The Predator (2018) movie review

Overall verdict: 6/10

Long tall Sally, She's built sweet.
But she ain't got everything that Uncle John need.

The Good: Beautiful cinematography, great acting, memorable music that pays homage to the original movie score, attempts to show the trials of those suffering from mental issues.

The Bad: mediocre action, forgettable characters, bland dialogue that tries too hard to be funny, takes the franchise in a direction that differs from established canon. 

***********Review***********

Helmed by director Shane Black, THE PREDATOR is an odd creature of a movie that at times feel as much a gene spliced monster as the “upgrade” Predator which features as the main antagonist of the story. It splices elements of other movies that audiences seem to drawn to such as the lighthearted snarky comedy of marvel cinematic universe, well written kid characters from the 2017 IT remake, the R Rated violence of JOHN WICK and a relevant social issue which in this case seems to be mental conditions. It is big, it is imposing, but it is not necessarily stronger or more impressive.

Our story begins by establishing our main character: sniper extraordinaire Quinn McKenna. He’s a badass with issues. During a mission he encounters a crashed alien spaceship and comes into possession of some alien tech which he mails home to keep it out of the government’s reach. But the ship had an occupant too who is captured by the Stargazer project, an extraterrestrial monitoring organisation. Now McKenna’s Son, who is autistic, somehow manages to activate the alien tech which draws another meaner and bigger alien Predator to earth to retrieve the tech and crashed ship’s occupant, who is soon revealed to be some sort of traitor to his race. McKenna must team up with a rag tag bunch of war veterans, who all have issues, to stop this new threat.

For me, THE PREDATOR is really a step down for the franchise. Take the main characters for instance. In the first movie they all had distinct personalities. In PREDATORS they were all from various different backgrounds. Here, Everyone of those veterans forming the main “team” is a snarky foul mouth with a new quip ever at the ready. There are some genuinely funny moments, even tender moments, but much of the emotional aspect is lost amid one too many “trying to be funny” scenes.

The director tries to bring attention to various mental issues like Autism and PTSD but unfortunately some of the symptoms are played for laughs. Ultimately the mental issues aspect just serves to give characters some unique tics rather than being used to get a deeper point across. Then again with such bland characters we could use anything to tell them apart.

The action is equally as bland. Most of the movie is set in a American suburban town and nearby forest. There is not much In The way of that suspenseful feeling of being hunted by a superior unseen foe since the foes are revealed in full visible glory early on. The one word to describe the directing is “pedestrian”. You know, the bland medium shots, jittery cam during action scenes, the kind of camera angles you would expect from a less experienced director than Shane Black, particularly since this is amateurish when to his work on IRON MAN 3. Only the cinematography, courtesy of Larry Fong, adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

Another positive would be the music by Henry Jackman, paying homage to the iconic themes of the original while adding a sufficiently fresh touch. The actors also do their best with the forgettable script they are given. Standout performances include Thomas Jane (PUNISHER) as Baxley, the guy with Tourettes, and Keegan-Michael Kay as Coyle, the vulgar strutting one who is hiding a vulnerable secret.

While not a complete reboot of the franchise, THE PREDATOR does make some changes, especially in the titular aliens’ motive for hunting humans. Long time fans will be hard pressed to accept this new direction after years of tie in media painting the titular Predators as honour bound warriors who test themselves by hunting only the most dangerous game. Here, they get painted more as scientists who harvest genetic material to introduce into their genes to improve their species.

I really wanted to like this movie much more than I did. The acting, cast chemistry, music and cinematography is great. But on the flip side it feels too juvenile with its incessant humour, bland action and lack of much depth. It would be intriguing to see how these latest story developments are incorporated in to sequels or tie in media but for now all we are left with is a mediocre movie experience.

***********Review***********

Entertainment: B

Story: B

Acting: B+

Characters: C-

Music: B+

Replay value: B-

"Brains": C-

Godzilla: City On The Edge of Battle (2018) CGI Anime movie

Overall verdict: 7/10

Ahab and his whale. A sci-fi Moby Dick story.

The Good: 

improves on previous movie's cel shaded animation, excellent voice acting, intricate artwork,  takes a more subversive approach to a typical Godzilla story, explores Nietzschean themes of vengeance and obsession.  

