gelmcchristop's Reviews

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

6/10

26 May 2023

As not the biggest marvel fan out there, I went to watch this movie only hoping to have fun with some friends. And in that it definitely delivered. The story is lightweight and easy to follow, while the niche jokes kept giving me a good chuckle once in a while.

As for the action sequences, the best way to describe them is "cool". While they're not particularly engaging or in any way realistic, the cinematography and camera positioning are so well thought-out that you never lose interest and they maintain the quick flow of the movie.

But the area where the good production value and planning really shines is the visual effects. There are hundreds of really expensive shots here, and almost every single one of them is top-notch. The creatures in particular are incredibly photoreal yet expressive, while all the blockbustery effects and explosions never look rushed, as people have complained about previous marvel titles.

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Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

9/10

A worthy representative of a mastermind's work

3 January 2023

Warning: Spoilers

We all expected the sequel to the most visually groundbreaking movie of all time to be a piece of beauty, and it indeed brings a tear to your eyes just looking at the first few shots of the film. Rendering has come a long way since the original, and the cinematography does everything possible to keep up with the new possibilities. The environments are incredibly dynamic, as forest gives way to sea, and dusk, daylight, and starlight make the set feel real and fantastical at the same time. And let's not even start on the visual effects in the piece...

But the best element of the movie was always going to be Cameron's storytelling mastermind. The script had to achieve two main goals: letting go of the original movie and paving the way for those to come, while always being a standalone masterpiece. So, after a brief, pace-setting first act, we enter the second one, where we really get to live with the sea people, experiencing the dangers of nature but also their connection to it. This is what life on Pandora is like, this is the core of these stories.

Then we hop in the "third act", that huge action sequence. And this is where the director shows why he's one of the best, if not the best action writer of all time. The man has completely reimagined whale hunting, throwing in it a ton of high-concept fictional elements, and yet he presents them to us in utmost simplicity, in the easiest of ways to follow. We are presented with the hunt of the mother sea creature, where we're briefed of what the arsenal of the brilliantly-designed hunting ship is capable of, while watching a well-paced, interesting action sequence. And then, all those elements come together to form the ending, a high-stake confrontation in a completely surreal, yet so familiar world. Beautiful stuff.

One last thing... seeing once again those attack helicopters, that arsenal bird, those mechs, hearing those gunshots... most people design objects, but some really design feelings.

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The Gray Man (2022)

8/10

An action-packed, character-building adventure

4 September 2022

While the Gray Man may not be the most original action-agent movie of all time, it manages to combine the best traits of these films to create a cohesive and memorable story.

Its core asset is the character-centered plot. It starts off with intricate-looking global undercover stuff, but in the process all the intricacy dies down and the events are effectively a repetition of the main character's past. This method was surprisingly efficient at creating a comprehensive and tactile arc, as the past and the present unfold simultaneously.

The second strength of the writing of this movie lies in the action sequences. Not only there are a LOT of them, but they are also long and, crucially, we are clearly informed as to what each side is thinking or trying to achieve at any given point in time. Oftentimes however, the main character is just half a step ahead, which then shifts the attention from the mayhem to his actions, allowing the crucial character-building cues to be noted. And all this while the audience is enjoying a big-budgeted stunt showoff. Really cool.

Lastly, the visual interest of this movie is something truly commendable. There is a great variety of locations, weather, and lighting conditions, keeping us refreshed. Some will say, maybe we shouldn't be blowing up a historical building for the sake of a 3-second shot of the dust and the smoke settling down behind a low aperture lens? But it's just those little moments that your eyes can rest on something beautiful, that truly complete the cinematic experience.

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Spectral (2016)

7/10

A high concept that ran out of time

24 August 2022

Warning: Spoilers

Spectral may be just another near-future war story, but it does set itself up to be something special. The beginning of the movie is almost excellent, but about halfway in, things begin getting a bit messy...

First of all, and crucially, the sci-fi aspect of the film is grounded enough to be believable. Instead of slapping 'nanotech' on everything, the writers took their time to display some love for the genre and actually develop a plausible scientific basis behind all the concepts presented. And to make things even better, this science is either simple enough for the audience to be able to follow or we're talking about some obscure physics concept from the cold war which greatly contributes to the horror aspect of the movie. So far so good.

As things progress though, the movie's conceptual integrity starts getting compromised by too many random occurrences. An example being that we must find shelter in one of the thousands buildings in the city, and end up in the single one that's guarded against the ghosts. Or we discover the theoretical way of killing them and within one night we've built a whole armory of perfectly functioning laser guns. I mean, surely they could have looked a bit more makeshift, even such a small change would have a big impact.

