Tag: Movie Review

Movie Review — Smile (2022)

Smile movie poster. A young lady with an evil grin on her face and the title of the move "Smile" in red letters.
Image Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15474916/

Not going to sugar coat it–this is one of the only horror movies that I’ve watched in this past stretch of horror movies (Us, Nope, Meagan among others) that I’ve watched this semester that I did NOT care for. Yes, it had a few “jump scares” that I didn’t really like (I don’t really like “jump scares” in my horror, I’ve discovered, but rather rising tension as things ratchet up out of control). No, what really got to me was that the movie made the same mistake that Pitch Black did, it refused to let the protagonist, well, you know, “protag.”

A Protagonist should “Protag”

Simply put, a protagonist should be allowed to complete a full character arc (i.e., understanding of their inner conflict as it applies to the outer conflict of the story) and have the ending flow from that realization. That’s the short version, but the longer version is the same, just with more verbiage. Essentially, a story is defined when a character has problem that they must solve (external conflict). However, something in their nature usually hinders them in some way (inner conflict). The story ends (is resolved) when the character discovers something (usually a truth about themselves) that allows them to overcome their problem. For instance, Luke Skywalker wants to leave the farm, but feels beholden to his uncle (and feels that the Empire/Rebellion conflict is too big/too far away for him to do anything about it). However, when the inciting event happens and Luke finds himself on an adventure, he must learn to put away his daydreaming and focus on trusting (by faith) on a power (the Force) that he can feel even if Han cannot. It is this faith that is put to the test when Ben tells Luke to turn off his targeting computer and trust in the Force. Luke does so and the rest is history.

This is NOT the case with Smile. No, with this movie, the character has a redemption arc and discovers that the (*spoilers*) “entity” is based around trauma. The “protagonist” faces her trauma and confronts it head on and even apologizes for hurtful behaviors, but it doesn’t matter–the entity still “wins.” So, I ask, what is the point of the story? Why, if the protagonist was ALWAYS going to lose, why did I have to waste nearly two hours of my time watching it? (*spoilers*) The movie had ONE job, to entertain, but because of faulty story construction, it couldn’t even do that.

Dark Doesn’t Equal Mean and/or Clever

When will the writers of “dark endings” (Pitch Black and Smile) learn that “darkness” doesn’t equate to an ending that is supposed to be mean spirited and/or clever. George Lucas, say what you will about the Prequel trilogy, managed to pull off one of the darkest endings for Episode Three. And he was successful with Anakin due to one thing that the characters in Pitch Black/Smile should have had, but didn’t — character flaws.

You see, to earn a dark ending, you need to have a character who has some major flaws. And these flaws have to be exhibited in the story and they are what keep the character from achieving their arc and this is what allows the audience to “buy” (suspend disbelief) for a dark ending. Anakin Skywalker has at least 3 character flaws that I can think of off the top of my head (probably more), but definitely three. 1) He listens to the wrong people, specifically Chancellor Palpatine, rather than Obi Wan or Yoda. Obi Wan is like an older brother and Yoda is like an uncle (sometimes kind and sometimes unyielding, but always with Anakin’s best interests at heart), yet Anakin allows Palpatine to fill his ears with poison agains the Jedi, 2) Anakin is impatient and wants every thing now. He bristles when made a Jedi, but not one of the council, 3) he forms attachments (he secretly marries Padme) and it is fear of losing these attachments that drive him to despair and 4) he has anger inside of him (he slaughters the sand people who stole and killed his mother). Palpatine uses this rage (and his fear) and turns him into a monster. Padme even says, “don’t go where I can’t follow.” Each one of these fatal flaws make it clear that the arc that Anakin is on probably won’t be successful (although, if he could overcome them, he could still find his way to a redemptive arc. And yes, I did find more than three (as figured I would).

Smile doesn’t do this. Rather than showing fatal flaws, it shows a character who does all the requisite things to have a redemptive arc (investigates why this is happening, formulates a strategy, executes the strategy and succeeds)–at least until the plot says she doesn’t and then she’s not successful. Her arc does not in success even though she does everything in her power to make it succeed. The Exorcist is similar in construction, except here, there is a character arc that is redemptive. The young priest must save Regan, a child, from the “entity.” Here, the priest does everything possible, and while it is costly, he succeeds. What happened if he failed and Regan was consigned to suffer the fate for the rest of her life? The movie might not have been nearly as successful. Writers really need to understand that this type of manipulation isn’t clever or new, it’s manipulative. The writer is making the audience care about the character all the while knowing that they aren’t going to fulfill their end of the bargain by giving us a fully completed character arc. When writers create these manipulative endings, they essentially rob the character of the agency to achieve their goals (or fail). No, other characters take over and take the agency from the protagonist. This type of writing/plotting is sort of a reverse Deus Ex Machina story, where they agency isn’t given to some “god” character/outside agency, but rather to some other character or entity in the story, to the detriment or negative of the main character.

I’ve seen it happen this way in too many movies to count, but most especially Pitch Black and now Smile. I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I wish I could give this type of movie a 1-star rating as I detest it (and its ilk) so much, but I personally reserve 1-star reviews for something so fundamentally broken or bad that it has few, if any, redeeming qualities. This movie is technically strong (it is a solid Hollywood horror film) so there is some level of competence and technical achievement in the film. However, any good will that the movie had earned with me (which was limited as I felt it relied on too many “jump scares” for my liking), the movie burned away with the last 10 minutes of the movie. After the movie was over, I instantly was filled with regret and wished that I had watched another movie (Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter) that I’d picked up or the 2nd episode of Lawmen: Bass Reeves as I’d seen the first episode but didn’t get a chance to see the 2nd episode that they’d released. Regret is NOT the emotion that you want to leave your audience after watching the film and that ending . . . woof, that ending. Until the writer of the film (whose name was PROMINENT in the introductory credits) learns that “clever” still means that you have to adhere to certain writing conventions, I’ll be sure to avoid (or at least be more careful with reviews/expectations) next time. If you want a “dark ending,” please Mr. Writer of Smile, remember that’s what character flaws are for. Please don’t have the character spend (waste) two hours of our lives and then yank their agency from them.

Do I feel strongly about this–yes, I do! Time is a resource (just like money) and I’m resentful of the fact that I sat through a movie expecting a protagonist who would have a character arc to have agency only to find out that the outcome was “predetermined” from the moment the screenplay said “Fade In.” That’s a “trick” that the writer pulled and I most certainly feel cheated out of my two hours (1 hour 55 mins) where I could done something else. Or, to put it another way:

Sally from the Peanuts Halloween cartoon in a pumpkin field with Linus screaming "I was robbed!"

