20s Movie Review - Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 197 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis,  CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Jermaine Clement, David Thewlis

Description: Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family grapples with grief, encountering a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Ash people, who are led by the fiery Varang (Oona Chaplin), as the conflict of Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.

Review: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the third installment in the “Avatar” franchise. Director James Camerom proves that Pandora is far from revealing all its secret. Whereas its predecessor immersed us in  the serene beauty of the oceans, this third film confronts us with the raw, destructive, and paradoxically beautiful power of fire.

It almost goes without saying, but the CGI is once again groundbreaking. The introduction of the Ash People – a Na’vi clan that lives in volcanic areas – provides a completely new color palette. The contrast between the glowing lava and the ash-gray skin of this new tribe is visually stunning. The action scenes, especially the confrontations in the ash clouds, are so fluid and detailed that you forget you are watching an animation.

We see that not all Na’vi are “good”. The Ash People, led by Varang, bring a much-needed nuance to the story. Their anger and thirst for revenge mirror humanity, blurring the line between hero and villain. This gives the film an emotional depth and a sense of menace that we haven’t felt to this extent before.

The core of the film remains the family. The dynamic between Jake, Neytiri and their children has matured. The consequences of their earlier losses weigh heavily, and the film takes time for mourning and internal conflicts. Zoe Saldaña’s acting is heartbreaking; her anger is almost palpable.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is more than a technological masterpiece; it’s an epic drama that dares to play with darkness and moral ambiguity. With a running time of over three hours, not a minute feels wasted. The middle section is a bit predictable, but the explosive finale more than makes up for it. I believe there is still two more movies in the making, and I’m in up for it.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Sunshine

Director: Danny Boyle
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Mark Strong, Benedict Wong Hiroyouki Sanada

Description: A team of international astronauts is sent ton a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 22: A FILM FROM 2007
 
Review: It’s 2057. The sun is about to go out. A team of scientists is sent to the sun to restart it with a heavy bomb, and thus save humanity from extinction. Sounds like the lpot of a silly B-movie? Except this sci-thriller is directed by Danny Boyle and for that reason alone “Sunshine” should pique the interest of any self-respecting film love. And you will see, that it’s a great movie.

There has been a previous attempt to reignite the sun. In “Sunshine” we follow the crew of Icarus II, which means there must have been an Icarus I. However, for reasons as yet unknown, this mission never succeeded and the ship was presumed lost. When the crew of the Icarus II pick up a distress signal from their mysteriously disappeared predecessor and decides to take a look at the ship, you really know things are probably not going to end well.

The atmosphere is palpable, because of the claustrophobic setting. And the cast is great. There are so many big names in this film. What also stands out is the soundtrack, by Underworld. It adds to the dramatic effect and the tension.

The film is a bit messy at times, but it’s easy to forgive. Because I do believe “Sunshine” is an excellently, underrated sci-fi thriller.

Rating: 4 / 5 

Movie Review - Meg 2: The Trench

Director: Ben Wheatly
Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Horror
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Jing Wu, Page Kennedy, Sophia Cai
 
Description: A research team encounters multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean including a malevolent mining operation.

Review: In “The Meg”, Jason Statham’s Jonah and a research team discovers a hidden underwater cave full of prehistoric sea creatures, including the colossal megalodon shark. And like a good popcorn action movie should do, Jonah killed the megalodon. In “Meg 2: The Trench”, three more megalodons escape and that’s not all.

“Meg 2: The Trench” can best be described as a B-movie with the budget of a big Hollywood movie. Where the first film was not good, it was entertaining, fun and very sefl-aware. I highly enjoyed it. “Meg 2: The Trench” is none of that. Okay, it’s still entertaining. But it has a more serious tone, is way too over the top for my liking and the story is messy. With that, the shark-action is not the main focus. At least not for two-thirds of the film. This starts in the last part of the movie. And I know this is not a movie you watch for the characters, but you’re supposed to care a little bit about them or at least remember their names.

“Meg 2: The Trench” is a bad shark movie. And not the good kind of bad, because that would make it more fun. It’s just one messy, chaotic pile of crap.  Mainly because the sharks are not the focus and there are too many things going in this movie that aren’t about sharks. Well, sharks are kind of essential in a shark movie.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Review - Avatar: the Way of Water

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 192 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, CCH Pounder, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco,
 
Description: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and the army of Na’vi race to protect their home.