All these errors however keep accumulating, and at the end we go as far as to scrap the 'invisible' side of the ghosts in favor of a fancy ending scene (which, to be fair, did look brilliant). It's a real shame, because all the hard work done to buildup this gripping, grounded and emotional plot just goes outside the window in favor of a shorter runtime (and tighter budget, obviously).

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Prey (I) (2022)

8/10

A refreshing Predator experience

19 August 2022

The Predator franchise has been getting a good amount of criticism over recent years, but Prey does a great job at addressing these complaints. Not only does it stay true to the vibe and atmosphere of the rest of the installments, it also looks at the concept of "predator and prey" from a quite original and gripping point of view.

As far as directing is concerned, it's just infinitely better than the "10 Cloverfield lane" movie, as promptly advertised in every single poster. Trachtenberg has clearly come a long way, and the directing is extremely subtle, as it carefully sets up the next predator encounter or communicates the characters' connections.

And crucially, the new predator design is a pleasant surprise. Simplified and with more of an organic touch to it, it is quite easier to follow along with the action and the gadgets used, while the creatures blends in well with the environment. Plus, the invisibility and green blood effects are at the next level.

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Snowpiercer (2013)

8/10

A distinct post-apocalyptic tale

8 August 2022

Snowpiercer is a fine addition to dystopian, post-apocalyptic cinema. The writing and directing both are highly "stylized", with half-insane characters and events, which gives the movie a very distinct feel. The action scenes aren't much different, with a special focus on slowmo. Even so, the character's current objectives as well as the action at any given time are clear to the audience, and all of the above contribute to an original and gripping cinematic experience.

The visual aspect of the movie is also coherent. The cinematography adapts from the inhuman conditions in the "tail" to the sleekness of the "engine" to the loneliness of the frozen outside. The visual effects also do a great job of bringing the snowy environments to life, and showing the technological masterpiece that is the train fighting off the frost.

The only thing I found a bit irritating was the final act. The film was beautifully set up, with burning questions to be answered, yet most of these answers are given in the format of a 30-minute-long dialogue. I do respect the intent of the filmmakers to give the ending a feel of desperation and emptiness, yet for me they could have offered us a slightly more dynamic payoff.

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10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

4/10

What??

3 August 2022

Warning: Spoilers

This movie is a great example of why horror is a genre most filmmakers just shouldn't touch. The base idea in itself isn't exactly interesting or original, but the execution makes things even worse.

The film kicks off with the old good slow pan towards a picture showing a couple, then the protagonist leaving in a hurry, and leaving her wedding ring behind, while ominous music is constantly playing in the background. So basically as original as 95% of all student short films out there.

The rest of the movie isn't much different. Too often there's just 5-second-shots of random items, 'foreshadowing' how the characters will use these later on in a completely absurd way. A children's bath curtain with a duck on it? Well, the protagonist will make a hazmat suit out of it. And so on.

The characters themselves are quite badly written as well. Especially Howard, the kidnapper, who believes in aliens and built an underground bunker, who forgave the protagonist even if she smashed a bottle on his head, then goes on to shoot and dissolve in acid the random side character because he tried to make a weapon out of a knife? Nah, I don't get it.

As for the plot, ah, we were looking for the murdered daughter of Howard until the guy turned into a half-zombie, stabbing through metal and escaping under metal shelves despite being in dire need of losing weight. The thing is, the plot is struggling so hard to stay one step ahead of the audience, that it loses its focus, turning into a pile of reused ideas. Oh, did I mention that there were actually aliens? Yep, we see them in the last 15 minutes, until the protagonists downs one of their vessels with a molotov. Cool, huh?

One thing I can't complain about were the visuals. The cinematography was quite impressive, managing to remain refreshing despite the majority of the movie taking place in a small shelter. The vfx work was really striking, not exactly from a storytelling perspective, but it really pushed an overworldly feel into that molotov throw.

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Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

8/10

A tense, enjoyable and beautiful film

1 August 2022

If this movie gets one thing right, that's action. The sheer amount of action sequences is astonishing, but more importantly, everything in them is a setup and payoff. And even though you know that the good guys are always going to come out unscathed, the director still manages to find creative ways to get them out of difficult situations. This way you're constantly following the characters, trying to figure out their best option, which makes for a tense and fun watching experience.

