Author: Mark

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Post author By Mark
Post date July 24, 2021

Now that the NBA finals are over we can finally focus on the basketball game that really matters: Bugs Bunny’s return to the court in Space Jam: A New Legacy. Look, we love the original Space Jam at ScreenLife but we have to acknowledge that some of that is due to nostalgia. The effects didn’t hold up even when it was brand new and Michael Jordan was not a good actor in hindsight but damned if it isn’t one of the most outright fun family flicks to come out of the nineties. I’m happy to report that the LeBron James-starring sequel is as solid as its predecessor; a ton of basketball and Looney Tunes fun that gets lost in Warner Bros brand promotion at times but always corrects course to deliver a good message and endless entertainment.

The set-up is largely the same as the first film. When LeBron and his son Dom (Cedric Joe) visit the Warner Bros studios to hear a pitch for their new state-of-the-art streaming service (cue the meta groans), they are sucked into the service itself, known as the Serververse, by the cleverly named Al G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle), the digital world’s AI designer. Rhythm is infuriated that LeBron has shot down his breakthrough idea and, in a completely unexpected twist, challenges King James to a game of basketball to save Dom and himself from permanent imprisonment in the Serververse. Playing off the rising tensions between father and son about Dom’s choice to forego basketball in order to pursue game design, Rhythm shoots LeBron off into the program whilst he coerces Dom into playing for his computer generated team. Lost in the void, LeBron must assemble the only team willing to assist him in winning the big game and saving his son: the Bugs Bunny (Jeff Bergman) led Tune Squad.

Look it’s not going to win any awards for writing and the opening 25 minutes do get a bit heavy with the expositional dialogue, but once LeBron links up with Bugs the film finds its groove, zooming through zany, slapstick situations as the pair travel to the worlds of assorted Warner Bros’ franchises to collect the scattered Tunes. You can be cynical and choose to view this as hollow brand promotion, and honestly it does feel like an ad for HBO Max at times – I mean who has let their kids see Mad Max: Fury Road? – but to do that would be to deny the fact that these scenes are just so much fun. Seeing Road Runner keep pace with spike covered, flame belching vehicles in a post-apocalyptic wasteland while Wile E. Coyote launches himself at him from an oil tanker is so ridiculous that it feels right at home within the world of the Looney Tunes pop-culture skewering comedy.

Visits to the worlds of Austin Powers, Game of Thrones, The Matrix and DC won’t necessarily do much for younger viewers, but do provide some entertainment for parents where most of the jokes in the film skew towards a younger audience. Throw in some appearances from Rick and Morty and a sideline crowd of just about every Warner Bros character in existence from Pennywise the Clown to the Night King and you’ve got a film that is clearly aimed at providing a fun experience for the people that grew up with the original, as well as the newer generation that know LeBron James as their basketball hero. It’s hard to be too critical of something with such a simple and positive a goal, even if it wouldn’t have been made had it not boosted every other Warner Bros property in the process.

As for James, well he’s not an actor and he knows it, acknowledging that when athletes turn to the silver screen “it never goes well”. That seems a bit harsh considering his stellar comedic turn in Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck but the challenge of dealing with so much green screen and the lack of real acting partners outside of Joe and and Cheadle shows in LeBron’s performance. His delivery is rather wooden throughout and the surprised face he employs so often isn’t as versatile as he thinks. Even if neither of them will enter the conversation for acting GOAT anytime soon, the performance is a step up from Michael Jordan’s. What saves James is how willing he is to poke fun at himself and his image, happily playing an overprotective, downright mean father at the start of the film if it means that his character can have an arc and the film can deliver its “hard work is always better than taking shortcuts” message. That is something that Michael Jordan was never willing to do, starting the original film a perfect person and ending it without any change.

The real standout is, unsurprisingly, Bug Bunny, who feels like he’s been missing from screens for far longer than he has. His madcap energy keeps the film going like LeBron driving towards the basket and he never allows for things to get boring, regardless of whether he’s pranking Daffy or delivering a heartfelt speech. The other Looney Tunes all get their moments to shine – particularly Daffy and the Zendaya-voiced Lola Bunny – and the animation is always top-notch, even if the writing isn’t as sharp as the series’ heydays. The film may lose steam when we cut back to Cheadle’s villain and his manipulation of Dom but this is necessary to build towards the final emotional beats.

Rather than raising the bar with the sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy changes the game just enough to remain fresh and original. LeBron’s trip to Toon World is less about capturing a time capsule of his fame like the original did for MJ than it is about entertaining the audience with one hell of a basketball game surrounded by properties they know and love. That might put some viewers off instantly, seen as a hollow cash-grab, but if you keep an open-mind and enjoy it for what it is: an overblown, zany Looney Tunes adventure with NBA stars and a whole mess of other famous characters; then you will likely have a (basket)ball, I know I did. Looks like Bugs Bunny is joining LeBron as a back-to-back champion.

Space Jam: A New Legacy stars LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sue Bird, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Nneka Ogwumike, Damian Lillard, Lil Rel Howery, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair J Wright, Harper Leigh Alexander, Ernie Johnson, Steven Yeun, Sarah Silverman & Zendaya – In cinemas now and streaming on HBO Max in the US.

7/10

Tags Anthony Davis, Cedric Joe, Damian Lillard, Don Cheadle, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, LeBron James, Malcolm D. Lee, Nneka Ogwumike, Sonequa Martin-Green, Space Jam, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Sue Bird

Movie Reviews

Fear Street Part Three: 1666

Post author By Mark
Post date July 21, 2021

If you found yourself wondering just how Leigh Janiak would possibly manage to finish her Fear Street trilogy without blaring pop music due to the 1666 setting worry not, she still finds a way to sneak it in there in the better-than-expected grand finale. Everything finally comes to a head as we learn the true history of Sarah Fier and her curse before wrapping up our original nineties-set story in a surprisingly emotional, rousing ending that provides a satisfying conclusion to the last three weeks of gore, spooks and speculation.

Now transported back to the days of puritanical settlers in what will become Shadyville, Deena (Kiana Madeira) finds herself inhabiting the body of Sarah Fier, living out her final days leading up to the infamous curse she placed on the village. Janiak slows the breakneck pacing of the first two films down considerably with this section of the film, establishing Sarah as a normal girl whose secret relationship with the preacher’s daughter Hannah Miller (Olivia Scott Welch) threatens to rock the small community to its core. The decision to cast the actors from earlier instalments as members of the village helps to highlight the similarities between Deena and Sarah and the challenges they both face and Madeira is much more likeable in the role of Sarah, free from the baggage of having to play a stereotypical angst-ridden nineties teen and able to build a more sympathetic character.

