Actions Breed Consequence – John Wick: Chapter 4

Actions, consequences and rules. “Without them, we’d live with the animals,” says Winston. No matter how hard John Wick fights, these rules consistently drag him deeper into a cycle of action and reaction. What started as an indie action film, slowly evolved into a modern-day action epic. With each sequel, the consequences of John’s actions reared their heads in grander ways. John Wick: Chapter 4 finally completes Mr. Wick’s blood-soaked journey in one of the greatest American action films since Mad Max: Fury Road.

Escalation has always been a significant theme in these films. With each sequel, Director Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves cooked up entrees of bold action sequences. With John Wick: Chapter 4, they deliver an entire buffet! The action sequences are long and unrelenting, but never once does it feel redundant. The cinematography of Dan Laustsen moves with purpose and uses creative shots and angles to capture the elegant chaos of the action sequences. No matter how outlandish the action sequences get, the practical stunts and choreography are so perfect that it never ruins the immersion. They say that “less is more,” but John Wick: Chapter 4 proves that sometimes, more is better.

Keanu Reeves may be the face of the franchise, but he’s always had a solid cast of colorful supporting actors to bounce off of. John Wick: Chapter 4 continues that trend. Newcomers Shamier Anderson and Rina Sawayama play small, but noteworthy roles as Tracker and Akira respectively. Their future in the franchise shows promise. It’s about time they bring Donnie Yen to the John Wick universe as the blind assassin Caine. Despite being an absolute badass, Caine has a clear motivation that helps us side with him despite his mission to kill John. Bill Skarsgard’s performance as the Marquis was a welcome surprise. With his towering figure and wonderful suits, the Marquis is a wonderfully vile antagonist who might be the stronger villain of the franchise.

The John Wick films have never had strong plots, but JW4’s plot takes a bit too long to get going. The plot is simple: John must defeat the Marquis in order to gain his freedom. The issue is that information doesn’t get relayed until further into the film’s runtime. The first act has to deal with so much exposition that it drags as we wait for the next big action sequence. JW4 has a lot of ground to cover but there could have been some fat trimming in order to keep a steadier pace.

John Wick: Chapter 4 leaves nothing on the table. As a swan song to the Baba Yaga, Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves deliver their magnum opus. For those who have been following the character of John Wick since 2014, JW4 is a melancholic yet emotional sendoff that feels true to the character. As an action film, this is the peak of what action cinema should be. The practical stunt work, cinematography, and worldbuilding are unlike anything being done in action films today. The gauntlet has been thrown for all action films going forward.

Wick Week – Top 5 Action Scenes

He’s back! After three years of anticipation, John Wick: Chapter 4 finally makes its way to the cinema. The John Wick franchise didn’t just reignite Keanu Reeves’ career, but it also jumpstarted the careers of directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, who were Keanu’s stunt doubles for The Matrix. John Wick not only gave us an iconic original character, but it breathed new life into the action genre with its intricate choreography, inventive action set pieces, and painterly cinematography. As we gear up for John Wick: Chapter 4, let’s revisit Baba Yaga’s most iconic beatdowns.

5. Wick vs. Perkins – John Wick

In comparison to the other fight sequences in the franchise, this one feels underrated. I admire how raw and in-your-face this sequence is. Reeves and Palicki flawlessly execute what is essentially an MMA brawl with both fighters trying to pop each others’ arms out their sockets. It’s a shame that Perkins only appears in the first film because she’s an absolute badass and makes a massive impression in that first film! Prior to this fight, we’ve seen John shoot his way through enemies with relative ease, but Perkins was the one who gave him an actual challenge. It’s certainly not the best action sequence that this series has to offer, but it has a lot of energy and feels the most diverse in regards to its choreography and fighting style.

