Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver is a SFF epic a sequel to the Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child Of Fire released in December of last year. It picks up right after the events of the previous movie and delivers on the Seven Samurai premise with the first part being mostly set up for the battle in the latter half. It in no way stands on its own and both parts only together deliver a full narrative.
Much like the previous installment the lead Kora played by Sofia Boutella doesn't have enough to do or enough edge. The supporting cast, similarly, are underdeveloped and feel like undergrad aspiring screenwriter fumblings than actual characters. There is a ton of deadening exposition laden dialogue and scenes where characters painfully and explicitly set up flashbacks we are about to see. Its offensively juvenile writing but the actors do their best to breath some life into it to a modicum of success.
Visually the movie looks great, costumes are great, soundtrack is great, fight scenes are mostly great(if there is the standard Synder overuse of slow motion). And the idea behind it and the worldbuilding aren't half bad it is simply the characters and the dialogue, as written, are woefully boring, flat, and robotic.
Mildly diverting eye candy but no real substance.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Stream It.
Monkey Man is an action thriller about a country kidin India who's village is destroyed and taken over by the government at the behest of a corrupt religious figure. Years later he(Dev Patel) is surviving in the city working as an underground fighter plotting his revenge.
Patel has moments of brilliance but overall his performance is overshadowed by the overstuffed script and production(his other duties as writer and director). There is just straight up too much going on in the film and Patel as a first time director is doing too much. The supporting cast has some wonderful folks in it but the focus is all over the place, the influences and ambitions so bloated it doesn't allow for any of the actors to really distinguish their characters outside of the relentless tone.
The dark saturated visuals paired with the shaky came quick cuts create a clipped momentum and a distinct mood(although it never really relents which in a 90 minute runtime would be perfect but at two hours is not as successful). The soundtrack has a couple on-the-nose needle drops but some decent scoring with one stand out training sequence with diegetic drumming. The action seems to be well choregraphed but follows the Paul Greengrass school of close up, hand held shooting which makes the fights incredibly difficult to actually see.
The are so many big ideas and themes in the film- class, religion, gender, capitalism- to name a few. It wants to be John Wick but it also wants to be political and also wants to be a modern day myth. Which is all great and a great start is made on a lot of the above but it never comes together, it doesn't coalesce, so what you are left with is something that is assuredly entertaining but not altogether satisfying. In attempting so much it is unable to fully deliver on any one thing.
Its reach exceeds its grasp.
See It.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a fantasy, the continuation of the monsterverse and a sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong. Kong is settled in Hollow Earth but lonely, Godzilla is on regular Earth but powering up on radiation for an unknown threat. Kong discovers a group of large apes like himself after an avalanche reveals a here-to-fore uncharted section of Hollow Earth. That group is lead by the tyrannical Scar King who Kong must face, with some help of course.
The human cast is full of talent but they don't have much to do and quite frankly their inclusion is virtually unnecessary. This is ultimately a story about Kong and the CGI rendering of Hollow Earth and all the principle monsters is pretty excellent. Devoid of the human dialogue the story is actually a pretty archetypal Hero's Journey and it works. Kong the forgotten son, the disgraced prince, returns to find his kingdom under the rule of a villain and he must usurp him for the good of the apes. At first attempt he is defeated but after receiving a Magic Weapon, a powerful mechanized gauntlet, and enlisting the aid of his former nemesis Godzilla, he returns to triumph. Simple and effective.
Most of the movie is CGI and especially on the big screen it looks great. There are some great needles drops, the pacing is quick and breezy, and the art design is good and for once doesn't have the sameness that a lot of contemporary CGI has. Is it an amazing piece of cinema? No. But an enjoyable, easy to follow, adventure building off of lore set up in the franchise but not really beholden to or bogged down by it.
A surprising popcorn success.
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
See It.
