The Matrix Resurrections

Official Australian release date: 26/12/21. Viewed: 27/12/21.
Director: Lana Wachowski
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

 

‘The Matrix Resurrections’ is a semi-reboot, coming 18 years after the trilogy was completed. We don’t start with Neo (Reeves), but rather Bugs (Henwick), a Trinity-like character and a refreshed-Morpheus (Abdul-Mateen), as they search for Neo in the Matrix. Turns out Neo & Trinity (Moss) are both alive inside the Matrix, but in new simulations, where they don’t know each other or their past lives and Mr Anderson just so happens to have created a video game called “The Matrix”. It gets a bit meta in parts.

The film takes quite a while to establish Neo’s new normal, with the therapist/Analyst (Patrick-Harris) and Smith (Groff) as his business partner, as well as the new real humans – Bugs and the others that don’t really get much screen time. Niobe (Pinkett Smith) is back as one of the survivors of Zion. Once Neo is rescued, it becomes an attempt to free Trinity too. Not really too much to the plot otherwise, for good or bad. Henwick, Groff and Patrick-Harris are good, while Moss feels like a secondary character.

One of the main issues is that the CGI on the original trilogy was so groundbreaking, that it now seems run-of-the-mill. There’s not much new here in terms of CGI or action scenes, especially after what happened in ‘Revolutions’ (probably worth a re-watch to those that write it off). Sticks to the core tenet of Neo & trinity’s love being able to disrupt the Matrix, but doesn’t add too much to the overall Matrix mythology. Definitely not a bad film, just not exceptional. I assume there will be more films...

Overall: Nice nostalgia trip, without being revolutionary.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Official Australian release date: 16/12/21. Viewed: 19/12/21.
Director: Jon Watts
Actors: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon
Genre: Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Rating: M

 

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is the final piece of the MCU/Sony trilogy, all in under five years. It’s also Holland’s 6^th time playing Peter Parker and essentially serves as ‘Doctor Strange’ 1.5, bridging to ‘Multiverse of Madness’ next year. This film picks up right where ‘Farm From Home’ left off, with the world now knowing Peter is Spider-Man, which make things very difficult for him, MJ (Zendaya), Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), Ned (Batalon) and Happy (Favreau).

Peter goes to Dr Strange (Cumberbatch) for some magical help, which triggers a multiverse “issue”, with – I don’t think this is a spoiler after all the trailers & press – villains from the pre-MCU Spider-Man films being pulled into the MCU. This includes Dr Octopus (Molina), Green Goblin (Dafoe), Electro (Foxx), Sandman (Haden Church) and Lizard (Ifans) all trying to figure out why this Spider-Man is different. It borrows a bit from ‘Into the Spider-Verse’, which is a good thing, as that film is superb. Along with them, the big reveal is that the multiverse Peter Parker’s – Toby Maguire (now 46) and Andrew Garfield (now 38) – are also pulled into this world. This provides both some funny and insightful moments.

Peter’s close to losing control a few times here, and the final act does a good job of raising the stakes and helping him realise his role, his morality and mortality. There’s quite a few touching moments, and with all MCU films, the ensemble works well here – it’s great watching Peter, MJ and Ned together, and it’s not too corny having the other two Spider-Men involved. Dafoe reminds us of what a good actor he is. All the throw-back villains and Maguire/Garfield could’ve made this seem like a lame cash-grab, but it really works. I had great time and enjoyed the simultaneous happy and sad ending.

Overall: Excellently-executed Spider-Man story.

Gav's Rating: 4.5 stars.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Official Australian release date: 1/1/22. Viewed: 12/12/21.
Director: Jason Reitman
Actors: Mckenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon
Genre: Sci-Fi / Comedy
Rating: PG

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is the 4^th Ghostbusters film and while OK in parts, is probably on par with the most recent film. It takes about an hour to set-up Callie (Coon) bringing her two teenage kids – Phoebe (Grace) & Trevor (Wolfhard) – to Oklahoma, because they inherit their estranged grandad’s farm. Turns out he was Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis’ character in the two original films). We also meet Phoebe’s teacher, Grooberson (Rudd) who helps out.

