Movie Review - A Quiet Place: Day One

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Genre: Horror/ Science Fiction/ Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
 
Description: A young woman name Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself trapped in new York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.

Review: Making a prequel to a successful film like “A Quiet Place’ is probably a curse rather than a blessing. The film not being director by John Krasinski (returned as a writer though), like the other two films, is also not working in its favor. But it worked and it pays off. 

The first two films were unique. The people dealing with the invasion had already adapted to the situation. They learned how to live in a world with these creatures in it, knew what attracts them and how to survive. It had a small town, country setting. In “A Quiet Place Part Two” we got a glimpse on that first day, with the characters we then knew, in that same setting. But in “A Quiet Place: Day One” we see how it started, switching the décor for New York, a place that is loud and alive 24/ 7. An interesting take for this universe to further explore it.

We follow Sam, a young woman dealing with a terminal illness. All she has is her cat Frodo. When she is visiting New York City, all hell breaks loose and creatures start attacking people. Quickly finding out that they can’t see and rely on super sensitive hearing, she tries to make her way through the city.

Lupita Nyong’o plays Sam and really carries this film. She is a cynical character, but manages to put down a remarkable engaging main character, for whom she is especially allowed to pull out all the stops non-verbally. She gets great counterplay from Joseph Quinn, who plays the anxious Eric.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” could easily be viewed without having seen the other two movies, but I would recommend to watch the others first. I highly enjoyed it, was spooked, on the edge of my seat. And loved Lupita Nyong’o, who proves again what a great actress she is. And can we also praise cat Schnitzel, who played Frodo. Constantly panicking where he was, when he wasn’t in frame. “A Quiet Place: Day One” is best views in theaters, just like its predecessors.

Rating: 4/ 5

20s Movie Review - Rebel Moon part 1: A Child of Fire

Director: Zack Snyder
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Anthony Hopkins

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 10: A SCIENCE FICTION FILM
 
Description: When a peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical force, a mysterious stranger (Sofia Boutella) living among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.

Review: There are many films out there that have stories and a premise that has been done before. “Rebel Moon” is one of those movies. It’s set exactly like “Star Wars” and has the plot of “Seven Samurai”. Very lazy Zack Snyder.  

In an oppressed galaxy, there is a planet with a farming village that supplies grain. The oppressors have discovered that less grain is bing recorded than produced. They visit the village and demand almost their entire harvest. Kora, one of the inhabitants, decides to travel into space to gather a team of warriors who can train her people to become fighters before the oppressors return.

I guess Snyder had a high budget, but the CGI looks pretty bad. It looks like a B-movie, but just slightly better. There is a lot going on in this movie, but not a lot of it is memorable. And for a so-called sci-fi epic, it’s pretty boring at times.

It’s save to say that I did not enjoy “Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire”. The sequel is coming to Netflix in April, which I’m not really interested in.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Review - The King's Man

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Daniel Brühl, Tom Hollander
 
Description: In the early years of the 20^th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.

Review: “The King’s Man” is a continuation of “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “Kingsman: The Gold Circle” and is set before these films. Director Matthew Vaughn did the same with “X-Men: First Class”, where he made the series interesting again by bringing the subject matter back to its starting point. It doesn’t quite works as well with this franchise though.
The Kingsman agency’s origins is traced back to World War I. This results not so much in an interesting setting, but in a rather clumsy attempt to go through the entire war as fast as possible. Only not the war we know from the history books, but a hugely fictionalized version of it.
Vaughn rewrites World War I into a conflict completely orchestrated by a shadowy organization. As such, the war depicted has almost more in common with the Clone Wars from “Star Wars” then with the actual conflict that claimed forty million lives. It is quite daring, but the result is in the end rather stale because Vaughn is a little too eager to tick off all the familiar chapter.
For example, Russia withdraws from the war after a few years, only because of the Communists taking power, but simply as yet another move in a huge chess game. Or in other words: less interesting than real history. But then again, for a history-telling, you’re in the wrong place with “The King’s Man”. This is the type of film in which one look at a scary man with a big beard is enough to know that Hollywood has once again brought out its favorite Russian villain Rasputin.
The central figure in the story is the British aristocrat Orlando Oxford, who has the necessary experience with violence and therefore tries with all his might to keep his son safe. A fine premise and Ralph Fiennes is really good in his role (is he hardly ever not good?). It is quite refreshing to see him in a role as action hero, which he can truly embrace in the finale of the film. Which is also the highlight. It’s just a pity that the road leading up to it is rather long and muddled. Vaughn does manage to simplify the war enormously, but doesn’t get it right with the overarching plot.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that there is some creativity here and there in the messy narrative. For example, there is the very fun idea of presenting the German emperor, the Russian tsar and the British king as three quarreling nephews who, in their conceit, tear Europe apart. Only in doing so, World War I is reduced to a conflict between tree powers, conveniently leaving out France entirely.
The first movie in this series really pleasantly surprised me and I liked it way more then I expected too. And it’s a movie I would rewatch many time. “The King’s Man” is not bad, but not very good either. It’s entertaining, but aside from the wonderful finale the movie doesn’t have much to remember.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - A Quiet Place Part II