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

  • Read Skin Deep (Science Fiction) for Free at Aurora Wolf
  • Read Childe Roland (Fantasy) for Free at Electric Spec

Currently Working On (November 2023)

Creative

  • The Runner (2022 Revision) (Fantasy Story–4100 words)
    Status: Out to Publisher, Finalist in the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award contest, Finalist in LeVar Burton Reads Origins & Encounters Writing Contest
  • Science Fiction Story (1st Draft)
    Status: Section 1 of 3 completed
  • Fantasy Graphic Novel Story (1st Draft)
    Status: Prologue Completed

Scholarly 

  • Dissertation Completed
    Status: Published!
  • Unnamed Book Chapter
    Status: Out to Publisher!
  • Blood on the Shield: African American Trauma in Falcon and the Winter Soldier
    Status: Published!

Movie Review: The Faculty

Poster of several high school students with the words "The Faculty" beneath them in white lettering.
Image Source (and Trailer):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=praQkvivkUE

Wow! I’ve been on a bit of a run of terrible movies lately, and unfortunately, I have to say that the trend (while broken with Megan) was back to its old self this week with The Faculty. I wasn’t going to watch this movie, but because of streaming and wanting to make sure that I get my money’s worth from these (ever increasing monthly subscriptions), I’ve had to start just randomly picking the service that I subscribe to and then randomly picking from a set of movies that looked interesting on the service in order for me to consistently watch movies from week to week. Well, the “RNG Picker” (not AI, at least not yet, just a good ol’ fashion *RND command in web-format) picked this stale biscuit of a movie.

Not All Bad — Liked the Acting/Action

So, this movie is a train wreck, but I won’t eviscerate it completely. There were quite a few young adult actors (late teens/early 20s) who all did a pretty good acting job, including several actors who would go on to do some more important roles. Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett are probably the biggest names from this young cast, but there were several others including actors who were not necessarily big at the time, but who have become household names after this movie was released, such as Robert Patrick, Famke Janssen, and Selma Hayek to name a few. I didn’t really have a problem with the actors in the movie as I found the acting to be mostly okay based on what the script called for in the film. I also liked some of the directing. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and while I didn’t always love it, I did think there were several shots that were fairly inventive. For instance, I loved the fact that Rodriguez chose to show how the “core” group of teens had become isolated at their school through the use of “close ups” on the eyes. The core group of kids eyeing everyone suspiciously and the rest of the school eyeing them back, knowing that they hadn’t been “turned” yet, was very effective in my opinion and made me sit up and take notice.

Too Cool for School

Unfortunately, the screen story and the script were truly dreadful. The movie was released in 1998 and the original Scream was released in 1996. It was if the writers so Scream and said, that’s a cool concept. Let’s do that, but with aliens instead of the classic “slasher.” It was referential to “alien invasion” movies, going so far as to mention Invasion of the Body Snatchers and plot elements from that book form the basis of the “core” group’s understanding of what to do to “defeat” the invasion. They reference a “queen” (as in Aliens–they even mention “Ripley” in dialogue) and [spoilers] they use a version of the War of the Worlds solution to ultimately defeat the aliens [/spoilers]. I HATED every minute of the screenplay when I couldn’t just focus on the actors. I thought the screenplay tried to do the Scream “thing” way too hard and the dialogue was just off. As someone who has worked in a school setting, faculty don’t call each other by their last names like students do (Mr. Hope/Ms. Coleburn), but rather by first names because they’re colleagues (so, Robert/Lucinda). Nope, that’s not how this screenplay handles it because — the writers have most likely never actually been on the “other side” of the teaching desk.

Creep, Much?

There are some truly “creepy” scenes to go along with the cringe-worthy scenes, and I don’t mean creepy in a good (scary) way. I mean innuendo with a teacher/student relationship at the end of the movie, drug use (even though they are mostly caffeine pills, but it is definitely implied usage), and other pretty creepy ideas/innuendos all through the movie. This is a pretty mean-spirited movie, masquerading its mean spiritedness behind a veneer of “Oh, it’s American high school — it’s just that way” (satire of American high school with a bit of parody as well). While not as awful as Shaun of the Dead, it isn’t that much removed. I’ve not looked at any reviews (if there are any available), but I suspect that critics probably didn’t like it all that much. Whereas Scream seemed inventive, this one just seems, well “creepy.”

Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is actually a 2 star movie, that I’m bumping up to three stars based on the number of actors who used this as a stepping stone to actually achieve “stardom.” At least 3 actors (Hartnett, Janssen, and Wood) leveled up their careers after this film. And to see Robert Patrick chewing the scenery was pretty fun as well. However, that’s about the only good time I had. Outside of one really interesting sequence that Rodriguez had using closeups on the eyes, this one was NOT a good time for me. I HAVE to find a way to watch a movie a week, but I can’t face too many more of these pretty bad movies. At least I can say, I watched a film that had X in it before they became famous. That’s about all that I can say as a recommendation for this movie. Don’t do it unless you enjoy the actors/you like seeing the early work of famous actors/directors. This one is definitely not worth the time.

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

  • Read Skin Deep (Science Fiction) for Free at Aurora Wolf
  • Read Childe Roland (Fantasy) for Free at Electric Spec

Currently Working On (September 2023)

Creative

  • The Runner (2022 Revision) (Fantasy Story–4100 words)
    Status: Out to Publisher, Finalist in the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award contest, Finalist in LeVar Burton Reads Origins & Encounters Writing Contest
  • Science Fiction Story (1st Draft)
    Status: Section 1 of 3 completed
  • Fantasy Graphic Novel Story (1st Draft)
    Status: Prologue Completed

Scholarly 

  • Dissertation Completed
    Status: Published!
  • Unnamed Book Chapter
    Status: Out to Publisher!
  • Blood on the Shield: African American Trauma in Falcon and the Winter Soldier
    Status: Published!

Movie Review: Megan (Unrated Version)

Movie poster of Megan (Megan Doll looking out to the audience) with the word "Megan" in a stylized font.
Image Source: https://vocal.media/geeks/megan-2022-movie-review

So, I’m not really into Horror, per se. On the speculative fiction side of things, I’m much more of Science Fiction and Fantasy person. I dabble in the horror genre, but I don’t really delve super deeply into its offerings (at least not traditionally). I prefer the wonder and excitement of a well told science fiction or fantasy yarn, but don’t really enjoy the terror and dread that horror generally affords. However, I’m trying to expand beyond sf and fantasy, so I’ve been opening up myself to more horror works in the past couple of years. Megan is one of those movies that I thought I’d give a try.

Not Truly a Horror Movie

I think one of the things that I like the most about the movie is that it is not truly a “horror” movie, in the sense that it is not intended to terrify and be horrific all the way through. There is actually quite a bit of the movie that is build up and you can see where the escalation is occurring through bad choice after bad choice. Don’t get me wrong, the movie definitely lives up to its trailer and some truly horrific things do happen, especially if you watch the unrated version (essentially the “R” rated cut not shown in theaters which only got the PG-13 cut). However, the movie is a very clever examination of both grief, a child’s response to grief and loss, parenting, and the dangers of creating AI that borders on the edges of sentience. Yes, there are some horrific and scary elements, but it truly doesn’t all really get going until the third act of the movie.

Few Jump Scares

Okay, I’m going to go ahead and say it — I “hate” jump scares, which is probably a reason that I’m not as interested in horror as I am in SF and Fantasy. And to be clear, there are a couple of jump scares in the movie, but not nearly as many as there have been in more recent movies that I’ve had the misfortune to see. This one has a more of an “escalation” of horror as we watch an unintended “good” idea goes horribly off the rails. I think I enjoyed the movie as much as I did because I wasn’t just bracing for the next jump scare, but I could get really invested and involved in the movie. While I knew (from the trailer) that Megan wasn’t going to be the hero of the movie, she is so compelling as a character, I couldn’t help rooting for her and hoping that she wouldn’t go off the rails, even though I knew without a doubt (trailer) that that was going to be Megan’s ultimate fate. An extremely well done story and screenplay, but also well done acting on the part of ALL the performers including the actors (voice and physical) who embodied Megan.

AI — A Timely Look

I like that the movie integrated AI and the idea of grief and parenting into the mix. The AI component added a lot of wonder into the equation, while the examination of grief and what it means to be a parent added depth to the story and, in my mind, elevated the story far beyond just the ordinary. There were a couple of “bathroom” jokes early in the movie, but unlike my disdain for a movie like, Shaun of the Dead, the movie didn’t rely on them, but used them to put you inside the corporate world of children’s toys–in other words, the movie wasn’t trying to be gross, but to make a pointed commentary, and was smart enough to move on once the joke (point) was made. The inclusion of learning AI means that the movie could smartly ratchet up the tension under the guise of Megan’s “learning,” in some ways mimicking the “deviant” behavior of some of the generative AI in real life in the very early days of media coverage.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

If you can’t tell, I liked this one VERY much! I thought that nearly element of the movie was well done — from the smart script, to the incredible acting (sometimes over the top, intentionally so), but by the heartfelt acting of the two leads, and then the two actors (physical and voice) who brought Megan to life. I thought that the commentary on grief and the taking on of parenting by someone suddenly thrust into the role was impressive and I loved this particular iteration of the “AI gone rogue” trope very much! Great movie — well worth my (limited) movie watching time).

Sidney

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

  • Read Skin Deep (Science Fiction) for Free at Aurora Wolf
  • Read Childe Roland (Fantasy) for Free at Electric Spec

Currently Working On (September 2023)

Creative

  • The Runner (2022 Revision) (Fantasy Story–4100 words)
    Status: Out to Publisher, Finalist in the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award contest, Finalist in LeVar Burton Reads Origins & Encounters Writing Contest
  • Science Fiction Story (1st Draft)
    Status: Section 1 of 3 completed
  • Fantasy Graphic Novel Story (1st Draft)
    Status: Prologue Completed

Scholarly 

  • Dissertation Completed
    Status: Published!
  • Unnamed Book Chapter
    Status: Out to Publisher!
  • Blood on the Shield: African American Trauma in Falcon and the Winter Soldier
    Status: Published!

Movie Review: Ghostbusters Afterlife

Ghostbusters Afterlife Official Movie Poster. Five characters standing around the Ecto-1 car as a greenish "ghost" storm forms in the sky above them.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters:_Afterlife

I’ve been purchasing quite a few movies lately. Most of them have been copies for my film class, for the ones that I did not already own, but many of them have been science fiction and fantasy movies that I’ve not yet had a chance to see. I’ve not really watched them because of the pressure of the semester, but I decided last night that the pressure was really getting to me (this post was almost a “Bear Eats You” type of post and I really didn’t want to go there), so even though it was later than I liked, I went ahead and watched Ghostbusters Afterlife. I have to say that I really enjoyed the film and that there was a lot to like about the movie.

The Good

I thought there was quite a bit of excellent work in terms of both writing and characterization inside the movie. The script, while not always working, was charming and endearing. Mostly, the movie was smart enough to do what most movies won’t do when they are trying to “revive” a mostly dormant franchise: it appealed to nostalgia in a way that wasn’t disrespectful of the old movies, but changed the premise just enough that one could see a “new” group of heroes take on the role/mantle of the older generation. This movie isn’t revelatory, but it doesn’t have to be: the only thing you want is to not “tick off” the fans of the original/older generation, while at the same time have the new generation not think it is “old” and “not relevant” anymore. I think GB Afterlife accomplishes this mission. It includes more than enough nods to the original in tone, structure, plotting and cameos to satisfy those of us who were around when the original GB was a thing, but also enough new characters (with their motivations and goals) and a plot that recalls some of the greatest ideas from the movie without being a straight one-to-one “copy” (beat for beat) of the original. This, I think, is what the Disney Star Wars sequels were going for, but didn’t manage to do, at least not for me. There was a “heart” to this movie that was missing in the Star Wars sequels. I think that if you are a fan of the originals or if you’re a Millennial wondering what all the fuss was over GB, then I think this movie is a good one to check out.

The Bad

Okay, for me, not much outside of the fact that you essentially have six characters that pair off for approximately 3 separate storylines. The main storyline gets enough time, but the two “B” and “C” stories (with the brother and mother) don’t really feel as fleshed out as they could be. Yes, I’m glad they didn’t do the whole teenage “angst” thing with brother disbelieving sister or mother who thinks her kids are in her way type of thing with this movie (and I appreciate it), but the character arcs for those to characters feel slightly stunted when compared with the arc of the main character (who, in this movie, is the sister as we follow her POV for most of the movie).

The Nostalgia

So, I won’t go too far with this one, but nostalgia is really at the heart of this particular movie. It gives closure to the movie in a way that none of the other GB movies or the GB game in the PS3 does. The game is considered canon and is considered the “unofficial” 3rd movie in the GB franchise. I may be mistaken, but I believe the game was done before Harold Ramis passed away and everyone reprised their roles, but the movie was definitely done after Harold’s death and there is very much an “In Memory of” quality about the movie. It also earns brownie points for the way in which it treats the cameos of the original cast of the film. I always like when movies treat the originals with respect and this movie does so. While The Incredible Hulk and Race to Witch Mountain aren’t remembered fondly, I have a soft spot in my heart for the way they included the original cast members from the original television show/films for both projects. Knowing that “Lou Ferrigno” (the actor who originally was “the Incredible Hulk” from my childhood) played a security guard in the Marvel movie always bumps up my internal score for it (even if it isn’t as good as later Marvel movies).

Overall Score: A (95)

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As you can tell, I liked this movie quite a bit! I thought that the characters were great, the story was good, the appeal to nostalgia was great, and the special effects were great. While I would have liked more time on the secondary stories, it would have probably been a bad idea to focus too much on the mother/brother storylines, but I did notice that they seems a little “stunted.” Still, for me, there’s not too much to complain about for this one. I really liked pretty much everything they did with one. My only hope is that they keep this set of characters together if they do a sequel and not just choose to “cherrypick” and keep the brother and sister characters and then go with other “GB” companions (which is typical of many Hollywood) sequels/follow-ups. I think this group of “six” (sister/friend, brother/friend, mother/teacher) is a great set of characters–I might just like them to even out the storylines just a little bit more than they did for this movie. Otherwise, stellar movie!

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (February 2022):

  • The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
    2022 Revision; Out to Market.
  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–4400 words)
    2022 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
    2021 Revision: ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION

Movie Review: Mortal Engines

Image of a red masked teen girl with a man, a teen boy, and a mysterious freedom fighter in the background with at massive city on wheels at the bottom with the words "Mortal Engines" in gold lettering at the bottom.
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_Engines_(film)

Sorry that I’ve been away from the blog for a while. I have a new job that I’ll hopefully talk about soon. However, between the commute (which is sizable) and the developing of the courses, along with teaching, and I’ve unfortunately not had a lot of time for much of anything. However, I’m trying to get back into a more normal swing of things and part of this was watching a movie that I bought on sale. The movie Mortal Engines and it is one of several movies that I’ve wanted to see for a while. I thought I’d get back into blogging with a simple review of the movie

Mortal Engines Movie Trailer on YouTube

Not That Bad, Actually . . .

So, I’ve had the chance to see it once or twice before (thanks to a sale), but I didn’t pull the trigger to the low Rotten Tomatoes scores. However, I feel that people have been overly harsh on the movie as I don’t think it is as bad as the RT scores indicate. I think this is a feature of the “crash” of Young Adult (YA) movies that occurred after the success of Twilight and Hunger Games. I really don’t feel like this movie is all that bad.

The Good

I like the characterization of most of the main characters. While I would have liked more, I thought the motivations and the actions were consistent with the world. I also liked the plot (less so) and the special effects (more so). While the plot was a bit derivative in terms of YA movies/stories, the setting and the special effects were highly imaginative and I felt like the world was at least a plausible one and a fairly exciting one to inhabit.

The Bad

In this case, the bad was the fact that there were too many characters. Characters that were introduced early didn’t always stick around through the entire movie (or were characters just there to move the plot forward like the guy who only existed to see the hero’s “weapon/artifact” stash so as to give the information to the villain). Tied to this fact was the introduction of major characters–the robot and the freedom fighter, for instance–well into the 2nd act of the movie. Those characters should have been established earlier and yes, I remember that the freedom fighter had a “wanted” poster early in the movie, but after that, the character is not referenced again until the heroes need a “savior.”

The Ugly

[Spoiler Warning: skip this paragraph if you want to go into the movie blind]

For me, what kept this just average is the fact that there are simply too many YA tropes that are happening in the story. From the “romance” subplot, to the contrivances needed to save the heroes, there are just too many things that I’ve seen before in a YA story. For instance, when the freedom fighter mentioned that she wanted her ashes spread on the wind, I knew that she was going to die. There was no subtly to the line, to the foreshadowing, or to the execution. It really followed right along with what the audience expected, and the entire movie felt like that for me.

I feel like I’ve seen this movie in Seventh Son, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, and the Percy Jackson movies. There are also other movies like Clash of the Titans (2010), Jack and the Giant Slayer, and The Last Witch Hunter, which aren’t YA movies, that seem to have the same type of structure. There are others, but for the interests of time, I’m going to stop with these examples. I think that the book might have had something to do with this, but I’m not sure as I’ve not yet read the YA series on which it is based. Still, I think that if the writers (who worked on the excellent Tolkien movies) had maybe have focused on one theme and followed it all the way through the movie: “love conquers all,” “the power of friendship,” “gender doesn’t define one’s capabilities,” or even “ultimate power corrupts,” among all the various threads in the movie, I feel that the movie could have been a much stronger one, maybe even a genre defining one like The Hunger Games or Harry Potter.

Overall Rating: B-

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This one should probably get a C, but I personally liked it and thought that it did just enough to rise above the mediocrity that many reviews positioned it to be. Yes, it was a little generic, but its heart was in the right place and the special effects were good, so I give it a slight “bump” in my rating. Still, I would have liked a little more distinctiveness and originality to the movie for it to have moved beyond other movies in the same type and for it to have really become one of my favorites. This one is a good movie that is held back because it is just too similar to many others that have come before, in my opinion.

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (October 2021):

  • The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
    Completed: 2021; Out to Market.
  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–6600 words)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • Starlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story–3500 words)
    2021 Revision: Completed.
  • Project Wall (Science Fiction Story)
    In Progress–First Draft: 544 words (10/3)

Movie Review: Godzilla vs. Kong

Godzilla and King Kong do battle on the deck of a giant aircraft carrier at sea against a cloudy sky with explosions all around.
Image Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5034838/

Over the Labor Day Holiday Weekend, my family and I watched a movie: Godzilla vs. Kong. We’ve seen all the other Godzilla movies and this is the only one left on the list. While we wanted to watch Black Widow, it was still on “Premiere Access” (along with Premiere Access prices on the Apple Store), so we decided to save it until Thanksgiving. While I thought it was pretty good, I don’t think that it was the best movie in the series. I think that the idea of pitting these two monsters against one another got the executives excited, and I’m not sure they thought about it except for the awesome fight scenes that could be shown on the screen. The script really was a tale of “two scripts”–one fairly good one and one really bad one.

The Good

I feel that this is a pretty good movie–it’s just that it could be much better. I liked the “A” plot story with the young girl, her guardian and Kong and the way they use the girl character to communicate with Kong. I thought that was a pretty good story and felt that’s probably what the movie should have been–getting Kong to see that fighting didn’t have to be the only way of existing. Conflict can be expressed in many different ways and based on Kong Skull Island we see that Kong is the “alpha” of his island–but why not express “alpha” traits differently than fighting?

Also, the visual effects were also good, although I didn’t think they were as amazing as the were in Godzilla King of Monsters. I still liked them, however, and the “hovercar” sequence was still pretty amazing. It ultimately wasn’t as relevant to the plot as the sequences were for GKoM, but they were still fairly inventive.

I also liked some of the humor–and I do say some. I don’t think I’m becoming an “old fogey,” but some of the humor seemed appropriate and some seemed like humor just for humor’s sake (this is a movie and we need people to laugh so what jokes can we add in). I guess I didn’t see the humor as organic in this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odM92ap8_c0

The Bad

There’s quite a bit–again, not to beat a dead horse, but some of the humor didn’t work for me. I found that I was rolling my eyes at some of the jokes/setups in the movie.

Also, the “B” and “C” plot lines (Godzilla as “bad guy”) and father-daughter “tension” brought back from GKoM didn’t really work for me. First off, having watched all the Godzilla movies (some old ones and all the newer ones), I know that Godzilla’s not a “bad guy” monster and, as such, one or two throwaway lines trying to address how Godzilla has “gone rogue” and is now a threat to humanity doesn’t really address/rationalize Godzilla’s new “evil” status. Screenplays always want to seem to throwaway entire movies worth of characterization with a few lines of dialogue and/or a couple of weak set-ups because they want to throwaway the old and try something new, and then writers/producers/directors seem to get upset when audiences don’t support their movies. In my mind, GKoM did the “little things” right where this movie, Kong vs Godzilla doesn’t.

Another thing that irked me was the unnecessary integration of songs into the storyline. I’ve seen two movies now, this one (GvK) and Army of the Dead that had songs peppered throughout the narrative that didn’t need them to be there. These movies aren’t Guardians of the Galaxy and they don’t need the songs to tell their stories–these just seem like songs that the director liked and put them in without any regards to the story, characters, or situation. Music is subjective, but for me, there were one or two songs that actually worked against the narrative and pulled me out of the story, whereas in a movie like, Transformers, the music choice when Bumblebee has to escape from the police interceptor is perfect because it heightens the emotion and tension of the scene. I’ll be glad when this particular fad has run its course.

Music choice starts at 2:21 in video

The Ugly

Finally, GvK commits two sins: 1) it has its protagonists mixed up. The movie is even entitled Godzilla versus Kong, but Kong is clearly the protagonist of the movie. We’ve seen one Kong movie from the studio and several Godzilla movies–you would have thought that Godzilla would be the protagonist, but that’s not the case. While I don’t mind it, it would have been nice to have presented a “balance” of the two perspectives. An increased focus on Godzilla–something is driving him crazy (along with Kong) and both sets of “humans” (each who like their respective monster) have to figure out what is going on and how to prevent the “alphas” from destroying each other. That would have made a far more compelling plot in the movie than what is actually presented.

2) The second sin that it makes is that the first 30-45 mins is a lot of that “character building” that modern movies seem to do now (again, Army of Darkness also falls into this category), where they try to establish character and make you identify with the characters before getting into the action/story proper. While this is a way of doing things, it’s not the only way–a Raiders of the Lost Ark where you have both Godzilla and Kong tearing things up and acting wildly out of character might have been a stronger start to the movie and then (again) you could introduce each of the groups of human characters as they try to figure out what’s wrong with their respective monster.

Overall Rating: B-

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This one had so much potential, but the script and some of the choices really let it down in my opinion. There were so many ways in which this one could have been a stand-out movie, but because of the script and the choices that were made for this movie, I felt that, while good, it was definitely a step down from Godzilla King of the Monsters, which is currently my “high water mark” for the series of movies (and surprisingly, Kong Skull Island) would be second on that list, so this really should have been topnotch for me.

I can’t give half stars on here, so since a B = 4 stars that’s what it gets, but it really is only 3.5 star movie as the special effects and some of the plot and characterization push it out of the average category and into the (just barely) good category.

I really think that the producers should have thought more about the set-up and what the humans were going to be doing in the movie and not just about the awesome fights that they could have with characters like Godzilla and Kong. Those fights, while epic, are only the cherries on top of a cake that is, unfortunately, fairly bland and a little soggy overall.

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (September 2021):

  • The Runner (Fantasy Story–4000 words)
    Completed: 2021; Out to Market.
  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story–6600 words)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story–4800 words)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • Starlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story–3500 words)
    2021 Revision: Completed.
  • To Dance the Sea of Storms (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: Completed, Revision: In Progress

Movie Review: Real Steel

Father and son working on robot (Atom) in the ring in between rounds during the boxing match in the movie.
Image Source: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/real-steel-2011

Over the weekend, I found a new channel that covers what new programs/movies enter the various streaming services and more importantly, what’s leaving the services. I want to maximize my viewing experience by making sure that I find ways to catch shows and movies before they leave the services and I want to prioritize those shows/movies over all the others, this channel has really come to be pretty helpful (if I know movies are leaving, then those stick in my mind more and I have a better chance of seeing it before it goes away–the “limited time” phenomenon that retailers often use.

One of the movies that is leaving Netflix this month is the movie Real Steel, something that I’ve been meaning to watch every since it joined the service a while back, but never got around to actually watching it. However, I just watched it this past Saturday and here’s my review.

Real Steel Trailer

The Good

I have to say, I put this movie off over and over again, but I now wished I hadn’t–I enjoyed this movie quite a bit! At first, I didn’t think that I was going to like this movie as it really leaned hard into the “unlikeable dad” archetype that many movies seem to use to try to show a character arc, but I think what helped me to connect to the character was Hugh Jackman’s performance along with the character’s backstory. I also think that Evangeline Lily’s character and performance was also crucial to me not hating the “unlikable dad” character

While this is a “father/son” movie, it is also a “boxing” movie. It has a lot of heart (much like Rocky) and while I don’t always love sports movies, this one (with its sci-fi elements) is one that I felt that the special effects were also very well done and made me really see a connection with boxing and wresting–boxing as a sport and wrestling as the entertainment aspect of the business.

The Bad

There’s not much that I thought was bad. Again, I’m not a fan of the “unlikeable dad” archetype that was in the movie. However, I thought that it was done well enough along with the bonding scenes that I really didn’t mind it once the movie turned its attention/focus on to the “boxing” element of the movie. I thought maybe the script forced Hugh Jackman to have to oversell his role and really be unlikable during the first minutes of the movie. There are times when the character has to act in a way in which he can’t see his problem/problems at the very beginning to sell that “unlikable dad” archetype that doesn’t make the character seem competent or smart. The character displaces and puts the fault on others rather than himself, even when the dialogue out the character’s mouth clearly indicates that the problem is with the character and not the robots, not anyone else. The fact that the character can’t recognize the problem is a problem in the screenplay to me, but one that I chose to ignore so as to keep the willing suspension of disbelief.

The Promise

Rather than the “ugly,” I decided that I would this “The Promise.” I feel like the promise of this movie is that it is a fun movie that has the potential to teach young screenwriters (like myself) what Hollywood is looking for in a screenplay (esp. a scifi/fantasy one). They want a hero/anti-hero who is clearly established in the 1st 3rd of the movie (30-35 minutes). They want a change in status for the character (son has to stay with father, but father doesn’t care about son). The next 30 minutes involves the father grudgingly seeing the son as more than “dollar signs” and seeing the son as real person. The next 30 minutes involve the son recognizing his own talents and growing into his own sense of self based on the interactions (positive and negative) with the father, and finally, realization on the part of the father as to what the son was ultimately looking for when the son is “torn from him” and either finally coming through for the son (heroic journey) or failing the son and seeing the ramifications of that failure (tragedy). To say I enjoyed the movie would be an understatement as I also learned from the movie.

I would also like to mention that promise is a “two-way street.” The initial movie begins with a statement that this story is based off a short story by a particular author. While I’ve not read the short-story, nor heard of the author, I can say that this is something Hollywood REALLY NEEDS TO DO MORE OF (in my opinion). Hollywood often thinks that it has a monopoly on good stories that can be told on the “big screen.” While there are scores of talented creatives in Hollywood (writers, directors, producers, etc.), I’ve said time and again that a “closed system” (their guild system) isn’t really conducive to new talent (and new ideas). Real Steel is a very good artistic endeavor that, no matter the economic result, has gained the creatives goodwill on my part and I (as an audience member) would definitely look favorably upon a sequel, or barring that since it doesn’t look like that’s ever going to happen, the next project for all those involved. Much like businesses, Hollywood gets too invested in short-term gains to see that art and artistic endeavors often mean playing the “long game” (producing good work after good work to garner a fan-base that sees all of your movies and then evangelizes them to others). Hollywood is, like every other American company these days, too caught up in immediate profits (aka quarterly profits) and this is why there are so many sub-standard and sub-par movies and scripts that end up with shoddy movies/products that fail to capture the success envisioned by many in the movie industry.

This movie represents the “promise” of what could happen if you actually started “opening up” the closed system of Hollywood. Afraid of lawsuits? Fine, then go out and hire a reader or two to cull strong stories from novels, short-stories, and other creative works outside of the Hollywood and you may find, like Real Steel itself, success in the most unlikeliest of places!

Overall Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you can’t tell, I really enjoyed this movie. The first 30 minutes was a little rough but that’s because they had to make the main character so unlikable that it made him seem almost, well stupid for lack of a better word. However, once the father and son began to bond over their respect for the robot and the father’s own love of boxing as a sport, the movie came into its own. While Rocky is still far and away a better movie in terms of script, directing, and pacing, I feel that, like the plucky little robot, Real Steel can hold its own in the ring with Stallone’s seminal juggernaut. Highly recommended for sci-fi fans!

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (August 2021):

  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • Starlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • To Dance the Sea of Storms (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: Completed, Revision: In Progress
  • Project Runner (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a Rough draft: Completed, Write a First Draft: In Progress (1000 words), Hard Deadline: August 31st, 2021 (Special Issue)

It Chapter One: Mini-Movie Review

Pennywise the Clown staring malevolently out at the viewer with a sinister smile on his face.
Image Source: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/stephen-kings-it-chapter-1-dvd-blu-ray-release-date-details/

Sorry that I wasn’t able to write this up and get it posted yesterday, but school stuff came up and I’m on a tight deadline. I need to have certain documents finished by the end of this week. Hopefully, since next week is a long weekend for me due to the Independence Holiday, I’ll be able to catch up on my writing, but for now, the school docs are my highest priority.

So, saying that, I’m going to do a mini-review for It that I watched over the weekend. I bought both Chapters One and Two on sale on iTunes earlier this year, but I’m just now getting around to watching them. So here’s my impression of the movie.

Stranger Things on Steroids

Now, I’ve seen the original It mini-series from the 80s and I’ve read the book. While I think the book is good (except for the ending), I remember the mini-series being just okay. I loved Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise but I thought the rest was a bit bland. However, this new version of It really upped the ante so to speak. While I don’t know if Stranger Things inspired anything in the movie, I do know that it definitely has a Stranger Things feel to it with the focus on kids struggling against the supernatural. I think that the acting on all fronts was highly believable and the scares are definitely there, even more so than in Stranger Things, much more closer to the “jump scares” variety in more traditional horror movies. That being said, like Stranger Things, the movie picks its moments. There are places where the kids band together and we see their normal lives or how they deal with the aftermath of crises, but this isn’t a “jump-scare-a-thon” where you’ll be constantly quaking.

A Horror Movie for a Non-Horror Fan

Now, before I go too deep here, I want to be sure to mention that this movie has plenty of scares and violence. If you don’t like any horror/horrific elements, this isn’t a movie to watch. However, I personally don’t really care for horror as genre. I used to like “ghost stories” and some “scary stories” as a child, but I discovered that horror (as modern writers do it) activates my “flight or flight” reaction and makes it impossible to really get invested in the story (unlike action/thrillers like Terminator 1 & 2, Alien & Aliens, etc. that have some horror elements). Horror, as modern writers/movies do it, just doesn’t work for me. It Chapter One was on the edge of what I can tolerate and still be invested in the stories and characters. Sometimes it slipped over the edge, but it was never too much, so that I called it quits, unlike other horror movies that I’ve tried to watch and finish recently (Sputnik and Life, I’m looking at you). For me, Stranger Things never crosses the line, but It Chapter One sometimes just barely crosses the line before returning back. I like it and say that it is a good one to watch if one doesn’t really like horror, but there will be times when it will probably be too intense for the non-horror fan.

Overall Rating: B+

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really enjoyed the movie, more for the interaction with the kid characters than for the horrific elements in the story, but I thought that the horror was also well done, just a little too intense in some cases for my personal tastes, but others may feel that it doesn’t go far enough (especially, horror aficionados). Still, I definitely intend to rewatch it and I’ll also watch the second chapter in the story, even though it is supposedly not as good as the first. My mother, who doesn’t like watching horror movies at all, would NOT be a good candidate for this movie at all. I, however, felt that it was a good movie that was just a touch too scary in a couple of places, but did a really good job of establishing characters and conflicts to tell a really good story.

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (June 2021):

  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • Starlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • To Dance the Sea of Storms (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: Completed, Revision: In Progress.

Raya and the Last Dragon Mini-Review

Image of Raya and the The Last Dragon, Sisu (a purple and blue dragon from the Chinese mythos--serpentine with no wings).
Image Source: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2564916/raya-and-last-dragon-make-money-disney-data-suggests-streaming-mulan

So, this blog is late, and yes, there’s a reason for it. One of the reasons is that I am going to eventually get around to drafting these entries on the weekend and then release them during the week. That is going to happen . . . eventually. There’s no question of it. Eventually.

However, it doesn’t help when WordPress goes and changes the way the blogging editor works for no good reason. I like my titles as they were clearly defined from the rest of the content. WP has changed this and now the title works differently as I draft these entires. I’m going to stop here as the rest of this entry would likely be a “grip session” at WP, but please allow me the option to choose what I prefer in order to write the blogs rather than making the choice for me. Thank you!

Back to regularly scheduled blog entry now.

Raya and the Last Dragon

So, I’ve been out of the “movie watching” habit. On Saturday nights, as a reward for getting through the week, I treat myself to a movie that I’ve not seen before. Before school, I would buy a DVD/Blu-Ray that I’d not watched before, but after going to school (and being a student again–read, poor), I started streaming movies through Netflix (although I did subscribe to their DVD/Blu-ray Disc option for a time). However, even back in 2016/2017/2018, I could see where streaming would be the “future” of the industry (if I’d had any money for stocks, I definitely would have invested in Netflix and other streaming ventures–though I’d probably lost money as streaming didn’t really become viable until late 2019 with Disney+ entering the market and kicking off the current streaming wars, and the pandemic of 2020 really forcing people to reevaluate the streaming vs cable cost paradigm).

However, I’ve been trying to get back into the movie watching habit, so I’d thought last Saturday,–yes, it’s late, but I’ll go ahead and watch a movie. After not being able to decide, I saw that Raya and the Last Dragon was available on Disney+ and since I’d really liked the trailer, I decided to give it a shot.

Not Bad

This is going to sound like “damning with faint praise,” but I liked it and thought that it wasn’t bad. It isn’t my favorite Disney animated movie, but I still think that it is a strong movie and a fun watch. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hit the heights of other Disney animated movies. Still, at the moment, a middle of the pack Disney movie is still better than the majority of live action movies out there.

I really liked the characterization and the story. The setting seemed a little too “on-the-nose” for my tastes as the way the land and water are visualized in a map depicted in the story makes it seem like a “dragon.” There isn’t a villain, per se, unless you count the faceless monsters in the story, but there are antagonists. However, they make the antagonists wanting to do good, but acting out of “fear” and trying to make their lives better at the expense of others. However, fundamentally, the story argues that all people are good and that coming together is better than being separate.

Moana Does It Better

However, the message, which is so central to most Disney animated movies, seems a bit too forced in this one. Maybe it is that “on-the-nose” quality that I mentioned earlier, but from the way they bring the characters together, to the way the faceless villains are depicted and motivated, to the resolution of the story, all seem to be more geared to a more child-like, less experienced audience, where a movie like Moana, at least to me, still speaks to me as an adult. I can glean a message from Moana while enjoying the story, but for Raya, it felt like the message was the story. As a writer, I can intuit that, for Raya, the theme is central to the story, but for Moana, the story and characterization are central and the theme emerges naturally from the story.

This isn’t to say that Raya is bad or “preachy,” but for me (and probably for most adults), the story is better when I’m allowed to take what lessons I can from a story due to the characterization, plot, and setting, even if there is a “preferred” idea that is strongly hinted at/encouraged by the film. Raya gives you only one (To Trust is Divine). Yes, there are others, like “better together” or “come together in order to defeat a greater evil,” but realistically, the movie is exploration of the idea/theme of trust (who do you trust, when, how, why, etc.). That’s a little two-dimensional for me as a writer, storyteller, and audience member. Moana’s focus on her heritage and what it means to be the person that she was always meant to be adds that third dimension that I think Raya is lacking. I think that if they could have combined their characters and plot in a different way and utilized the “faceless creatures” in a different way–then Raya could have truly been a truly great movie on the level of Moana.

Overall Rating: B (85 Above Average)

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Even though it seems like I mostly focused on the negative, I still had an enjoyable experience with this movie. In the late 80s, there was an ad for a comic/graphic novel that I desperately wanted called The Last Dragon by Chuck Dixon. Unfortunately, when I finally found it and read it years later, it was a bit of a disappointment because it was more along the lines of a period piece and a biography of one of Dixon’s forebears (as I remember it–I could be wrong on this as this was YEARS ago, so YMMV). Raya is much closer to what I hoped that graphic novel would have been (although it still doesn’t quite match what I have in my imagination, so maybe . . . one day, I’ll write what I envisioned). The fight sequences were excellent and the characters, while not laugh out loud funny, still made me chuckle or smile, so it is an enjoyable film. It just, in my estimation, misses the mark of greatness for various reasons, but the biggest reason is that it lets the theme dominate the characters/plot, rather than letting the theme grow organically from the characters/plot.

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (June 2021):

  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • Starlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: In Progress.
  • To Dance the Sea of Storms (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: Completed, Revision: In Progress.

Movie Review: The Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour Movie Poster = Woman "screaming" out at the viewer with hands outstretched. She is breaking up into particles as Moscow is being destroyed by orange white fire from the sky.
Image Source: https://chud.com/173929/doomsday-reels-the-darkest-hour/

I wanted to watch a movie on Netflix called Singularity as I had it on my list and it was scheduled to leave the service on May 31st. However, as I started the movie, I found that it was really low budget, the acting wasn’t very good, and, worse yet, the script was poor. I struggled to get through the first 10 minutes of the movie and when I looked at the running time (over 2 hrs), I decided to watch something else as I knew that I wasn’t going to enjoy the movie on any level (which is sad as one of the stars listed is John Cusack, whose work I normally enjoy–if you want to see a good John Cusack movie, please check out Numbers Station instead).

So, as I was scanning Netflix to see what else was available, I discovered a movie that I’d wanted to see for a while: The Darkest Hour. I’d come across a description of it a while back and I wanted to see it, but wasn’t willing to pay for the DVD/Blu-Ray for an untested movie, so I waited and when I saw it on Netflix, I chose to watch it this weekend instead.

The Good

The movie is basically a Russian version of the “alien invasion” movie. The special effects of this movie are really fairly well done. They don’t overuse the effect of how the aliens kill humans (although the actual design of the aliens once they are revealed in the last 3rd of the movie doesn’t look very well at all). I really enjoyed the way they show the aliens attacking and how the aliens interact with the world–which adds tension to the movie.

At the risk of giving away my review, this isn’t a great movie, but it is short. Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It is a much better movie in the first 10 minutes than Singularity (in terms of craft and story), but I felt like it was something that wouldn’t be torture to sit through and watch, unlike Singularity, which promised to be a slog every minute of the way to the end. While watching The Darkest Hour, not only was I surprised at the hour mark that I had made it that far, I saw that I only had an half an hour to go and I powered through it instead of stopping and potentially not coming back to finish watching it. The short time frame is a real bonus here.

The Bad

The script. There are other issues, one of which I’ll talk about in the next section, but primarily the problem rests in the script. I called this a “Russian alien invasion movie,” but really, it is much closer to a “Russian version of Independence Day.” The characterization and plot elements are very reminiscent of that movie, while the actual style is much closer to the Russian movies such as Nightwatch and Daywatch. There’s a real horror vibe to the way the aliens kill humans that creates a fair amount of tension and is one of the best elements of the movie. However, the script undercuts these elements with dialogue that isn’t realistic, with poor characterizations, with predictable scenarios and with some really cheesy moments.

The Ugly

While I’m not usually critical of actors, I have to say that the lead protagonist seemed miscast in the role (or the acting choices that he made didn’t work for me). While he’s portrayed to look like the typical American, that’s not how it comes across to the audience (or to me, at least). He very much has a “Jack Black” look going on and while many of his lines are delivered earnestly, there’s a mischievous look/quality that undercuts most of what he says. In any other movie, he would have been the “troublemaker” character (that goes to someone else in this movie) and he would always be fighting for his own survival. I almost never bought the main character and this consistently took me out of the movie. There are other issues with character choices, but I chalk those up the script.

Also, whenever the aliens aren’t on screen, this movie is much worse. The first 15 minutes, before the aliens show up, are rough, but I could get through it, knowing that they were trying to set up the characters to make you care about them, so that you would feel concerned for what happened to them for the rest of the narrative. However, the last 10 minutes of the movie, the anti-climax of the movie, after the aliens are off the screen, are some of the cheesiest that I’ve ever seen. When you have a supporting character roll their eyes, that should give you pause as a director/screenwriter, to perhaps change/modify that section. The supporting character who rolls their eyes acts as a surrogate for the audience as the ending seems BEYOND forced, having not been earned throughout the narrative.

Grade: 72 (C-)

Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is a very specific grade for me. The movie is below average, no question. However, the first 40-50 minutes of the movie are average/above average due to the tension that the movie is able to create with the way in which the aliens kill. However, it falls down in so many other areas, that I felt that those areas really dragged this movie down. Add to that the questionable casting of the main protagonist and the cheesiness of the first 15 minutes/last 10 minutes of the movie and you have a movie that is definitely below the average movie. The fact that it is very short and that the middle moves at a good clip really redeems this story and lifts it up just enough to be enough of an enjoyable watch and not a waste of time (unlike Singularity promised to be).

What I learned from this movie: that you want to create characters that the reader/viewer/audience cares about before the “strange things” happen. World War Z does this much better and in much less time. That movie is able to humanize the main character in less than 5 minutes of movie time when the narrative “proper” kicks off. It does in 5 minutes, what this movie couldn’t do at all (for me), and now I have a good example and a bad example of how to humanize the main character so that the audience cares about the protagonist.

Sidney

Please consider supporting these fine small press publishers where my work has appeared:

Currently Working On (May 2021):

  • Unhallowed (Weird Western Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market
  • Starlight, Starbright (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: Completed; Out to Market.
  • The Independent (Science Fiction Story)
    2021 Revision: In Progress
  • To Dance the Sea of Storms (Fantasy Story)
    Prewrite: Completed, Plan & Outline: Completed, Write a first draft: Completed, Revision: In Progress

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

Dr. Eric Perry’s Blog

Motivate | Inspire | Uplift

DIANA MARIN

CREATIVE WRITER & SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

LUNA

Pen to paper

Amaris Emersleben

Amaris Emersleben official website

Brielle R Campos

With Great Power Comes Great Rhetoric

Ashley O'Melia, Author

A garden of wild thoughts in straight little rows

LAUREGALIE

BOOK REVIEWS

Pauls Pages Too

Extra Content from PaulsPages.com

DragOn Writing

Sci-Fi and Fantasy writer, dreamer and Netflix junkie

The Godly Chic Diaries

BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Learning to write

Just your average PhD student using the internet to enhance their CV

Blog Writing Profits

Memoir of a Writer

perfecting language on paper

Tiger Riding for Beginners

Bernie Gourley: Traveling Poet-Philosopher & Aspiring Puddle Dancer

unbolt me

the literary asylum

The Solivagant Writer

The world is my playground; the pen, my friend

James Harringtons Creative Work

A site of writings, musings, and geek culture, all under one domain!

renegade7x

Natalia's space

Read Men and Nations

S.A. Barton