The next-gen of ghostbusters is set-up with Podcast (Kim) befriending Phoebe and Trevor befriending Lucky (O’Connor). Together, the four of them set out to find what’s causing the earthquakes using some of the stuff they find in Spengler’s basement. There’s plenty of throwbacks with the plasma-guns, car and other equipment.

The third act picks up pace, and there’s some funny moments, but unfortunately it’s probably at it’s best when it’s a teen mystery/adventure, before it all becomes a little too familiar and predictable at the end. Grace is good, but it needed more Rudd and no-one else has that much to do.

Overall: Passable reboot.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Encanto

Official Australian release date: 2/12/21. Viewed: 12/12/21.
Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard & Charise Castro Smith  
Actors: Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow, Diane Guerrero, John Leguizamo
Genre: Animated / Family
Rating: PG

 

‘Encanto’ is a Disney (not Disney-Pixar) animated story from the directors of ‘Zooptopia’, this time about a Colombian family (the Madrigals) who have inherited a miracle/enchanted candle and house that gives them all some sort of gift/power – except Mirabel (Beatriz – “Rosa” from Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Therein lies her trying to fit in with her sisters – “strong” Luisa (Darrow) and “perfect” Isabela (Guerrero), as well as her aunts, uncles, parents, cousins and grandma/abuela (Botero), who all live in the reverse-haunted-house.

Apparently all the songs are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, there’s only 5 or so of them and most are not memorable. There’s a bit of a mystery surrounding what happened to Mirabel’s uncle Bruno (Leguizamo, interesting hearing him not as Sid!), which Mirabel sets out to solve. There’s some action sequences and a few trippy bits during some of the songs, but nothing scary for kids.

Great animation and colours/lighting throughout, and not too long. The resolution of Mirabel not needing powers to love/help her family and her abuela realising her mistakes with Mirabel and Bruno are quite touching and seem realistic. Certainly a good moral – you don’t need to be “special” to help/love/be nice to others.

Overall: Good family story.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Last Night in Soho

Official Australian release date: 18/11/21. Viewed: 4/12/21.
Director: Edgar Wright
Actors: Thomasin McKenzie, Anna Taylor-Joy, Michael Ajao, Diana Rigg
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Rating: MA

 

‘Last Night in Soho’ is a blend of coming-of-age story, love letter to London and nostalgic reminiscence of the 1960s, with a nice murder-mystery thrown in for measure! I’ll see anything Edgar Wright makes, with this not being a comedy set in a specific genre, but closer to ‘Baby Driver’ in it’s focus. Ellie (McKenzie) gets into fashion design school in London and her obsession with the 60s (both fashion and music) sets her off on an unexpected journey of both self-discovery and some visions of Sandie (Talyor-Joy) in 60s Soho.

The cast is well-rounded, with John (Ajao) as the friend, Ms Collins (Rigg) as the landlady, Jack (Smith) personifying the 60s, Jocasta (Karlsen) as the frenemy and Terence Stamp as the old storyteller. After a normal set-up, a trippy second act with an exceptional soundtrack (Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, Cilla Black). You think you know where the finale is heading, but then there’s a few great twists at the end.

I wouldn’t say it turns into horror, but there’s certainly some semi-shocking moments and definitely a nice surprise with where the film ends up. Great performances from both McKenzie & Taylor-Joy, and nice to see Diana Rigg one last time.

Overall: Enjoyable London dream/nightmare mystery.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Dune

Official Australian release date: 2/12/21. Viewed: 3/12/21.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Actors: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

 

‘Dune’ (or Dune: Part One) is the best attempt so far at translating the books into film, from my recollections of the 1984 & 2000 versions. The first act lays out the landscape and epic scope – Leto Atreides (Isaac) as the Duke/ruler of a powerful planet/army, his partner Jessica (Ferguson) and their son Paul (Chalamet). They’re sent to the desert planet of Arrakis to mine spice, which sets off a chain of intergalactic events, between the Atreides, the Fremin, the Emperor, the Harkonnen and the Bebe Gesserit (don’t worry – it’ll make sense by the end. Or it wont!)