The Bad: 

Creature designs remain uninspired, Godzilla comes across as an afterthought, cliched revenge plot, weaker action than first movie

***********Review***********

Previously on Godzilla! A desperate plan to retake earth from strange creatures led by the king of monsters himself! A shocking revelation that the true Godzilla has evolved into a towering behemoth 300 meters tall with the local ecology shaped around his unique biology! Haruou, left for dead, has instead been rescued by a mysterious native girl. Looming large in the future is an ominous mechanical city with ties to a fearsome alien weapon! What adventures lie ahead on this Planet of Monsters?

A thrilling one apparently. Before the war, the cold, logic guided aliens known as the  Bilusaludo came with a promise to defeat the rampaging Godzilla in exchange for allowing their race to settle on earth. They used an advanced nanotechnology to create Mechagodzilla but their creation was destroyed before it could be deployed. In present day, the first mission to retake earth from Godzilla has ended in failure. The survivors are captured by a tribe of local humanoids who seem to have evolved from the remnants of humanity left behind on earth.

But twist reveal! They aren’t completely human, instead combining traits of the ancient Kaiju Mothra who died fighting Godzilla. Meanwhile, the Bilusaludo discover a familiar signal; mechagodzilla’s signal emanating from a mysterious technologically advanced city . They, along with the humans, begin a single minded quest to unearth the secrets of the mechanised city that has sprung up around the wreckage of the alien weapon, and possibly turn it against Godzilla. But twist reveal! Mechagodzilla didn’t just build the city. It IS the city! And so the stage is set for a clash of the titans, Godzilla and mechagodzilla, each taken to their logical final evolutionary step. One the embodiment of a world’s entire ecosystem and the other an intelligent nanotech creature able to form anything it so desires.

This second part of the Netflix GODZILLA anime trilogy improved on many aspects of the first film while still keeping the elements of that film which appealed to me. Haruo is given some great character growth particularly in his budding relationship with childhood friend Yuko. What started as a typical cold angry guy and wide eyed innocent girl gets some much needed development. We see new aspects to their personality, all shaped around the deconstruction of dedication.

GODZILLA CITY ON THE EDGE OF BATTLE is a more traditional “Moby Dick” story of how dedication to their mission slowly but surely turns the protagonists into something worse than the creature they are hunting. The callback is rather blatant, right down to the survivors wanting to use a sort of “harpoon” to take down Godzilla (it makes sense in context).

Like captain Ahab of the classic tale, we are presented with the fine line between dedication and obsession. When does one become another? Does one truly have to become a monster to kill a monster? How far will someone go to uphold their dedication to a fleeting ideal? In typical anime style, this theme is fleshed out in both a symbolic and literal level, with parallel thematic developments for our protagonist Haruo, Yuko, and humanity’s allies from the stars, the Bilusaludo.

With all these great elements, the anime only suffers if the audience does not accept it’s often deconstructive execution of the plot. Expectations are cleverly subverted, underlying themes switch between literal and symbolic, even the monsters are referred to in both an actual and a figurative sense. This might come across as a little confusing for those who do not take the time to think through the story and read between the lines.

Visuals-wise, GODZILLA: CITY ON THE EDGE OF BATTLE retains the cel shaded CGI look of the first film and many of Polygon Studio’s work. The animation, which beautifully mimics that of traditional 2D animation right down to the reduced frame rate, is really an acquired taste that may not be for everyone. It is calling back to something old, using something new. Small improvements have been made particularly in the drab mono coloured creatures that populate far future earth. Godzilla himself gets a harsher shading and contrast in lighting which makes him distinct from the already dull grey background.

These little improvements make me hopeful for the upcoming finale to this trilogy. It is not perfect and the improvements may come too slowly for more cynical viewers. Like the animation style, the movies so far are truly an acquired taste that boils down to personal preference. Complex or confusing? Subverting expectations or failing to deliver on its publicity? Perhaps the greater battle is not within Haruo himself, or between monsters, or even between the various factions and Godzilla. Perhaps it is between the fans.