The central villain of this time period proves to be the creepiest of the bunch, with the possessed preacher Cyrus Miller (Michael Chandler) taking centre stage as he tears the eyeballs out of the village children’s heads. It isn’t as gory as you might expect but the imagery utilised is incredibly unsettling, even if it is almost immediately overshadowed by the townspeople’s terrifyingly prejudiced response, with wild accusations of witchcraft leading to bloody tragedy. Combined with the costuming, production design and excellent score by Marco Beltrami, it makes for a welcome reprieve from the franticness of the nineties and seventies, establishing an ominous and genuinely frightening tone that has seemed absent throughout the series to this point. There’s been killings and gore aplenty, but nothing truly terrifying until now.

A jarring tonal shift marks our return to the nineties, as Deena, now fresh from her visit to the past, must assemble brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Camp Nightwing survivor Ziggy (Gillian Jacobs) and mall repairman Martin (Darrell Britt-Gibson) in a final effort to end the curse and defeat the witch at the heart of the terror. This results in a scene that might just be the best in the series to date: an all-out skirmish at the mall against the conjured killers of Shadyville. All the intriguing murderers we’ve heard so much about finally get their chance to shine, from baseball wielding child murderer Billy Barker to the housewife-slaying, milkman murderer Harry Rooker (Kevin Waterman) – and the result is cheesy carnage at its finest.

Even Deena’s return can’t spoil things as there isn’t enough time in the script left for her to be pissy about too much, with the killers hot on the groups heels from the get-go. The return to Shadyville essentially splits the film into two halves and because of this, it feels long, with the slow, measured pacing of the 1666 scenes making you feel like you’ve been watching for far longer than you have. The constant exposition dumps at the mall soon become unbearable, and the slew of corny one-liners feel even more tired than they already would have been, inducing groans instead of the knowing laughs that were intended. Despite the pattern of exposition, action and intentionally bad one-liners essentially repeating until the credits roll, it is a satisfying conclusion nonetheless to everything that has come before and one that pays off on the promise of the varied lineup of killers.

Leigh Janiak sticks the landing with 1666, ending Fear Street on a high note of murder, mayhem and mystery as the curse of Sarah Fier is finally unravelled. Whilst the creepy first half might be quickly forgotten in the madness of the big finale, it is still the best storytelling of the franchise, providing sufficient spooks and much needed backstory that enhance the previous films’ adventures. This is a franchise that will only get better on repeated viewings, with fans able to pick up on various easter eggs and hints, and while it might not have been the most high concept or scariest of horror offerings, Fear Street is proof that Netflix can pull off this kind of experimental, appointment viewing home event scarily well.

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 stars Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Ashley Zukerman, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Matthew Zuk, Michael Chandler, Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, McCabe Slye, Jeremy Ford & Gillian Jacobs – Streaming on Netflix now.

7/10

Tags 1666, Ashley Zukerman, Benjamin Flores Jr., Emily Rudd, Fear Street, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, Fred Hechinger, Gillian Jacobs, Julia Rehwald, Kiana Madeira, Matthew Zuk, Michael Chandler, Netflix, Olivia Scott Welch, Sadie Sink

Movie Reviews

A Classic Horror Story

Post author By Mark
Post date July 19, 2021

Take one look at the trailer for Italian-directing duo Roberto De Feo and Paolo Strippoli’s A Classic Horror Story and you’ll see influences from dozens of iconic horror films spanning decades, from The Wicker Man and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to more recent classics like Midsommar. On the face of it that sounds like a horror fan’s dream; a mash-up of all of the seminal works rolled into one gory, terrifying masterpiece. In actuality the resulting film is a mess of confused, overly pretentious commentary on modern phone culture and an examination of the horror genre that tries so hard to be witty and meta that it ends up criticising itself in the process, writing off the hour preceding the ham-fisted final act twist as little more than filler.

The set-up lives up to the name. The troubled Elisa (Matilda Lutz) boards a ride-share RV venturing across Italy with four strangers: reserved doctor Riccardo (Peppino Mazzotta), young couple Sofia (Yuliia Sobol) and Mark (Will Merrick) and their driver Fabrizio (Francesco Russo), a self-confessed horror movie fanatic. When their RV crashes in the middle of the night, the group wake to find themselves still in the vehicle but stranded in a clearing within a forest miles away from the nearest road. You probably think you know what’s going to happen next right? Trust us, you don’t.

You don’t name your film so boldly if you don’t mean it as some form of commentary but De Feo and Strippli’s film borrows so much from a litany of horror movies then combines them in a way that shares none of their individual strengths. Most of the inspiration is clearly drawn from Midsommar, from the design of the eerie house situated in the clearing to the chilling score and cult of demon worshipping villagers. The highlight of the comparisons come in the stunning visuals. Lush images of forests and mist-covered clearings fill the frame during the day, whilst a sinister red hue bathes the screen as the townspeople signal their approach in the dead of night. It doesn’t come near to having the level of symbolism as Ari Aster’s masterpiece but that isn’t the intention here. Adding in Hostel-level torture and gore and a final girl pulled from the likes of Ready or Not to the mix should result in one firecracker of a horror film but that just isn’t the case here.

For one thing, the film is entirely too meta for its own good, constantly dissecting horror tropes and grandstanding about how cliché and bad they are before diving headfirst into a slew of them. At one point a character declares his distaste for violence, stating he thought violence was cool as a teenager, “like in some bad movie”. That same character proceeds to have his leg snapped, his ankles hobbled and his eyes gouged out with rusty spikes. If this is meant to be a self-deprecating commentary on the film itself then why? It isn’t clever filmmaking to tell your audience something is stupid and then put your characters through exactly that without any acknowledgement that they’re in on the joke. And if the digs are at horror in general then why not try to further the genre through new techniques or story dynamics rather than by ragging on everyone else? It comes across as incredibly pretentious and that’s before we’ve even arrived at the big third act reveal that plunges the entire ordeal into utter stupidity.