Pretty star-heavy cast, with everyone getting some screentime during the 2.5 hours – Chani (Zendaya) and Stilgar (Bardem) as two of the indigenous desert-dwelling Fremin, the grotesque Baron (Skarsgard), the Duke’s right-hand-man Gurney (Brolin), fun-soldier-guy Duncan (Momoa), bad-bald-guy Rabban (Bautista) and Dr Kynes (Duncan-Brewster). The most disconcerting thing of the film is that Paul’s mum is only 12 years older than him in real life! The film throws in a fair bit of mythology/prophecy and universe-building, but not too much to overwhelm. The dragonfly helicopter/planes are particularly cool!

The score and use of drums is great, adding lots of momentum and while it always feels like this is setting up for the next film(s), it’s still an enjoyable journey following Paul (from real-world Norway to Jordan & the UAE) and seeing his character grow as he tries to figure out how his visions might fit his world and the galaxy. Will expect slightly more from the sequel!

Overall: Well-executed sci-fi tale

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Official Australian release date: 25/11/21. Viewed: 19/11/21.
Director: Andy Serkis
Actors: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’, the second non-MCU Venom film, sees alien symbiote Venom and Eddie Brock (Hardy) learning how to share the same body. The film introduces Cletus Kasady (Harrelson) as a disturbed killer and his partner Frances (Harris) early on, before focusing on the odd-couple relationship of Venom/Eddie for the first act, which is quite fun. Anne (Williams) and Dan (Scott) are back as Eddie’s ex and her new partner.

Mulligan (Graham) is the cop trying to figure out what’s going on with Eddie and has a link to Kasady & Frances. Besides Tom & Woody – both good to see having fun with their characters – no-one really gets much screen time, but things move along very quickly (only ~90min total), as the final showdown when Kasady becomes “Carnage” inevitably happens.  

Some solid CGI, which is required, but a poor soundtrack and a bit of a nothing plot. Feel like we needed more Dan & Mrs Chen (Lu) – the comedy aspects are done quite well and some of the action is good, but there’s nothing really new or too exciting. End credits scene is worth waiting for.

Overall: Again, fun enough, but nothing substantial

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

 

No Time To Die

Official Australian release date: 11/11/21. Viewed: 14/11/21.
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Actors: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch
Genre: Action / Thriller
Rating: M

‘No Time To Die’ is Daniel Craig’s fifth, and final, time playing James Bond, and puts him up there as the  second best Bond (after Sean Connery). This film follows closely from ‘Spectre’, even though six years have passed in real life, and adds more relevance to that film’s plot. The opening is interesting, as it delves into Madeleine (Seydoux)’s background, introduces Safin (Malek) and only then do we get to present day Bond and Madeleine in Italy (since Bond has “retired”) and the titles (average song).

This film has a great ensemble cast, with Felix (Wright) back for his 3^rd time, Paloma (de Armas) having a fun CIA cameo in Cuba, Nomi (Lynch) as the next-gen 007 who grows on you, Primo (Benssalah) as the henchman and Blofeld (Waltz), Q (Whishaw), Tanner (Kinnear), Moneypenny (Harris) and M (Fiennes) all back. I find some of the most enjoyable aspects are when Bond works/interacts with the MI6 team – Q, M, Tanner & Moneypenny – rather than as a lone wolf.

While long, it’s a pretty well-made save-the-world story, with Safin having some sort of nanobot WMD, with high stakes and a fair bit of heart, as you hope Bond and Madeleine end up together, unlike Vesper. There’s good intrigue and great locations, including Norway, Jamaica and the Japanese island finale (although filmed on the Faroe Islands). Plenty of excellent stunts and fight scenes, with a satisfactory ending. Thanks for the fun 15 years Daniel Craig! Looking forward to seeing what’s next…

Overall: Fitting finale for the Craig-era of 007.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Eternals

Official Australian release date: 4/11/21. Viewed: 3/11/21.
Director: Chloé Zhao
Actors: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh
Genre: Action / Sc-Fi
Rating: M

 

‘Eternals’ is both a Marvel superhero film, but also not – unlike some other MCU films having lesser-known superheroes, this is almost a parallel universe, or a ‘What If?’ episode, with 10 new Eternals (good immortal aliens) introduced to us in 5,000BC that help save humans from Deviants (bad aliens), sent by Celestials (big aliens). The film spends most of it’s time in 2021, but has plenty of flashbacks over the previous millennia.