That being said, the numerous character arcs and stories aren't quite given enough screen time. There's just so many people going through so many things, and then we're jumping from one company to the other, so that everything ends up feeling a bit messy. It's quite rewarding though seeing everyone meet up towards the end of the movie, and it certainly helps with the pacing, as the film doesn't just wrap up too abruptly.

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The Endless (I) (2017)

7/10

Moving concept, lacking execution

2 July 2022

The movie has a good foundation of story and ideas, but the dramatically low budget meant that this premise could not be used to its maximum potential. The cinematography is a great example of this: the sets and shot selection are excellent in telling the story and allowing the viewer to follow the intricate plot, but at the same time the lack of a proper color grade and visual effects makes the result feel cheap. The same is true for the pacing of the movie, as there are some truly interesting scenes, followed however by long dialogues to provide the necessary exposition. And finally, the characters are pretty realistic in their ideas and arcs, yet some of their choices are clearly forced, to push the plot forward. At the end of the day the film makes a good effort to bring up two serious flaws of our lives, and the viewer can definitely take in more from it than from an average overhyped blockbuster.

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Morbius (2022)

6/10

Decent script, but a messy production

11 June 2022

Frankly, the story of Morbius is surprisingly well written. Everything beyond the base concept of a man turning into a vampire is actually coherent, the intentions of each character are clear as day, and the story unfolds in quite a suspenseful way, unlike so many other superhero movies. So at the end of the day, the script is easy to follow and leaves you with something to think about.

The directing and cinematography on the other hand are evidently rushed. The camera is often jumping around the set aimlessly, which clearly points to lack of organization rather than a less skilled director/editor (some action sequences for example worked wonders in conveying visual information in seriously quick cuts). And while some of the sets are true works of art, others are totally confusing, with flashy colors serving no real purpose. The vfx work was good but uninspired and rather cartoonish, which again points towards carelessness on the production's side.

And of course Marvel had to butcher the otherwise rather emotional ending for the sake of shoving the movie in their collection of blockbusters. Unless they start putting real effort into their productions, the craze with their movies will eventually die out, leaving behind nothing but a pile of flashy and meaningless footage.

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Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

7/10

The most enjoyable pile of nonsense in cinematic history

1 May 2022

Warning: Spoilers

If you are looking for a WWII fiction story, a creature horror film, a love story, a pre-2000s action movie or a complete comedy, Shadow in the Cloud has it all. It kicks off with the main character locked up in a gunner's turret on a bomber on a secret mission, and despite the set being so limiting, the filmmakers do an incredible job of conveying that claustrophobic feeling to the audience. After a good 15 minutes of pure suspense, the creature appears, a truly freaky creation brought to life by the very best creature artists on the planet. And it shows - the concept is interesting and grounded, while the facial expressions and overall animation succeed in giving it character and communicating its emotions. Then we move over to the action part, where the director's work really shines. Is it possible to have your character walk upside down on a half-downed bomber and still make the scene feel tense? The answer is yes. By clearly showing to the audience the character's intentions, where they need to go, what they need to do, and generally manipulating setup and payoff, the director manages to make these utterly insane scenes grounded, tense and enjoyable to watch. It's good to see the filmmaking community take a break from the ordinary genres and just explore new possibilities, especially when the result is both fun to make and to watch.

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Annihilation (I) (2018)

9/10

Inspired, beautiful, unintelligible

26 March 2022

From a conceptual standpoint, Annihilation is a near masterpiece. Even if the story is vague and extremely hard to actually understand, the conceptual elements and the well thought-out pacing create a highly immersive cinematic experience.

Its visual appearance also helps convey the appropriate atmosphere. The defocused overgrown worlds, the refractions subtly placed everywhere in the frame, the blown out highlights and the meticulous composition all create a both unique and appealing look.

The visual effects work is out of the ordinary as well. The attention is clearly not in photorealism, but the environments are stylized to fit the concept. And yet, when necessary, the teams did their best to bring to life some of the most freaky and appalling hyperreal creatures in cinema.

The only problem here is the production. A low budget and bad advertising, combined with the elusive script, resulted in an apparently serious flop. It's great to see that at least the filmmakers' vision wasn't interrupted and the concept was brought to life intact, but the hard truth is that if good movies are to keep getting created, they need to bring the producers the necessary monetary profit.

Overall - a great movie, worthy of a rewatch.

