Dune: Part One (2021) Non-Spoiler Film Review: This Is Just The Beginning...

 

In the year 10191, House Atreides is assigned by the Empire to rule over the desert planet of Arrakis and harvest the resource known as Spice, unaware that it's an elaborate coup to eliminate the whole family and allow House Harkonnen to continue their iron-fisted rule over the planet. As Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto, starts to have mysterious dreams and visions about Arrakis and its people, Harkonnen attacks, causing Paul and his mother to escape and stranded in the hostile environment. Paul, and his growing power known as "the voice", seeks vengeance on House Harkonnen and the Empire by allying himself with the local populous known as the Fremen. The film only covers half of the acclaimed novel and it really shows. I won't go into much detail, but the ending feels abrupt, almost as if we just ended in the first act of a greater story. While that can be problematic for those wanting a more conclusive story, the film excel in its storytelling. Frank Hubert's novel is infamous for its complicated lore and narrative, but the film manages to make it as digestible as possible to those unfamiliar with the source material. It can be easily viewed as a straight-up sci-fi epic about good vs. evil and the chosen one archetype, while also incorporating various themes and allegories on religion, colonialism, politics, and historical resonance. While there's a bit of humour, it's a film that takes itself very seriously and is nowhere near the 80's cheese that can be found in the original 1984 adaptation.

The cast is enormous to try and condense for everyone and considering the part-one nature, not everyone is given much screen-time, but I will try my best to get the most important characters across. Timothee Chalamet as Paul is great at playing this distant, almost emotionless teen who is forced into a massive conflict and prophecy that he has to take part of. While some might say that his acting is wooden, that's just how the character is written from the novel. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica is fitting as the mother of Paul who have a special bond due to her heritage as a Bene Gesserit. Oscar Issac as Duke Leto is very good as the noble lord who hopes to make peace with the Fremen unlike House Harkonnen. Lastly, Stellan Skarsgard is brillaint as the villainous Baron, a vicious, gluttonous lord who wants to keep control of Arrakis and the Spice harvest. The supporting cast is also well-cast, but are limited in their screen presence. Jason Momoa is fun as Duncan, a high-ranking soldier of House Atreides, Josh Brolin is perfect as Gurney, the serious weapons-master and mentor to Paul, Dave Bautista reeks of menace as Rabban, the nephew of the Baron, Zendaya is fitting as Cheni, the Fremen love interest for Paul, and Javier Bardem steals whatever scene he's in as Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen. There are far more minor characters that I'm leaving out, but everyone here is doing a great job with their respective character, so much so that not one of them surpasses the other in regards to stealing the film for themselves. While not everyone is developed or characterized here, I will let it slide due to this being a part-one of a larger story.

Denis Villeneuve is quickly becoming one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of this generation and it's not hard to see why. Right away, Villeneuve perfectly brings the aesthetic of the source material to life. The technology and costumes are the right blend of timeless and modern to make a surreal-looking distant future. There's both a sense of grit and beauty to the film, which Villeneuve knows exactly how to balance akin to previous works in "Arrival" and "Blade Runner 2049." The cinematography by Greg Fraser is excellent with massive wide-shots that show off the scope of the world and extensive cast. Fraser's camerawork screams both prestige and cinematic experience by the calculative spacing and framing. The score by Hans Zimmer is one of his best efforts of his career with the use of choir, booming music, and feel of dread and epic-ness. Instead of sounding futuristic and modern, it has a more timeless and natural base. At times, it does get a bit too repetitive and even abrasive during scenes with no real action, but it's still a fantastic score. The visual effects, much like Villeneuve's previous films, are used effortlessly here that it feels real and expansive of the world, all thanks to the camerawork and direction that makes it feel more feasible then it really is. Lastly, there's the action, which the film lacks, but makes up for it with its execution and style. The use of sword-fighting has a raw, close-combat approach while incorporating a martial arts flair along with the imaginative designs and principles of the world-building. This is not a film for action fanatics, but it's one that is executed almost flawlessly by Villeneuve's involvement.

"Dune: Part One" may not be my favourite film from Villeneuve, but that's not saying much in regards to his resume. While the part-one structure and some underdeveloped side characters may dimmer the quality for the time being, this is still an excellent attempt at adapting what is widely regarded as one of the most impossible novels to adapt onscreen. From the digestible storytelling, various themes and allegories that can be interpreted, brilliant actors that perfectly fit their respective characters to the point of all being on the same level of talent, Fraser's camerawork sharing the grand scope, prestige and movie-going experience that this story demands, Zimmer's unique and timeless score, outstanding visual effects, great bits of action, and Villeneuve's direction and portrayal of Hubert's world and large sense of scope, scale, and lore that manages to feel tangible. "Blade Runner 2049" is still the best film he has made to date, but this is a close second for sure.