As they’re not mainstream heroes, they all seem to have a generic power, with no-one being too special. As with all ensemble casts, not everyone gets much screen-time and it takes a while to figure out who does what and how they fit in. For the record, Ajak (Hayek) is the leader, with Sersi (Chan; the heart of the film) and Ikaris (Madden) essentially acting as the leads/love interests. The next most screen-time goes to Sprite (McHugh, the “kid”) and Kingo (Nanjiani, a little comedic relief). Then there’s Thena (Jolie, barely used), Phastos (Tyree Henry), Makkari (Ridloff), Druig (Keoghan, such a punchable face) and Gilgamesh (Dong-seok). Once you figure out who’s who, it’s basically over!

There’s not really a “big bad guy” as such, and the whole Celestials thing is pretty laughable, but if you go with it, there’s still quite a bit that doesn’t really come together until the end. The final 30min or so is pretty exciting, but there’s certainly a sizeable lull in the middle. It certainly has it’s moments, with some good CGI, but the stakes never seem quite as high as they should and the tone is often a bit too dour, with not as much fun and effervescence as I’d expect. The post-credits scenes create more questions for the next set of films to answer.

Overall: Not bad, just a bit strained

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

The Last Duel

Official Australian release date: 21/10/21. Viewed: 21/10/21.
Director: Ridley Scott
Actors: Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck
Genre: Action / Drama
Rating: MA

‘The Last Duel’ was not quite what I was expecting from a Ridley Scott historical epic – better than ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, ‘The Duellists’ and ‘Exodus: Gods & Kings’, but not of the same calibre as ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Robin Hood’. It’s set in 14^th century France (but no subtitles here, all in English!) with Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Driver) seemingly ageless knights. Marguerite (Comer) is Jean’s wife and Pierre (Affleck) is the count for which Jacques is a squire. It should be noted that the other main co-stars are Damon’s mullet and Affleck’s dyed blonde hair & goatee!

The first 40min seems a bit scattershot, jumping all over France and to different times during a 20-year period, with lots of blanks. But it soon becomes clear that we’re watching three different retellings from the perspectives of Jean, Jacques & Marguerite, as the plot slowly unveils itself and your assumptions are challenged each time. After the battle at the start, the middle 90min is a bit slow, with it basically being a drama and battle of wills between the four main characters.

The actual duel at the end is really brutal and very well executed. The subject matter, and filming, of the rape that is the focus for much of the film is disturbing and while you admire Marguerite’s courage, the ending left me asking what the point was? I know it’s based on a true story, but the resolution felt unsatisfactory and mostly serves as a bleak reminder of how bad things were for most in past centuries. By no means a bad film, just not as much medieval battling as I was hoping for, or as much humour as I expected from Damon & Affleck.

Overall: Long human-focused drama.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings

Official Australian release date: 2/9/21. Viewed: 1/9/21.

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Actors: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang

Genre: Action / Fantasy

Rating: M

‘Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings’ (or SCLTR?) feels like the proper start of MCU’s phase 4, with a clear link forming to ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. We’re first introduced to what seems like a Chinese fairytale, as we follow Wenwu (Leung) and his millennium of power with 10 enchanted rings/bracelets. We then meet Li (Chen), who turns out to be the mum of Shang-Chi (Liu) & Xialing (Zhang).

How the mystical realm of Ta Lo fits in and it’s secrets aren’t revealed until the third act, and after the intro, the film does well to show Shang-Chi & Katy (Awkwafina) living their somewhat unfulfilled lives in San Francisco, before the action starts to heat up when Shang-Chi goes looking for his sister. All the actors are very likeable, especially Leung, who does a great job of making sure Wenwu doesn’t descend into a caricature of a bad guy, but truly feels like a misguided father. Some great cameos also round everything out and it’s always great to see Michelle Yeoh.