4. A Goddamn Pencil – John Wick: Chapter 2

In the first film, Viggo tells his son that John Wick is so good at what he does, that he killed three men with a pencil. In John Wick: Chapter 2, we finally get to witness it in all of its glory as we see a wounded and bloodied John Wick dispatch a violinist, a sumo wrestler, and two other assassins. The editing is top notch in this sequence as it seamlessly cuts back and forth between John’s fights with the four assassins. The montage has a sense of urgency to it, but it flows in a way that never feels disorienting. John is an expert assassin, but even he manages to get hurt once in awhile, which builds stakes and narrative tension. Did we need to see John kill two assassins with a pencil? No, but we’re glad it happened!

3. Raid on the Continental Hotel – John Wick: Chapter 3

Sometimes, even John Wick needs a little help from his friends, and who better to help him take down some armored-up High Table enforcers than the Continental’s concierge Charon, played to absolute perfection by the late Lance Reddick? Lance Reddick’s Charon became a fan-favorite after the first film, so having him join in on the action was a wonderful payoff. The bulletproof enforcers aren’t just a cool aesthetic choice, but they’re also a creative way of adding stakes to the story and forcing John and Charon to think on their feet. Set inside the Continental hotel, the entire set piece has a clear sense of geography and space which makes it easy to follow along. Most shootouts from modern action films have too much going on, but the raid on the Continental is controlled chaos that feels precise.

2. The Red Circle – John Wick

The Red Circle sequence isn’t just the breakout hit of the first film, but it’s also one of the best action sequences of the entire franchise! This sequence gives us a John Wick who is an unstoppable killing machine who lives up to his reputation. There’s a lot of variety in this sequence and we watch the action escalate from the bathhouse to the main club hall. In terms of style, this sequence plays with neon colors and music ranging from Kaleida’s relaxing “Think” to the poppy techno score of the nightclub. This sequence is full adrenaline-induced euphoria that shamefully comes way too early into the film.

1. Wick vs. Zero and the Assassins – John Wick: Chapter 3

After the casting of Cecep Rahman and Yayan Ruhian of The Raid, the anticipation was at an all-time high. It’s safe to say that director Chad Stahelski made use of these two action superstars to deliver the best action sequence of the entire franchise. The entire fight has a hint of humor as both assassins are fanboys of John Wick and pay him proper respect even as they try to kill him. The Shinobi assassins aren’t given much to say, but their delight in fighting their idol is perfectly visualized. Keanu Reeves deserves a round of applause for keeping up with two expert martial artists. He pulls no punches and manages to keep up with the intense fight choreography. There’s an obvious size difference which the film uses to its advantage as John uses his height to overpower his opponents. This sequence was built on hype and it delivered in spades.

MASSACRE ON 34th STREET – SCREAM VI 

Ghostface rocks his Timbs and heads to New York City in the latest sequel to the Scream franchise. Following the events of 2022’s Scream, Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and Chad (Mason Gooding) relocate to New York City as a way to start fresh. However, a new killer dons the mask and takes their bloody rampage to the streets of New York City. As the body count rises, these four young characters must find out who the killer is before they end up in body bags. Scream (2022) breathed new life into the franchise, but Scream VI proves that the franchise is here to stay. 

Noticeably improved from the first film are the new characters. Sidney Prescott is only mentioned in passing, and save for two legacy character appearances, the new leads get to carry this film entirely on their own. Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding have terrific chemistry and play off each other well. While these characters fit into basic horror tropes, each actor has enough charisma to make their characters stand out. The real joy is in watching these characters react to the carnage surrounding them. Once Ghostface attacks, you’ll be rooting for all of these characters to make it out alive.

Ghostface is back once again and this time, he’s scarier than ever. All the kills delivered by Ghostface feel much more gruesome this time around and will leave you wincing in sheer disgust and terror. What makes Ghostface even scarier now is that he remains just as effective in the crowded city of New York as he does in the quiet suburbs of Woodsboro. No matter where our characters go, the threat of Ghostface is always looming.

Scream has been renowned for its metatextual narrative and how it pokes fun at horror tropes. For fans of those metatextual jokes, Scream VI delivers more of the same. At times, it’s utilized effectively, but there are times when the humor robs the film of any stakes or gravity to the situation. Because nothing is ever really taken seriously, it becomes increasingly difficult to feel genuine fear. This isn’t to say that there aren’t solid moments of tension, but they come few and far between. Wes Craven’s original Scream film had a nice balance between meta-commentary and horror, but Scream VI tries a bit too hard to be in on the joke.

