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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)
Episode V - The Last Cringe (Part 2)
'The Twilight Saga' comes to an end in possibly the most subversively underwhelming way. However, you can't really hold it against this franchise for at least being very consistent with its quality.
This movie is treating its moments of culmination as if it's been highly anticipated when, in actuality, the series has not been building up to the conclusion it reaches, which only happens due to a misunderstanding that's slowly resolved. The CGI baby is freaky, distracting, and just so perplexing that it's best left ignored. Bella apparently has a problem with Jacob protecting her baby, as she's constantly leaving it in anyone else's protection other than her own. Edward has lost all of his appeal at this point, being left as one of the least compelling characters in this instalment. Carlisle, Alice and Charlie are my personal stand-outs, and are each noticeably absent or sidelined in favour of newer, more uninteresting characters. Michael Sheen's presence is felt more here than in maybe any other instalment, but still so brief that he's hardly all that interesting even though he's supposedly the primary overarching antagonist. The effects, score and camera work are on par with the previous films, which isn't saying much but there's not much else to say.
A suitable end to an overly broody, dramatic franchise, with improved acting compared to the other films, and a resolution that just let's you know it's all over now.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)
Episode IV - The Last Cringe (Part 1)
A wedding and a pregnancy, that's all this is. It takes almost two hours, to have a wedding and a pregnancy. Granted, with lame vampires and underwhelming werewolves.
Why oh why does it take a whole two hours to accomplish what happens in this movie? Marriage, pregnancy, consequences, that's basically all that happens, no overarching Michael Sheen in this one to keep it as a somewhat compelling drama. In my eyes, this could've been a wedding montage, a slightly more rushed version of the pregnancy segment of the movie, and combined with a slightly more rushed 'Part 2'. Then you've got a three hour adaptation of Breaking Dawn. It's probably not gonna be much better, but it'll end it all a hell of a lot quicker. The acting has once again improved by a minuscule percentage, Alice, Charlie and Carlisle remain stand-outs. Bella, Edward and Jacob have a much more believable relationship with one another, regardless of the consistently bad dialogue.
Such a shell of a larger story with content that leaves you feeling empty, dreading the conclusion of Breaking Dawn and 'The Twilight Saga' rather than anticipating it.
Twister (1996)
Today's forecast, a spectacular whirlwind
Twister is a very fun action-thriller movie, giving insight into the adventures of storm chasing with a good emotional plot supporting it.
Always a joy to see the ever-entertaining Bill Paxton, and it was a good change of pace to see him playing the lead straight-man. His chemistry with seemingly everyone is solid gold, this time ranging from Helen Hunt to Philip Seymour Hoffman. The storm sequences build up with great fear, tension, and danger, and the tornado effects hold up well enough that they convince you of what you're watching unfold. Cary Elwes and his storm-chasing crew are portrayed with a mostly realistic competitive manner and make great secondary antagonists to the storms themselves.
The CGI effects are a bit iffy at times, but never take you out of the movie completely. The ADR is sometimes noticeable and distracting when it occurs. The story of Bill sorting his life with Jo and Melissa is good, but relies a bit too much on convenient radios that impossibly pick up on conversations.
Overall, a really fun thriller showcasing the true power storms carry, and the actions and danger that follow.
Heathers (1988)
Disturbingly funny suicide satire
Heathers was not the typical 'high school comedy with a twist', containing a lot more bite than anticipated and darkly comical context to its plot.
It's performances from the cast are all top notch, creating an uncomfortably comfortable world that only verbally challenges and seeks to prevent further mayhem. The repetitions in the funeral scenes and conversations with parents and teachers get increasingly disturbing. The seemingly unaware humour creates great satire towards the treatment of the connection between high school, hierarchy, and suicide, and Christian Slater and Winona Ryder create a fitting final punchline.
However, the music in the movie feels like it doesn't always perfectly fit what's going on, and feels a bit too over-the-top upbeat. The story takes a while to properly get started, and the pacing is a bit jumbled, but okay overall.
Although a bit more of an acquired taste for some, Heathers is a good dark comedy with some funnily eye-opening moments.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
Episode III - Return of the Cringe
This time, it's original. This time, it's got Edward and Jacob together. This time, it's not as bad as New Moon, but oh my gosh it drags.