While a bit slow in some parts, the martial arts scenes and action near the end are great, without being overwhelming – certainly up there with ‘Hero’ & ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. Also a nice nod to ‘Raya & the Last Dragon’! Nice ending and character arc for Shang-Chi – I look forward to seeing him find his place in the MCU.

Overall: Enjoyable action film.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Black Widow

Official Australian release date: 8/7/21. Viewed: 9/7/21.

Director: Cate Shortland

Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz

Genre: Action / Sci-Fi

Rating: M

‘Black Widow’ is the latest MCU film, taking place after ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and before ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, where we get to see Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) doing her bad-ass spy thing solo. Or mostly solo – she’s joined, at times, by her “unique” family: father Alexi (Harbour), mother Melina (Weisz) and sister Yelena (Pugh). There’s plenty of backstory there and it’s well handled.

Having Pugh & Harbour actually added way more humour than I was expecting, which was good to see and helped keep things moving. However, this is primarily a Bond-style action-packed car-chase into explosion into hand-to-hand-combat film. And that’s what ‘Black Widow’ should be – she has no super-powers, after all. The plot involves Natasha going after “the Red Room”, which is the spy agency that programmed her to be an assassin. Dreykov (Winstone) and the skull-helmeted semi-cyborg (no spoilers!) are OK as the bad guys, even if they don’t have that much screen time.

Pretty satisfying conclusion, with the post-credits scene linking back into some of the Marvel TV shows. I enjoyed all the scenes with Harbour, but Pugh steals the show, with some solid stunts/fights, but mostly her well-placed quips. It’s also a fitting conclusion if this is the last time we see Johansson as Black Widow, as she’s so assured in the role that you feel light at home when she’s on screen. Bring on Phase 4!

Overall: well-made Marvel backstory.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

Official Australian release date: 24/6/21. Viewed: 13/6/21.
Director: Patrick Hughes
Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas
Genre: Action / Comedy
Rating: MA

 

‘The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’ is a sequel to the 2017 “odd-couple” film, where Michael Bryce (Reynolds) is a bodyguard to hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson). This time around, Darius’ wife Sonia (Hayek) is added to the mix, with pleasing results! Plot is pretty simple – Darius & Sonia are attempting to have a belated honeymoon in Europe, and Bryce is attempting to have a sabbatical from bodyguarding. They end up getting involved in foiling Papadopolous’ (Banderas) plan to take down Europe data servers.
 
Nice to see lots of pre-covid Europe – Italy, Croatia, UK – and also plenty of car chases/explosions/gun fights. The film does well to tread the line between action & comedy and covers both bases equally well. The highlight is definitely the dysfunctional relationship between Reynolds, Jackson & Hayek – plenty of great lines and quips. Also nice to see Morgan Freeman, as well as blond/evil Banderas.

Plenty of unbelievable moments, but lots of them played for laughs. Plays like a well-made Bond spoof. The dream sequences are particularly funny, with Reynolds’ charm always coming through. Very satisfying ending – I’m on board for the third!
 
Overall: Fun and fast.
 
Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

A Quiet Place: Part II

Official Australian release date: 27/5/21. Viewed: 21/5/21.
Director: John Krasinski
Actors: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cilian Murphy
Genre: Thriller / Horror
Rating: M

 
‘A Quiet Place: Part II’ is a rare sequel – one that almost surpasses the original! It does a good job of having an action-packed opening 10min flashback, to remind you how the sound-hunting-aliens work, but also so Lee (Krasinski) can get some screen time and we unveil a bit of the initial terror when the outbreak started. From there, we follow Evelyn (Blunt), Regan (Simmonds), Marcus (Jupe) and the baby from the immediate aftermath of the first film.
 
They run into Emmett (Murphy), who we meet in the flashback, who’s been dealing with his own trials while trying to survive. Obviously, a few things go wrong and there’s many fraught moments as they’re hunted by the creatures. The film is smart by making Simmonds the main character and following her journey as she sets out to use her hearing-aid against the aliens.
 
