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lukemcclounan
Reviews
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)
Not what I expected, but positive
I really enjoyed this. I was grabbed straight away by the fantasy elements thrown into a sci fi world. I like Zack Snyders work, and I'm a fan of sci fi, and fantasy, so it just came together with a fantastic combination of things I enjoy.
I understand some of the "these characters needed more development" criticism; a lot went on and some of them in particular, their motivations were unclear, things that I'm sure the longer cut later will clear up but issues none the less. It didn't hinder my enjoyment, just some I'd have liked to see more of.
The world building was really great and seeing this play out as the first half of a larger story; giving a little context and purposefully leaving out some elements that are due to play forward next film was interesting.
While it could have served from developing some of the characters stronger, I loved the world we saw and am so excited to see it all expand.
The Cost (2022)
A good introduction to the director
My first experience with a film from Matthew Holmes, though I've heard good things about The Legend of Ben Hall.
The one thing I liked a lot about this film is that it left us debating. I saw this with a bunch of friends, and the way the story plays out and ends in a somewhat open way caused some fun discussion between us.
Though I can understand complaints about a predictable story, I don't think that necessarily takes away from the film. The story is still told in an engaging and gripping way and the cast delivered strong performances.
I really liked how Aussie Clayton Watson was in the role as the farmer Brian, and the tension in the campfire scene was one of the better moments of the film.
I'd definitely be keen to check more out from Matthew Holmes.
Teen Titans Go!: 365! (2022)
References galore
I've been watching the show with my little boy for a while and absolutely love it, but this one cracked me up with all the references, Patrick Wilson's guest appearance and of course the ridiculous Snyder "Cut" stuff. It played exactly what you would expect, the entire thing is a reference to Snyder's movies and if you enjoy those movies this will be a lot of fun for you. I did have to laugh at the fact that Zack essentially got an advertisement for Army of the Dead in there. Robin's "Knightmare" vision was phenomenal and unexpected. I would have loved to see Cyborg joke about not being cast in Zack Snyder's Justice League but I feel like a lot of things could have even done and we're cut short. Starfire swooning over Jason Momoas Aquaman was also great.
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Everything that was promised and much more
Watching this film I think you'll find there was the bones of a great film in the 2017 version of Justice League that was butchered by Joss Whedon. The stuff he did that I hated was obviously not in this film. But the stuff by Snyder that I thought was bad about the 2017 version was completely changed by simply fleshing it out further.
The 3rd act, though largely the same, put way more emphasis on the unity of the team and how they needed to work together in order to win. This was much more satisfying after the character building over the course of the film, giving us appropriate backstories for Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg.
Flash was still the source of comedy in the script, but wasn't reduced to a joke. Zack has often said Cyborg was the heart of his movie and that couldn't be a more true statement.
Plenty of fan service while still giving the critics the lighter tone they were wanting, the film was always intended to be a step out of the dark from the characters low points in Batman v Superman, a film I think will be received better in the context of the character arc given with this film.
The 4 hour run time didn't feel like it wasted any time, but the at the film is neatly broken into chapters will be largely a good thing for mass consumption. This will be a good option for me wanting to rewatch the film on my break at work in parts in the future.
Cutting Ryan Choi from the 2017 edition of the film was a disgrace he is a gem.
Ultimately i'm going to need a few rewatches in order to decide where this film sits for me in the 3 story Superman arc Zack Snyder created, but that's expected, there is a lot to digest.