I’ve harped on about the twist for so long because of the crippling effect it has on the film. The first hour is a slow burn, to say the least, as the group explore their surroundings, growing increasingly uneasy and aware that there is something sinister at work. Nothing much really happens to justify this feeling of tension other than the excellent score. No jump scares or loud noises, just a couple of odd scenes around the area that set suspicions high. Then everything hits the fan, both for our heroes and the story as a whole, once the true intentions of the villainous villagers are revealed. It isn’t the high-concept meta commentary that the film thinks it to be, seemingly poking fun at a generation obsessed with their phones and easily digestible short-form “content” rather than storytelling on a filmic level. The opposite effect is had: the preceding hour is rendered an ultimately pointless segue into a generic revenge plot, identical to any number of films from the sub-genre, leading to a dull, emotionless finale that feels devoid of any stakes.

On paper A Classic Horror Story sounded so promising. A chance to deconstruct and reinvent the genre while paying tribute and homaging those films that have paved the way. Instead what we get is a mean-spirited, pretentious mess that insists that other horror films are nothing but cliché and – by pointing that out constantly – it counts as a deep discussion of the genre. The notion of that on its face is stupid but is made all the worse when the film ends up devolving into the very cliche’s it is taking aim at, even after its incredibly stupid twist. A classic horror story this is not, just a really bad one.

A Classic Horror Story stars Matilda Lutz, Francesco Russo, Peppino Mazzotta, Yuliia Sobol & Will Merrick – Streaming on Netflix now.

2/10

Tags A Classic Horror Story, Francesco Russo, Matilda Lutz, Netflix, Paolo Strippoli, Peppino Mazzotta, Roberto De Feo, Will Merrick, Yuliia Sobol

Movie Reviews

Fear Street Part Two: 1978

Post author By Mark
Post date July 15, 2021

Week two of Netflix’s Fear Street event sends us back to Shadyside, this time in the swinging 70’s as Leigh Janiak’s second instalment hones in on the disastrous events of the Camp Nightwing massacre hinted at in the first film. 1978 is a marked improvement over its 90’s set counterpart, upping the gore and violence considerably whilst allowing for more likeable and fully realised characters to take the stage this time around – addressing 1994‘s biggest problem. Having established the overarching story’s key players in that film, Janiak feels comfortable here to build the world out and explore the fascinating history of the rivalry between Shadyside and Sunnyvale, bringing in new killers and mythology that sets the stage for an all-out crazy final film.

Having survived their first encounter with Shadyside’s local witch Sarah Fier, siblings Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) track down C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs), the only person to have ever been possessed and live to tell the tale. From here we’re whisked away to the 70’s wonderland of Camp Nightwing, chock full of all the classic trappings of camp slasher films of the era. At the centre of it all is the rebellious Ziggy (Sadie Sink) and her conservative sister Cindy (Emily Rudd), who don’t exactly fit the bill of loving siblings, clashing every time they come into contact with one another.

After Cindy’s boyfriend Tommy (McCabe Slye) is attacked by the camp nurse – who believes he is the Witch’s next conduit for evil – the pair join stoner pals Alice (Ryan Simpkins) and Arnie (Sam Brooks) in exploring an abandoned house seemingly belonging to Sarah Fier. Just as the group begins to understand the forces at play, Tommy is possessed and begins a murderous rampage through the camp, leaving Ziggy and Cindy to wage a desperate battle for survival and fight for a chance to end the curse once and for all.

Ziggy’s introduction immediately gives us what Deena’s character lacked in 1994: a believable reason for the massive chip on her shoulder. Terrorised at camp by bully Sheila (Chiara Aurelia) and her underlings, Ziggy has built up a strong emotional defence to protect herself from getting hurt, blaming her troubles on the Shadyside curse that ruins lives and cost her her sister to the prissy ways of Sunnyvale. Cindy’s problem is the same. Terrified of ending up like her parents and other no-hopers from Shadyside, she has all but physically retreated from the town, dating the sweet, innocent Tommy because he is the safe choice and vehemently opposing any rule breaking.

It’s a great central dynamic that sets the sisters on diverging paths; where they are each have their own adventures and learn the importance of family, before converging again for a climactic emotional gut-punch of a finale. Sink and Rudd sell their characters’ evolutions in believable ways, with real, reasonable reactions to the events unfolding. This isn’t your average campy slasher film where the councillors run around with their shirts off getting cut down. All the key players make smart, calculated decisions that treat the audience with respect and keep the tension high when they still find themselves on the back-foot despite their smarts.

That’s not to say that all the issues have been fixed this time around, with the same repetition of music used to denote a time period rather than the period having any bearing on the plot. The production design is dead on (sorry) in emulating the familiar layouts and trappings of films like Friday the 13th but once everyone is running for their lives soaked in blood, it doesn’t really add much that they’re wearing bellbottoms instead of skinny jeans. It isn’t surprising given Janiak’s return and is something you adjust to pretty quickly. It’s a rare sight in Hollywood that one person is allowed to see out a consistent creative vision across a series of films and if that means we have to hear The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” for the umpteenth time in a movie this decade then it is worth the cost. It’s a great jam and if this is the approach she’s taking then I can’t wait to see what bangers she unearths for the sequel set in 1666.

The films may have been shot back-to-back but Janiak certainly seems more assured in her direction this time; utilising more complex shots and upping the gore factor significantly. We get a chance to really get into the meat of the story after spending the last film setting the pieces on the board and Sarah Fier is finally established as the terrifying antagonist she should be, as we come to understand the reach and power of the curse she has unleashed on the two towns. While this comes at the cost of weakening the individual Shadyside killers in terms of their uniqueness, it is worth it to build the anticipation for the final film’s inevitable showdown. There is still a surprising amount of mileage to be had from a maniac running around with an axe almost 40 years after the original Friday and it is some gleefully campy carnage.

Fear Street’s middle instalment is a significant step-up from the tired tropes of 1994, with a fresh coat of paint in its 70’s setting and excellent character work that truly makes you care for Sarah Fier’s victims this time around. Sadie Sink and Emily Rudd are standouts in a cast full of fun performances and even more fun scares, with the gore dialled up to eleven as Janiak unleashes her version of classic killer Jason Voorhees. The world building goes a long way towards making the audience actually care about Sarah Fier as the series’ big bad going forward without ever compromising this film’s set of characters and their struggles. After a sloppy start, the ship has been righted. Let’s see if Janiak and her returning cast can steer it home with next week’s finale: 1666.

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 stars Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, McCabe Slye, Ted Sutherland, Drew Scheid, Chiara Aurelia,
Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr. & Gillian Jacobs – Streaming on Netflix now.

