Monthly Archives: May 2022

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Top Gun: Maverick

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Tom Cruise is back on the big screen in a movie many people are going to want to see. Decades after the events of the original movie, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell being assigned an important task. He must train and form a team of former Top Gun school graduates for a mission going into enemy territory. But one of the people he must train is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s wingman who died all those years ago. Tension runs high as Maverick confronts his past and makes sure these pilots are ready for their mission.

You might have noticed a trend going on in Hollywood in the last several years. A lot of films or movie franchises are being revitalized in order to cash in on nostalgia. Past movies that were active decades ago are now being followed up on in an effort to ensure a profit at the box office. A recent example of this, “5cream”, has coined the term Requel for this trend. A film that is both a reboot and a sequel. Mixing new characters as well as bringing in characters from the original or past movies in a film that is supposed to pay tribute to what came before but past the torch to a new generation. This type of movie became popular following the release of “The Force Awakens” and the trend has had mixed results.

But this is a bit different. This falls into a category that I like to call legacy sequel. Instead of this being a new long-awaited installment to a film series, it’s only serving as a sequel to one movie. And it isn’t meant to set-up more sequels but rather tell a new story in that world. An example of this subset of films is “Blade Runner 2049”. And this film does fit under that term. This isn’t a passing of the torch to a new generation as the main focus is on Tom Cruise’s character.

And in regards to Tom Cruise himself, this film is actually a solid reminder that he can still be a good dramatic actor. While most actors from his era would have started off doing action films then transitioned into more dramatic roles, Cruise has interestingly done the opposite. Gone are the days where he could have just as easily been in “Rain Man” or “Interview with a Vampire”. People watch him now to see him do his own stunts and to see what death defying trick he’s going to give us next. But Maverick in this film has dealt with and is currently dealing with a lot of complicated issues and baggage. Several moments in this movie you can see him put heart and sincerity into his lines and expressions. Don’t take this to mean he’s bitter. When we first meet Maverick in this sequel, he is still acting similarly to how he was in the original. But he has also matured in a way that makes sense. This is a performance that was treated with respect and dignity.

That’s not to say that everyone else isn’t doing a good job. All the pilots that Maverick is training put in the work. But we focus on a handful of pilots. Rooster is very good in this movie and the tense relationship he has with Maverick leads to some of the more dramatic scenes in the movie. But there is a pilot named Jake “Hangman” Seresin that does kind of steal a few scenes. You start off loving to hate this guy, but as the movie moves along he does end up being genuinely like-able and becomes a true friend and team player. Jennifer Connelly plays an old flame of Maverick’s who is back in his life and their relationship is also important to the story, but more relevant to Maverick’s character development. The love story in the original just felt like it was interrupting the movie and slowed things down. But in here, it does feel like part of the story and you enjoy the chemistry between the two.

And that’s part of what makes this movie better than the original. Yes, the flying and dog fights are amazing, a spectacle to behold and tense in the best way. But the story is actually better structured and improves on the weaknesses of the first. Despite the 1986 film being a hit, it did open to mixed reviews. And it is apparent why when you look back on it. There wasn’t a story focus to either tie in what was going on in the movie or even to push things forward. There is the rivalry between Maverick & Iceman, but they aren’t at Top Gun to train for a mission. Just to hone their skills. The love story as mentioned felt out of place and slowed things down. The volleyball scene – while iconic – just happens with no real reason why. And while there is a climax against some enemy pilots, that too just comes out of the blue with no build up.

But in this movie, all of that is changed. Right from the beginning we know that these pilots are being trained for a dangerous mission. The love story develops Maverick’s character. And while we might not have volleyball, we do get beach football. That scenes also surprisingly has a reason to be in the movie. This is a sequel that still carries much of the feel and atmosphere of the original, but has a far stronger dramatic element to enhance the story. It makes the aerial combat more intense to watch as you are invested in these characters and want to see them make it out in one piece.