After tolerating bad wigs, bad acting, bad writing, and melodramatic, brooding, moody, young adults, now the vampires and werewolves are properly interacting and it's somewhat interesting. Bella's whole plot is deciding who she'll be with for the rest of her life; the technically underage werewolf rebound, or the technically overage vampire poet. For two movies, Bella has unmistakeably chosen Edward, yet now for no real reason other than forced plot drama, she's having trouble deciding. Other than the drama, an underdeveloped sub-plot regarding new vampires raised by Victoria and her deception of one of them is greatly sidelined and really just gives the movie a third act that'll make up for the 'resolution' in the drama. The cinematography merges the filters of the previous two movies fairly well, and the acting seems to slowly be improving with each film.
Overall, another one with another cliffhanger that feels like it's setting up something that isn't nearly as 'cool' as they think it's gonna be.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Episode II - The Cringe Strikes Back
We're back, and worse than ever before. New Moon is the next chapter and introduces Jacob in a much more significant role than in the first movie, much to my personal chagrin.
Having Edward leave and then literally and figuratively haunt Bella effectively illustrates the worst heartache can be. However Edward's absence in the grand scheme of things ends up having no real consequence for anyone else. Jacob is such a shoehorned rebound it hurts to watch the movie that's trying to convince you he and Edward are equally as appealing to Bella. The introduction of the werewolves was set up in the first one and played out pretty okay in this one. However, their ability to not have their transformation restricted to a full moon and have them be fairly in control of their wolf forms was equally as disappointing as the portrayal of the vampires in this world, with the removal of what makes these creatures truly intriguing. The acting is somewhat better but the dialogue is just as awkward. The cinematography is a lot more steady and the filter is much more vibrant, complementing the new werewolf faction and contrasting the filter of the vampire-lead predecessor. The introduction of the faction led by Michael Sheen was briefly interesting and felt like an actual threat, but wasn't enough to save my opinion of this movie.
Basically the first movie but Jacob is now Edward and its uninteresting werewolves instead of uninteresting vampires, and there's an equally uninteresting cliffhanger that doesn't feel like that much of a cliffhanger.
Twilight (2008)
Episode I - A New Cringe
Twilight is a very moody, atmospheric movie. It's also filled with typical uncompromising young adult drama and rewrites vampires for a different kind of audience.
The filter makes up most of the atmosphere, a lot of the scenes are done with tilts and strange angles that don't do much other than show off how tall Robert Pattinson is compared to Kristen Stewart. A lot of vampire lore gets majorly rewritten or forgotten, with the sun apparently making vampires glimmer rather than burn, they show up in mirrors and photos now, and their emotional lust is significantly stronger than their hunger. The performances are either bad or abstract but I'm gonna safely assume this movie isn't as artsy as it might appear, with acting ranging from wooden to wacky to somewhere strangely in-between. The story is pretty straightforward with such orchestrated drama it feels tailored for its impressionable audience with this outsider who falls for a threatening, brooding, loner that turns out to be apart of a family of semi-friendly vampires.
Overall, it is what it is, and what it is isn't a great movie, however isn't nearly as awful as you'd expect, but so far removed from the typical vampire archetype that it's appeal is a unique taste that isn't for everyone.
30 Days of Night (2007)
Vampires in the snow, what else do you need?
30 Days of Night is a great survival horror movie with captivating terror and a consistently tense and isolating atmosphere.
Performances are all really great, with the best coming from leading opposites Josh Hartnett and Danny Huston. Ben Foster, although not as present, makes quite the impression that really kicks off the fear felt throughout the rest of the movie. Huston plays his character in a reserved manner and manages to feel like such an overarching threat across the town. But it's Hartnett who really shines as the protagonist, the cop who's willing to save as many people in his town as he can, and is able to make the tough calls. The score is foreboding enough, but doesn't make too much of an impact until more towards the end. The town itself and some particular overhead shots in the second act really makes the atmosphere, and therefore the movie, work very well.
A few of the townies really felt like individual characters, however there were a few that were given more of a spotlight, yet didn't feel like they were fully fleshed out. But that's a light criticism in an otherwise good film.
Overall, a highly atmospheric and scarily entertaining survival horror movie.
Grown Ups (2010)
The pinnacle of 'Sandler comedy'
Grown Ups sits squarely in the middle of the road in terms of Adam Sandler's clever and dumb humour. No where near as bad as his worst movies but not even close to his best.
