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Reviews
Monster Hunter (2020)
Not completely terrible.
Big monsters, stuff blowing up.
Good enough to while away a dreary afternoon, but if you're expecting subtleties like a plot or character development you'll be disappointed.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
Dumb and boring
It took me two sittings to get through this film, despite its short runtime, and I don't recall how the film ended.
Here's what I do remember:
Brock is an annoying moron (no change there).
Venom behaves like a teenager who's read too much romantic fiction.
The story of Cletus and Frances is completely wasted. This could have been a really interesting part of the film - it was set up well with a flashback to their relationship inside an institution - but was completely squandered as present-day Cletus is just a caricature of a psychopath.
The only bright point is Michelle Williams - she's becoming a better actress as she gets older and does well with the little screen time she's given.
Unless you're a huge Venom fan, don't waste your time with this film. It's a boring and utterly forgettable GGI fest.
Black Widow (2021)
I was glad when it ended
Black Widow should have been a compact, pithy film filled with her being a badass and a bit of interesting back story. Instead we got a rather ridiculous "ode to BW/SJ" which didn't really answer any questions about her past but made up a bunch of new stuff.
The Tomorrow War (2021)
Starts well, gets dumber
The first hour or so of the film is reasonably decent, if rather formulaic. The monsters are just generic scary-large-predator aliens - even the sounds they make could be taken from any monster film of the last two decades.
It's after the first hour where things take a turn for the worse, with illogical decision after illogical decision creating a nonsensical mess.
The actors do ok, given the material they're working with, but the ridiculous plot and long runtime count against it.
4/10 - could do better.
Vitamania: The Sense and Nonsense of Vitamins (2018)
Reasonable information with annoying songs
This documentary provides some good information about the history of certain vitamins, but very little about our current understanding of vitamins and how supplementation should be used.
In addition, the artsy style of the documentary with songs about vitamins (yes, really) is somewhat annoying.
More could definitely have been done to provide up-to-date information. 4/10
Tenet (2020)
Should I watch it twice?
As others have mentioned there are small(ish) annoying problems with the film, like the indistinct dialogue and imo awful music, but there are also a couple of rather large problems.
Firstly, the confusing (and rather nonsensical) nature of the film. Yes, I get the comments about watching it twice and I'm sure it will make more sense if I watch it again now that I already know how the films ends.
But that's not really the point. There are many great films which can't be fully appreciated at the first sitting and improve with subsequent viewings. They're still usually good the first time round. Tenet isn't, it's just confusing and lacking in enough other good qualities to be worth enduring the confusion.
And that leads to the second big problem with Tenet - the casting of John David Washington in the leading role. Neither his face nor voice betray any emotion throughout the film - quite an achievement really, but it hardly makes for compelling viewing.
The other actors do a decent enough job with the exception of Branagh, who appears to be striving to match Washington's wooden delivery.
Is it worth watching twice? Well, I guess I might do at some point, although it took me three attempts to get through it the first time so it's probably fair to say I'm not in a hurry. 4/10
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
I don't get it
The previous film, though hardly a masterpiece, was decent stuff. Then along comes this abomination - 2 and a half hours of mindless guff with a guy who grants wishes as the villain and a neurotic furry catwoman as the nemesis. It took me 2 sessions to watch all the way through I got so bored the first time.
The New Mutants (2020)
Too bad to watch all the way through
The first hour was all I could tolerate. The cast try, but there's something deeply wrong with the whole thing.
Monsters of Man (2020)
Decent killer robot flick
Although hardly likely to trouble the more prestigious award ceremonies, Monsters of Man is still a decent, albeit low budget, killer robot film.
The script certainly has weaknesses, mainly concerning the occasionally illogical behaviour of the main protagonists. As others have pointed out the film is also rather long - 1/2 an hour could easily be cut and the film would be better for it.
That said, the acting performances are generally good with genuine tension at the right times. The special effects and cinematography are also good if unspectacular.
If you're looking for an undemanding sci-fi / action flick to while away a couple of hours you could certainly do a lot worse.
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Should have been better
With a cast like this and an interesting premise I was expecting something special. Unfortunately this film falls short in every respect.
The script, in particular, is disjointed and nonsensical. Don't expect to care about any of the the characters. I think the writers are largely to blame for this mess. Looking at their previous and subsequent work it's hardly surprising - one is probably best know for 'The Meg', the ridiculous film about a giant prehistoric shark.
Watch the 1962 version instead - it's better in every way.
Lucy (2014)
Not terrible, if you can get over the (lack of) science.
The main problem with this film is its classification as Science-Fiction, because the science aspect is laughably awful. The myth of humans only using 10% of our available brain power was debunked a long time ago (although I can understand why it persisted given the terrible decisions most of us make on a regular basis).
That said, the film does have some plus points - production values are high and the acting is generally good. The first half in particular contains some scenes which generate genuine tension - it's not hard to imagine oneself in a situation (like Lucy) where your fate is completely determined by others and your life is of little concern.
Unfortunately the second half of the film is something of a mess, with action and special effects taking the limelight rather than the story or dialogue. It would have been nice to find out a little more about Lucy and how she came to be in this situation.
Overall I'd say this film isn't terrible, but I think an opportunity was missed to create an interesting and compelling story. And the science aspect is cringe-worthy for any true Sci-Fi fans.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Not great, but not terrible either.
Terminator: Dark Fate moves the series on to yet another alternative future dominated by a different Artificial Intelligence, this time called Legion. The overall plot is very similar to the first two films - super robot sent back in time to kill the leader of the future human resistance (this time a young woman) and a saviour sent back to protect her. Nothing new here.
The usual 'woke' themes which currently dominate Hollywood are in evidence, but not as obnoxiously so as in other recent films (yes, I'm looking at you Star Wars).
Linda Hamilton is clearly past the peak of her acting prowess but does a credible job, and her inclusion does provide some nice continuity and a nod to nostalgia for the heyday of the franchise. Arnie still looks bad-ass which is impressive at his age, and the other main characters do a decent job, particularly Mackenzie Davis.
The new super terminator is somewhat weak - he lacks the menacing presence of Arnie in T1 or Robert Patrick in T2 - and is remarkably ineffectual despite a new ability to split himself in two.
The action sequences are something of a mixed bag. Some are great, but others are simply preposterous. The special effects are as good as one would expect of the modern generation of films, but excellent CGI is so commonplace now. I remember the astonishment of seeing T2 for the first time with the liquid metal terminator, but that era is long gone.
While this film isn't going to please die-hard fans of the first two, I'd say it's certainly better than the intervening films in the franchise. Overall I'll give it a (perhaps slightly generous) 6/10.
The Informer (2019)
Disjointed and nonsensical.
The premise of the film is decent but the execution is woeful. The story revolves around a military veteran involved in a drug ring being investigated by the FBI and the NYPD.
Unfortunately virtually no time is spent on character introduction / development which makes it hard to care about any of the main protagonists. It's just a series of improbable scenes which bear virtually no relation to each other. It doesn't help that the audio mixing is terrible rendering much of the dialogue unintelligible.
Joel Kinnaman does his best to portray a believable character, but Clive Owen is his usual wooden self. The other characters are completely forgettable.
This could have been a decent film but the production and editing are dreadful and completely fail to tell a compelling or even coherent story. 2/10 and that's being generous.
Ad Astra (2019)
Both stupid and boring.
There are many stupid films which aren't boring and there are many boring films which aren't stupid. Unfortunately this is both. I'll give it one more star than the minimum because it looks nice.