Director: John Krasinski
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, John Krasinski, Scoot McNairy, Djimon Hounsou

Description: Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threat lurking beyond the sand path.
 
Review: Where in “A Quiet Place” we followed the Abbott family within the ‘safety’ of their own home, they now have to leave their home and face the dangers of the outside world. And “A Quiet Place Part II”, picks up, after a fantastic opening sequence showing us what happened on day 1, right after the first film. When Evelyn and her children leave the house, they find out that there is more danger then just the creatures that hunt by sound.
Making a sequel to such an amazing horror film, is a daunting task. The first film was very tense and suspenseful all throughout. The whole concept of the monsters that hunt by sound and you have to be very quiet, or it will literally kill you, is such a genius and original idea for a horror film. And once again, that is executed extremely well in “A Quiet Place Part II”. The film is very tension based and John Krasinski pulls off what I believe is one of the best horror sequels I have ever seen. It is exactly the kind of movie I wanted it to be. It surprised me.
The performances were once again magnificent. Emily Blunt can do no wrong, she is one of my favorites for a reason. Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, who play her children, are fantastic. Especially Simmonds, who has a very featured role in the sequel. And I knew Cillian Murphy was in it, but never expected him to have such an important and significant role. And he is phenomenal. The reason why these actors are so good in both of these movies, is because they rely on silent communication and visual storytelling.
But John Krasinski is the real star, because his direction is masterful. He made yet another movie he can be very proud of and happy with. The film keeps the tension constantly and has some really intense and scary scenes.
I loved this movie, just as much as the first. Watching these two movies back to back would be a great three hours of suspense. I hope John Krasinski keeps making movies like this, he did such a great job.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Captain Marvel

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening, Lashana Lynch, Clark Gregg, Djimon Hounsou, Gemma Chan, Lee Pace

Description: Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Review: In 2017 there was “Wonder Woman” and we finally got a good movie starring a female superhero. And it was directed by a woman. It was an easy watch without being too feminist. But this was DC. Marvel has been overshadowing DC for years now, but here DC beat them. But Marvel has an answer, in the form of “Captain Marvel”.
We know her as Miss Marvel in the comics, but was promoted to Captain Marvel (which is a man in the comics). Born as Carol Danvers, we see her as a member of an intergalactic taskforce fighting against the Skrulls, a shape-shifting rase who is at war with her people, the Kree. When Carol crashes on Planet Earth in the mid-90s, she has to fight the Skrulls on her own. Carol meets S.H.I.E.L.D.-agent Nick Fury, who she teams up with.
Having Fury in this film is a big win. Played by Samuel L. Jackson in several other Marvel films, he finally gets a more substantial part in one. And I love him in “Captain Marvel”. He also has great chemistry and interaction with Brie Larson, who plays the titular character very well.
The film has a great 90s vibe, and not only due to the setting, clothes and music. Also when you look at the action scenes.
I’m a little late to the party, seeing “Captain Marvel” just now. I expected something completely different, but was pleasantly surprised. I highly enjoyed “Captain Marvel”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Reviews - Shazam!

Director: David F. Sandberg
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Djimon Hounsou, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews

Description: We all have a superhero inside us, it takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel_ case by shouting out one word – SHAZAM – this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into the grown-up superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi).