Sandler invites pretty much his entire group of usual suspects and just, hangs out with them for 90 minutes. Kevin James and Chris Rock are pretty funny but I find David Spade and Rob Schnieder actively unfunny. It's hilarious to me how the likes of Salma Hayek and Maya Rudolph are in this as well. The story really only exists to tie everything together and doesn't really matter. All the kids I found ranged from annoying to just plain unfunny.
Some of the comedy works for me, most of it doesn't. The primary amount of laughs comes from the casual and effortless chemistry between the cast members.
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Repetitively original
Doing seemingly the same thing in a whole new way, and then completely subverting your expectations. This is what's in store in Back to the Future Part II.
This movie is brilliant on almost every level. The way the camera merges the same characters together in the 1955 sequences is mind-blowing to me in just how seemless it feels. The 'older them' makeup is sublime throughout, the fashion representing each timeline is great (although wonderfully weird in the 2015 sequences), and the alternate 1985 sequences are surprisingly dark but still manages to be entertaining. The stand out performance has got to be from Thomas F Wilson, who manages to perfectly play numerous versions of the same character Biff as well as Griff. Christopher Lloyd and Michael J Fox continue to entertain as Doc and Marty, and the audience is able to get more of how their present day versions of each other get along, compared to the first movie where it was mostly present day Marty and 1955 Doc.
The only thing I can't shake is that ifeel like not all the time travel logic is on par with the original movie. There are more rules, some of them make sense, and some others feel like they were made to justify why some events can happen in the and others can't.
Overall, a perfect follow-up that manages to be nearly as spectacular as its predecessor, that is to be concluded in an entertaining fashion in Part III.
Men in Black (1997)
Fun and often provocative science-fiction comedy
Men In Black is a greatly clever and funny movie, with aliens going about their everyday lives seemingly like humans, and then the MIB serve as a patrol to stop any suspicious activity.
It's a fantastic concept executed wonderfully and lead by a great duo in the form of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. The camera movement and score keep the anticipation, excitement, and intrigue going, almost never pausing either. The movie cracks at a good fast pace, overwhelming you within the world. The plot is provocative for audiences to consider when it comes to acceptance of what we don't understand, but mostly in humorous doses to keep entertained.
Overall, a really entertaining sci-fi comedy with a different kind of perspective that keeps you laughing and thinking.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Glamorous, materialistic nightmare
A movie with an interesting insight into the world of fashion, and a pretty average story to accompany it.
Meryl Streep absolutely owns this movie as Miranda. She's a ruthlessly cunning villainess, taking charge of the screen, characters and overall surrounds. Aside from her interactions with everyone else in the film, the editing keeps the movie at a fun and decent pace and Anne Hathaway does a fine job at being the wide-eyed newbie.
That said, the primary story, regardless of it's content, is very boiler plate, by-the-numbers and therefore comes off as predictable many times. Moreover, the score undercuts the weight of emotional moments in several instances. Also, Hathaway is supposed to be the main character, but she finds herself greatly overshadowed by Streep.
Overall, a kinda fun movie with not all that much to offer aside from the typical 'dangers in the pursuit of fame' plot and stunning costume designs present throughout.
David Brent: Life on the Road (2016)
Not nearly as funny, but just as heartfelt eventually
Life on the Road is a hilarious follow-up to The Office, providing laughs, tears, and cringe, although not all at once like it's predecessor.
The story of David Brent trying to cling to whatever fame he thinks he has along with his new band is ridiculously funny. The band aren't too fond of him, adding to most of the awkwardness and David's mental recovery from what occurred between the events of the show and this movie keeps his arc compelling. The supporting cast are all great, able to react to Gervais' delivery of his lines in their own perfect ways. 'Equality Street' is by far the funniest of Brent's songs as well.
However, I really think this would've worked better as a TV show, with gradual development in each individual character as you feel every step taken. Instead, it's a decently paced 90 minutes of a heavily glossed over tour that's made entertaining purely from Ricky Gervais' David Brent.
Overall, a great continuation but tonally not on par with what came before. Ricky Gervais definitely makes it all work out in the end.
The Mask (1994)
Undoubtedly SMOKIN'
The Mask is another 90s classic from Jim Carrey that successfully utilises his elastic eccentricities, as well as being a creatively rich and colourful film in itself.
The performance from Carrey is unhinged and absolutely golden, delivering every single joke perfectly and selling the hopeless romantic he's playing. The setting of the fictional Edge City is great and the supporting cast are all really good, from the cops to the crooks. The music makes the movie feel like a more lively rendition of the 40s and 50s gangster films, with the numerous costumes of the Mask matching that aesthetic to a hilarious degree.