Verdict: 9/10. A sci-fi classic in the making. "Part Two" has a lot of pressure on its shoulders now after this debut.

Sausage Party (2016) Film Review: A Party That Will Be Hard To Forget...

 

R-rated animated films are a pretty rare sight. Either they get piled up with direct-to-video trash or they happen to be part of a well-established franchise such as "South Park" or "ATHF". "Sausage Party" managed to surprise everyone, both by how vulgar it gets and how successful it was as an original R-rated animated film, still carrying the record of being the highest-grossing film of its kind. The food found in Shopwell's all have a varied yet collective dream, which is to be chosen by their human gods and taken to the Great Beyond. Unaware of what really happens to food outside of the store, a freak accident causes an assortment of characters to be thrown off their carts thanks to a suicidal honey mustard. A sausage named Frank wants to discover why the honey mustard killed himself following his return from the Great Beyond and pulls his girlfriend, Brenda, along with a bagel and lavash to discover the truth about the Great Beyond. The "Toy Story"-sounding premise is actually more than it seems as the film has a clever dose of religious allegory and commentary, which is far better than most R-rated animated content would offer. The film however uses its R-rating to its full advantage as there's constant swearing, sexual innuendos, gore, drug use, and a chaotic and almost uncomfortable finale that is unapologetic whatsoever. The vulgar identity that the film carries is both entertaining to a degree, but also a bit repetitive and tiring, particularly with the swearing. Still, the film contains a ton of laughs to be had and it's all down to the clever writing and character dynamics rather than just constant swearing.

Frank, voiced by Seth Rogen, is sort of the average leader character who puts himself on a journey that will cause some distance between him and his peers, both literally and figuratively. While Frank has his enjoyable moments, his role as the protagonist is a bit odd, especially with Rogen's more comedic antics and vocal performance. Barry, voiced by Micheal Cera, does fit the role of protagonist more than Frank, which is thanks to the character's naive personality, the extended role he gets in the B-roll story, and perfect direction by Cera. Brenda, voiced by Kristen Wiig, is pretty likeable as the worrying girlfriend, but she doesn't really have an arc compared by Frank or Barry and she has some weird racial undertones every now and then. The side cast is massive, so much so that I'm not even going to bother listing the other actors and actresses since it will just double this section alone. Sammy Bagel Jr. and Kareem Abdul Lavash are fantastic comic relief in their portrayal of Jewish-Muslim tension, Teresa del Taco is a solid supporting character who aids the group and lusts for Brenda, the Non-Perishables are an entertaining group of wise men who know the long history of the Great Beyond, Gum is a charming parody of Stephan Hawking, and Douche is a decent, if simple, antagonist who wants revenge for not being able to enter the Great Beyond. There are also the human characters such as the drug dealer and Darren, but they don't have a lot of time to be enjoyable. Overall, the entire cast is great in regards to the sheer star power attached and the characters themselves are fairly likeable or humorous. However, there are some questionable decisions in regards to the role of protagonist and underwritten characters like Brenda and Frank.

The animation is one of the more fascinating aspects of the film, considering that the budget was just $19 million. While you might think that the animation would be of poor quality with that low production value, it's actually not the case. The animation itself isn't perfect though, as there are some odd texture moments and the emphasis on more smooth and simplistic designs means that you're not going to get the most detailed renders out there. However, the animation proves to be pretty fluent and imaginative given its limitations, going for a more cartoony aesthetic and the character designs for the food products being fairly unique in how it has an old-school approach with the gloved hands and black outlines and the food itself adds to the character animation or how they are represented in-universe as a clique or ethnic group. The music by Christopher Lennetz and Alan Menken is above-average. While there are some generic tracks to be sure, Menken knocks it out of the park with "The Great Beyond", which is a charming, Disney-esque musical number that perfectly introduces the tone and feel of the film. The licensed soundtrack itself is also pretty good with Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love" and Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" being used in some memorable sequences. Overall, the animation and music is nowhere near the best when compared to other films, but it's pretty adequate given the budget and film it is. 