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Entertainment: B+
Art: B+
Animation: A-

Story: B-
Voice Acting (English): A-

Voice Acting (Japanese): A
Characters: B

Music: C-

Replay value: B+
"Brains": B

Priest (2011) review

Overall verdict: 6.5/10

The Good: Awesome production design, well choreographed fights, atmospheric cinematography, clear concise directing, some underlying subtext and satire to appreciate

The Bad: Strays too far from its comic book source material, "neutered" PG level violence for a horror movie, thin narrative, uninspired dialogue, forgettable characters

**********************Review********************

Visual effects developer-turned-director, Scott Stewart, delivers his second supernatural action film that claims to be “adapted” from the comic book “Priest”. Supposedly based on a Korean comic or “manhwa” of same name, the movie “Priest” has NOTHING to do with the original, not even the name of the squinting “strong silent type” main protagonist played by Paul Bettany. Fallen angels, deal with a demon, multiple time frame storylines and all other interesting elements of the original be damned. And perhaps it was for the better since the manhwa’s multiple storylines taking place in the Crusades, the old west and the future would just confuse the heck out of everyone.

So they crafted a whole new premise to appeal to the superficial summer action lover. And the one thing they did right was to give us vampires that do not sparkle in the sunlight. These vampires are all teeth and claws who swarm across the world at night attacking from giant hives, a clear reference to the “Aliens” franchise. These savage beasts have been at constant war with mankind since the dawn of time. A beautifully bloody animated prologue sets the back-story of the film about how mankind’s salvation came in the form of the Priests, holy warriors who battled the vampire hordes to near extinction.

This story revolves around one of the veteran priests who lives among the other downtrodden human inhabitants of a walled dystopian city ruled by the now totalitarian church. When he receives word that his niece was abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, the priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out of the city and rescue her. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, a young trigger-happy wasteland sheriff. But as the duo soon discover, reports of the vampires’ return have been greatly understated. With a powerful yet familiar threat leading the newly reformed vampire hordes, the wayward Priest and his companion must fend off supernatural foes and contend with a group of fellow Priests sent to hunt down their rogue brother.

“Priest” is one cliché storm of a film that commits the cardinal sins of a paper thin plot and forgettable characters thanks to the inexperience of first time writer Cory Goodman. The characters are so forgettable that the writer never even bothered to give many of them names. Paul Bettany’s main character is just called “Priest” (It is not his name by the way). There is also “Black Hat” (because he wears a black hat) and “The Priestess” (because she is a female priest) just to name a few. They are less like actual characters and more like blank character archetypes thrown in for plot convenience. Archetypes like Cam Gigandet’s hot headed Sheriff Hicks (a second reference to Aliens perhaps?) and Lily Collin’s damsel in distress Lucy are just as forgettable even though they do have names.

Failing to provide interesting characters or a good story, the least the producers could do was to deliver a holy hell load of violence with a hard R or M18 rating. Sadly the animated prologue has more blood and guts than the entire film combined since most of the gorier battles take place in darkness or amid dust. The Fights are well choreographed but they tend to be more stylish than practical and sometimes border on illogical. For example, a duel on a high speed train is awesome but none of the combatants ever thought of kicking his opponent off the side?

But despite these failings of the flesh, some salvation comes to “Priest” in the form of an excellent production design. From the dark cyberpunk inspired Church city to the post apocalyptic western towns dotting the hostile desert lands, great attention had been paid to make those places as believable as possible. Perhaps most memorable would be the tech on display in the film which includes futuristic motorcycles, tricked out shotguns and the Priests’ arsenal of deadly cross-themed blade weapons.

Beyond the props, flawless visual effects and startling CGI, the movie tries as well to inject its narrative with deeper subtexts. The Priests themselves call to mind stories of War veterans who were shunned by society and unable to re-integrate, a theme made most famous in “Rambo: First Blood”. The film also makes fun of how some modern churches twist their religion into a means of control, the hypocritical “holier-than-thou” attitude of modern Christians and their single minded belief that they remain “saved from evil” as long as they worship God. It is not intentionally “anti-Christian” or “anti-catholic”. It is more of a clever satire but there will always be the more conservative ones who would cry sacrilege.

