Alexander_Law Reviews

Army of the Dead (2021)

Looks good, and interesting concept, but falls short for me.

[5/10 · 27 November 2021]

Looked good, and had an interesting concept, but ultimately what was the point!?! Absolutely none of the goals were achieved, aside from the daughter getting some money, and everyone pretty much dies. Plus why is there always that one annoying character who continually does something stupid and screws things up for everyone else. In this case it was the daughter. If she didn't run off to save her friend, who we can only assume dies in the helicopter crash at the end anyway, then at least 4/5 of them would still be alive.

Anyway still full of action and zombie killing so enjoyable enough to watch.

Annika (2021– )

It's growing on me.

[6/10 · 30 August 2021]

I must admit that I wasn't too impressed with the first episode. It was good, but i found some aspects of it a bit annoying/cringy, which ultimately pulled me out of the story. Also, why is everyone they speak to so aggressive towards them?!?

Anyway, as I'm from Glasgow, where the majority of it has been filmed, I decided to give it another chance. And I'm glad I did as the second episode was a lot better.

I'm starting to really enjoy the mystery aspect of each episode and seeing the main group of characters gel together on screen. It's definitely growing on me.

Cosmic Sin (2021)

This really baffled me....

[2/10 · 2 May 2021]

I like it when big named actors decide to do smaller projects, however I can't help but think that the money spent on Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo could've been better spent elsewhere.

The upside is that you will undoubtedly attract a bigger audience, but the downside is that it also increases the expectations massively, as everyone is now expecting a Hollywood level production. And, as good as the CGI is at times, unfortunately for Cosmic Sin it's ambition severely outweighs it's budget making it look unoriginal and rushed. This is also not helped by emotionless acting, lazy story writing and cheap looking sets.

Archenemy (2020)

Poses some interesting ideas!

[7/10 · 11 April 2021]

I loved the 'is he a superhero from another dimension or is he just a crazy drunk' question that they tease us with. It reminded me a little of the movie Safety Not Guaranteed, which poses a similar question, and also Upgrade. Although, where I feel the movies differ is that Safety Not Guaranteed had a more structured story in place, whereas Archenemy in my opinion fails to build on some of it's more interesting ideas, and Upgrade has some pretty impressive fight scenes which again were lacking a little in Archenemy. I think if these two elements were improved then we would've been looking at a great movie.

Having said all that I thought Joe Manganiello was excellent as Max Fist, with Skylan Brooks & Zolee Griggs equally impressive with their performances. And the look and feel to the movie is consistent throughout with some good use of animation when needed to develop the story.

All in all it's worth a watch.

Volition (2019)

Decent Sci-Fi movie

[6/10 · 28 January 2021]

Movies like this can be a tough sell. Time travel obviously does not exist, yet there are many out there who are quick to say "That wouldn't happen". Yes, the writers have to have some creative freedom to break away and develop their ideas, but they also have to somehow convince us at the same time, so it can be a fine line.

In Volition there were definitely a few elements which I have seen played out in other time travel movies, mainly the whole cause and effect scenario, however they did try to put their own twist on things which I liked.

As much as I enjoyed those time travel elements I did find myself at times questioning the story. But overall there was some strong performances and enough to keep me entertained throughout.

The Bay (2019– )

Good British Cop Drama.

[7/10 · 13 January 2021]

I really enjoyed this series. I planned to just watch the first episode before going to bed however three hours later was on the third desperate to find out who done it.

I was surprised to read some of the negative reviews. And while I understand a few of them, regarding the story and subplots, I disagree with anyone who was saying that people wouldn't act like that, or the characters were annoying, or the police wouldn't do it like that...I'm sorry, but it's a TV programme, there has to be some drama or nobody would watch it.

So, overall I thought there was some really interesting characters and a good storyline which created a lot of suspense. I did however feel that most of those characters were just there to push the plot forward, so it would've been good if a little more emphasis was spent on their development, especially our main protagonist and her family. But definitely worthwhile.

The Substitute (1996)

Tom Berenger kicks ass.

[8/10 · 22 December 2020]

I'm probably looking at this movie through a different lens seen as it's now 2020 and we've had other great revenge movies since The Substitute like John Wick; one of my all time favourites.

It's never going to compare to the quality of fighting we see in John Wick, however if we just try to put all of that out of our minds and accept The Substitute for what it is, then I think we have a really good movie on our hands.

The story and gritty realism still look good today and kept me interested throughout, and although he's no Keanu Reeves, Tom Berenger does a pretty decent job of kicking ass. My only gripe is that the majority of his team gets killed over this mission, which was essentially just payback for attacking his girlfriend, so you have to ask yourself...was it all worth it?