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Gravity (2013)

7/10

An enjoyable journey

8 March 2022

"Gravity" is one of the few movies that try to tell a story entirely separated from everyday life and its struggles, which it accomplishes without sacrificing emotion. The characters are thrown into a troubling scenario, doing their best to battle not some ordinary political opponent, but the distant (to the audience) threat of the lack of gravity. As the movie progresses, the brilliant special effects work truly helps us understand the dangers of floating into the unknown miles off the earth. At the same time, the subtle long takes, sparingly used by the director, convey a true sense of loneliness and desolation.

However, there are still a few notable flaws in the movie. The motives of the characters are too obvious and mainstream, while the dialogues often get repetitive and base. Moreover the pacing is a bit slow to emphasize the "emptiness" of space, but in the end it feels like a highly energetic and immersive action script has been badly chopped down to a failed drama.

Overall, Gravity is a visually pleasing experience with a unique tone some may find truly inspiring. Were it a bit longer and more complicated, it could have been a true cinematic masterpiece.

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The Batman (2022)

8/10

A grounded, solid production

7 March 2022

"The Batman" has all the characteristics of a great movie. The story is intricate yet coherent, while the way the writers bring the superhero to life balances plausibility and fiction. The characters are obscure and at the end of the day it's not too clear who is the bad guy, which is always a great way to get the audience to interpret the movie in their own way. The directing is clean, with easy-to-read action and overall beautiful camera positioning. As for the cinematography, Fraser manages to capture the moody and dangerous atmosphere of Gotham without becoming repetitive, and the fact that every scene has its own color scheme greatly contributes to the emotional impact of the movie as a whole. At the same time the vfx are playing a key role in the creation of the uniform and detailed world, as well as in bringing to life some truly breathtaking and unforgettable shots.

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Minority Report (2002)

8/10

A sci-fi milestone

29 January 2022

Science fiction is all about discussing the possible futures of humanity, and this is what Minority Report does perfectly well. The story may not be based on facts and physics, but in this way it manages to raise questions on topics intertwined with everyday human behavior.

The production side of the movie is also well-done. Spielberg's directing, despite being considered obsolete, really helps communicate the little story details and the action. As for the vfx work, the level of photorealism that they managed to achieve is commendable, and plays a huge role in bringing the futuristic set to life without distracting with flashy or bad-looking compositing.

As for the visual appearance of Minority Report, it is different to any conventional film looks. The colors are extremely pushed, with lots of blooms and artifacts, all of which contribute to a striking cinematic experience.

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Ex Machina (2014)

5/10

Disappointingly unoriginal and expectable

24 January 2022

I did have high hopes for Ex Machina - who doesn't love a small budget, concept-driver sci fi anyway. But it quite didn't live up to the expectation, and here's why.

Its core issue is the script. It discusses AI and human control over it in a way that we have seen countless times in the past - in movies, articles, literally everywhere. It expresses no new views on the topic, only restating every single conventional opinion there is.

Even this though wouldn't be a problem if the ideas were presented in a suspenseful, interesting way which builds up the audience's anticipation. But the script and pacing are horrendous - even at less than two hours the movie feels slow, with too little going on, and most importantly it is just too easy to predict the ending within the first few minutes. I mean they do make a desperate attempt to do a plot twist which changes absolutely nothing and serves literally no purpose in the story other than extending the runtime by a couple minutes.

On the flipside, certain aspects of the movie deserve a praise. The visual effects in particular were more than well-done considering the low budget, with lots of compositing and rendering tricks creating a grounded yet intriguing look. The androids' movement sfx were also on-point, which really helped make them feel more "alive" than this script could ever manage.

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What Happened to Monday (2017)

9/10

A top-notch concept driven sci fi

21 January 2022

If this movie gets one thing right from the start - that's an excellent concept which the writers understood and the crew respected. There is a good amount of original ideas and subjects throughout the film, each one of them carefully explained, which makes the viewing experience both interesting and thought-provoking. The only screenwriting issue is that certain plot related aspects are not properly exposed, requiring a bit too much work from the audience to follow the events.

The film also has quite a distinct visual style. Although worn, dystopian worlds are not uncommon these days, the grounded yet futuristic concept art, combined with the well laid out cinematography create a uniform and fitting atmosphere. The visual effects houses deserve some respect as well, as they managed to turn the tiny budget into a photoreal result, with only some unimportant greenscreen edges visible to the trained eye from time to time.

The final reason why the movie works is of course Rapace's acting. The way she manages to express the different personalities of all the roles is more than commendable, and plays the biggest part in transferring the emotional impact of the script to the viewer.