At only 87 minutes long, Priest moves at a brisk pace and at the very least it is not boring. It would no doubt entertain action junkies and fans of post apocalyptic thrillers although more time could have been spent developing the characters or delving into the underlying themes that were addressed. Priest is spectacular but soulless, with a nice looking “body” but barely enough “blood” and “spirit” to satisfy the more sophisticated movie goer.

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Go For it: if you love post apocalyptic thrillers like Resident Evil Extinction, if you are game for some brain-lite man versus monster action or if you are sick of romantic vampires that sparkle in the sunlight

Avoid it: if you are a fan of the original Korean Manhwa, if you expect in-depth philosophical and theological sparring of religious themes or if you are a very conservative christian and can't take satire.

Entertainment: A

Story: C

Acting: B

Characters: C

Music: B

Replay value: B+

"Brains": B

Beyond Skyline (2018) direct to video movie review

Overall verdict: 5.5/10

Silat saves the world from aliens

The Good: Excellent special effects despite small budget, decent action, big ideas expanding on the typical alien invasion movie, strong first act

The Bad: Bland characters, drop in special effects standard near the end, erratically filmed fight scenes, tedious build up to climax

***********Review***********

Mark Corey is your average Los Angeles cop with a down and out no good son he keeps bailing out of jail. They got problems. An uneventful train commute turns into the end of the world as we know it. Giant alien space ships have come to earth, abducting the population and extracting their brains to be used as wetware processors for their war machines. 

You know where this is going: bunch of people forced together by circumstance against impossible odds. Mark and son are joined by a train operator Audrey and an old blind homeless man Sarge. They got problems. Big problems. Alien biomechanical creatures of all shapes and sizes are assaulting every major city. Each one looking amazing despite being CGI in a movie with a relatively small Budget.

Their adrenaline pumping escape through an alien onslaught does not end well as they are abducted by what seems to be one of the alien generals. It is here where we see the intricately designed alien ship interiors. Once again amazing work, well beyond what one would expect for a film of such measly budget. 

We also get to see the aliens themselves up close and they are realised through a combination of suit actors and minor cgi touch ups. The suits are great, if only a little derivative looking like a rearranged combination of leftover parts from Aliens Vs Predator. It is revealed that the human brains the aliens are using can be triggered to take over the exoskeletons or war machines, as evidenced by a rogue alien which seems to bear the memories of the human whose brain it had been installed with.

Unfortunately there is little explanation for this phenomenon other than a contrived “power of Love” gimmick where the sight of a loved one in danger will somehow “snap them out of it” and allow the human brain to exert control over its alien exoskeleton. For those who have watched the first SKYLINE movie from 2010, there is a payoff to that movie’s cliffhanger though you may be hard pressed to recognize it considering that the previous characters are played by all new actors.

BEYOND SKYLINE does try to thread some new ground by the second act which sees the protagonists rescue a baby girl who seems to be aging at an accelerated rate and exhibiting powers to control the alien technology. They clash with the alien General and end up crashing the ship into a south East Asian Jungle. There, the protagonists join up with a rag tag band of guerrillas led by Indonesia martial artist Iko Uwais. Unfortunately the execution is less than polished; a lot of talking, erratic pacing, and a lack of plot focus until the aliens show up again in the climax.

What could have been a desperate intense battle for survival instead turns into something out of power rangers. Having blown the budget on the city wide invasion and space ship interiors, the special effects in the climax do not look as good as the rest of the movie. The aliens, who were previously portrayed as so fearsome that just looking at one will leave a human in a trance and ripe for capture, are now typical foot soldiers and cannon fodder. The cinematography and flat lighting make the rubber suited aliens almost painful to watch as the guerrillas fight back with, i kid you not, Silat martial arts moves. 

All while ducking around Raiden’s temple from MORTAL KOMBAT. There is a nice homage to old giant monster movies that would have been more enjoyable with better CGI. All this leading to the ending which m, as uplifting as it was, is just too contrived for words, setting up what looks like a new video game.

Alien invasion stories seem to be a whole new nadir since INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE, and BEYOND SKYLINE does little to help the genre. It is decent, with relatable though somewhat uninteresting characters. The initial mystery over the aliens, their motives and what not is fairly intriguing but the mystery is never allowed to develop gradually, instead solved via mandatory exposition dump. CGI and special effects clearly deteriorate in quality from the start (big Budget movie standard) to the end (tv series from more than 6 years ago standard).