It certainly didn't seem to bother Shale (Tom Berenger) or Joey Six (Raymond Cruz) as they walked off into the sunset laughing and discussing what their next jobs will be.

Nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed The Substitute and if you're into revenge movies then definitely give this a watch.

Close (I) (2019)

Standard Netflix action movie.

[6/10 · 18 December 2020]

This will probably go down as just another standard Netflix action movie for me.

Some of the positives are that Noomi Rapace is excellent, and again shows that she excels with these roles that involve a bit of physicality and vulnerability. I also thought that Sophie Nelisse was very convincing in her role as well.

My issues were that the premise was nothing new and it pretty much takes a back seat to focus on our two main characters and their fight for survival, which is fine, but I felt that we never really got to know them as they were constantly on the run or getting kidnapped so there was a lack of connection for me. There is some back story written into the characters but it's never really fully explored and all becomes a little too predictable in the end.

I've also seen a few other people pick up on this but the use of pop songs for the intro and end credits just seemed really out of place and lowered the quality.

Overall this was enjoyable but I don't think I'll be remembering it in years to come or recommending it as a must watch. However, if you like Noomi Rapace or enjoy action movies that aren't too over the top then you will enjoy this.

Spinster (2019)

Substance over style.

[6/10 · 13 October 2020]

It felt to me like this film was more about the substance rather than the style.

What I took from it was the realisation of the stigma and pressure that we as a society put on single women who don't want to have kids. This is an important message however it felt like they started off with this and said, okay let's build our story and characters around it in order to further explain this message, as opposed to having the foundation of the story and characters in place first.

So for most of the film I felt like it was trying to get this message across to me by creating characters with different view points so our main protagonist could make her point. This in turn took away any real interest in the story or connection with the characters and made it feel like I was watching little snippets of interactions.

If you are a Chelsea Pretti fan, or someone who enjoys a slow paced rom-com, then you will like it. For me personally I'm on the fence. Yes bits of it were good but collectively it just didn't grab my attention.

Project Power (2020)

Wasted opportunity.

[6/10 · 5 September 2020]

The mainstream audiences will love this due to its leading actors, basic plot and big explosions. However, if you like to be on the edge of your seats, see new and interesting characters and a plot with a bit of originality then I would sit this one out.

What starts off as an interesting concept, a pill that gives its users unpredictable powers for five minutes, soon gets sidetracked with too much unnecessary subplot and a weak story. It actually has a TV series feel to it, which is a shame as that probably would've worked better for exploring the world further, however I doubt they would've got two big actors such as Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And at the end of the day, money talks.

Patch Adams (1998)

Films like this don't get made anymore

[8/10 · 5 September 2020]

Patch Adams is a charming, heart warming movie that feels very much a part of it's era. An era of movies that we just don't see getting produced anymore, in my opinion. Maybe that's because we don't have an actor as charismatic, and lovable as Robin Williams who could possibly give these roles the justice they deserve, or perhaps that movies have just evolved into an entirely different animal, but either way if this movie was made today (2020) it probably gets panned.

And why is that? I hear you say. Well, I believe we have become over critical of movies and tend to always look too much for that element of believability. In Patch Adams, which is the true story of a man who uses humour to improve the quality of his patients life's, you would surely have people scrutinising the age gap between Robin Williams and Monica Potters relationship, the stereotypical characters and over simplified plot, but lets just judge the movie for what it is, which for me and many others, is a beautifully heart warming message about helping others and never giving up.

Up there with Robin Williams best performances, Patch Adams is definitely worth a watch and will leave you searching Google for a 'Robin Williams DVD collection'.

Line of Duty (2019)

So bad I was getting angry just watching it!!

[2/10 · 28 June 2020]

I am honestly getting so disillusioned with the quality of movies being distributed on Netflix these days. They seem to be pandering more and more to the mainstream audience. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for 'switch your brain off' blockbusters, but this film is just an insult to our intelligence!

Aaron Eckhart plays a cop who's just shot the only lead in the search for a missing girl, after being told to step down he decides to take things into his own hands. This plot so far doesn't sound so bad, I hear you say...and I would agree with you, that is until an annoying millennial hell bent on becoming an Internet sensation decides to tag along and stream the whole thing live on social media!! And you would have thought after being in a car crash, shot at, nearly blown up, jumping down a lift shaft into a pool of water or hanging out of a helicopter would have made her question if what she was doing is worth it but nah....got to think about all those followers am I right!!

The streaming everything live via social media aspect was completely pointless and added nothing to the overall story whatsoever. Maybe if they had instead spent more time fleshing out the characters and working on the plot then we could've had a decent action movie.

I can only hope the actors got a decent wage out of this film as it'll definitely be one to forget for most of them.