"Sausage Party" isn't going to be a movie for everyone. The vulgar nature can be too much at times with the swearing and gross-out ending, the characters of Frank and Brenda are underwritten for the roles they play, and the animation isn't the most prettiest thing to look at. For some people, it's going to appear like it's a film made just to be edgy and attract teen audiences for how crass it is. However, the film actually manages to hold up quite well even five years later. From the entertaining premise that complements its R-rating, the witty and hilarious commentary that does a great job in poking fun and criticizing religion as a whole, Barry being a solid secondary protagonist that deserves to be the main character, the various cast of side characters that are likeable in their personalities and comedic writing along with their talented voice actors, the decent and creative animation that does the job well given its low budget, and the offerings from Lennetz and Menken being fairly memorable thanks to "The Great Beyond." If it just held back on its vulgarness in areas and tweaked some central characters, this would honestly be one of the best animated films from that decade. As is, it's still a shockingly great comedy that has a lot more than meets the eye!

Verdict: 8/10. Great, but can be divisive in areas. Watch if you can deal with countless F-bombs and sexual overtones. 

Black Widow (2021) Spoiler-Filled Review/Rant: More Like Bland Midow...

 

Here's yet another movie I've been trying to avoid for this year. I have already shared my disdain towards the MCU in my "Shang-Chi" review, so I won't go into depth again. While I was somewhat interested in "Shang-Chi", I had zero interest for "Black Widow". Not only did the trailers look generic, but why should I spend time on a story about a dead character that will have no impact in the future of the MCU? Well, curiosity got the better of me and after two-and-a-half hours later, I instantly regretted watching it in a second-run theatre.

Positives:

• Natasha's character arc. Even though her character arc could have been more impactful and resonating if the film was far more serious or take bolder steps in its story, I do think that Natasha has a reasonable arc that the movie gave her when it comes to reconciliation, regret, and confronting the sins of the past.
• The family unit that consists of Natasha, Yelena, Alexei, and Melina. Not only do all four have believable chemistry, but they do come across as generally likeable and you want the family that is once broken to fix their relationship. Personally, David Harbour's Red Guardian was the best character in the film in terms of character and enjoyability.
• The acting. Regardless of whether the character is done well or not, the acting is pretty solid all around. While the Russian accents do seem a bit silly and over-the-top at times, the performances never once feel phoned-in.
• The cinematography by Gabriel Beristain. While the conversations is constantly given close-ups, Beristain is good at having some scenic shots, panning, and scale during the action set-pieces.
• The score by Lorne Balfe. The action music is pretty generic, but the dramatic work is not that bad using both Russian themes and an orchestrated approach.
• The stunts involved during the action. While the action sequences have their fair share of problems, the same can't be said about the effortless stunt choreography. It's both brutal and kinetic that it's a shame that the stunts were just in a better movie.

Negatives:

