billdebil-25843 Reviews

Mortal Kombat (1995)

not as bas as they make you think

[6/10 · 1 January 2021]

Just rewatched it after over 30 years. I liked it then and I liked it now. Ofc it's not without it's obvious flaws/controversy. Whitewashing Raiden was not a good decision, but Lambert does a good job. Fight scenes are quite good, especially Shou's Liu Kang. SF are quite good for the era, especially Goro. His fights look more realistic than Sonya's. Unfortunately Sonya was not only sidetracked but also not played very well. Same goes for the characters of Sub Zero and Scorpion. All in all it's not a masterpiece and plot is very basic, but still it's probably lot better than one might expect a 1995 video game based movie to be.

The Mummy (2017)

disappointed

[4/10 · 14 September 2017]

Before watching the movie I read somewhat mediocre reviews, still tried to approach it with an opened mind. And got disappointed anyway. The main issue here is the plot. There's nothing new in it and most of the time it's predictable... Acting also ain't a strong side of this movie. While Sofia Boutella is lovely her Ahmanet lacks depth. Same thing happens with Russel Crowe's Dr. Jekyll. I was hoping for a standalone Dr. Jekyll/ Mr Hide movie, but with that approach there is nothing to work with. Such a shame. Tom Cruise has had some great roles in the past. That was not one of them. Nope. Annabelle Wallis performance ain't bad, but the character is simply forgettable. What good can be said about the movie? Visually it's great. Both the camera-work and the FX look good. Especially the city sand storm, that was nice. All in all, it's a movie worth watching only if you have nothing better to do. And it's not a good start into a "Dark Universe"

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

finally a different zombie approach

[7/10 · 2 September 2017]

as I wrote in the summary, finally a different zombie approach. the "science" of this zombie apocalypse is somewhat similar to "The Last of Us" game, but it goes further, to the "second stage" as they call it in the movie. A fungus causing people turn to zombies ("hungries" is what they call them here") but at some point infants(as explained in the movie) adopt to it creating some kind of symbiosis. With all that said, the plot doesn't simply take you from point A to B. It differs as the characters find themselves in different positions. They change and evolve. And the actors playing the roles do that change justice. Even young Sennia Nanua is able to show the drama of her character. Just as well as Paddy Considine or Gemma Arterton, with Glenn Close not even needing the mention. Time spent watching that is not a time wasted.

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

better than I've expected

[6/10 · 12 July 2017]

OK, I admit, it was way better than I've expected (after last few F&F movies). ofc it was unrealistic and characters were (in some scenes terribly) overpowered, but not nearly as badly as in previous cases. Fast and Furious franchise was always at very least entertaining, with great effects, action and chase scenes, but in this case the plot is also a strong point. It goes from "that was kinda predictable" to "ok, how is this gonna play out" and back at least few times, but both the surprises and obvious feels good. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a solid piece of entertainment.

A Man Apart (2003)

wasn't expecting much, still got disappointed

[4/10 · 23 January 2016]

this movie is as predictable as it gets. Sure you get good action and shootings there, but both the story and the characters couldn't be more transparent. I was expecting at least quite decent action movie since Vin Diesel is in it but his character is kinda flat, and to be honest I don't blame him, he hasn't been given much to work on. I suppose the only thing he could have done differently was not accepting that role... The only role that raises above average is Larenz Tate's, he really should get a credit for that. Sadly there is no "good" villain in that movie. Timothy Olyphant's role was promising but failed to keep that promise. all in all, if you have nothing else to do, you can watch that movie. But if you have a choice, choose something else.

He Never Died (2015)

different than your usual (anti)hero movie

[7/10 · 2 January 2016]

I admit, I like different. And the movie is not like the average super-abilities (anti)hero stuff you can see. It's like a weird bridge between Jim Jarmush style and typical superhero movies. (although it almost completely lacks soundtrack in comparison) And Henry Rollins fits into that perfectly. With just few words he can create a character deep and interesting. Other actors don't fall far behind as well. Booboo Stewart, Jordan Todosey and Kate Greenhouse show they got what it takes. to sum it up: it even doesn't matter that it's not quite accurate (quite far from to be honest) to the mythology it's based on. Somehow they make it work.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

"razzle dazzle them"

[6/10 · 2 January 2016]

it's what every Star Wars fan waited for. Great story, great action, great characters (and acting)(with Harrison Ford's Han Solo being the brightest of them all)... but...

haven't we seen it all already? Death Star - Starkiller Base, disrupting it's shields and all... A lonely droid with secret message roaming thru the desert... The Dark Side drawn pupil vs master/father figure... Jedi master hiding on some "god forsaken" planet... And I understand that some of that was meant to be a nod towards the old trilogy (and more than once a very god one) but I think it went bit too far.

Plus everything in this movie (ofc) had to be greater. Starkiller base is powerful like nothing before, Ren and even Rey (who has not even started to learn what the force is) have abilities that neither Vader nor Luke had, even the new dark Lord's hologram had to be giant compared to how the Emperor looked like...

Still I wouldn't miss it for a thing. Han and Chewy were awesome, Rey was lovely. Can't wait to see what happens next. Can't wait for no VIII! :D

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Quite predictable, pretty unrealistic and still very enjoyable.

[7/10 · 2 January 2016]

Quite predictable, pretty unrealistic and still very enjoyable. That being said, this movie is everything you can expect it to be. Quick and interesting action and even if you can predict what's gonna happen next (sometimes precisely to a second) you still will enjoy seeing how they made it happen. As for acting: Rebecca Ferguson's lovely, Simon Pegg'g good, Ving Rhames Jeremy Renner and Simon McBurney are adequate for their characters, and Tom Cruise... well he's the way he is, if you love him you'll love him here and if he annoys you... ;) All in all it's an action movie and if that's what you expect than you surely won't be disappointed.