Review: It has been thirteen years since James Cameron revolutionized motion capture animation. “Avatar” was a prestigious project in every conceivable way. Such revolutions are becoming increasingly scarce as technical possibilities grow. But “Avatar” still works and is even one of my favorites movies of all time. And the wait for “Avatar: the Way of Water” is finally over, and boy did it pay off.

Jake Sully is now a real Na’vi, though the five fingers on each hand betray his human origins. He and Neytiri have started a family and are now the parents of four children. Meanwhile, villainous Quaritch has been resurrected as a Na’vi and is ready to take down Jake. This means that Jake needs to protect his family and move away from their beloved home.

“Avatar: the Way of Water” is over 3 hours long, but it’s not a punishment. The focus is not on Jake and Neytiri, it’s on their children, mainly the two sons and their eldest daughter. Because we already got to know Jake and Neytiri well in the first film, it’s a fresh take to focus on different character now. And you get to know them pretty well.

Like the first film, there is also a lot of focus on the emotional layers. This time mostly the family connection. And it can hit hard. Environmental issues are also dealt with, which made an impact on me before and again in the second installment.

“Avatar: the Way of Water” is definitely worth the wait, it is a beautifully looking film with a good message and strong family dynamics. It doesn’t reach the level of “Avatar”, but is very close.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Runaway Jury

Director: Gary Fleder
Genre: Crime/ Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 127 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Davison, Bruce McGill, Jeremy Piven, Cliff Curtis, Leland Orser, Jennifer beals, Bill Nunn, Luis Guzman, Nora Dunn, Dylan McDermott

Description: A juror on the inside (John Cusack) and a woman on the outside (Rachel Weisz) manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.

Review: Rankin Fitch is a ruthless jury consultant who must select a jury for a revolutionary trial to ensure its verdict. He fears nothing or no one. One the trial begins, it turns out that the selection of one juror can cause problems. He finds himself in a situation that shows he doesn’t know his opponent as well as he initially thought after all.

The films starts with a gruesome shooting in an office that kills many people. We are then place two years later when it is revealed that the shooting caused a trial to now take place that should set a precedent. The wife of one of the men killed is suing the gun manufacturer because it caused guns to be easy to get.

On one side us the conscientious lawyer Wendell Rohr. On the other, the man who is one the side of the gun manufacturer and who actually ges paid for it if the trial is won: Rankin Fitch. His job is to make sure who gets on the jury, because justice in the USA is still left to juries, so it is important to know the people on the jury well. Fitch’s team takes this very seriously and also very far.

Both parties are given a list of names and files of all the people who were called for jury duty, for them to decide which of them will actually be on that jury. Fitch thinks that they got this one, but someone within the jury is there with a purpose.

It is based on a John Grisham novel, an author known for his court dramas. But “Runaway Jury” is one of my favorites and it’s not your standard court drama either. We get to experience how incredibly flawed the jury system is. This movie is about manipulation, corruption, extortion and so on. And even though this movie came out in the early 2000s, this film is still so topical.

“Runaway Jury” is a very strong crime thriller with some surprising twists throughout and a fantastic cast. A movie that is underrated if you ask me.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Colombiana

Director: Olivier Megaton

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Drama

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2011

Starring: Zoe Saldana, Cliff Curtis, Michael Vartan, Callum Blue, Jodri Mollà, Lennie James

Description: A young girl in Bogotá witnesses her parent’s murder and grows up to be a stone-cold assassin (Zoe Saldana).

Review: South America. With helicopter shots, we are led into the world of “Colombiana”. The camera skims over the ramshackle hovels of the slums and soon leads us to nine-year-old Cataleya. Her father has gotten himself into some shady business and has to leave the scene along with his wife. Cataleya sees her parents being murdered. As she grows up, she becomes a stone-cold assassin, looking for vengeance.