• The story. While the premise of Natasha trying to shut down the Red Room once and for all is fine along with the established character arc, the problem is that the story both doesn't take risks and feels overstuffed in order to satisfy her arc. Aside from knowing that her death won't occur for another few years, the film just doesn't have the guts to have huge moral consequences to strengthen Natasha's arc. Aside from one Widow, none of the brainwashed female assassins are killed off by the heroes from their life-or-death situations, let alone any of the major characters. The story is also trying to tackle a lot of themes, not only the ones relevant to Natasha's arc, but also the role of women in the film and how the villains use and treat them, while pushing a feminist and female empowerment agenda at the same time. These themes are fine to include in this type of movie, but it gets too crowded in the narrative and it also hampers any boldness potential the film could have had for the sake of pleasing a tent-pole crowd. On top of everything that's been established, the film feels completely pointless in regards to the rest of the MCU. The only thing that is important is the post-credits scene that teases Yelena hunting down Hawkeye. Only a minute of this movie's runtime actually matters in the future of the franchise and you have to seat through the entire film and credits to get it.
• Too much exposition. A lot of the film's backstory is exposition from the context of the opening scene, the Budapest mission, the villain's motivations, development of the other characters, etc. It's nowhere near as bad as "Mortal Kombat", but it's ridiculous that the film never shows you any of these things. The birth of Taskmaster and Yelena's torture in the Red Room would have been  powerful moments in the film, but we never get to see it.
• The tone and humour. If you think "Shang-Chi" had an awkward juggling of tone, this goes the next step beyond. The beginning scene is so hokey and wholesome before the dark, gritty opening credit sequence that includes a montage of human trafficking and little girls enslaved to being assassins all while a depressing rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" plays in the background. If the film continued the dark tone that the opening credits carries, that would actually be sick! But of course, we get the typical Marvel formula that's not overly-serious or dramatic in order to put in fun, lighthearted humour for the whole family. While the humour isn't as painfully used in "Shang-Chi", the jokes rarely hit and they really clash with the supposed darker storytelling. There's literally a scene where Yelena describes her sexual organs being removed as part of her experience being in the Red Room to Alexei as a joke. It's this corporate mandated decision making that makes me not a fan of the MCU.
• The villains. Firstly, there's Taskmaster, a silent, badass assassin who is hunting down Natasha. This is one of the worst portrayals of a comic-book character I've seen in a while. Not only is the design lame and the abilities to copy various superhero's completely wasted, but the decision for the character to go from a snarky, self-centred mercenary in the comics to being a tortured, brainwashed daughter of the villain is mind-numbing baffling. It also doesn't help that Natasha also manages to save Taskmaster in the end rather than having her be killed to show the unfixable consequences that Natasha's actions has caused. There's also Dreykov, a made-up villain played by Ray Winstone. Wintstone is great at playing this cold and cunning villain, but Dreykov comes across as a generic bad-guy who wants to be evil and treat woman like objects just because. If the film played up the more sympathetic end of how he uses the assassination attempt on his and his daughter's life as motivation, it would have been interesting. But we just get an exposition dump of a villain who, while acted well, is very forgettable in regards to the franchise he belongs in.
• O-T Fagbenie's Rick Mason. This character isn't even a character at all. All he does is point Natasha to the next objective by giving her a necessary thing or vehicle that she's able to call. His connection to Natasha comes out of nowhere and his ability to just summon the things she needs is just lazy. It doesn't help that Fagbenie doesn't really offer much in his performance other than the guy looking after Natasha.
• The direction by Cate Shortland. Shortland offers no unique style to the film whatsoever. While I get that she was trying to approach a Bond-esque spy thriller for the film, the issue is that the film looks too overproduced, stock, and lacking flair that makes it a distinct spy movie. It just looks like the typical Marvel movie from a cheap director-for-hire. While things do get more visually unique in the third act, the film just has this grey, generic look to it that does its best in feeling grounded despite the fact that the film carries a literal sky fortress in its narrative.
• The overuse of CGI. For a character who has no special abilities, why does this film need $200 million to produce? While the effects are ok, there's a lot of times where it's fake-looking and it starts looking like a "Fast and Furious" movie in regards on how silly it looks and unapologetically bad it is.
• The action sequences. A huge issue with the action is that the film is awkwardly edited by Leigh Folsom Boyd and Matthew Schmidt. While not as horrendous as "Mortal Kombat", the editing still comes across as choppy and rapid-fire, which makes some of the action confusing in regards to what just happened or the sudden appearance of a random person or element. Even if you look past the editing, the action itself is just not that exciting. While I appreciate some of the more brutal beatdowns and the stunts used in said action, the set-pieces themselves are just uninspired and generic due to the lack of style, stakes, tension, and creativity. This is a movie with Taskmaster as a villain and the action is just bland to look at. Not only does the action in "Shang-Chi" blow this out of the water, but even action from bad movies such as "Snake Eyes" and "Mortal Kombat" were better in their creativity and execution.

"Black Widow" is just as bad as of a MCU film can get. While Natasha's character arc is solid, the family dynamic of the main characters is well done, the acting across the board is good, the stunts pulled off nicely, Beristain's camerawork offers some sense of scale and iconography the film desperately needed, and the dramatic score by Balfe is pretty decent for the overall franchise, the rest of the film is either bland, generic, or just straight-up bad. The story refuses to have stakes or consequences or even being relevant in the MCU, there's too much exposition scenes to "flesh out" context and characters, the tone and humour is at its most distracting in regards to how the film wants a serious approach while being goofy at the same time, Taskmaster is just awfully done in every single way, Dreykov is just generic and boring, Mason is the embodiment of lazy writing, the CGI is overused and poorly rendered at times, the action sequences lack freshness and coherency with iffy editing by Boyd and Schmidy, and Shortland's directing feels soulless in being a corporate blockbuster and failing to inject life in the spy genre. If I hadn't watched "Mortal Kombat" prior to this, it is easily the worst film I saw this year, but just being the second worst isn't a big achievement, especially for a MCU film.

Verdict: 4/10. A bland entry to the MCU blockbuster that is a key example for what the films constantly suffer from. Just watch the post-credits scene online to set yourself up for "Hawkeye" and skip this nothingness of a movie.