With all that said, Scream VI is a welcome addition to the franchise and proves that these new films are in good hands both in front of and behind the camera. For fans of this franchise, this new addition will give you everything you love about Scream: brutal kills, fun characters, and some good humor. There’s nothing groundbreaking being done here, but it’s so good at what it does that it doesn’t even matter. For horror fans or general audiences looking for a fun night at the movies, this is a solid recommendation.

Monsters in the Deep – Deep Rising

“What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.” Stephen Sommers’ Deep Rising is an action-horror starring Treat Williams, Kevin J. O’Connor, and Famke Janssen. Captain John Finnegan (Williams) and his crewmembers Joey (O’Connor) and Leila (Una Damon) are hired to pilot a group of mercenaries to a classified location on the South China Sea. On the way, they come across the Argonautica, a luxury liner that is suspiciously vacant of any crew or passengers. What they soon discover, however, is that a tentacled sea monster has devoured everyone aboard the ship. The remaining survivors are a woman named Trillian (Janssen) and a handful of crew members. Finnegan and his crew must escape the ship alive before they suffer the same fate. If this sounds ridiculous, it is, but it’s the execution that matters. Stephen Sommers takes what could have been a disposable Alien knock-off and turns it into an unforgettable genre thrill ride!

A film is only as good as its cast and Deep Rising is an embarrassment of riches in terms of its casting. Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, and Kevin J. O’Connor are delightfully campy, but the biggest surprise was how great the supporting characters are. Heavy hitters such as Wes Studi, Cliff Curtis, and Djimon Hounsou all play off each other well. On paper, most of these characters, especially the mercenaries, would be nothing more than generic tough guys, but due to the strength of its casting, these characters leap off the screen! The real joy of the film is watching these characters banter back and forth with each other as they’re being chased by a giant sea monster. While the main function of a majority of the characters is to die in gruesome ways, they all go out pretty memorably and their deaths add well-warranted tension.

Deep Rising began filming from June through October of 1996, but would not be released until February 1998. Much of that delay was due to the special effects, which were handled by Industrial Light and Magic and Rob Bottin, who worked on the makeup effects for The Thing and RoboCop. While the CGI is a bit of a mixed bag, the practical effects and makeup are well-made. Decomposed skeletons are decorated throughout the film which is where the film’s horror vibe hits hardest. There’s one particular sequence that blends both practical and visual effects to deliver one of the most disturbing images in the whole film. It’s moments like this when the film blends the practical effects with the CGI that it works well. The main issue is that when the CGI is front and center, it has a hard time standing on its own, which makes it look unfinished.

Steven Spielberg had the right idea in hiding the shark from Jaws until the final forty minutes. It not only worked because of practicality, but it also served as a storytelling tool to build suspense. Considering how choppy the CGI is, Deep Rising probably would have been better off not even revealing the creature at all. Before we finally meet the creature in the third act, the crew is dispatched by its tentacles, which are scary on their own terms and constantly loom large throughout the film. The scale of the creature doesn’t matter because it leaves it up to the viewers’ imagination on what it looks like. When compared to other blockbusters released within 1998, Deep Impact’s has aged the worst.

Even with its lackluster box office and critical reception at the time of its release, Deep Impact has grown to become a cult classic over the years, and for good reason too! Deep Rising is a great mixture of horror, action, and camp. It takes its many influences and proudly wears them on its sleeves. Had it been released now, it would undoubtedly be praised by genre fans, which goes to show that they just don’t make movies like this anymore. This is a film that knows its limitations and works around them. There is no pretense to it; it’s simply a fun time at the movies.