One criticism of some of those requel films is that they oftentimes make the returning old characters bitter. That they are the old mentors who don’t want to be roped back in but must to help out the new characters. But that doesn’t apply here. Yes, Maverick does have regrets. But his personality is still intact. He does dangerous and reckless things, but with the purpose of preparing these new pilots. Trying to make sure they have the skills to make it back home. While some of the pilots are enjoyable and fun, the focus is on Maverick. This movie is supposed to show him finally finding closure and improving on relationships with people he cares the most about. Be prepared to go right along with him as he flies into the danger zone and come out happier on the other side.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review: Dark City

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Stop me if you’ve heard of this one. A man wakes up in a water-filled bath tub in a sketchy room, with no memory of how he ended up there. Throughout the film, he is chased by an all-powerful collective that wants to maintain the fabricated reality everyone else believes in while the main character realizes the truth and gains powers during his journey. I admit it is a bit of a stretch to say the opening shot of this film is strangely similar to the opening of “Saw”. But the main talking point of this movie in the following years is how similar it is to “The Matrix”. It doesn’t help both films were released only a year apart, they filmed in the same city, and even shared sets. But I assure you that they are entirely different films, with my personal favorite being this overlooked gem.

The aura of this movie is instantly distinct from the previously mentioned science fiction-action based blockbuster. A lot of this film is influenced by much older movies, primarily those from the Crime Noir genre. The old TV show “The Twilight Zone” was even a major influence. While this movie can also be classified as science fiction, there is a Horror element that makes the story even more unsettling. And as someone who has seen his fair share of “The Twilight Zone”, it would be easy to believe this could have been a story from that show. But it’s more important to focus on the Crime Noir influence since that is the source of the movie’s themes and plot structure.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the villains in this movie, The Strangers. It is revealed towards the end they are an extraterrestrial species that kidnapped some humans and placed them in a city of their creation. It turns out their species is dying and they are curious about the Human soul. Or in more practical terms, the essence of what makes each person unique while also showcasing what makes the Human race in general different. The decision for them to study that is logical since they shared a collective consciousness without much room for individuality, which could be part of the reason they are dying. This also connects to themes often explored in noir stories. A lot of those movies have the characters explore human nature, what drives someone to do certain actions. Those movies often focus on the darker aspects of humanity and the cruelty that we can find ourselves capable of doing if pushed far enough. And those movies can oftentimes end on a depressing note as the main character can find themselves disillusioned and hardened by their experiences.

But this movie cleverly switches that around. Yes, the main character – John Murdoch – sees through the fake reality that has been created by The Strangers. Learns of how his life has been manipulated and how he has been forced in a sense to do things he most likely wouldn’t do of his own choice. But while one can call this being disillusioned, the movie would most likely refer to this as being enlightened. Now that he is aware of what is happening around him, he can utilize his mind to take control of his own life and future. And while the movie does make this literal with him having psychokinesis, it’s still an accurate way of portraying how that idea can be utilized in the real world. Just don’t expect yourselves to actually be able to create building with the power of your brain.

Another way that this movie turns a classic Noir trope around is the conclusion the main character comes to about Humanity. A lot of Noir films will end with the main character having a more pessimistic outlook on people and the world at large. But at the end of Murdoch’s story, he proves that the unpredictable nature of people is actually a good thing. When left to our own devices, we have the capability of creating a world and future that is bright and full of possibilities. The Strangers trying to figure that out through their experiment were never going to be able to fully comprehend that due to their own nature. Their experiment was doomed from the beginning. Even when one of them tries to form some kind of individuality it ends up ultimately being incompatible and kills him. Our free will is what makes us unique and so interesting. And with it, who knows what we can be capable of?

Film Editorials, Movies

Why the Pet Sematary Remake is Important

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The 1983 novel “Pet Sematary” is considered Stephen King’s darkest novel. It’s a story that follows a family that moves to a new home and not long after that, one of their children is killed. It’s an exploration of the heaviest kind of grief, connected to a fear that every parent has and an experience that they hope to never go through. When it was first adapted into a movie in 1989, it stood out for being a Horror movie more focused on emotion than physical violence. Most people really like the film and is considered one of the best Stephen King movies/adaptations. However, when the remake came out in 2019, it has a more mixed response. But I don’t think many of the criticisms are valid.

It’s easy to dismiss a Horror remake and just say it isn’t good or as good as the original. Hell, you can say that about any remake. And there are plenty of examples where that turns out to be the truth. But I think it’s important we keep in mind the quality of the original film as it was. There is a sense of dread and gloom in the film. But there were plenty of times in the original where it came at odds with some of the more campy elements/scenes of the movie. A number of them revolve around Victor Pascow, or rather his spirit because he dies in the first scene he’s in. But he occasionally pops up to offer a more comedic feel to certain scenes. And that can sometimes feel a bit jarring compared to the feel the movie is trying to go for. And there are moments where the acting from some of the main characters are kind of flat.