Mortal Kombat (2021) Spoiler-Filled Review/Rant: Fatality...

 

I've been trying to avoid watching or talking about this movie for so long ever since it came out earlier this year. While I'm not one that grew up on "Mortal Kombat," I'm a big enough fan to know that the blood and gore is just one of the many great things the games offered. Even thought the original film back in 1995 didn't have the blood, it did excel on the game's world-building, characters, and style, proving to be a pretty entertaining and well-handled adaptation. So, when a reboot got finally green-lighted during the resurgence of the games, it seems like we were about to get a fantastic film on its own right. But as more and more information about the people behind and on screen are revealed, the more I got hesitant to watch it. While it was a flop at the box office, it did great on streaming to potentially continue the franchise. This is disappointing as I can't imagine how anyone would be looking forward to a follow-up based on how shitty this movie gets.

Positives: 

• Some of the side characters in the film. Kano, Jax, Kabal, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion are probably the best characters in regards to their personality and acting. Their character development is hindered by the screenplay, but the actors do their best in wanting you to have more screen-time with them.
• The cinematography by Germain McMicking. We will talk about the direction later, but McMicking does try to inject a sense of style and scale in the film when it acts like a "Mortal Kombat" movie. The dialogue scenes and staging feels very amateur and basic, but I chalk that more up to the director than the camera operator.
• The make-up and special effects. This is perhaps the only thing the film truly excels in. The blood and gore is well done and graphic thanks to the use of practical props and make-up. The CGI is also pretty solid and rendered given the film's low budget. There is some bad green-screen used throughout the film, but considering how restricted said budget was, it's impressive that the CGI looks as good as it is.
• Some of the action. Much like "Shang-Chi", the film overdelivers in the first act as the fights between Bi-Han and Hanzo, the mini encounter between Jax and Sub-Zero, and the fight with Reptile are solid sequences that isn't as hampered by the editing and choreography compared to the other fights we do get.

Negatives:

• The story. There's so much that's wrong with the story that it's hard on where to start. There's so many problems I have to break them down in their own paragraphs. For one, the plot is all about the villains trying to kill the heroes before the tournament could begin. This is a "Mortal Kombat" movie where Mortal Kombat doesn't even occur whatsoever. So, that's pretty dumb on its own regard. But the film forces the idea that if you want to see the tournament and more recognizable characters from the games, you should support the movie with its sequel-bait ending. That's even more scummy than the "Sonic" movie, because at least they finished their own adventure they set-up to begin with!
• The world-building and lore. If you were expecting world-building on the level of "Lord of the Rings," this isn't it. The opening sequence doesn't explain the conflict between the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu at all, leaving only die-hard fans to know the context. After the title appears, the film offers the most sorry, piss-poor attempt at a paragraph to set up the universe the film takes place in. There's no narration or flashbacks explaining Outworld and Earthrealm and elements such as the Elder Gods are barely mentioned. Again, the writing expects that the film is only for fans and that they can fill in the dots themselves, but that's not how you write a movie that introduces casual moviegoers to your franchise. The script reeks of "show, don't tell" exposition that explains everyone's backstory and it feels so cheap. I understand that the budget of the film isn't particularly high, but maybe some animatics or just putting effort is enough?
• The numerous plot-holes surrounding the narrative and characters. This is too big of an issue that I won't bother go into depth with, but all I will say is that nearly any aspect of the film whether it's a specific story moment, character, or fight scene has some leaps of logic or reasoning for the sake of writing.
• The dragon tattoos and arcana. Apparently, this movie for the fans needs a logical explanation for why their favourite characters can do their special moves. The arcana is a bullshit attempt at making everyone unique and special because they have a special tattoo that makes them destined to fight in the tournament and achieve a special power. There's a lot wrong with arcana, but I will only go over two aspects of it. For one, it makes the characters who don't utilize on special abilities in the games feel less special. Instead of Sonya or Kano using technology to shoot lasers, now it's just their power to shoot it out. The second thing is that the powers are just so inconsistent. Some characters don't appear to have arcana at all such as Reiko and Natara, while the powers that others do get are so oddly specific that it's just bad writing. Why is Kano's power to shoot a laser from one eye? In the games, it's because of the cyborg eye, but here it doesn't make sense. Why is Jax's power to get bigger metal arms? That's pretty petty and dehumanizing for Jax that his power is just enhancing his arms? What if Jax never lost his arms in the first place? Why is Cole's power to have literal plot armour and tonfas? Why is it not one of the other?
• The tone. The issue isn't that the tone is bad on paper. After all, it is good to have a balance of seriousness and light-hearted fun by poking fun at the source material. However, it doesn't work when only one or two of your side characters is able to address the absurdity. If the main lead was someone with personality like Johnny Cage or something, it would be the perfect way to have this tonal balance, much like in the original film. But because we are stuck with Cole as the no-nonsense protagonist, the tone just feels mishandled and it probably should have stuck being more like the games, which take themselves more seriously given the stakes.
• Cole Young. This guy is alone to derail the movie on his own just by existing. For one, Lewis Tan can't act for his own good as a leading man. Two, his personality is so bland you swear that he was just a cardboard box. Three, his role in the story is so forced by giving him overpowered abilities, being a decedent of Scorpion, and being able to kill both Goro and Sub-Zero after getting his ass beat throughout the entire film. Lastly, it feels so corporate that the studio wanted Cole as the main lead just because they didn't want a "white male lead" like the original film. Ok, if you don't want Johnny Cage, that's fine. But if you want a diverse protagonist, why not include Jax, Sonya, or Liu Kang? Why would you pick the most American half-Asian you could get as your diverse lead?
• The side characters. Quick lightning round for this one. Cole's family is forgettable and should have been killed off to motivate Cole much like Hanzo. Raiden is bland and uncaring for his combatants, Sonya is mad because she's the only woman in the group and one that had no role in the tournament at first, Shang Tsung is just a generic evil man that lacks the charisma of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Liu Kang doesn't feel as important as he should be, Kung Lao doesn't feel as cocky or entitled in the games, Mileena has no personality at all, Reiko and Nitara just yell and shriek a lot, Reptile is a literal reptile, and Goro is just a obstacle rather than the Outworld champion of Mortal Kombat. Not only is their characterization all over the place, but their acting is very sub-par to say the least.
• The choice to kill off iconic characters. I know that people must die in Mortal Kombat, but the amount of beloved characters that get killed before the tournament even began is absurd. The worst part about all of these deaths is that it basically makes sure that any of their interesting development found in the games are now null and void. Reptile being the last of his race is not mentioned, Kung Lao being the descendent of the Great Kung Lao who was killed by Goro has him die not living up to his legacy, Prince Goro is killed by a newbie fighter all thanks to plot armour, Kabal is killed before he can redeem himself like in the games, and then there's Mileena. One of the most beloved characters of the community so much so that the fans successfully campaigned for her to be included in MK11 is killed before the film can explain her backstory, her aspirations, and her connections to Kitana, Shao Khan, and the Tarkartans. I understand that changes were to be expected and not everything will be adapted properly, but the last you can do is do something special with these characters instead of wasting their potential by killing everyone off. On top of everything that I have explained, the film alludes to the idea that they could potentially be back, mainly as revenants. So, what's the point of killing them off if you're going to use them in the sequels anyway?
• The directing by Simon McQuoid. Imagine offering a film adaptation of one of the most iconic video game franchises to a man who has only directed a bunch of commercials and a single short film in his whole career on top of adapting a screenplay from a writer who has this be his first work adapted to screen. That was the huge red flag that made me worried about the film as a whole. I don't want to be too harsh on McQuoid since I get that this opportunity would be tempting not to pass to add on his resume and that he was approached primarily to not spend much on him due to being inexperienced. However, I simply can't defend his direction and lack of style whatsoever. Whenever the film isn't in fight mode, the movie looks like a cheap commercial or fan-film. There's no ambition in adding style, flair or even vivid colours in the film. The movie doesn't feel like "Mortal Kombat" at all because of how inadequate it looks. The original film managed to feel and look unique in its aesthetic, style, and filmmaking. This just feels like a sloppy first attempt. It doesn't help when the other way McQuiod can portray Outworld is by filming the Australian desert. Like, why does he got to be so cheap and lazy?
• The music by Benjamin Wallfisch. While I liked his work in other films, this has got to be his weakest score to date simply because it feels so generic. The music from the games are atmospheric, epic, gothic, and simply awesome to listen to during gameplay. The music here is so forgettable that I forgot I'm watching a "Mortal Kombat" movie because of it. Now, there is a neat rendition of "Techno Syndrome" from the original film and it's pretty good, but that doesn't make Wallfisch's score good or even average if your music is generic stuff and the only good piece is a remix of a popular track twenty-six years ago!
• The action and editing. While the first act does have some nice fight sequences, the same can't be said for the others. While the effects and kills are nice to look at, the editing by Dan Lebental and Scott Grey is so choppy and quick that it practically signals the viewer that there's something wrong with the fight that they are trying to hide. The staging is messy, the choreography is awkward to the point that it doesn't feel like life or death stakes are occurring, the injuries and flow of the combat is inconsistent because no matter how brutal a hit seems, the fighter doesn't seem to act like he's close to death, and the worst thing is that these fights are plagued by conveniences. Like, aside from Hanzo and Reptile, all the people that die feel like they died because of a deus ex machina. It's by no means the worst action I've seen or action that is boring to watch, but considering that the film's primary goal is to excite you with the action, it's very bad to see that the action is as sloppy as its screenplay.