Once again, the score – and often lack of any sound – is used really well and forces you to put yourself in the character’s shoes. The pacing is also great, with there being a few moments of respite, but overall there’s plenty of momentum and it all feels like it’s over too quick (does only go for 90min). Very enjoyable – would watch a third one!
 
Overall: Another taught thriller
 
Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Wrath of Man

Official Australian release date: 29/4/21. Viewed: 19/5/21.
Director: Guy Ritchie
Actors: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Scott Eastwood, Josh Hartnett
Genre: Action
Rating: MA
 

‘Wrath of Man’ is the first Guy Ritchie/Jason Statham film in a few years and it’s good to see them both back doing what they do best! This time, the location is Los Angeles, but still the gritty wrong-side-of-the-tracks, as we follow Hill (Statham) as he joins a security firm for a cash transport company, where he’s shown the ropes by Bullet (McCallany) and Dave (Hartnett). The first act plays like a straightforward heist film.
 
But then we have a flashback for the 2^nd act (I like the title cards between them) to give us more backstory and then the 3^rd act flips everything into a revenge film as we find out what’s motivating Hill and how Jackson (Donovan), Tom (Reilly) and Jan (Eastwood) fit in. The pieces all fit together quite well, but still leave one big question heading into the 4^th & final act.
 
Needless to say, the body count is quite high (30+), Statham does his strong/silent type well, with a few well-placed quips, there’s enough insight into the supporting cast and a crazy shoot-out finale. The score was sometimes overbearing, but the pacing was good. Probably better than ‘The Gentlemen’ in my book.
 
Overall: Assured revenge fun in classic Statham style.
 
Gav's Rating: 4 stars.
 

Mortal Kombat

Official Australian release date: 22/4/21. Viewed: 23/4/21.
Director: Simon McQuoid
Actors: Lewis Tan, Joe Taslim, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson
Genre: Action / Fantasy
Rating: R

 

‘Mortal Kombat’ is a reboot of the 1995 film based on the early 90s arcade game. As such, the bar is quite low! The story revolves around Hanzo (Sanada), who battles Sub Zero (Taslim) in samurai-era Japan. We then cut to 500 years later and Hanzo’s heir, Cole (Tan) is a semi-washed-up MMA fighter trying to support his family, when he’s approached by Jax (Brooks) and Sonya (McNamee) to inform him that he’s a Champion and needed to defend Earth. Fighting ensues!

We never really learn where or when it’s set, but it doesn’t really matter and the outback South Australia scenery is great to see on screen and gives it an otherworldly vibe, as it’s not the standard “American West”. There’s some allusions as to the why/what “Mortal Kombat” is and we then get to see Raiden (Asano), Kang (Lin) & Lao (Huang), as well as the “bad guys”, Nitara (Jarnson) & Tsung (Han) + Sub Zero in full costume, as they set out to destroy Earth. Special mention to Kano (Lawson), who brings comedic relief and is super-annoying – hopefully on purpose!

With the solid pacing and OK set-up in the first 15min, the film definitely meanders all over the shop and seems like it’s episode 3 of a 10-part TV series, before it gets 70min and realises it needs to make something happen, so suddenly there’s heaps of fighting and individual battles, before the big sequel-setting-finale. For an R-rated film, probably not as gory as I was expecting, but still some laugh-inducing deaths.

Overall: Semi-tongue-in-cheek action silliness.

Gav's Rating: 2.5 stars.

Godzilla vs. Kong

Official Australian release date: 25/3/21. Viewed: 6/4/21.
Director: Adam Wingard
Actors: Kaylee Hottle, Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Millie Bobby Brown
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ finishes (hah!) the Godzilla reboot trilogy (2014’s ‘Godzilla’ & 2019’s ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’) and links with 2017’s ‘Kong: Skull Island’ in Legendary Entertainment’s “monster-verse”. The plot is: Godzilla and Kong are the only remaining “titans” from myth and therefore must fight. It brings back Madison (“Eleven”/Bobby Brown) and Dr Russell (Chandler) from ‘King of the Monsters’, for some reason. But besides the two CGI centerpieces, the only other character of substance is Jia (Hottle), the deaf orphan that can communicate with Kong.