7/10

Tags Benjamin Flores Jr., Emily Rudd, Fear Street, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Gillian Jacobs, Kiana Madeira, Leigh Janiak, McCabe Slye, Netflix, Olivia Scott Welch, Ryan Simpkins, Sadie Sink

Movie Reviews

Black Widow

Post author By Mark
Post date July 11, 2021

It may have taken an extra year for Scarlett Johansson’s long overdue solo film to arrive but if Black Widow proves anything it’s that not even a global pandemic can halt the Marvel machine. From the moment she first appeared in Iron Man 2, Natasha Romanoff became a fan favourite and a pivotal character throughout the franchise, with a shady past before her tenure as an Avenger that was never fully addressed until now. Well, sort of anyway. Black Widow is less of an origin story than it is a placeholder and prequel rolled into one – set between the events of Civil War and Infinity War – that adds a few new layers to the first female Avenger but never enough to fully justify its existence or give Johansson the send-off she deserves.

Of all the stories and fragments of Natasha’s past that we have gleaned from previous movies, what the super spy did following Civil War never seemed high on many people’s list. She returns in Infinity War with Cap and a new hairdo and everyone accepted it without much questioning. That’s the biggest hurdle Cate Shortland’s solo film finds itself needing to overcome. Is this story essential to the character of Black Widow? No, not in any way that makes the previous films anymore impactful. Is it essential to setting up new characters who will carry the franchise forward replacing her? Yes, and for a film audiences have been clamouring for years to see, that feels like a pretty bad reason to make it.

Now a fugitive from General Ross (William Hurt) and the Sokovian Accords she helped establish, Natasha is living off the grid when she is attacked by a mysterious masked assailant, codenamed Taskmaster, in search of a package sent to her by adopted sister Yelena (Florence Pugh). Drawn back into a life she thought she had put behind her, Natasha and Yelena seek out their adoptive father Alexei (David Harbour) – Russia’s own super soldier answer to Captain America – and mother Melina (Rachel Weisz) in an attempt to put an end to the secretive Red Room – the shadowy organisation responsible for the creation of the Black Widow’s – led by mastermind General Dreykov (Ray Winstone).

As far as its standing within the rest of the MCU canon goes, Widow aims for the gritty spy-thriller style of series highlight Captain America: Winter Soldier. For the most part it hits the mark, with some brutal hand-to-hand fight scenes including a stellar first encounter between the estranged sisters, but as was the case for recent MCU series WandaVision (the two projects share writer Jac Schaeffer), the third act devolves into an almost nonsensical explosion-fest without much substance at all or even a final climactic fight scene.

It also brings the film’s biggest problem to the forefront and that is the fact that we know what happens to Natasha in the larger scheme of things. Any tension raised by the possibility of her dying is quickly extinguished by the fact that we know she makes it through. Add to that a third act twist that the film seems to thinks makes the previously silent Taskmaster character into a sympathetic villain (it doesn’t) and you’ve got a film oddly devoid of stakes. A well paced, fun in the moment ride to be sure, but nothing we haven’t seen before or that fleshes out Natasha in any meaningful way.

This should be the perfect time to explore the murky goings-on in Natasha’s past, specifically the horrific atrocities performed on her and all the Black Widow program candidates that have been referenced numerous times in other films. We’re talking about little girls ripped away from any chance at a normal existence and forced to murder people for a living. It’s heavy stuff and the brilliant opening credits sequence makes you believe that this is exactly what we’ll be getting into. But every time we come close to a breakthrough emotional moment; some semblance of catharsis or an even an acknowledgment of the trauma Natasha faced, the film is broadsided by an action sequence; never providing any satisfying conclusion to the questions we all have. One of the most egregious of these problems comes in the form of a horrifically awkward joke about the involuntary hysterectomies the Black Widow subjects suffered. Marvel films have always preferred to hit a joke beat in a story rather than to address the uncomfortable and it usually works, but this particular instance is in very poor taste.

Where the film really succeeds is in the new characters it introduces. Florence Pugh is terrific, easily the best part of the film alongside David Harbour, who really gets to bare her soul as the hard-done-by sister of Natasha. Having grown up believing Natasha was her real sister and not knowing they were part of an undercover mission has deeply affected her, with Romanoff’s sudden return and unwillingness to acknowledge their time together as anything more than a mission pouring salt on the wound. Pugh masterfully demonstrates the pain Yelena is going through, bickering with her sister constantly and making snide remarks about her time with the Avengers. She might be as adept at Natasha in her fighting skills, but in burying her emotions she is not so well equipped. Pugh also carries the film’s comedy well, with a fun little running joke about Natasha’s superhero poses sure to please longtime fans of the character.

David Harbour’s Alexei, AKA Red Guardian – the Russian counterpart to Captain America – is a riot, quite literally at times, tearing through enemies with a wicked temper and sense of humour. Harbour’s performance is all scenery-chewing Russian stereotype in the most fun way, swigging Vodka as he tells his war stories in a hilariously thick accent and he is clearly relishing the chance to play this insanely over-the-top character; a far cry from Stranger Things’ Hopper. There is more to Alexei than meets the eye, namely a deep sense of insecurity and failure buried under mountains of fake stories of combat with Captain America and despite only having met him and Yelena in this film, the emotional beats hit surprisingly hard.

Both characters are written in a way that ensures they instantly fold into the MCU’s blend of comedy and action hero bravado, as if we’ve known them for years. The post-credits scene sours this a little (no spoilers) as the pieces begin to click and you realise that the movie seems to have only been made as a launchpad for these new characters to take on a bigger role going forward. While the MCU has a long history of doing this it doesn’t change the fact that this is a film that fans have long clamoured for, and to only make it as a way of furthering the franchise whilst pretending it is some loving ode to the character of Black Widow isn’t the best look. Sure it fills in a few gaps in the franchises history, and fans of the original Avengers film will be pleased to learn more about the infamous Budapest mission, but Black Widow had a perfect, emotional send-off in Engdame and to trot her back out now without a purpose almost seems disrespectful to Scarlet Johansson and the work she did establishing this iconic franchise.

Whilst it packs all the humour and action that fans of the MCU have come to expect and love, Black Widow ultimately feels a bit disposable; a throwaway story that would have worked much better if it had actually been released chronologically following Civil War, fleshing out the character before her final appearances and adding more weight to those scenes. Still it is fun to see Scarlett Johansson return to her iconic role and the additions of Florence Pugh and David Harbour to the MCU are two huge wins; yet another example of the exciting, talented actors Marvel continues to win over, that promise to be a breath of fresh air going forward. As for Natasha Romanoff, that red ledger has finally been wiped clean.