"Mortal Kombat" serves as a solid contender for the worst movie I've watched in 2021 and realistically should be considered one of the worst movies of this year. While some side characters are enjoyable, the camerawork by McMicking is solid in attempting to add flair and style, the gore effects and CGI characters are executed perfectly, and a couple action sequences prove exciting and well-handled, that's all the film scrapes to offer. In return, you have to endure a terrible story that just sets up future sequels, no world-building or lore set-up, countless plot holes, arcana nonsense, a mismatched tone that doesn't fit in this particular film, Cole Young's bland attempt at being a relatable protagonist, mishandled characters paired with rough acting, character deaths that are unnecessary and insulting to the fans, Wallfisch's lazy score, horrible editing by Lebental and Grey, the majority of action sequences that are poorly staged, choreographed, and written to feel kinetic and genuine in the flow and execution, and McQuoid's first-time directing packaging the film in a cheap, unpolished package that informs the viewer how cheap and uncaring the studio was to this project. As a film for the die-hard fans, it's insulting and cringe to watch in its treatment to the source material. As a film for those who know absolutely nothing about the franchise, it's a terrible first impression due to its awful story-telling, pacing, and minimalistic approach to world-building and characterization. The only people that this movie is able to please are the edge-lords who only like Mortal Kombat for the blood and gore. Yes, the blood and gore is awesome to look at, but there are so many better films to watch that have ultra-violence. It's far better to play the games if you really care about bloody spectacle.

Verdict: 3/10. An insulting adaptation that fails to target casual and die-hard fans alike. Watch the original 1995 film if you want a better portrayal of the source material minus the blood and guts. 

The Many Saints of Newark (2021) Film Review: The Devil's Doing...

 

"The Sopranos" is one of the most beloved television shows of all time, thanks to a brilliant cast and narrative pacing about Tony Soprano and his life in two worlds: family and crime. So when a prequel film was announced that will dive back to Tony as a youth played by the son of the actor that brought Tony to life in the small-screen, fans were excited. While I have only watched a few episodes of the show, I can see the appeal and prestige that it carries, something that this film is not going to offer as time moves by. I will try to describe the story as much as possible, but it's pretty messy when watching the movie. To put it in summary, it's about Tony's uncle, Dickie Moltisanti, a soldier in the DiMeo crime family who has a "special bond" with a young Tony. The story chronicles the fall of Dickie from the murder of his father, his affair with his father's young Italian wife, and the rising conflict from an all-black gang from a former associate, Harold McBreyer, during the aftermath of the 1967 Newark riots. From the summary alone, you can tell that a lot is happening, almost as if an entire season of the show is squashed into two hours. The worst thing about all of this is that the film has absolutely no focus on anything. Dickie's bond with Tony is supposed to be the most important and impactful for the franchise, considering that he "made" Tony, but their chemistry and time together is very much fast-forwarded. Dickie's affair is never caught by his wife, who practically disappears from the film upon the affair occurring, and the chemistry between him and his mistress, along with her interest in Harold, is just sloppy. As for the gang war between Dickie and Harold, it goes unresolved since Dickie is killed by the end in an unrelated incident while Harold just kinds of stands around. It's clear that the filmmakers are hoping that this film can spawn multiple prequel films that continues the narrative of Tony and Harold, but considering the abysmal box office returns, it's not likely to happen. It doesn't help that the editing by Christopher Tellefsen is choppy at times as context is missing or entire sequences such as the arrest during the fair feel like they come out of nowhere due to a lack of set-up. I will say though that the film does at least get the tone right in regards to feeling like a Sopranos story with a very dark tone and black comedy thrown in a bit here and there.

