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smperrett
Reviews
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
What they think we want vs what we want...
Sorry Hollywood, there must have been some sort of misunderstanding here.
You had the budget, you had the return of the legacy cast, you had the source material, two amazing novels and the original movies to draw inspiration from, yet you come up with this? I've played Jurassic Park video games that have a more competent, creative and entertaining story. Everyone involved with the writing of this story should be embarrassed with themselves. Pretty much every scene that occurred I was waiting for Vin Diesel to show up and say something about family.
I think I speak for everyone when I say we don't want laser pen controlled Raptors chasing Chris Pratt around Malta on a motorbike. If there's anyone out there who disagrees, I hope you are happy.
At this point I think this franchise needs to call it quits and that's coming from someone who has a special place in their heart for Jurassic Park and dinosaurs in general.
Seriously, how did the dinosaurs look better in 1993 than they do now hahahaha.
65 (2023)
Is a bad dinosaur film better than no dinosaur film?
Watching this felt like someone ressurected your favourite childhood pet for 90 minutes, only for them to force you to watch them slowly strangle it.
'65' doesn't lean into being a dinosaur movie anywhere near enough considering that's how it's being marketed and realistically is the only reason anyone is going to watch it. There's more painfully unimpressive space travel, embarrassingly wooden drama and poor survivalist showcasing than there is intense dino action.
The 2008 movie 'Outlander' had better creature design, CGI and plot than this inexcusable waste of 90 minutes. Saying that. It's still better than 'Jurassic World: Dominion'...not that that's much of a compliment.
The only reason this is getting 3 stars is because I think I managed to get that many minutes of happiness watching it.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Avatar: Resurrection, bro.
To say I was desperately shoveling coal whilst tooting the horn at the front of the hype train for this one would be an understatement. This was the cinematic event of the year for me and James Cameron has delivered some of the best sequels in filmmaking history (shut up Pirhana 2, I'm not talking about you). All the pieces were in play for the greatest sequel of all time. Unfortunately, I left the cinema feeling more like I'd just watched Alien:Resurrection, than Aliens. That might be a little harsh, but there was definitely a lot of ways this film was left me feeling flatter than if I'd just dipped a hopeful hand into a Christmas stocking, only to find a copy of GoT S8.
The introduction to the movie felt extremely hurried for a 3hr+ movie, and I found myself scrambling to keep up with the fast-paced 3D action during the opening 10 minutes, whilst the expository narration got us up to speed with the Sullys new family and circumstances on Pandora.
A lot of shots and scenes and dialogue from here on throughout the movie are uninspiring copy and paste retreads from the first movie, from the close ups of pupils dilating when taming Pandora's wildlife, to the obligatory 'not in Kansas anymore' and right the way down to the final shot of Jake's eyes snapping open to the glorious beat of tribal drums as the credits begin to roll.
Thankfully, in between these moments were long stretches where I felt everything I wanted to feel from this sequel, so this isn't a negative review, just a slightly disappointed one. The underwater world of Pandora is like watching National Geographic pornography. It is truly awe-inspiring stuff on display here.
My main issue with this sequel is that the story felt like it was a mere afterthought to the action scenes. The first story gets a lot of stick for being a 'Dances with Wolves' meets 'Pocahontas' alien lovechild, but it worked for me on a level that this sequel just doesn't. I can't help but feel that for all the stunning cinematography and visual effects, that it was extremely slim on plot and interesting dialogue.
James Cameron has delivered a world that most of us would trade the Earth to live in. I really hope that we get to visit it again with more focus and attention given to riveting plot than gun battles and overlong whale-hunting scenes. My god, the whales.
In short, a mixed bag which I will surely revisit with lowered expectations and hopefully enjoy more upon the second viewing.
The Woman King (2022)
Everything I wanted it to be.
I had high hopes for this one. It pleases me to say that I wasn't disappointed.
This film hits every note that it aims to flawlessly. The actors all performed their hearts out, with Thuso Mbedu in particular being the standout of them all. The sets, music and choreography were absolutely jaw dropping, combining for a truly immervsive cinema experience.
There were aspects of the movie that I think could have been improved upon. I feel that if you're going to show sexual assault on screen, you may as well go all out and not cut away in the moments where blood is being shed, however the battle sequences were all filmed and choreographed phenomenally so they pack a punch nonetheless.
The film made me feel excited, elated, heartbroken, guilty and angry. My emotions were soaring, crushed and reborn during the coarse of this movie and I would encourage anyone I know to go and check this out on the biggest screen you can find. I can't wait to watch it again. What an achievement.
Barbarian (2022)
Came for the horror, stayed for the camp.
I went in to this movie with great expectations, having seen the trailer, witnessed the positive reviews whilst dodging all spoilers. Having seen it I have to say it was a surprise, and an experience that took a lot of time to process. I wasn't really sure how I felt about it for a couple of days after watching
Firstly I'll start with the aspects of the film that I really liked from the get go. The first 40 minutes was superb, filled with tension and two gripping performances. The movie takes some surprising turns, and some of these really worked for me. When the movie resets after the first true glimpse of horror, it essentially turns into a black comedy for the following 30 minutes in a subplot which seemed like an extended deleted scene from 'Promising Young Woman'. There were plenty of cringey laughs to be had during this sequence, which sets up the campy tone of the final act of the movie.
Once Barbarians secrets are out in the open and it shows its hand, it turns into a over-the-top thrill ride which amuses as much as it horrifies. It's a little disappointing that the tension which was so present in the first act goes missing from the climax, however I enjoyed the ride it took me on. I appreciate that they did something original, even if it wasn't quite what I wanted it to be.
This is a horror film that subverts expectations, takes risks and has something to say. I respect it as much as I had fun watching it.
Not perfect, but a damn fun time at the cinema.
The Reef: Stalked (2022)
Inferior to 'The Reef' in every way.
The Reef is one of my favourite shark movies. Traucki's first shark movie was harrowing, tense and frightening, succeeding to satisfy at every twist and turn. Unfortunately this sequel fails to live up to it on every level. The acting is a mixed bag, ranging from passable to laughable. The use of real shark footage is commendable but not as seamlessly well integrated as its predecessor. The music is unimaginative and repetitive. The characters are annoying. The shark acts like a monster from a Kaiju movie, rather than a shark. I should have known what to expect from the poster art.
This being said, there are positives to the movie. The first 40 minutes was well done and there were some scenes that showed glimpses of the tension of the first movie.
Worth a watch for the die hard shark-movie fan, but if you didn't enjoy the first one, or any other shark flicks, definitely skip this one.
'The Reef: Stalked' is mostly a misfire, but it's certainly better than other recent shark movies such as 'Great White', which was truly awful.
I will continue to follow Traucki's work, as a fan of his previous movies, hoping we see quality closer to that of the first movie again in the future.