Black Widow stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, Olga Kurylenko & Ray Winstone – In cinemas now and streaming on Disney+ with Premier Access.

7/10

Tags Black Widow, Cate Shortland, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Marvel, Marvel Studios, O-T Fagbenle, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, Scarlett Johannson, William Hurt

Movie Reviews

Fear Street Part One: 1994

Post author By Mark
Post date July 8, 2021

The first instalment in Netflix’s new trilogy of horror films Fear Street – based on the lesser-known series of books by R.L. Stine – tells you exactly who the target audience is in the title. Fans of Scream rejoice, you’re going back to the nineties. However what should be a fun romp through the era of grunge and video shops turns into one gnarly rollercoaster as 1994 constantly presents exciting premises or genuinely tense moments, only to have them brought down by one supremely depressing lead performance and a central relationship that is less interesting than the one between Leatherface and his beloved chainsaw.

Director Leigh Janiak goes all in on the period, evoking many beloved 90’s horror classics (and some even older films) in setting up the campily named Shadyside and Sunnyvale, two rival towns on opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum. Our underdog heroes, naturally, hail from Shadyside, led by heartbroken, permanently pessimistic Deena (Kiana Madeira), a take-no-shit type of final girl who proudly professes her disdain for ex-girlfriend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) who has defected to Sunnyvale as a result of her parent’s divorce. When the pair run into each other at a vigil for a recently murdered fellow student (Maya Hawke in a brilliant opening scene homage to Drew Barrymore’s Scream role) chaos ensues, culminating in Sam’s accidental desecration of the burial site of the town’s legendary local witch Sarah Fiers.

Now hunted by a who’s who of Shadyside’s famous history of murderers (there’s a reason they call the place Killer Capital USA), Sam, Deena, her brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) and their friends Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger) race to find a fix for the curse placed on Sam. The roster from which Janiak selects her killer is easily the most enticing part of Fear Street as a whole collection of films. While it lacks the whodunnit nature of Scream, the Skull Mask killer does act as a convincing surrogate for Ghost Face, albeit far more willing to get creative, whilst the lumbering, Jason-esque Camp Nightwing killer terrifies with his unstoppable power and fearsome axe.

Outside of them are some truly inspired and creative killers mentioned in the flashbacks through Shadyville’s history whom we don’t get to see at their gory best in this film – from a baseball-bat wielding brat to a deranged slasher milkman – that flesh out the town’s sinister past and provide hints at some, hopefully, gloriously macabre set-pieces going forward.

Judging this film on the potential of future instalments however would be to gloss over the biggest issues, which unfortunately come in the form of the film’s heroes. Rehwald, Hechinger and Flores Jr. all rock solid in their assigned roles, each portraying a classic 90’s horror stereotype from the antisocial serial killer nerd to the dorky wannabe jock of the group; providing welcome humour that is almost always instantly extinguished by Deena and Sam.

Madeira plays Deena as the stereotypical angsty, depressed teen who hates the world around her and seems to get off by ruining everyone else’s good times. It instantly makes her a hard character to latch onto as a protagonist and even once she softens in her journey to save Sam, that snarky attitude comes back in her interactions with everyone else, who we all like a great deal more than Sam. Why Sam is so special is beyond me as the character is more devoid of life than the silent, masked axe-wielding maniac stalking her, monotonically droning on about her problems and never taking any real action to change her situation until everyone commits to risking their lives to save hers.

The film’s big showdown, which should be a hoot given the potential to run wild in the setting of an empty supermarket, turns into an endless groan-fest as we constantly cut away from the tense killer chase scenes to whatever the hell Sam is doing. The single best kill of the film takes place in this finale but you wouldn’t be blamed for forgetting it given how little the film seems to care about the impact of it, instantly cutting back to another episode of Deena and Sam’s boring problems.

To say the final act gets crazy in its campiness would be something of an understatement, with some plot points that are a far too convenient and silly to be believable, but once you’ve accepted a Witch resurrecting murderers, it’s kind of hard to bring up a gripe like this so late in the game. The cliffhanger Janiak leaves you on isn’t as compelling as she thinks given the utter banality of the characters it focuses on (see if you can guess) but it does offer hope that a new setting and time period will allow for some more enjoyable characters to flourish… before being gutted.

The nineties setting, for all its worth, is essentially scrapped after an opening 20 minutes that relies heavily on what I’m calling the Suicide Squad effect; bombarding you with everything from Radiohead’s “Creep” to Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” in a near endless stream of soundtrack. It’s a familiar trapping of films these days to quickly establish a time period without having to write much into the story outside of some clothing or vintage touches like the ancient boxes that used to pass as computers.

After this initial spate of songs you’d be hard pressed to spot something that would be out of place in a film set in present day (especially given the return of baggy ripped jeans) and it becomes clear that Janiak is more interested in borrowing from the stories of 90’s horror than the style or general aesthetic. Not necessarily a bad thing when your biggest inspiration is one of the greatest horror films of all time in Scream.

The opening salvo of Fear Street is a sloppy introduction to the town of Shadyville and its haunted past, with a wasted nineties setting and unlikeable leads detracting from what could have been a fun, campy little slasher film. Decent pacing, solid world building and some interesting little twists and turns will likely keep viewers engaged but 1994 offers the genre very little in the way of genuine surprises. Fear Street might might not be off to a perfect start but I’m ready to head to Camp Nightwing.

Fear Street Part One: 1994 stars Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, David W. Thompson, Ashley Zukerman & Maya Hawke – Streaming on Netflix now.

5/10

Tags 1994, Ashley Zukerman, Benjamin Flores Jr., Fear Street, Fear Street Part One: 1994, Julia Rehwald, Kiana Madeira, Maya Hawke, Netflix, Noah Garrett, Olivia Scott Welch

Movie Reviews

The Tomorrow War

Post author By Mark
Post date July 6, 2021

Every streaming service nowadays seems to be gravitating towards big budget entertainment in the quest for dominance in the streaming wars. Whilst these types of films are usually reserved for the big screen, the recent pandemic changed everything, prompting studios to offload their films to streaming in the hopes of recouping their losses. The latest blockbuster offering comes from Amazon in the form of the Chris Pratt-led The Tomorrow War; a sci-fi action film in the vein of Edge of Tomorrow which has clearly been made with the goal of being seen on the biggest screen possible. The loss of that big screen sheen is felt considerably when viewed on a home TV but there is still a considerable amount of big, dumb fun to be had here, even if The Tomorrow War isn’t the most original or memorable addition to the genre.