Keeping that in mind, the remake is actually a better made film in that respect. This version still has a sense of dread but we still have moments throughout the first part of the movie where we get to know the main characters and connect with them. Only this time it feels like the tone of the movie is more consistent. And the acting is also more consistent. Jason Clarke as Louis Creed stands out more compared to Dale Midkiff. The rest of the cast also does a great job with the roles they are in. While John Lithgow is certainly a different interpretation, he is still very likable and feels organic to the way the story is being told.

But now let’s get to the stuff really worth talking about – the differences in this version. In this scenario, there are two major differences in this remake that sets itself apart and is the focus of criticism. The first is the character Ellie Creed. She is the oldest daughter of the Creed family. Unlike her younger brother Gage, who’s still a young child. Ellie though goes to school and hold conversations with her parents. Even talking about some of her fears and anxieties that are more abstract. We get the chance to create an emotional connection that helps us understand and feel for her. She’s a bit more developed in this version than she is in the original film.

And then she dies. Which is a major change since in the original movie and book, Gage is the child who dies. When wandering in the street and a truck doesn’t stop in time. I understand why it was originally Gage who dies, since someone so young – basically still a toddler – is heartbreaking and unthinkable. But from a narrative perspective, it makes more sense for Ellie to die. We’ve spent more time with her and she’s an actual character in the movie. The impact feels heavier. Some may point out that it feels more planned since she sees her cat Church, resurrected from the burial ground and abandoned by Louis a couple of scenes ago,,and goes out to try and get him. I’m all right with that since the Pet Sematary is supposed to have an influence on the people near it and push them to use the soil. I’ll admit though that while we don’t get a close look at her body right after the accident, it doesn’t seem that bloody of a corpse. But I can forgive that since that’s a nit-picky criticism.

That’s what makes the next part of the story that more interesting – the first human resurrection. In the first film, it doesn’t take long for Louis to decide to kill Gage after his youngest child comes back from the dead. But it takes a while for him to realize what he’s done after Ellie comes back. He tries to clean her up when she comes back, she still treats him like the dad she loves. He even goes as far as to think showing his wife Rachel what he did thinking she would be happy about it. Having Ellie be the first one back from the dead makes the confrontation with Jud more interesting. Let’s face it, having Gage being able to take down Jud or any adult in the original film is kind of silly. But this works because not only is Ellie small enough to still sneak around, but she has the intelligence to emotionally manipulate. Her face transforms into Jud’s dead wife and taunts him, intimidating him and eventually getting the upper hand and victory. That same kind of emotional manipulation is also used against her dad when he finally comes back to his senses and tries to kill her. It works well enough to get him to hesitate, leaving room for the opening kill against him.

And now comes the other major difference in this version that’s a source of criticism – the ending. The novel has it where Jud and Gage are dead, Ellie is in Chicago with her grandparents, and Louis takes his wife to the burial ground thinking this time it will be different. It ends with him waiting at home, a hand then rests on his should as he hears her call him “Darling”. The original film is mainly the same. But it ends with the two of them making out – which the resurrected Rachel uses as a distraction as she grabs a weapon and starts bringing it down on him just before the credits roll. But it is very different in this version. Jud is still dead, that’s the same. But as mentioned earlier, Louis is killed in his fight against his resurrected daughter. But Ellie had killed Rachel and dragged her to the burial ground earlier, meaning it is the resurrected Rachel that kills Louis. Mother and daughter drag Louis to the burial ground. The next morning comes and all three approach the vehicle were the still living Gage is sitting in, and the undead cat lands on the hood looking at the young child through the window.

A lot of people view this as kind of silly. Some say that this change was only made just o lazily subvert expectations. I understand that mind-set, especially when several movies or TV shows seems to want to subvert expectations without thinking of a way to do it that makes sense. But let me point this out. Both the original movie and the novel is an exploration of how a tragedy affects a family. How that grief spreads and destroys everyone. In this movie…the grief doesn’t destroy. Instead, it consumes them. And yes, there is a difference. In the original version of the story, grief destroys the relationships between all family members. But this version keeps them united, while drastically changing their personalities and beliefs by extension. While the heads of the Creed family may have lost themselves following Gage’s death, Ellie is actually in the care of her grandparents. There is still hope that she can make something of her life and move on in the years to follow. But not in this story.

All of them have been drastically altered by the tragedy that befell them. Regardless of if they brought it on themselves or if it was unavoidable, they are not the same. The trajectory of their lives are forever altered. There are plenty of people in real life that expect their lives to unfold one way, but then something happens that forces them down a darker path. And sometimes they don’t recover. They just can’t move one and try to grow. They succumb to darker emotions and perspectives. That’s what has happened to this family. Whatever comes next for them, it is objectively far worse than what would have happened to them before the trauma. And seeing how often opportunities have been presented that would have stopped this from happening, you have to wonder if they even wanted to be saved.

And that’s why I think this movie is just as good as the original. In some cases, even better. I know I’m in the minority about this. But maybe you should give it another shot. After reading this, you might view the film a bit differently. Might even realize that it wasn’t a mistake to bring this story back to life.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

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SPOILERS!

I have read a lot of comics. A large number of them deal with the more abstract and mind-bending elements that can be utilized and explored so well. And yet, my brain still can’t comprehend that there is a character whose legal name is…America. That has produced some funny lines of dialogue in the movie. And yet no one in the film acknowledges that her name is weird. That kinda works and leans into the unintentionally funny aspect of using her name. I just wanted to get that out of the way before diving into the review proper.

Doctor Strange finds himself protecting a young girl named America Chavez. She has the ability to travel throughout the multiverse and is being hunted by someone who wants her power. That person…is Wanda Maximoff AKA The Scarlet Witch. She desires her power to travel to a universe where she can be with her children and she utilizes the Darkhold for the dark magic that will help her achieve her plan. Strange & America try and find a way to defeat her as they travel through other universes.

One thing that has been talked about is how this movie is supposed to have consequences for Strange’s actions in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and even his first movie. That isn’t exactly true. Those events aren’t explicitly mentioned in this movie. But this movie is supposed to have Strange realize that his stubbornness and need to be in control has put other people in danger and drives others from him. There is even a brief scene in the beginning where someone asks Strange if his plan to defeat Thanos was the best one, that there was no other way. While the people snapped did came back, this guy mentions how his brother had passed during those 5 years in between. It’s a moment of clarity that there are still people who will never be reunited due to how Strange’s plan unfolded. This is something that Stephen realizes and confronts by the time the movie ends. And that makes Strange one of the highlights of the movie.

One of the other major highlights is Wanda. I loved her as the antagonist in this movie. She has some great, intimidating scenes, really shows off what she is capable of. There may be a few people who aren’t quite on board with this development based on the finale of WandaVision. And I can understand where they are coming from. Personally though, I thought it made sense. Especially since she was pushed in that direction by the corrupting influence of the Darkhold. The other character that has a major role in this movie is America Chavez. She is…pretty much what you think she ends up being. The movie doesn’t really give her much room to establish a unique personality or stand out beyond being the person being hunted. That’s not to say I didn’t like her. She was fine and I see the potential for her in future movies. I just hope those future movies have her evolve and develop into a more interesting character.

There are a couple of things about this movie that keep me from really falling in love with the movie. While the multiverse is in it, we don’t spend a lot of time in other universes. We see glimpses of a bunch, sure. But only spend significant time in a couple of them. The trailers also showed that Mordo – Strange’s former mentor turned enemy – is back in the movie. But it is one from an alternate universe. However he is still pretty similar to the main Mordo. Which just makes it a little more frustrating that we haven’t followed up on that character since the first Doctor Strange movie. Finally, the first half of the movie does have some of the MCU traits that people are criticizing a bit more in recent years. All though there isn’t a lot of it and they are passed by fairly quickly.

With all of that out of the way…I gotta say, I still found a lot to really enjoy. Like previously mentioned, Strange and Wanda are two big highlights and I love their roles and arcs through the movie. But this movie is truly at its best when Sam Raimi is allowed to be himself as a director. There are multiple camera shots and angles that are unique to his visual style. Scene transitions similar to some of the transitions used in his Spider-Man movies. And of course – the horror elements in this movie will please Evil Dead fans such as myself. This creates some great visuals in the movie. Hell, there are entities called Spirits of the Damned and I’m totally convinced those are just the MCU’s version of Deadites!

I can’t say that I loved this movie. But I did find myself really enjoying this movie. Definitely something that I would revisit multiple times in the future. While it was shorter than I expected, it is kind of refreshing to have a lighter multiverse centered story as opposed to some others that go for the more epic feel and weight. I also appreciate how after something horrific happens, they usually don’t follow it up with a joke. They will let the weight of what just happened just be felt. Overall, it was worth the wait.