The B plot, revolving around Nathan (Skarsgard), Ilene (Hall), Jia & Walter Simmons (Birchir) trying to get Kong to the “hollow core of the Earth” – ridiculous not-worth-mentioning physics – and C plot following Madison, Josh (“Ricky Baker”/Dennison) & Bernie (Hayes) about trying to prove Godzilla’s innocence, are just padding to get to the required runtime. Otherwise it’d just be a 40min film of two giant monsters fighting!

Which is why it’s not a terrible film – it delivers what it sets out to do. The soundtrack is odd, and when they get to Hong Kong, it turns into ‘Tron’ – including the lighting of the buildings. Not sure why... Some good CGI, with what I imagine a Komodo Dragon fighting a gorilla might be like in real life. A few laugh-out-loud moments and oddly you end up empathizing with Kong as a fellow mammal. Needless to say, I’m sure further sequels will follow.

Overall: Dumb fun popcorn flick.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Nobody

Official Australian release date: 1/4/21. Viewed: 5/4/21.
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Actors: Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen
Genre: Action / Thriller
Rating: MA
 

 

‘Nobody’ is a unassuming-man-becomes-vengeful-killer film, in the vein of ‘Taken’ and ‘John Wick’. However, it definitely has a little more tongue-in-cheek thanks to Bob Odenkirk and his comedic timing/delivery. Hutch (Odenkirk) is an accountant, with a wife, Becca (Nielsen) and two kids and regular visits to his elderly Pops (Lloyd) – nothing to see here. Until their home is broken into, which leads to a string unravelling and Hutch reverting to some long-buried tendencies.

Does a good job of setting the scene, showing that Hutch has been leading a normal life and not working undercover for the CIA or anything – it’s just unfortunate that he’s led into a war with the Russian mafia and Yulian (Serebryakov). There’s not a whole heap that’s new or revolutionary, and there’s plenty of action and violence, but nothing too gratuitous or insane.

It’s fast-paced, doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, with a satisfying ending a a great soundtrack, adding to some of the underlying not-too-seriousness. Great support cast of Nielsen, Munroe, Cadorath, RZA, Mengesha, Ironside and the always-a-pleasure-to-watch Christopher Lloyd, still going strong at 82. Also, kudos to Odenkirk for his action scenes at 58!

Overall: Fun action shoot-em-up.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Chaos Walking

Official Australian release date: 4/3/21. Viewed: 9/3/21.

Director: Doug Liman
Actors: Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, David Oyelowo
Genre: Sci-Fi / Action
Rating: M

‘Chaos Walking’ is a near-future humanity-trying-to-colonise-a-new-planet film, based on the book ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go’ by Patrick Ness, which I haven’t read. I may have to read the three books, as the unique “power” all the men on this new planet have is that their thoughts are visible – called “the noise”, shown as multi-coloured clouds around their heads. No secrets here! Or so you’d think. Todd (Holland) is a teenager raised on this planet, guided by the mayor, Prentiss (Mikkelsen) & preacher (Oyelowo), when Viola (Ridley) crash lands from the 2^nd fleet from Earth.

It’s directed by Doug Liman, who has a very interesting CV now (‘Swingers’, ‘Bourne Identity’, ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’) and does a good job to keep things moving, while slowly fleshing out the characters. It’s essentially a chase film, with Todd & Viola on the run the whole time. Quebec does a good job of standing is as not-unusually-seen terrain. The “noise” can get annoying at times, but Holland’s charm helps.

I should highlight that some won’t like the few instances of animal cruelty shown on screen, so be warned. Good to see Spider-Man and Rey acting together – you can see the studio trying to cash in when they filmed this 3.5 years ago! Why there are some quite obvious reveals (reminds me more of ‘The Chrysalids’ than other sci-fi novels), and there is a little more world-building needed (I’m sure we’ll see sequels), it offers enough to leave you satisfied.