The world is forever changed when a strange portal opens, revealing soldiers from 30 years in the future who are waging a desperate war for survival against an alien species dubbed the Whitespikes. In a global scramble, the governments of the world unite to initiate a worldwide draft, conscripting ordinary civilians along with military who are able to withstand the time travel process, to join the fray and save the planet from eventual extinction. When ordinary science teacher Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is drafted, leaving behind wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin) and young daughter Muri (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), he discovers he has a more personal role to play in the fight for humanity than anyone could have known. Joined by the now adult Muri (Yvonne Strahovski) Dan races against the clock to uncover a weapon to defeat the Whitespikes before they can overtake the last secure military base on the planet and destroy the device which allows for the past to supply soldiers to the battle.

Sounds big and dumb right? That’s because it is. Are the complex time travel plot-holes glossed over and forgotten in favour of furthering the plot? You bet. Come in and start nitpicking the litany of nonsense and you’ll be disappointed. The name of the game here is spectacle and The Tomorrow War absolutely delivers in that sense, constantly topping each act with a healthy dose of explosions and wacky plotting as if Michael Bay had directed Independence Day, only with less American flags and product placement.

The quieter moments don’t work quite as well as they should, with the exception of the central relationship between Pratt and his daughter, which writer Zach Dean takes full advantage of, using the two versions of Muri as a way for Dan to do some self-reflection on how he treats his family in the present timeline. It’s clunky and not all that subtle storytelling but the tearjerker moments between Muri and Dan hit where they need to, offering a glimpse at a more personal side to Pratt’s otherwise infallible action hero.

Make no mistake – Pratt is the sole reason The Tomorrow War holds together as well as it does. His extremely likeable presence and general everyman demeanour helps to anchor even the most outlandish action sequences. Dan Forester is no Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy but Pratt retains that charm and a smidge of the smart-assery that made that character so endearing. Forester isn’t anything outside the usual mold of characters Pratt has played but there is a reason that he is as bankable a star as he is and this type of relatable action hero is the foundation of that brand.

Outside of Pratt are a handful of solid enough performances, the most notable including an absolutely gigantic J.K. Simmons (who looks as if he’s ingested copious amounts of super-serum in order to finally catch that menace Spider-Man) and the criminally slept on powerhouse Sam Richardson. Richardson has consistently delivered stand-out supporting performances in comedies like VEEP and Good Boys and it is great to finally see him showcasing those skills in a big-budget film like this, even if his usual zaniness is somewhat muted. Apart from the odd joke from Pratt here and there Richardson is tasked with shouldering almost all of the films comedy and delivers more often than not, playing a scientist so supremely out of his depth in the field of war that he yells “shit” every time he fires a bullet.

The Tomorrow War is exactly the type of goofy, overblown fun that would be perfect viewing for the big screen, with action and sound that demands the most high-end systems to immerse yourself in the story. The loss of that environment does diminish the experience significantly but this is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously and isn’t aiming to push boundaries in the story or character departments, never pretending to be anything other than big, flashy popcorn munching entertainment. Pratt still proves himself more than capable of carrying these big tentpole films with his charm and the supporting cast around him all pull their weight enough to ensure boredom never sets in, with a new joke or flashy set-piece never far out of reach. The next Edge of Tomorrow? No. A silly, fun time sitting on the couch stuffing your face with snacks? You could do a lot worse.

The Tomorrow War stars Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Ryan Kiera Armstrong & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Amazon Prime now.

6/10

Tags Amazon, Betty Gilpin, Chris Pratt, Edwin Hodge, J.K. Simmons, Jasmine Mathews, Keith Powers, Sam Richardson, The Tomorrow War, Yvonne Strahovski

Movie Reviews

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

Post author By Mark
Post date June 30, 2021

Do you remember the throwaway action flicks of the mid 2000’s? Films like Mr and Mrs Smith or Sahara that you immediately know by reputation or the poster but couldn’t remember a single scene of if pressed? That’s the category that Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard falls into: a truly unmemorable action flick that has a few funny scenes and is entertaining in the moment but one that you will never think about again after watching. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – there is a place for those kind of easy watches that don’t require much brainpower, but the Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is such a mindless cash grab, completely wasting its all-star cast in a mess of a story that it is hard to recommend to even the most easily pleased audience members.

Following his successful thwarting of Belarussian dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) in the previous film, the now former AAA rated bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) has taken a sabbatical, retreating to an island resort in an attempt to clear his mind of the trauma he endured saving master criminal Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson). That peace is soon interrupted in spectacular fashion as Kincaid’s wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) bursts onto the scene, on the hunt for her husband who has been kidnapped by local gangsters. Once the trio is reunited the real story takes shape, as they are approached by Interpol and charged with taking down Aristotle Papadopolous, a corrupt billionaire who has taken it upon himself to save his beloved Greece by sabotaging the European Union’s power grid, essentially destroying Europe.

From here the film is non-stop bickering as Reynolds and Jackson are left to go at each other, with Reynolds given free reign to improvise and spew out jokes, some of them good, some of them not, none of them staying in your mind long enough to be processed before the next comes flying out. It’s easily the best aspect of the film, with a tongue-in-cheek tone that never takes itself too seriously (there’s even a hilarious call-out to Reynolds many well-known business ventures outside Hollywood). To call it a parody of other self-serious films in the action genre might be a step too far however, as director Patrick Hughes doesn’t seem to have any insightful commentary to make in that regard, rather falling on the conventions of the genre in the laziest way as a skeleton for the jokes to be built around. The only time that structure is ever changed is if it lends itself to a zany concept or intricate joke laid by Reynolds and those vary in their quality greatly.

The most divisive of these centres around the character played by Morgan Freeman. It’s an incredibly juvenile laugh that is plain to see as soon as it is announced, but Reynolds and Jackson dance around it for the next five to ten minutes, extending the joke to ridiculous proportions without ever introducing a new punchline. Reynolds acts as something of a double-edged sword in this regard. He is the heart of the film and carries almost every single scene with his madcap energy and constant quipping but in doing so prevents anyone else around him from having all that much to contribute. It’s a shame then that his character undergoes the least change, essentially ending the film as he started it where other characters with far more going for them are left with rushed arcs that don’t really allow for much emotional resonance. Salma Hayek tries her damn heart out with a truly over-the-top insane performance as the gun-toting, foul-mouthed assassin, constantly fighting with her hitman husband but desperate to have his baby. There are a couple of scenes where she tries to deliver some genuine emotion but these are quickly swept away in the wake of a Reynolds punchline. Jackson’s character is also overshadowed in this manner and proceeds on autopilot, while the great Antonio Banderas is barely even seen: a true waste.