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No Time to Die (2021)

8/10

Strong story, beautiful visuals

14 January 2022

When we think of James Bond, what comes to mind is "cars, guns and girls". And although No Time to Die fell no short of any of these, it also gives a strong cinematic experience.

The story itself is unexpectedly captivating. It is in fact quite complex with quite a few interesting concepts, and it also gives proper focus to characters and the relationships between them. It's also based on a well-executed allegory which raises certain questions regarding faith and treason in everyday life.

Another strong aspect of the movie is the cinematography. The sets are consistently jaw-dropping, and the lighting perfectly designed to deliver both the atmosphere of the shot and an objectively good-looking image.

However there are a few issues. My primary concern is that despite the well laid-out script and meaningful story, the action directing detracted a lot from the experience. I get that it's a James Bond film, and I have nothing against a good old Aston drifting and spraying around the narrow streets of Italy, but the minute-long run and gun shots where the camera is constantly moving all over the place as randoms are getting smoked by the protagonist make it really hard to deeply engage yourself in the movie. Oh, and it also doesn't help that almost one every ten closeups are out-of-focus, a mistake unforgivable for a production of this scale.

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Dune (2021)

9/10

A Phenomenal Cinematic Achievement

7 January 2022

Dune is way more than an excellent story, and a perfectly-told one. Despite all the saturation in style and concept in modern cinema, the creators manage to present a true paradigm shift in multiple aspects of filmmaking.

Most noticeably, the cinematography creates a harmonious and distinct visual appearance. It does not rely on the dominant bleach-bypass looks, instead it nails the distinction between fore- and background. This, alongside the meticulous split-tones, maximizes the attention drawn to the main subject of the frame, allowing Villeneuve's directing mastermind to really shine.

Talking of Dennis, we're really getting used to his incredible interpretations of other people's scripts. He never fails to perceive the story in a unique way, and the style in which he transfers this perception to his movies is not only identifiable, but also always successful at manipulating the viewer's emotions. Although I must say that Dune not being a standalone movie somewhat detracts from the atmosphere he is trying to create.

It would also be unfair to not credit the concept art and visual effects teams who worked on the project. The sets, vehicles and costumes are brought together in a perfectly cohesive way, which points towards great cooperation between the houses and a healthy relationship between producer, supervisor and artist. It's great to see DNEG (the main vfx house) involved in increasingly large projects, and allowed to experiment with new filmmaking techniques.

The only part of Dune where my feelings are mixed is the acting. On the one hand you have Oscar Isaac and especially Rebecca Ferguson performing absolutely brilliantly, but at the same time Zendaya is having a really hard time realizing she is not acting for some blockbuster nonsense. Chamelet is also perhaps not too well-suited for the role, but he is truly putting effort into it and it shows.

So, when is part II coming out again?

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Elysium (I) (2013)

7/10

Disappointing, to Neill's sky-high standards

22 October 2021

Neill Blomkamp has shown his potential at creating cohesive and moving stories - yet Elysium might not be the perfect example.

The directing is niche, similar to his other films. Lots of camera shake, odd angles and quick cutting. Though everyone loves some originality in modern cinema and frankly this method normally works out well in assisting with the creation of a grounded feel, there are times when it feels like it is being overused and not too well thought-over.

The cinematography is very much what one should expect from Blomkamp, but the beloved Johannesburg sandy sites, bright blue skies and fogs of dust are accompanied by some equally emotionally intriguing shots of the sleek world of Elysium, even more aesthetically pleasing. All this is put together by the meticulous work of the FX houses and WETA's brilliant workshop, who make it impossible to distinguish between the prop and the digital.

As for the storytelling, things get a bit messy here. District 9 demonstrated some incredible allegories, and Elysium tries to to the same. The concept exists, but it feels like the ideas are somewhat all over the place and rather disconnected. Perhaps thinking the plot over and over will provide a better understanding of what the story really means, but it is no wonder that even Neil himself declared his disappointment at this area (right before his gem Chappie released, he clearly learned a lesson there).

Is Elysium worth watching? The answer is a definite yes. Though it may have its issues, it's still got that action, atmosphere and look which makes Neil's movies so unique and enjoyable.

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Prospect (2018)

8/10

A great passive film

9 October 2021

Prospect is not meant for those looking to get hooked to the plot - or understand even a small percentage of what is going on at all.

The lore behind the movie is extremely complicated, and only some of the backstory is revealed as the movie progresses. Though this could easily upset certain viewers, the beautiful cinematography and soundtrack paired with decent dialogue and directing allows you to sit back, and calmly enjoy the journey of the characters.