Overall: Solid, if unspectacular, sci-fi.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Raya and the Last Dragon

Official Australian release date: 4/3/21. Viewed: 6/3/21.
Directors: Don Hall & Carlos Estrada
Actors: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan
Genre: Fantasy / Adventure
Rating: PG

‘Raya & the Last Dragon’ is another excellent Disney Animation film (not Pixar), with strong female characters, a well-plotted story and some breathtaking animation. We’re introduced to the fantasy world of Kumandra, which is an imitation of Thailand, Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Vietnam, where benevolent dragons once lived in harmony with humans. Raya (Tran; “rie-a”, not “ray-a”) is a princess in the now-divided Kumandra, as is Namaari (Chan). To restore peace and Kumandra, Raya sets out to find the last dragon – Sisu (Awkwafina) – and the gem.

Awkwafina provides lots of the comedy as Sisu and works really well, as does Raya’s armadillo, Tuk Tuk. Along the way, Raya & Sisu are joined and helped by Boun (Wang), Tong (Wong) and some cute monkeys. Needless to say, there’s a big showdown with others that are selfishly keeping parts of the gem. Lots of great sword battles!

The pacing is great, and there’s plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle lessons laid in. Some nice character growth for Raya and Namaari. The CGI is exceptional – I don’t think kids these days appreciate it how good they have it! What they’re able to make happen on-screen is a joy to watch. Totally satisfying experience.

Overall: Visually and emotionally superb story.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

The Little Things

Official Australian release date: 18/2/21. Viewed: 21/2/21.
Director: John Lee Hancock
Actors: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Rating: M

‘The Little Things’ is almost a straightforward murder-mystery, with Deacon (Washington), a deputy sheriff in Northern California, picking up some evidence from LAPD, where he runs into Baxter (Malek) and Sal (Bauer) and ends up helping them with a murder investigation. We slowly learn more about Deacon’s past and how there might be some links between recent murders and cases that Deacon & Sal were investigating in the past.

It’s certainly not a thrill ride or full of excitement, but is a decently paced moody film, with a great score. Sparma (Leto) comes into it as a potential suspect. Each of the main three actors get a chance to shine in their own way, with Washington able to convey so much without words multiple times, and Leto does an excellent “creepy” with his gait & I assume contacts to make his pupils larger.

There is constantly little reveals which keep things moving. The third act is truly surprising and makes you ask “why!?” a few times and certainly doesn’t wrap up as you might expect. Nothing revolutionary, but an assured film that showcases some great actors showing off their chops.

Overall: Solid murder mystery, without any pizazz.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

High Ground

 

Official Australian release date: 28/1/21. Viewed: 7/2/21.
Director: Stephen Johnson
Actors: Simon Baker, Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Callan Mulvey, Sean Mununggurr
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Rating: MA

‘High Ground’ is a fictionalised glimpse into events that would have happened all the time in the 18^th, 19^th & even 20^th century, as the British colonised Australia. This film is set in the 1930s, in Arnhem Land and Kakadu, and follows one Aboriginal tribe’s fight for survival, particularly Gutjuk (Nayinggul), his uncle Baywara (Mununggurr) and grandfather Dharrpa (Marika), after the shocking intro scene we see in 1919.

Involved in the 1919 attack are Travis (Baker) and Eddy (Mulvey), both NT Police who report to Moran (Thompson). It’s interesting to see their varying amounts of tolerance for the locals, including when Walter (Pedersen) comes in from Queensland to help. Thompson does a good job of pretensions Monarch-loving toff, while Baker is understated. The film starts to move when Travis and Gutjuk are sent to find and bring in Baywara, where allegiances are tested.

The film’s rated MA for a reason and there are a few devastating scenes. But they’re put there to make us confront and acknowledge what happened in Australia for 150 years after white settlement. The film does this well by letting us see through Gutjuk’s eyes – Nayinggul does well as both a literal and metaphorical translator. Drones are used to great effect to capture the stunning scenery and the score and soundtrack are both good. Certainly not fun, but a well-made film and story.

Overall: Australian racial tension contrasted with natural beauty.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.