My only criticism comes from the plot, which is kinda your basic cliché gangster story coated in a fun colour of paint.
The Mask is the conglomeration of cartoonish Carrey carnage, culminating in a crazy conclusions backed up by a capable cast playing captivating characters.
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Would have been a better short film
Knock at the Cabin is a very average thriller with surface level substance to offer, and slow borderline boring pacing.
The acting was pretty good, Dave Bautista kept it captivating, the family were all okay, and I wish Rupert Grint could've been in it more as he was giving probably the most career defying performance in the movie. The premise was very intriguing but the interest kinda just fizzled out by the time it was almost over.
Not a whole lot of stuff going on in the movie, making many plot points feel stretched out or delayed. If all the flashbacks were cut out and we were just provided with how the characters interacted I think it could've created a more effective experience. I thought I felt there was some attempt made at addressing how people interpret comments made at them and who's exactly in the wrong, but it came off as empty so I guess I could be wrong.
Overall, a very uninteresting movie with an interesting primary idea that isn't explored to its fullest potential and a talented cast that come off as flat.
Humane (2024)
Decent premise, awful execution
Humane is quite simply a bad mediocre movie. So mediocre that it can't offer anything aside from a wasted premise for a murderous political drama.
To get the very few positives out of the way, the movie looks competently made, the bleak near-future setting was eerie, and the character of Bob gave some well-timed dark humour to the film.
However, the movie drains its semi talented cast, with some performing much better than others. The characters are all awful, aside from the employees of the organisation we should hate since they're pretty much just doing their job's. Each sibling is terrible in their own way, an egotistical maniac, a political monster, an indecisive sheep, and the seemingly calm one, who acts so out of character towards the rest of them later that it made him no better than them. The premise of 'who would you choose in your family to die?' was a good one, but is made so uninteresting by making every member so selfish and/or obnoxious. The movie also takes a while before it feels like it's properly getting started which make the first fifteen minutes feel like it could've been summed up in two.
Overall, saved by a few of the more minor aspects to be considered terrible but not good enough to warrant a rewatch any time soon, or maybe ever.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
A mostly justified prequel
Furiosa is an amazing origin story with fantastic action, amazing performances and immersive visuals.
The world of Fury Road was explored so briefly, with the characters rushing past all these interesting settings only made minor reference to, and this film incredibly explores further into the locations of the Bullet Farm, Gastown and the Citadel. Chris Hemsworth and Alyla Browne were absolute stand-outs, especially Hemsworth's unhinged villain Dementus. Anya Taylor-Joy was really good but I feel like her performance got very much overshadowed by Hemsworth. The action was no where near as frequent as in fury Road, but it held up with new and innovative apocalyptic techniques to attack in pursuits, which was very impressive considering there were a lot more CGI effects this time around.
Moreover, the CGI didn't distract from the movie entirely but it was very much noticeable and more obvious than it was in Fury Road. Tom Burke kinda comes off as a dollar store Max but it didn't seem too blatant. And the relationship between Furiosa and Immortan Joe didn't feel as fleshed out as Fury Road made it out to be, especially given how this movie ends.
Overall, aside from being a slightly more than mediocre prequel, Furiosa is a visual and technical wonder, and comes very close to being a masterpiece mostly due to the incredible performances from the two leads.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Pedal to the metal, non-stop, high-octane joyride
Fury Road is a near perfect movie. It may be the best Mad Max film from a story perspective, and almost definitely the best from a technical perspective.
As far as the pre-production work goes, the smooth camera focus from shot to shot, the frantic way scenes are filmed, the risky and flawless stunt choreography, the vehicle designs, costumes, and settings are all executed and established brilliantly. For the post-production work, the filters for day and night are awe-inspiring, with the night being so uniquely illuminated and the day looking so otherworldly yet familiar with the colours standing out and blending simultaneously as well as how the explosions appearing as if they're bleeding into the screen. The CGI effects are used sparingly and effectively, looking as convincing as they need to be. The score supports the thrills and emotions present throughout in the terrifyingly insane world the characters inhabit. Speaking of, the performances are all top notch, no particular favourites as everyone seemed to be doing their part wonderfully, from the main players like Max and Furiosa to the side characters like Slit and Rictus, everyone. The story is essentially one big escape and pursuit, executed in an effectively efficient manner.
Honestly aside from one or two easily overlooked plotholes there's nothing I can really say to discredit this movie. The only thing I could say is that Max doesn't really feel like the main character until closer to the end of the movie but that's kinda just it.
Overall, I'm probably not thinking of everything I enjoyed about this film, but that's just because there is so much to love. Fury Road is perhaps the best action movie of the decade.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Great family drama with some zigs instead of zags
Captain fantastic is a funny yet mostly dramatic movie that comments on the balance of experiences offered by life and necessities in American culture such as education and survival skills.
Viggo Mortensen shines as the father, able to capture the independent preferring to live in near total seclusion with his family. Each of the kid actors were pretty impressive too, able to deliver their socially awkward personalities and inherited opinions of American life from their father with much ease, especially George MacKay. The situational humour is where much of the comedy comes from, fuelled by the contrast of the outsider family with everyone they come across. This creates many uncomfortable, awkward, and/or bizarre conversations. Much of the people who rightfully question the family's ways of living come off as very obnoxious, I'm unaware as to whether or not that was intentional but it frames the family in a more interesting way, especially when the audience is forced into the perspective of the in-laws of the father. The story seems to see-saw between siding with the family and siding against them, which creates and interesting plot that questions the audience on how right or wrong the father is.
That being said, I feel like the father isn't given enough of a resolution, with his arc feeling like it skipped or just missed one of the integral final steps that would've made the ending better. The cast of kids can also be a bit difficult to keep track of, in terms of who's who.
Overall, Captain Fantastic is an interesting commentary family drama with very funny moments that may make you question where you stand on other people's way of life as well as your own.
Arrival (2016)
Fascinatingly mournful experience
Arrival is a mesmerising and deeply emotional film with excellent performances, effects, and story.
Amy Adams glimmers a fading light as the lead, with Jeremy Renner surprisingly playing a scientist very well in his co-starring role. The designs of the crafts and creatures are believably unique, and only enhanced by fantastic effects. The twisty story outlining humanity's mistrust in itself feels so compelling and it barely ever feels like it's becoming so bleak it comes off as depressingly boring.
However, the ending felt like it was being tied up too perfectly due to some convenient logic leaps, but fortunately it's able to justify enough that it doesn't look like lazy writing.
Overall, a worthwhile and deceivingly bleak movie filled with rich emotionality at seemingly every twist and turn.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
An overly dumb attempt of an 80s throwback
With monsters that exist only to fight each other and characters that exist only to explain why the fights are happening, 'Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire' feels like an elaborately expensive WWE event.
The soundtrack feels like it came right out of a40 year old's playlist, with barely any of the songs having any meaning to what we're seeing other than to turn up the fun factor that little bit more. The story can best be summarised as 'big ape and big lizard vs evil big ape and misunderstood big lizard', with every scene and sequence featuring humans that lead up to the fights consistently crank up the ludicrous levels of over-explanation as to how any of it makes sense. The monsters, after all this time, are put front and centre with Kong leading the charge. The effects look on par with the previous Monsterverse entries, but the fights are far and beyond superior with understanding of gravity and physics traded in for hilariously, stupidly entertaining punching matches.
On the other hand, a lot of the actors kinda look like they're clueless about what they're doing, but are decent at selling the absurdity. Although I liked Dan Stevens the most, but I didn't really find any of the characters that interesting. The jokes are the same inoffensive streamlined humour that plagues modern movies and therefore the only laughs you'll get are from the monster fights or stupid science jargon that doesn't make sense. The 'New Empire' itself too is more like an ancient empire, so I gotta ask, what's wrong with the title 'Godzilla X Kong: The Old Empire'? And for a movie that headlines Kong and Godzilla, there really isn't that much Godzilla and that monster kinda feels more like a side character than a co-lead.
This is a movie that isn't really supposed to make sense and is by almost every sense of the term, a 'popcorn flick', an easily digestible blockbuster movie. It works purely as switch-your-brain-off entertainment and nothing else.
The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)
Colourful, emotional, and funny family road trip
This film was a hilarious family comedy about acceptance of yourself and more importantly, those around you, filled with quirkiness on a weirdly relatable level.
This movie surprised me, as a family film it's definitely one of the best in recent years, providing a unique direction in its style of animation, a satirical approach towards the cause of a modern apocalypse, and a compelling father-daughter relationship dead-centre. All of this is fuelled with a great cast and supporting characters. PAL felt very heavily influenced by Amazon, whether I'm right or not I don't really care because regardless it was a very funny approach towards how we observe and use technology without fully understanding our appreciating it's capabilities. The Mitchells themselves were each differing variations of awkward, quirky, and very chaotic.
However, a handful of jokes are framed in a social media approach like Snapchat filters and sequences looking like Instagram-edited images. Nine times out of ten it's just as effectively funny as the rest of the jokes, however it occasionally feels like a failed attempt at appealing as a modern comedy, but that could just be me.
Overall, it's a totally killer time that stands as a relatably quirky family movie, with some science fiction satire thrown in as a nifty bonus.
Father of the Bride Part II (1995)
Same plot beats, difference in the details
Father of the Bride: Part II is a very funny movie, yet not as good as the original. It continues off the first film as it follows the same skeletal story structure with 'pregnancy' instead of 'wedding' set as the scenario.
Steve Martin is still able to make you laugh and relate to each situation he's put through. Martin Short has an upgraded secondary role with more screentime and he keeps the movie funny when it feels like it's running out of jokes. The new story on the wife and daughter being pregnant is a pretty entertaining concept, keeping the movie feeling fresh enough.
However, the repetitions come to a point where you really notice, from the last game of basketball with the daughter to the father eventually coming around to his situation and putting his nerves behind him. Moreover, some scenes feel unnecessary and only added for an extra joke and while some land, others do not. Most of the plot points are reached due to some major coincidences, which are okay but it feels a bit reliant by the end. And i get it was kinda the point, but the wife and daughter came off as somewhat annoying in the first half of the film, and actually feel funnier in the second half.
Overall, the film is far from bad, but not original enough to be considered anything more than just 'pretty good' in my opinion.
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Delightful, cheesey, fan-fiction
Oz the Great and Powerful is, although admittedly very imperfect, a grand, colourful and often immersive adventure.
As usual, Sam Raimi's energy shines in the action and horror, with the Dutch tilts and sudden zoom ins bringing a sense of camp and unease into the tension. The flying monkeys brought back the trauma from the original in such an overkill fashion where their terror is mostly concealed and portrayed in silhouette until around the halfway mark. James Franco as Oz was a surprisingly good fit, with him able to pull off portraying a sympathetic con-man. Although portrayed mostly through CGI, the land of Oz looks dazzling most of the time, and then there are a few times where it looks distractingly too glamorous and over-polished. Make-up and costumes are mostly on point, harkening back to the aesthetic of the original with more modern capabilities, although the same could be said with a lot of other aspects of the film.
Although the CGI is used to great effect in many ways throughout the movie, it eventually ends up feeling a bit overused, especially in the final battle between two of the witches. The story revolving around how certain characters from the original film behaved before the events of that film ranged from feeling plausible to almost downright silly. Oz as the con man was a good connection to the deceptive yet humble wizard in the original, yet the portrayal of the wicked Witch of the West as a heartbroken, temper-tamtrum-a-minute villain with an obsessive relationship to the wizard just doesn't feel like it matches up with the purely maniacal and unhinged character from the original. Each of the romantic aspects of the movie come off as weird fan-fiction where I feel like it just doesn't work. Sometimes a few of the actors looked like their heart wasn't really in it either.
Overall, though not particularly an amazing prequel, it's a technically impressive one with a good cast, decent story and great direction.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
Ground-breakingly solemn
This movie obliterated my expectations. Based on its reputation I was skeptical, but Godzilla Minus One changed my mindset as soon as the story begun. The characters, the themes, the music, and the destruction each shined through as ingredients that baked something truly special.
The overarching theme of coping with survivor's guilt was heavy, and the death and destruction in each of the tense scenes only made the movie darker. It is a true monster movie, full of tension and dread of a looming danger throughout the course of the film. The characters were compellingly sympathetic, each dealing with their own post World War II traumas and its great stuff, with the lead's search for redemption was especially gripping. Godzilla itself was depicted as the terrifying beast it's always been, and paired with a score that'll throw you back to the danger it posed in the 50s. Moreover, it's atomic breath has never been so frightening on such a nuclear level.
I'd say my only real criticism comes from the English subtitles, not always feeling accurate to the 1940s time period the movie is depicting but it's not an English-speaking movie so I can't really hate a movie for that, especially this one. And sure, the CGI can look a bit iffy at times but the quality of the story more than makes up for any and all visual hiccups.
A very human movie set in the aftermath of an inhumane time, Godzilla Minus One is a destructively incredible film.