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard really doesn’t have much to offer its audience outside of acting as the Ryan Reynolds show. If you’re a fan of his public persona, full of subtle jabs and self-deprecating digs, then you will likely find some enjoyment in watching him do just that for 100 minutes. Unfortunately the film fails in every other aspect, with Reynolds overshadowing his talented cast in a clunky, rote adventure that likely landed its stars a lavish holiday whilst providing the audience little more than something to look at for a while. There is a reason these types of films died out in the 2010’s: for every solid little gem that offers true mindless escapism that audiences love there are twice as many hollow, pay-check makers that leave your consciousness as soon as they enter.

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Frank Grillo, Gary Oldman, Tom Hopper, Richard E. Grant & Morgan Freeman – In cinemas now.

3.5/10

Tags Antonio Banderas, Frank Grillo, Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, Morgan Freeman, Patrick Hughes, Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hopper

Movie Reviews

In the Heights

Post author By Mark
Post date June 24, 2021

You’d be hard pressed at this point to find a person on Earth who hasn’t heard of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s star-making Broadway smash Hamilton, the genre-blending musical about America’s founding fathers. Perhaps driven by the intense hype for that production, Miranda’s first musical In The Heights has now made the jump to the big screen, courtesy of Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. Does the film version manage to retain that unique blend of technical and narrative mastery with its rapid-fire line delivery and heartfelt story about the struggles of immigrants in New York’s Washington Heights? Absolutely and then some. With an extremely talented cast led by rising star Anthony Ramos, In The Heights is one of the most infectiously uplifting, sing-a-long ready musicals of the last decade, filled to the brim with incredibly choreographed dance sequences and heart.

Our story centres on Usnavi (Ramos), an immigrant to Washington Heights from the Dominican Republic who longs to return home one day, carefully scrimping and saving his meagre earnings from a job running the local corner store in order to fund that dream. As the possibility of a return to his homeland starts to become more concrete, he decides to finally go out on a limb and pursue his crush Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who is going through her own crisis; dreaming of escaping the Heights and making it in the fashion industry. Meanwhile Usnavi’s close friend Benny (Corey Hawkins) seizes an opportunity to reconnect with former flame Nina (Leslie Grace), when she abruptly returns home from college, harbouring a secret from her fiercely protective and proud father Kevin (Jimmy Smits). These two potential couple’s lives intersect over a long summer heatwave, with obstacle after obstacle arising as they evaluate their places within Washington Heights and how its diverse culture has already shaped their future.

As expected the songs are excellent, pulling from that classic Miranda style as characters belt out minutes of carefully calculated rap-style bars at a time. The opening titular number does an excellent job of acclimatising you to the style of music you will experience over the next 2 and a bit hours, with a seven minute exposition dump of all the major players and their struggles catching you up to speed without ever boring. If you’re not locked in after this opening salvo then you likely never will be but to turn away would be to deny yourself some true ear-worms of songs that you’ll be singing for days to come. Miranda’s knack for delivering tons of dialogue without overwhelming the audience is truly incredible, with precisely timed pauses and beat changes ensuring things always stay fresh. Some songs in the middle may lack the oomph of the bigger numbers but are necessary in fleshing out the world in a way that makes you understand the rich tapestry of different cultures and the pull of the place that has kept Usnavi and his friends there for so long.

Chu’s history on the Step Up franchise serves him well here in adapting the musical to the screen, bringing a sense of scale to the performances not possible on the stage. The choreography is top-notch, with slowly panning wide shots highlighting as much as possible and again the sheer scale of the scenes allows for Chu to show you the variety of the neighbourhood, with everyone from grandmothers to small children joining in on the singing and dancing fun. Swimming pool set number “96,000” is a true spectacle to behold and will have you wondering out loud “how did they film that?!” with hundreds of dancers coming together in perfect timing both above and underwater to bring the scene to life. The silver screen also allows Chu to play with the metaphors of some songs that simply weren’t possible in a live setting, experimenting with gravity throughout a song that emphasises the push and pull away and towards each other that life has levelled on Benny and Nina, as the camera spins and flips as they drift back and forth on the side of a building. It’s creative and daring filmmaking that tries hard to stop fatigue in what could be misconstrued as just another boring musical.

And that’s where the story comes into play. This isn’t a particularly original or surprising story, but rather an excellently told and fully realised vision of the real struggle of immigrants in America struggling to make ends meet and dreaming of exploring the wider world. All the supporting characters – from Miranda’s musical piragua vendor to Stephanie Beatriz’s (Rosa in Brooklyn Nine-Nine) annoying salon worker – seem like (slightly exaggerated) real people, showcasing the diverse number of jobs and social classes within the area and the way in which they all interact and come together as a neighbourhood united by culture. Anthony Ramos (who starred in the original production of Hamilton) is a stellar choice to lead the film, with not only the obviously required singing chops but a great physicality, most evident as he slides and shimmies through the confined space of the corner store; confident in everything he does until Vanessa walks in and knocks that confidence for a loop.

The chemistry between Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace feels natural and lived in; the duets between them tender and powerful as he pushes her to hold herself to her own standards and not live the life others have put on her shoulders. Hawkins gets to showcase a different side of himself from Straight Outta Compton or Kong: Skull Island and is one of the few rising stars that consistently pushes himself in different projects, showing off an impressive set of pipes here that will surely garner more attention for future jobs like this. If there is a weak link in the core cast it is Melissa Barrera’s Vanessa. The character is easily the whiniest, most unlikeable of the four, constantly moping about her bad situation but never seeming to do too much to correct for it. Barrera certainly has the voice, but doesn’t have the same level of chemistry with Ramos that really makes their relationship seem believable and destined to be like the film tells you it is.

If you’ve never considered yourself much of a fan of musicals, give In the Heights a go. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s patented brand of upbeat rap-heavy line delivery is simply infectious and its hard to leave without a smile on your face. Anthony Ramos transitions from Broadway star to Hollywood star here with a fantastic lead performance that anchors the audience to Usnavi’s struggles within the wider culturally diverse Washington Heights. The supporting cast around him only serve to bolster that feeling of community and the joyous celebration of it, with John M. Chu’s dynamic camerawork never getting in the way and always giving you the best angles on the brilliant choreography. Not being the biggest musical fan I wasn’t expecting to like In the Heights as much as I did. Imagine my surprise when I walked away not only loving it but considering it one of the best films of the year so far. Well played Lin-Manuel. I might just have to check out this Hamilton thing now.