Despite the marketing pushing the idea that Tony is the protagonist, Dickie acts as the central character of the film and the narrative suffers because of it. Alessandro Nivola does a fine job and all, but he's not a likeable character by design for people to get invested in. Perhaps if the film focused primarily on Dickie and Tony's relationship, this could be salvaged, but as I mentioned earlier, it barely does. Michela De Rossi as Giuseppina Moltisanti is fantastic in being the beautiful, naive mistress of Dickie, but her character doesn't really amount to much as she gets killed by Dickie after an affair with Harold that went nowhere in the grand scheme of things. Maybe if the film focused on her deception and lust to try to get both men to give her what she wants, that could be interesting, but it never does that. Leslie Odom Jr. as Harold, a black crime-lord that wants to take over Newark after being inspired by the 1967 riots, is excellent as always and probably plays the most engaging newcomer in the film, but his role and likability in the film is constantly in flux. His cause seems strong, even though he has done some bad stuff while working for Dickie. His affair with Giuseppina doesn't get called out by his wife or amount to anything as he doesn't help Giuseppina with her beauty parlor anyway. And while it seems like the gang war will end up with him or Dickie dead, he manages to stick around and seems like he's just a set-up for a sequel. So, the newcomers are pretty much of a waste, so what about Tony and the other members of the family? While there are too many to list, I will just say that everyone of the Soprano members are fantastically depicted and portrayed by the new cast with Micheal Gandolfini stealing the show by capturing the look and personality of a young Tony Soprano that only his late father could have pulled off. While this is great on the side cast's part, it begs the question: Why wasn't Tony the central protagonist at all in this film? No matter how good their performances are, it doesn't change how unlikeable or underdeveloped the central characters are.

Alan Taylor has gotten a lot of flack for his work on "Thor: The Dark World" and "Terminator: Genisys," but the one thing that you can't deny is that he at least knows how to make a competent film. The 60's and 70's culture and style were greatly reconstructed to feel like the era was reborn. Taylor himself manages to make the film feel like it can be reasonably spawned from the time period it takes place in, going so down as to the look of the film. While some can argue that the film is too grey or dull-looking, it sort of fits the tone and feel of the film while showing how Newark isn't exactly a glossy place to live. The cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau is great, considering his work with Taylor on "Terminator: Genisys" and "Game of Thrones." There's a lot of great panning and wide shots used throughout the film and Morgenthau injects some nice style and staging of shots to put some more personality. The score by Peter Nashel is completely absent. I swear that I recalled absolutely nothing in regards to an original piece of music used in the film. There is a decent licensed soundtrack that uses songs from the time period such as Jackson 5's "ABC" and other recognizable beats including the iconic song from the show's intro. Lastly, there's the effects and action, which is used sparingly throughout the film. The practical make-up and kills are great with the highlight being a nasty display of removing a man's teeth. The only digital effect I recall being in the film is when Dickie sets his father on fire and it's so fake-looking that it bothers me. Like, they really couldn't burn a fake body or dummy to get a more convincing display? And while this is no action film, the riot sequence and the shootout between Dickie and Harold is pretty intense. So, the directing by Taylor is actually pretty good, but it's just a shame he constantly picks out sub-par projects to make.

"The Many Saints of Newark" is sadly one of the more disappointing films of the year. While the tone captures the feel of the show, the supporting cast being especially strong in their portrayals of the Soprano family with Gandolfini's performance as Tony being outstanding, the camerawork by Morgenthau is slick and pleasing to look at, the soundtrack is solid, the practical make-up and brief action moments are great, and the directing by Taylor manages to capture the time period the story is set in with a grey colour scheme that fits the aesthetic of the tone and series, these things can't really save the film to make it an appropriate piece in the franchise. From a sloppy narrative that has too many things happening and not enough impactful things happening, the need to set-up future films while barely creating a story for this film, the focus on Dickie, Giuseppina, and Harold as central characters rather than Tony proves to be a heavy issue in regards to being attached to them or even basic development or arcs, the score by Nashel is not even present in the film, and the editing by Tellefsen is so choppy in cutting out entire sequences or scenes that harms the story and characters even more than they already do. Perhaps if I actually did watch the entire series, I could enjoy the film a bit more in regards to easter eggs or appreciating the performances of the established cast, but that's not really a big boost to the film's quality. For fans, it's a mildly intriguing piece that expands a bit of the characters and world, but for people who barely or know nothing about "The Sopranos", this comes across as a mediocre and clumsy mafia movie that doesn't know its true potential.

Verdict: 5/10. A painfully average mobster movie that acts as a disgrace to the legendary franchise it was spawned from. Don't bother going to the theatres for this one and just wait until it hits streaming.