Top Gun: Maverick – My Favorite Film of 2022

Tom Cruise returns to the Danger Zone as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick. Set thirty years after the first film, Maverick is assigned to prepare a young group of fighter pilots for a special mission. One of the new recruits is Miles Teller’s “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s former co-pilot and best friend “Goose,” played by Anthony Edwards in the first film. As Maverick pushes his students past their limits, he must also come to terms with his own as he faces being aged out by a new generation of aerial combat. In an era of mind-numbing VFX and artificial stakes, director Joesph Kosinski and Tom Cruise push the boundaries of what can be accomplished in modern blockbuster filmmaking. With its practical effects backed up by a great ensemble, Top Gun: Maverick is the gold standard for what blockbusters should strive to be.

It’s a tall order to have a film released so far apart from the original be this good or to even capture a fraction of its magic. Still, it manages to exceed its predecessor, especially during its aerial sequences. The sequences inside the fighter jets were shot with special cameras which required the actors to learn editing and cinematography in order to shoot and edit their respective sequences. The result is an immersive thrill ride that feels as if you’re also in on the action. The film effectively visualizes the physical toll flying these jets takes on the characters. We see the characters grunting, gasping for breath, and sweating as they maneuver and zig-zag their jets through serpentine canyons. All of this buildup leads to a climax that is one of the most gratifying action set pieces of the year! The practicality and realism onscreen provide the film with stakes and tension as we watch our characters dogfight their way out of enemy territory. The final act is akin to Mad Max: Fury Road in that the action is full-on madness but with a clear sense of geography. The biggest reason that the action comes together so impeccably is because the film spends a good amount of time getting to know the characters.

We are introduced to a colorful group of young enthusiastic actors in a sequence that hearkens back to the first film where all the main characters hang out at a bar. During this sequence, we meet Teller’s “Rooster” as well as Glenn Powell’s “Hangman,” who are both the film’s secondary characters behind Maverick. Rooster is a skilled pilot, but he’s reserved and cautious to a fault, whereas Hangman is the hotshot and a hazard to his teammates. On paper, the Hangman character comes across like a generic jock, but Powell’s superstar charisma breathes life into a character who would otherwise be forgettable. Miles Teller also delivers a fantastic and held-back performance as Rooster. The film’s emotional beats rest mainly on Teller’s shoulders and he carries those beats well. Even with these two breakout performances from Teller and Powell, this is Cruise’s film and his charisma is the glue that holds it all together.

Since Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise has gone through a career resurgence as one of the greatest action stars alive. This has allowed Cruise to work with reputable action directors like Christopher McQuarrie who will physically challenge him, but it’s been awhile since Cruise has been able to flex his acting muscles. If there was any doubt in your mind, Top Gun: Maverick proves that Cruise is still a great actor. In Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise gets to play with a wide range of emotions such as doubt and guilt. Maverick is still cool as all hell, but he’s also flawed and vulnerable, which has been something that’s been missing in Cruise’s past few films. The film challenges Cruise’s action hero persona by directly paralleling it with Maverick’s own arc. No matter how young Cruise looks, there will be a time when he won’t be able to perform these stunts anymore. The film does a good job of weaving that theme of age into the story. Top Gun: Maverick is one of Cruise’s best performances in years and deserves to be in the Oscar discussion.

Top Gun: Maverick is an experience. Watching it on the big screen is undoubtedly the best way to see it, but even on home viewing, it remains an effective and engaging piece of entertainment. Kosinski’s direction paired with Cruise’s dedication to delivering spectacle make this a blockbuster unlike any other. It takes all the good things about the first film and builds on them. Most legacy films don’t always do right by their original characters, but Top Gun: Maverick pushes the character of Maverick to his limits and challenges him in ways that respect the character while also taking him in new directions. We need more blockbusters that are made with this much intelligence and craft. As streaming and comic book movies continue to dominate our film landscape, Top Gun: Maverick reminds us why we still love going to the movies.