Speaking of characters, the arcs are exactly what one should expect from a low-budget sci fi: brilliant. The fight for survival, greed, and trust all blend perfectly together in a highly immersive and original experience, topped off by the excellent acting.

But perhaps the one thing key to the emotional impact of Prospect is the VFX work. Those part of the industry will have heard of the supervisor Ian Hubert, a man of true originality. The striking atmosphere isn't just generated by the hundreds of dust shots, but also the Ian Hubert look. The defocused bloom, the subtle color palette, the low contrast and the mild sunlight make the world feel truly dreamy yet real, perfect for the tidy 3d models to be thrown into and blend beautifully with the practical surroundings.

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Rush (I) (2013)

8/10

A historically accurate cinematic masterpiece

26 September 2021

Rush is one of the few movies which don't trade historical accuracy for emotion - or the other way around. The filmmakers knew their target audience, and tailored the storytelling to satisfy even the most hardcore motorsport enjoyers.

Key goal of the movie is to present two rival spirits, but somehow manage to forward both of them as heroes. And it does exactly that. The way the character arcs develop separate to one another lays the ground for equal sympathy towards both drivers.

The cinematography here is commendable as well. The contrasty dramatic look, the excellent cg environments and the beautiful light combinations are escorted and perfected by an on-point film look, which helps immensely in developing the atmosphere of the 1960s-1970s.

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Oblivion (I) (2013)

9/10

The return of the Clean

21 September 2021

Ever since Space Odyssey and Alien, the clean, white futuristic look has been abused by cinematographers and producers, stuffed in sequences where it simply represents nothing. Oblivion is a great exception: black and white, clean and dirty are brilliantly mashed together, driving the emotional impact of the movie by generating an incredible sense of minimalism.

The plot itself does have well-placed twists and is one of the most thought-provoking stories in the history of cinema. The abstract and mysterious writing however may confuse or cause the viewer's attention to be distracted by small details. It appears to be the top of the iceberg of an intricate lore, however understanding what is going on is clearly not the creators' intent: they want you to feel and think, and if you let them succeed Oblivion will become a cinematic life lesson.

Finally the art and VFX teams deserve a hats-off too. The world and prop design follows the black-and-white scheme perfectly while always remaining grounded to reality, while the effects make for a visually stunning piece of video without going over-the-top with the surreal feel.

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Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

5/10

At least it looked good

14 September 2021

I mean it looked pretty awesome. The grain, the fog, the crunched blacks and extreme contrast all created an excellent horror atmosphere. The concept art too was great, and they pretty much nailed the xenomorph designs, getting it as cohesive as possible with Giger's original one.

But the merits of the movie end there. The story is extremely hollow. A bunch of mainstream characters are thrown at the audience's face within the first five minutes just to be killed off slowly without any arc development and consequently no emotional impact whatsoever. The kill sequences are pretty well-directed and frightening, but what dies is ultimately some random person whose name you probably won't remember before the final credits are over.

Overall it makes me appreciate the Alien prequels even more, and despite improving on the visuals of AVP it is in fact a much less intriguing script. It can definitely be a great watch for the horror fanbase, but beyond that, it just doesn't feel worth the watch.

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Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

9/10

The best mess you'll ever get to watch

7 September 2021

If you ever wanted a guide on how to make two hours feel like a day, well there you have it. The incomprehensible amount of chaos that is going on every frame of this movie probably generates one of the most fulfilling cinematic experiences out there. As well as the tribute to James Cameron he deserves. So let's take a look at why that is.

Reason #1 is the incredible attention to detail. It's very clear that the writer had given the art department a thorough explanation of what the creatures, sets and hard-surface models should look like, which results in a cohesive and intricate look most modern movies lack. Every single effect (and there are hundreds of them) seems to have been pre-planned most cautiously, making the work of the digital departments easier and more efficient.

The second reason is the almost flawless execution of the technical parameters. The directing is spicy and highly adaptive to the current mood, while the cinematography never stops refreshing and providing a jaw-dropping visual look every single time. The screenplay does not confuse, and the constant references to Cameron's filmmaking style, The Abyss, Terminator and Avatar add a nostalgic tone to the experience.

The plot on its own was not particularly well-structured but it clearly was inspired and interesting, while the character arcs were subtle yet played a significant role in defining the flow of the movie. The biggest issue was the tiny budget it got allowed - getting both WETA and ILM to work on your film on its own requires a good amount of cash, and I don't doubt that if the producers had gambled further with advertising, success would have been guaranteed.

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