“Colombiana” is the not the most original film and it is filled with clichés. Thanks to Zoe Saldana, as Cataleya, it’s still an enjoyable movie and fun to watch. It has some cool action, fight and chase scenes. But don’t expect anything special or groundbreaking.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Doctor Sleep

Director: Mike Flanagan
Genre: Thriller/ Horror/ Drama
Runtime: 151 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Cliff Curtis, Carel Struyken, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Jacob Tremblay

Description: Years following the events of “The Shining”, a now-adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

Review: It’s not a secret that author Stephen King wasn’t happy with Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining”. In 2013 King released the sequel to his novel, called “Doctor Sleep”, where the story focuses on son Danny. What happened to Danny after the traumatic events in the Overlook Hotel and how is he dealing with his gift?
After everything that happened in the Overlook Hotel, Danny and his mother have picked up their lives. When Danny is twenty, his mother passes away and he starts wandering through the US. Like his father, Danny can’t stay away from alcohol. He eventually ends up in a small town in New Hampshire, where he starts working as a hospice. His visions and his gift he tries to put away as far as possible.
As appears, Danny is not the only one with ‘the shining’, as this gift is called. There is a group, led by the mysterious and charismatic Rose the Hat, that live off the powers of those with the gift. When a young boy disappears by the hands of this group, young girl Abra seeks contact with Danny. She also has the gift and together they will try to stop Rose and her macabre group.
The title, “Doctor Sleep”, refers to Danny’s ability to console dying patients. And the film is not a series of repeats from the first film. Stephen King presented a bigger universe, where Danny’s gift is still unique but he is obviously not the only one anymore. “The Shining” had an oppressive feel because of the setting. And even though this film has a bigger setting, it still gives you this feeling at times.
Ewan McGregor is really strong in this film, but it’s Rebecca Ferguson as a very convincing villain and the young Kyliegh Curran that steal the show.
If you saw the trailer, you would think that “Doctor Sleep” is pure fan-service, since you can see young Danny on his tricycle, the scary maze, the twins, the door that Jack broke with the axe and the sea of blood in the hallway, they are all present. As fans of “The Shining” it’s one big feast. But in the film it’s only short and dosed, purely for visual reference and all very functional.
Flanagan definitely learned from Kubrick, but he didn’t copy his predecessor. And this is fantastic, because “Doctor Sleep” is its own film without leaning on the success of “The Shining”. Especially the camera work is spectacular and daring and shows how techniques have been perfected over the years.
Also a tiny detail that made me happy is the fact that they kept the book title and didn’t call it The Shining 2 or whatever, to lure more people to the cinema. Since the title doesn’t shout out it is a sequel.
Directing a film that’s a sequel to one of cinema’s most iconic horror film is a big task and it could have gone wrong. But “Doctor Sleep” is a fantastic film, has psychological complexity and gets under your skin. I loved it!

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw

Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba, Cliff Curtis, Eddie Marsan, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart

Description: Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and outcast Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain (Idris Elba) threatens the future of humanity.

Review: The “Fast & Furious” franchise is an eye-catching phenomenon of modern-day Hollywood. What started out as a film about illegal street races with a few action scenes, is now a million dollar series of almost 10 films, which leans primarily on spectacle and has no credibility left.
“Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw”, like the title suggests, revolves around two of the most popular characters in the franchise: Dwayne Johnson’s flamboyant secret agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s former soldier slash hitman Deckard Shaw. Against their will, they are teamed up to protect the world from ‘half-robot’ Brixton, who wants to expose mankind to a dangerous virus.
The entry of this villain, played by Idris Elba, shows that the film makers embrace the absurdity that this franchise has become. And nothing separates them from any random Marvel movie, because it’s basically indestructible heroes fighting for world peace. That combined with a dose of humor and funny observations. It even has an after credit scene which hints to a sequel (which we really don’t need, but will get anyway…).
At least the cast is formed by three charismatic leads, even though they do nothing groundbreaking. Johnson and Statham are constantly exchanging cliché heavy one-liners and insult each other. And this gets old after fifteen minutes or so. That scene on the plane, took way too long (and adding Kevin Hart to the party, doesn’t make it better). But that doesn’t add up to what they did with Idris Elba. Elba is a fantastic actor who screams charisma. But his portrayal of bionic villain Brixton is very one-dimensional and absolutely forgettable.
Little note: Ryan Reynolds is really funny. His short appearances adds a half star to the rating.
The action is well choreographed and visualized, but what can you expect from a two-hundred-million dollar budget. The spectacle does look great, but it is sometimes so over-the-top laughable that even the most expensive visual effects look cheap and unbelievable. And the scenes are too long and too much, that it becomes hard to watch.
“Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw” is even more hysterical and over-the-top then its predecessor “Fast & Furious 8”. And although it looks stunning and is entertaining, it never becomes more than a standard action movie that could land on the B-list. At least we got some handsome men.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Reviews - The Meg

Director: John Turteltaub
Genre: Action
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Bingbing Li, Winston Chao, Masi Oka, Jessica McNamee, Page Kennedy, Robert Taylor

Description: After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.