Horror Meets Hong Kong Cinema – Human Lanterns

Sun Chung’s Human Lanterns is many things: it’s gory, it’s actiony, but most of all, it’s a bloody good time! Tony Liu and Chen Kuan-tai play rival martial artists Lung Shuai and T’an Fu respectively. Following a public embarrassment, Lung Shuai seeks the help of Ch’un-Fang, a lantern maker who Lung Shuai appoints to make him a special lantern. Having suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Lung Shuai years ago, Ch’un-Fang intends to exact his revenge by pitting both martial artists against each other. Fists fly and body counts rise as Lung Shuai and T’an Fu try discovering who is responsible for disappearances of the people closest to them. Very rarely do you see a film manage to effectively mesh horror with action, but Human Lanterns plays both genres very well while also serving as a cautionary tale.

Amidst the action and horror, there are layers and dimensions to the film which keep it from being a forgettable genre mashup. Lung Shuai is an arrogant yet skilled martial artist who goes through a well-written character arc. It isn’t simply the strength of the writing that makes the character fascinating, but Tony Liu’s performance is what brings this character to life. Liu fully displays his prowess as a martial artist, but he also brings with him a charisma that helps to make Lung Shuai easily accessible despite his cockiness at the start of the film. It’s no easy feat to be able to pull off the stunts that Liu does, but to also balance that physicality with a good acting performance is a tall order that Tony Liu manages to deliver.

For viewers anticipating an all-out horror film, Human Lanterns might not be as scary as you’re hoping for. However, the bits of horror that we do see manage to leave an impression. The film’s opening credits are a montage showing off the lantern maker’s murderous dungeon. As lightning strikes the frame, the camera cuts to various images of skulls and a body hanging lifelessly from a rope. There are roughly two skinning sequences that are grotesque and stomach-churning. The practical effects of the human skin as well as the fake blood are very well-done and are guaranteed to make you lose your appetite.

Lo Lieh delivers a frightening yet diabolically fun performance as Ch’un-Fang. Much like Lung Shuai, Ch’un-Fang is also an expert martial artist which makes him a good physical foil for Lung Shuai and T’an Fu. On top of being a great fighter, Ch’un-Fang also gets a scary horror villain outfit! Cloaked in a skull mask and bear claws, Ch’un Fang’s costume is certainly one of the more unique costumes of any horror film. In terms of costume design, Ch’un-Fan deserves a place alongside icons like Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers. Lo Lieh injects so much personality into his character and the way he relishes playing this character is contagious to the viewer.

One cannot discuss a Shaw Brothers film without mentioning the kung fu sequences which are guaranteed to delight action junkies! The choreography moves so beautifully that it almost takes on the form of a dance. All the actors and stunt performers are perfectly in sync with each other which allows the action to flow elegantly. The characters also use a variety of weapons ranging from axes to hook swords which keeps the action from getting stale and one-note. All of this wonderful choreography would be meaningless without a good cinematographer and the cinematography moves with purpose and a clear sense of geography. Human Lanterns does not have back-to-back action, but when they do happen, each set piece is memorable and thoroughly exciting.

In conclusion, Human Lanterns is a thrilling genre mashup that also has great characters, beautiful visuals, and some fun action set pieces. Sun Chung takes both elements of horror and kung-fu and utilizes them to their highest potential. This is sure to please both horror and action movie fans alike while also welcoming newcomers to the Shaw Brothers filmography. Very few films have such a unique style and personality the way that Human Lanterns does which is why this must be seen by any and every cinephile!

Halloween Ends

Halloween Ends…on a bit of a whimper. David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends, the final installment of the Halloween (2018) trilogy, is a film with wild ambitions but lacks the conviction or confidence to follow through with any of them. Set four years after the events of Halloween Kills, Michael Myers has disappeared back into the shadows. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) have since moved with Laurie now writing a memoir recounting her experiences. However, Michael’s menace still looms large over the townspeople of Haddonfield, Illinois with murders and suicides running rampant. As Laurie and Haddonfield’s citizens try to rebuild, Michael returns from the shadows to enact terror once more. Can Laurie finally put an end to the boogeyman, or will evil prevail?

One thing that can’t be taken away from this film is its mood and atmosphere. Within every sequence, there is a constant sense of tension and dread that leaves you on the edge of your seat. That feeling of danger may not always be seen, but it can certainly be felt, and this is in large part due to the film’s eerie and retro score. John Carpenter returns once again with his son Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies to compose yet another delightful score for the Halloween trilogy, which is a rich mix of synth and guitar that feels both modern and retro. The entire trilogy has felt seasonal in that it genuinely does feel appropriate for the season of fall; you can practically smell the pumpkin spice from the screen.

The main issue is that the film can’t seem to decide on what it wants to accomplish. In the film’s opening voiceover, Laurie sets the tone by detailing how the townspeople still live in fear of the Michael, which in turn has the townspeople turning their fears and frustrations towards Corey Cunningham, a young man who accidentally murdered a young boy he was babysitting. The film tackles the theme of nature vs nurture which is embodied by the character of Corey, who is played fantastically by Rohan Campbell. Campbell perfectly straddles the line between being pitiful and downright terrifying. Is Corey evil, or did outside forces force him to be? This is the question that the film seems to be interested in exploring for about two-thirds of the way until it suddenly backtracks. It’s a shame that the film deflates near the end because Campbell does so much with the material he’s given; if only that material had not failed him.

Jamie Lee Curtis’ final performance as Laurie Strode is yet another positive attribute that the film has going for it. As opposed to Halloween Kills, she’s given much more to do this time around and Curtis gives it her all for Halloween Ends. Curtis’ skills as an actor paired with her history with the character help to carry emotional heft for a film that seems to be devoid of any. The steps taken to reach the end of Laurie’s story might have been shaky, but it manages to do right by Laurie.

Overall, the film is less than the sum of its parts due to half-baked ideas, silly execution, and a thematically confused climax. For Halloween fans, this is a complicated recommendation because while the final showdown is worth the price of admission, it feels so far removed from the rest of the film which already makes some contentious choices. The trilogy started on a high note with 2018’s Halloween but the sequels have never lived up to its promise. Halloween Ends is unquestionably a better film than Halloween Kills but mostly due to the wild choices it makes as opposed to being a cohesive story. As the end of a trilogy, Ends lands with a thud, but as Jamie Lee Curtis’ swan song, it’s the ending she deserved.

Carpe Action – Seized

When the least believable thing in your film is Scott Adkins as a tech guy, you know you’re going to have a good time. Isaac Florentine’s Seized stars Scott Adkins as Nero, a former special forces operative who lives on the California beach with his son Taylor (Matthew Garbacz). Nero’s tranquil life is suddenly disrupted when Mzamo (Mario Van Peebles) kidnaps Nero’s son. To get his son back, Nero has one job: kill. Should Nero fail to complete Mzamo’s tasks, Taylor will be killed through carbon monoxide. It’s a race against time as Nero must unleash his hidden killer to rescue his son.

RAD: Seized is a lean and mean shot of adrenaline! Florentine wastes no time in dishing out high-octane action spectacle. The fluid fight sequences are shot in an intelligible way; there is no shaky cam or frantic editing. Adkins kicks, flips, and even gets to fight with both hands behind his back. In an era where the Schwarzeneggers and Stallones are but relics of the past, Adkins proves to be the rightful heir to the action heroes of old. The film follows the same pattern throughout: go to one location and kill everyone in sight. What keeps the sequences from feeling tedious are the technical craft of the stunt performers and the fluid cinematography.

Mario Van Peebles also makes an exciting turn as the bad guy Mzamo and almost steals the whole film. For a direct-to-video action film, it’s refreshing to see an actor fully committing to their role as the big bad. It’s certainly not a Hans Gruber performance, but Van Peebles makes the most with the material he’s given and goes for it. In turn, Mzamo ends up being much more engaging than he would have been under the hands of a lesser actor. As a bonus, Mario Van Peebles even gets to perform some of his stunts which is a fun little treat.

BAD: On a technical aspect, the action is spectacular. The biggest issue with Seized is the lackluster dramatic arc. Nero has lost his wife and has a strained relationship with his son. We don’t see nearly enough to establish the father/son relationship. The character of Taylor is badly written and comes across as unlikeable right from the start of the film. The angsty teenager trope is commonplace in films like this, but the character is horrible to his father who’s just trying to emotionally connect with him. A few more scenes to humanize Taylor would have better established the emotional stakes.

The third act is both the film’s strength as well as its weakness. On the one hand, the action reaches its peak, but Florentine decides to make some questionable twists and turns that were not properly set up during the first two-thirds of the film. While the fight sequences are undoubtedly exceptional, the payoff never quite reaches a satisfying conclusion. The film gives us something different from what we were anticipating.

THE FINAL TAKEDOWN: Overall, Seized is an excellent way to spend a quiet afternoon. For DTV action films, Adkins continues to prove why he’s the king of the genre. It’s not the most innovative action film in Adkins’ filmography, but it most certainly gets the job done in delivering simple thrills and entertaining beatdowns. Seized is an endorsement for fans of Scott Adkins and low-budget action filmmaking.

The Batman (2022)

He is vengeance! He is the night! He is PATMAN!!! Two years into his crusade on crime, Batman (Robert Pattinson) has little to show for it. Crime continues to run rampant and rot the core of Gotham City. A series of murders of Gotham’s rich and powerful lead Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to the Riddler (Paul Dano), a serial killer intent on exposing the city’s corruption. As the murders and conspiracies unfold, Batman must reckon with the lies of Gotham’s rich and powerful as well as just how effective his fight for Gotham has been.

It has been ten years since the Caped Crusader’s last solo outing and the road leading to The Batman has been interesting. Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman introduced us to an older and more jaded version of the character played by Ben Affleck. The film’s reception was divisive, but Affleck’s performance showed promise. Affleck’s next project would have him direct and star in his own Batman feature but after a series of personal issues, Affleck stepped down and Matt Reeves would direct with Robert Pattinson to don the cape and cowl. Matt Reeve’s interpretation of the Batman mythos takes some interesting twists and turns and while the presentation is clunky in parts, The Batman is undoubtedly the most accurate interpretation of the character to date.

Reeve’s understanding and love for Batman’s mythology are undeniable and nothing reflects that more than in his interpretation of Gotham City. Whether you admired the gothic aesthetic of the Burton films or the grounded realism of the Nolan films, Reeves strikes the perfect balance between the familiar and the contemporary. Gotham City looks and feels dangerous, but at the same time, it’s also alluring. Gotham City is a living, breathing character which was something that was lost in Nolan’s Batman sequels. We get to see the higher-tier of the city as well as the seedy underbelly inhabited by Gotham’s most vile criminals. Gotham City is a vibe and the three-hour runtime provides an ample amount of time in exploring the world that Matt Reeves built.

Robert Pattinson has been having a career resurgence and his work in The Batman is the culmination of his grind and determination. The billionaire playboy we’ve come to know over the years is nowhere to be found. In his place is a recluse who takes more pleasure in being Batman than he does in being Bruce Wayne. It would have been just as easy to have Pattinson play up the billionaire playboy considering his conventional good looks, but both Reeves and Pattinson wisely opted to go in a different direction. The result is a fresh interpretation of Bruce Wayne that remains true to the essence of who the character is. In an era where superheroes rarely ever get hurt, it’s engaging to see Pattinson’s Batman get hurt and fail from time to time. With just two years under his belt, this is a Batman who still has plenty to learn and after watching The Batman, the sky is the limit for where they take this character.

Clocking in at three hours, this is the longest Batman film. Unfortunately, more doesn’t always mean better and you feel the runtime. The Riddler is featured as the film’s villain but John Turturro’s Carmine Falcone also plays a minor role as the antagonist linked to the corruption in Gotham. While acts one and three thematically align with Batman and his influence on Gotham City it’s the middle portion that pushes those themes to the side in favor of a plot-driven detective story. The Riddler sets off everything that happens but neither he nor Batman share any screentime together until the start of Act 3. Had Reeves truncated the Falcone subplot, this could have resulted in a film that was focused and streamlined.

A perfect film this is not, but The Batman is the most entertaining Batman film we’ve ever gotten. The world of Gotham City is fully realized and the performances all range from good to great! Zoe Kravitz and Robert Pattinson’s chemistry is on fire and Jeffrey Wright makes for an excellent Jim Gordon. For those expecting an action-heavy superhero film, The Batman will feel more of a piece with films like Zodiac as opposed to traditional blockbuster fare. For those simply wanting to immerse themselves in the world of Gotham City, then The Batman will give you everything you hoped for.

Masters of the Universe

By the power of Grayskull! The battle between good and evil will be fought on our own planet earth as He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and Skeletor (Frank Langella) fight for the fate of Eternia and the universe. After being transported to earth, He-Man and friends seek help from Julie (Courteney Cox) and Kevin (Robert Duncan McNeill), two teenagers who can help bring our heroes home. While our heroes look for a way home, Skeletor dispatches his troops to terminate them. Will He-Man finally defeat Skeletor or will Skeletor accumulate enough power to conquer all? This is Gary Goddard’s Masters of the Universe!

A complicated production schedule caused the film to go over budget. To keep budget costs low, Cannon Films decided to set most of Masters of the Universe on earth as opposed to the fictional world of Eternia. For He-Man fans, this is a deviation of the mythology, but it works surprisingly well. To embrace Masters of the Universe is to admit that this is not the He-Man film you might have wanted. Once you can accept this fact, the film is fun schlock entertainment. This is Star Wars meets Bill & Ted except for the fact that most of the actors aren’t nearly as charismatic as Reeves and Winter.

While most of the performances are mid-to-low tier, there is one performer who stands above the rest and that is Frank Langella as Skeletor. Langella originally took on the role for his son who was a fan of He-Man. He’s since gone on to state that Skeletor was one of his favorite roles and quite frankly, that’s not hard to believe. Langella understands the film he’s in and he makes a full course meal of every scene to deliver a delightfully villainous performance. He’s scary, but in a cartoonish way. Langella strikes a perfect balance between theatrical and frightening.

Langella may have had the time of his life, but his costar Dolph Lundgren had the opposite experience. After his successful debut as the cold-blooded Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, Lundgren was suddenly thrust as the leading man of what was meant to be an action franchise. At the time, he had just flown in from Sweden so his accent was thick and his acting experience was sparse. In terms of physicality, this is an inspired casting choice for He-Man, but Lundgren looks so uncomfortable and stiff that he can’t fully meet the needs of the role. As a physical performer, Lundgren can handle the stunts, but Lundgren’s lack of acting chops make it hard to believe that he is the true ruler of Eternia.

Masters of the Universe would ultimately be the undoing of Cannon Films. With a budget of $22 million, its final gross was $17 million. Over the years, it has gained a cult following and it’s easy to see why. It does plenty of the wrong things, but Masters of the Universe does get a few things right. Frank Langella’s performance coupled with the production design of Castle Grayskull are absolutely marvelous. The effort put into the set and costume designs cannot go unnoticed. It didn’t become the “Star Wars of the 80’s” as Cannon Films had hoped, but it did help to launch Dolph Lundgren’s career which is a victory in and of itself. Whether you’re familiar with He-Man or not, Masters of the Universe is an entertaining nostalgia trip that will please the old and young alike. If you loved smashing your action figures together as a child, this is the child fantasy you’re looking for.

BEST ACTION SEQUENCE: To be quite transparent, the action is fairly pedestrian so it was hard to single out any particular action sequence. If I had to pick one though, it would be the climactic battle in Castle Grayskull. Remember when practical sets and soundstages were a thing? The interior of Castle Grayskull is one big playset and all the characters have room to interact with their surroundings. Gary Goddard, the director of Masters of the Universe, pushed to have at least the opening and ending of the film set in Eternia. The $22 million was certainly spent in the right places because it feels like a Star Wars setpiece. The final battle between He-Man and Skeletor is clunky, but the overall presentation is solid.