Review: “Shazam!” is not (yet) a part of a bigger film universe. Like Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) and Arthur Curry (Aquaman), teenager Billy Batson gets his own origin story. Off course there are lots of easter eggs and a lot of DC name dropping. But “Shazam!” mostly goes his own way. And it’s so different from the dark Snyder films.
They didn’t worry about making the magic lightning suite look realistic or create an ideal image of a superhero. “Shazam!” is a comedy, sometimes an even heartwarming family film. It had to be: a magic staff, magical words, a clumsy hero and a silly name. it wouldn’t have worked as a dark and gritty story. But with comedy and a splash of satire, it does work. Very well actually. The starting point is great: what to do when, as a teenager, all of a sudden you have the same powers as Superman? Exactly, you are going to try it all out. Jumping over buildings, by alcohol, smash things and trying to get rich. It becomes a delightful and recognizable child fantasy, where sidekick Freddy Freeman provides sassy comments. And Zachary Levi is the perfect choice to play the superhero.
Mark Strong plays Thaddeus Sivana, the villain. His name isn’t special, his look doesn’t look impressive and he has no epic backstory. But it does work surprisingly well, because he actually is a serious threat to Billy Batson.
“Shazam!” is very aware of itself and there are many references to other movies in the genre and even to “Big”, where a teenager also all of a sudden wakes up in an adult man’s body. And some things look really silly. But because of the friendly tone of the film, lead actor Zachary Levi and his dynamic with Jack Dylan Grazer, it’s a great superhero film.
“Shazam!” is lighter than “Wonder Woman”, more focused than “Aquaman” and very true to the comics. With that, it’s actually one of the better DC films.

Rating: 4/ 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 2016 - # 97: The Legend of Tarzan

Director: David Yates
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou

Description: Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård), having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

Review: “The Legend of Tarzan” is the newest film directed by David Yates, whom we mostly know for his “Harry Potter” films. This is the first film since and before he returns to the wizard world with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. Can Yates make this other book series into a success? Personally, I wasn’t very excited about this film.
Leon Rom works for the Belgian king Leopold. In his name he is send to Africa to find valuable diamonds. Unfortunately for Rom, Mbonga, the leader of an African tribe isn’t, planning on handing these diamonds over to him. Mbonga does want to make a deal: when Rom can deliver him Tarzan, he is willing to give the diamons to him.
“The Legend of Tarzan” isn’t an origian story. We meet Tarzan when he has already left the jungle and leads a life in England as John Clayton, with his wife Jane. Under false pretenses, the couple is lured to Africa. They immediately fall into the trap of Rom, where Jane is abdicted and Tarzan has to save her.
There have been many movies about Tarzan, even a Disney film and a couple of tv shows. But in 2016 Africa isn’t as mysterious as it was a hundred years ago, when these stories were released. This somewhat old fashioned story of a man between wild animals, will it still speak to the audience? Yates tried to add a little more depth to the script, themes like slavery, colonization and racism. A brave try to make Tarzan a bit more political correct.
Although they tried to add more depth, “The Legend of Tarzan” is still a basic story about a damsell in distress waiting fort he hero toe save her. And although the action scenes are spectacular, there is only a handful of action sequences and it’s nothing that we haven’t seen before.
Alexander Skarsgård has the looks fort he role, but is missing the charisma to convince me. His cool, distant behaviour fit him perfectly as vampire in “True Blood”, but not so much as Tarzan. Margot Robbie gave her character a little bit more spice, but her role is a bit thankless. She can do more then this. Christoph Waltz plays the villain, but he is doing a routine job. Samuel L. Jackson is the best part of the film, although he only has the role of the sidekick.
“The Legend of Tarzan” isn’t a terrible film. The film starts off slow, but eventually does have some entertaining elements and is sometimes even funny. It’s a straight forward adventure film, a light film that won’t stay with you for very long. Overall “The Legend of Tarzan” is okay, but nothing special.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 36: Furious 7

Director: James Wan

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 137 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gubson, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Kurt Russell, Elsa Pataky, Luke Evans, Djimon Hounsou

Description: Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family for his comatose brother.