Review: Shark movies are kind of my guilty pleasure, I love watching them, good or bad. As far as I know, “Jaws” is the only perfect movie in this subgenre. “The Meg” is definitely not a masterpiece, but for what it is, it’s a super fun film to watch.
Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor, an expert in submarine rescues. His help is wanted when a deep sea expedition has gone wrong and his ex-wife and her colleagues are stuck on the bottom of the ocean. It’s a new discovered area and this is not the only thing they discover. It also has a 25 meter shark down there: a megalodon that was claimed to be extinct.
The barrier is broken and the megalodon swims into the deep blue sea. And ‘the meg’ is extremely strong, hungry, aggressive and fast and could easily bite through a whale. Reason enough for Jonas to stop this animal. Together with the expedition team, he is determined to kill it.
When a director takes a movie like this too serious, it’s instantly a bad film. John Turteltaub knows what it is and doesn’t fall into that trap. This film is never too serious and it’s a big wink to those films that do. Yes, it’s over the top sometimes and no the depth of the plot isn’t really great. But it fits here.
“The Meg” is extremely entertaining, especially when you love shark movies. It has the right amount of humor, a cool hero and pretty good visuals. And it has a high rewatchability level. If you go in thinking it’s another “Jaws”, you will hate it. But it’s not even pretending to be “Jaws”.
For what it is, “The Meg” is a fun movie, a perfect summer blockbuster without too much substance. And I actually loved Jason Statham in this film (usually not a big fan). So if you go in with minimal expectations and shut of your brain for two hours, you’re going to have a blast!

Rating: 3,5 / 5

90s Movie Review - Deep Rising

Director: Stephen Sommers
Genre: Action/ Horror/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 1998
Starring: Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Jason Flemyng, Cliff Curtis, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Heald, Cliff Curtis

Description: A group of heavily armed hijackers board a luxury ocean liner in the South Pacific Ocean to loot it, only to do battle with a series of large-sized, tentacled, man-eating sea creatures who have taken over the ship first.

Review: “Deep Rising” is one of those film: don’t think, just watch. And then it’s super fun!
A group of hijackers aboard a luxury yacht. When they arrive, almost all the passengers and its crew is gone. Not knowing why, they investigate the ship. But something is luring from the deep. A large man-eating sea creature is after them.
“Deep Rising” is action packed, entertaining and creepy. But it didn’t stand the test of time. The special effects are outdated and the acting is mostly terrible. I saw this film a lot around the time it was released, but rewatching it now makes me realize it’s a pretty bad film. So many clichés, bad dialogue, even worse characters. But I still really enjoy it. I liked the fact that practically all the main characters are criminals or have a criminal history. And it’s super fast paced.
“Deep Rising” is definitely not a good movie, but it’s entertaining as hell!

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 41: Sunshine

Director: Danny Boyle

Genre: Thriller/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2007

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Mark Strong, Cliff Curtis, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong

Description: A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.

Review: With the space thriller “Sunshine”, director Danny Boyle tries out a new genre. The movie is set in 2057, when the sun doesn’t work anymore and astronauts go on a mission to ‘reanimate’ the sun. The plan is to launch an atom bomb towards the sun, which has to make sure the sun does its work again.

It’s a pretty bizarre concept and it might seem incredible. The constant claustrophobic feel and the psychological instability of the crew make this movie interesting. Maybe “Sunshine” isn’t as original, it sure is worth to give it a go.

Visually the movie is beautiful, this is like nothing I have ever seen. And that in combination with that amazing music. Because of the great visuals, it’s a movie that won’t outdate easily.

“Sunshine” is a good science fiction thriller, the acting is solid and it looks stunning.

Rating: 3,5/ 5