In the Heights stars Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Jimmy Smits, Stephanie Beatriz, Gregory Diaz IV, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Olga Merediz & Lin-Manuel Miranda – In cinemas now and streaming on HBO Max in the US.

8/10

Tags Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, In the Heights, Jimmy Smits, Leslie Grace, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Stephanie Beatriz

Movie Reviews

Fast and Furious 9

Post author By Mark
Post date June 21, 2021

The Fast and Furious franchise is an event. Each film elevates the action set-pieces in such a significant way that expectations are sky-high for the next instalment of the street-racers turned international superspies’ story. Expectations were compounded significantly thanks to COVID and the even longer wait for more adventures from Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and the gang but now that time has come and Fast and Furious 9 was certainly worth the wait for fans of the series. As the ninth film in the series you know by now whether you’re a fan or not and Fast and Furious 9 doesn’t change up the formula in any significant way; offering a plot with more holes than a block of Swiss cheese, absolutely bonkers action that borders on the very limits of nonsense and more uses of the word “Family” than any human in existence has ever uttered in one lifetime. Let’s dive in.

Following the events of Fate of the Furious, which saw the gang take out the cyber-terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron), Dom is now living in a remote farmhouse with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and young son Brian. Their seemingly peaceful life is uprooted by the arrival of Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), who bring news that team handler Mr. Nobody’s (Kurt Russell) plane, which was transferring Cipher, has been taken down. The culprit of this attack is none other than Dom’s estranged brother Jakob (John Cena), who has emerged from the shadows to gather together a device capable of controlling every computer system on Earth (which feels like the same plot as at least 3 of the other films), thus disrupting the world order to his favour. From here it is basic F&F fair, as the team travel the globe, searching for one MacGuffin after the next that will halt Jakob’s reign of terror and keep their family safe.

The last three films in the franchise have been fairly similar in their setup and execution. Each tries to heighten the action that has come before – which began with Fast Five’s mesmerising vault chase scene – and in order to justify these set-pieces the plot has gone to increasingly ludicrous places, often involving some world-ending stakes that only a street-race from Los Angeles and his team of near-superhuman friends can save the world from. While the films have become increasingly more self-aware as they go along, Fast and Furious 9 is by far the most in on its own joke. There is a whole sub-plot devoted to the team dissecting their own good fortune, surmising that it must be because they are invincible (a ridiculous notion that could only be delivered by Gibson’s cocky comedic voice). That self-awareness seems to allow returning veteran director Justin Lin to shoot for the stars (quite literally) with his set-pieces, with easily the most insane premises the franchise has ever seen.

We’re talking swinging cars like Tarzan, magnet powered cars and rocket powered space cars. Yes. If you like your action films believable, step away now. All the insanity is extremely well planned out and shot by Lin and co, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is just par for the course at this point in the franchise. It’s a strange thing to say, but once you’ve seen cars fighting tanks, submarines and fly out of planes, it is hard to get excited about them going to space or flying through the air propelled by magnets. It has been a long-running joke that the franchise would one day get so ridiculous it would head to space that now that it has the impact is simply gone.

Ever since Fast Five, each film has been delineated by its biggest stunt: – the tank one, the plane one or the submarine one – and the detriment of that generalisation to the franchise is now becoming apparent. There is at least one more film in the main series, probably many more, and the general audience, myself included, no longer comes for the plot. We have been conditioned to only respond to the bigger set-pieces and that makes it hard to maintain interest over 2 hours when these set-pieces account for all of 15 minutes. It also creates a bizarre response to a franchise 10 films deep in its run. Ask most people what their favourite film in the franchise is and they’ll like respond with something before the sixth instalment or the latest entry. Ask them to explain the plot of the last film and very few will be able to do it. The Fast & Furious franchise is the big-budget film equivalent of the mobile phone industry. A few older heads will swear by their old brick Nokia but the large majority lean towards whatever is the latest and greatest. F9 is the craziest film in the franchise for now but it’s hard to marvel at that when you know in a few years time it will be reduced to “the space one”.

The only other explanation for the franchise’s staying power is the characters at the heart of it. Each film introduces and reintroduces a myriad of characters to the point that the sheer amount of people and backstory should be impassable for a casual viewer. But Fast and Furious has an advantage over other backstory-heavy franchises like the MCU in that it places having fun with the characters at the forefront of the film rather than the deeply complex lore. The central relationship here between Dom and Jakob is universally understood: brothers who have fallen out and are at odds with each other. It is a simple framing device but a powerful one that allows for for Lin to pull on the familial heartstrings whilst all the craziness is taking place.

The fist-pumping, crowd-cheering moments hit as hard as they do because we care about Dom, Letty and everyone else. As usual Tyrese Gibson is a standout here, delivering more of his witty, seemingly improvised, off-the-cuff banter to perfect effect; always there to cut through anytime a scene becomes too serious. Minor spoiler if you haven’t seen the trailer ahead: an old member of the crew, who everyone believed dead, makes his grand re-entry in the 9th instalment. Is there a satisfying, well thought out explanation for his return. Absolutely not, but the power of the series is that we love the character so we don’t really care or dig too deep as long as they are back. Name another franchise of this size that has the power to disregard basic storytelling rules without the audience giving a damn.

Fast and Furious 9 is exactly what you’d expect: a big, bombastic adventure that doesn’t make a lick of sense but never fails to entertain with its sensory overload of destruction and chaotic action that shoots so far beyond the realms of believability that, like its cast, it is in space. While each subsequent film becomes less memorable due to the insistence on one-upping the previous entry – often at the expense of memorability – it’s difficult to not fall for the charm of the cast and go along for the ride in the moment, even if you won’t be able to differentiate it from the previous four. Few could have imagined that the humble little 2001 film about street-racing has led to one of the most profitable action franchises of all time, but under the steady hand of Justin Lin, Dom Toretto and company’s adventures keep getting faster and more furious.

Fast and Furious 9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Finn Cole, Sung Kang, Anna Sawai, Lucas Black, Shad Moss, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell & Charlize Theron – In cinemas now.

6/10

Tags Charlize Theron, F9, F9: The Fast Saga, Fast & Furious, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Justin Lin, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel