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klauke
Reviews
F9 (2021)
The franchise has lost its fire...
I can forgive silliness... thats a hallmark of this series, but I can't forgive dullness. My biggest gripe with this film, was that it was really quite boring. Where are the insane setpieces from the previous films? That insane tank battle.. the escape across the ice... the bonkers plane sequence on the neverending runway... that heist chase with the massive safe that proved physics don't matter when it comes to fun! This film had nothing. Every action sequence either felt small scale, or was played purely for comedy, and all of them were generally poorly shot. 20 minutes in was probably my favourite action sequence (with a flash of that wonderful previously mentioned silliness) and it did give me hope for the rest of the film, but as the runtime ticked closer to the credits, it became clear that this film wasn't made with the same passion as the previous insane installments.
Other issues I had, was that cena's character never felt like a threat - sure, you could create all sorts of narrative reasons in your head as to why that was the case, but the fact remains that ultimately he felt toothless, and as such was a waste of such a massive presence (which cena is).
Finally... too many (often inconsequential) characters. Actors from the past as well as (probably) known actor/rapper cameos were thrown in with very little care and no worthwhile payoff, creating a very disconnected feel - more time wasted, when we should be getting down to the action...
That said.. the mid-credits cameo scene? Possibly the favourite part of the film for me (and how sad is that! :( ), so yes.. I'll be back for F10!
Finally, I won't complain about the space stuff.. I didn't feel it was THAT big of an issue for me, especially when there were so many other fundamental problems with the movie that spoiled my enjoyment - the 'space minions' honestly didnt bother me. It wasn't a highlight, but i didn't hate it. If anything, that sequence was more true to the franchise's insane spirit than the other 80% of the film was.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002)
One of the most standout games in a long time.
Simply put, this game is outstanding. The graphics are top class, the physics engine rivals that of unreal tournament 2003, and the gameplay is one of the most amazing thing ive come across in a video game in a long time. Each level is brilliantly designed, and the fact that each mission has numerous ways of completion, really helps create a non-linear feel to the whole thing, not to mention, making this a game you can replay over and over again. One key theme to this game is the whole "silent assassin" thing, so be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting for that perfect moment to make your move - of course you can just run-and-gun your way through the levels, but youd be missing out on something that makes this game truely unique. Nothing beats the feel of stalking in the shadows, picking your moment carefully, and when the times right, strike with the utmost precision....and where if you dont watch your step, it could all be over. An easy 8 out of 10 - you need to get this game.
Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
Looking for a brainless movie? look elsewhere...
For those that see this movie as a fun violent bloody movie, they have obviously missed the point, and have the inability to see what lies beneath the movies surface (in which case rubbish like spiderman or any of the new star wars movies would be more for you...)
This movie is extremely Violent, yes, but this is just a medium to convey the horror of what these students have to go through. Watching some students rather commit suicide than even think about hurting their friends...or close friends sticking together to the end, even though they know eventually there can be only one survivor, makes this film so much deeper. Personally , ive never had trouble watching violence in movies, but this film touched me on an emotional level, which is sadly lacking in the majority of american films these days, this is not an easy film to watch - the emotions that are conveyed are so real...theres no gung-ho heroics like you see in the usual unbelievable crappy american films... they are innocent, scared students trying to stay alive... trying not to loose themselves.
I find myself being more and more drawn to Japanese films - they truely are the masters at story telling and creating characters. If you can handle goood movies, this is a must see.
An easy 8 out of 10.