Review: “The Fast and the Furious” series is without a doubt one of the most outstanding film franchises. What started out as a standard action film about street races, grew out to be a successful series. Already the seventh film and it is worth your time. Deckard Shaw is out for revenge, after Dom Toretto and his team eliminated his brother. He is threatening everyone in Dom’s ‘family’.

“Furious 7” has some dark edges, because of the tragic death of one of the lead actors: Paul Walker. This is the franchise that made him famous. Walker died when the film was only half done, so the makers had to use doubles and CGI. This works, because you don’t notice it while watching the film. The end of the film is not something that fits the film, but is added as a tribute to Paul Walker.

I was never a fan of the earlier film in this series, but I really enjoyed “Furious 7”. It’s a good action film, fast paced, action packed and very entertaining.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 80: How to Train Your Dragon 2

Director: Dean DeBlois

Genre: Animation/ Family/ Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy

Runtime: 102 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Hounsou, Kit Harington

Description: When Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.

Review: After the surprising success of “How to Train Your Dragon” in 2010, a sequel was not that surprising. That’s what happens with well received animation movies. The world fell for the adventures of Viking son Hiccup and his dragon Toothless. But a sequel doesn’t necessarily mean it’s also going to be a hit. Sometimes they are made pure for the money, but in this case the makers really care for the characters they created. “How to Train You Dragon 2” is a good example of how a sequel should be made. And to be fair, the sequel is even better!

Since the end of the first movie, five years have gone by on the island Berk. Hiccup and his friends are grown and in a great opening scene we see how they are in the middle of a dragon race. Hiccup’s dad, Stoic the Great, is preparing him to become the next leader of Berk, but Hiccup wants to go on adventures with his dragon Toothless. There is so much more to explore. While being on one of his adventures, Hiccup stumbles upon Drago Bludvist, an infamous dragon hunter, who wants to disturb the peace between man and dragon.

Like the first film, the sequel is based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. Dean DeBlois is the man who managed to translate it to the big screen. The visuals are amazing and the story is strong. The movie is intelligent, but also very funny. The characters make brave and confronting decisions. The movie has light moments, but also doesn’t fear to have so more heavy themes in it. The fact that we know this sequel is part of a trilogy, makes it even more exciting. Maybe DeBlois will make an even better third film!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 100: Guardians of the Galaxy

Director: James Gunn

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction/ Comedy

Runtime: 120 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Djimon Hounsou

Description: After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace). To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team known as the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to save the world.

Review: The popularity of the Marvel movies doesn’t seem to end. After big names like Iron Man, Thor and Captain America getting their own film, the spotlights are now for the heroes from “Guardians of the Galaxy”.

The gang of superheroes was created in 1969, even before “Star Wars”. In 2008 it got a reboot and that’s the focus of this movie. We first meet Peter Quill. The only thing that reminds him of earth is a mix taped with classic pop songs. Quill, aka Star-Lord, is on an expedition to track down a mysterious orb. During his quest he gets ambushed by the Kree, an alien race lead by Ronan the Accuser. Quill manages to escape, but is then attacked by assassin Gamora, who also wants the orb. Bounty hunters Rocket and Groot are after Quill, because of the price on his head. The four get arrested and end up in jail. They make a deal to split the money they get for the orb and Drax also joins the group for his own reasons.

Between all the reboots and sequels that premiered this summer, “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a breath of fresh air. It shows that this movie was made with so much joy, it’s hard not to tag along. The eccentric and nostalgic tone is perfectly complimented by the soundtrack. But it doesn’t only please your ears. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a visual treat. Everything looks beautiful, the special effects are amazing and mind-blowing.

What really seperates “Guardians of the Galaxy” from its competition is the high dose of humor. People who watch “Parks and Recreation” already know that Chris Pratt’s a comedic talent. But also Rocket, Groot and the dry humor delivered by Drax will definitely make you laugh out loud.

With movies like this, it’s always hard to create depth in characters. That’s also a point “Guardians of the Galaxy” does extremely well. In the first hour the main characters are introduced and you immediately like them and relate to them. Although raccoon Rocket and tree Groot steal the show, all characters have their qualities and you easily fall in love with all five of them.

Marvel has done it again, it really exceeded itself. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is heaps of fun and you immediately want to rewatch it. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Rating: 5/ 5