it is off putting; showing once again that Hollywood doesn’t understand the meaning of subtly. Moreover, later in the film we have a scene where Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), forces a woman to strip, which once again feels out of place and he hasn’t shown any behaviour before that suggests he would do that kind of evil deed rather than just having her killed. All of these scenes are incredibly jarring and take you out of the experience and make it feel as though you’re being lectured to.

To conclude no wonder this film underperformed it tries too hard, misses a huge character opportunity and has as much subtly as a brick to the face.

Pros.

The Birds of Prey barring Harley are cool, it’s a shame they are barely developed.

Cons.

Robbie is trying to be Deadpool see the police evidence locker cocaine scene to see what I mean, it’s obvious.

Cassandra Cain is ridiculously annoying every time she is on screen.

The constant lectures.

The over the top randomness of it all.

1/5.

Reviewed by Luke