***********Review***********

Entertainment: B

Story: B+

Acting: B-

Characters: C

Music: C-

Replay value: B-

"Brains": C-

Deadpool 2 (2018) movie review

Overall verdict: 9.5 /10

A Heartfelt Yet Darkly Humorous Sequel

The Good: Perfect acting, witty dark humour, emotional story, relatable character development, well written script with a deconstructive slant, explores deeper themes related to loss, family and belonging

The Bad: instances of shoddy CGI, rapid cuts leading to some erratic fight scenes

***********Review***********

DEADPOOL 2 is a family movie, or so claims our titular protagonist. An extremely violent, witty, fourth wall breaking family movie. At its core is a tale of loss, a tale of wanting to belong, of failed father figures, and the cycle of vengeance all wrapped in a message of overcoming personal tragedy to be better individuals. It mixes genuinely funny comedy, pop culture references and lovable characters with a deeper more personal tale of the Merc with a mouth .

Wade Wilson has found true love and a fulfilling mercenary career. What looks to be just a repeat of the first movie soon takes a tragic turn as all that Wade treasures is stripped away. Lost and alone, Wade tries to fit in with the heroic X-men but his violent ways during his first mission lands him in a prison called “The ice box” with a young orphan pyrokinetic Mutant named Russell. 

Meanwhile, a cyber enhanced soldier from the future named Cable is hot on their heels, on a mission to terminate the young rotund runaway. Sounds like TERMINATOR? Well not quite (Even though this is the Terminator movie we need right now.)

As with the first movie, DEADPOOL 2 defies genre and subverts viewer expectation at every turn. Each time a “typical” story beat or trope is brought up, it is soon subverted and deconstructed in the most clever way possible. An escape plan right out of PRISON BREAK? Does not end well for Wade and Russell. An action packed vehicular chase through the city? Very different from what one would expect. A team up with a bunch of superpowered allies to form X-Force? Yup, definitely not how one would think it would go. In fact, DEADPOOL 2 subverts all expectations of what Deadpool should be about. 

Even the characters undergo this subversive deconstruction. The poor abused boy who’s supposed to be running scared? He’s starting to show the makings of a serial killer. The part man part machine time traveler Cable? He is the embodiment of “generic 90s comic badass” taken to its logical extremes, complete with tragic motivations, growling voice and eternal scowl. And it all works in the context of the franchise’s self referential humour.

Deadpool himself is slowly revealed to be a stepford smiler, using humour as a means to bury the pain he feels while he undergoes the various stages of grief. Ryan Reynolds effortlessly channels both Deadpool’s funny and dramatic side, bringing an earnest portrayal that serves as the heartfelt emotional core of the film. The narrative does venture into some heavy territory, showing the initially self serving Wade subconsciously subjecting Young Russell to the same emotional neglect that his own father put him through.

 The script, courtesy of Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Reynolds himself is masterfully written, full of wit and charm. Jokes come perfectly timed where appropriate, segueing into drama and back again without coming across as jarring. It even improves on the musical aspect.

The score, now composed by Tyler Bates (WATCHMEN), sounds much more epic and unique compared to the previous work by Junkie XL. The choices of songs, peppered throughout the movie, have lyrics that run parallel to what is happening in the story itself; cleverly used to heighten the emotional impact of many scenes.

This is an amazing movie and a great sequel. Not perfect though. The steady clear shots and fluid fight choreography that Director David Leitch brought to movies like JOHN WICK is missing here. Instead it is replaced by rapid fire cuts and some erratic editing which, in hindsight, may have been a cost cutting measure considering how some of the special effects, particularly on some fully CGI characters, look spotty at times.

Nonetheless, nitpicking aside, DEADPOOL 2 takes its titular character to new depths, ups the ante on everything that made the first movie such a hit, and then goes beyond with bigger action, dark humour, a new cast of unique and relatable characters, all while keeping it intimately personal. Truly a movie to add in the list of great sequels.

***********Review***********

Entertainment: A

Story: A

Acting: A

Characters: A-

Music: A

Replay value: B+

"Brains": B+