EvilPhoEniX

The first Netflix blockbuster of the year from Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds, who obviously hit it off, but sadly it’s just average for me. Free Guy was probably the director's peak that he won't surpass (maybe with Deadpool 3, we'll see). Anyway this sci-fi family adventure with a touch of Spielberg works story-wise and emotionally, but the humor is too family friendly and normal and the action is downright routine and uninteresting (for my taste), too family friendly. I found the first half entertaining, thanks to the novel premise and well explained time-travel plot, but the second half seemed kind of out of pace and I endured it until the end. I'm obviously not the target audience, the film will no doubt find its fans, but for me it unfortunately doesn't stand out on any level. Story 4/5, Action 2/5, Humor 3/5, Violence 0/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 6/10.

Excellent sci-fi action flick from South Korea. This is a throwback to 10 years ago when the greatest South Korean blockbusters were made. It has everything a fan can expect from this genre. It's got a great storyline about a main character who loses his memory, doesn't remember who he is and wakes up in a different body every 12 hours. While he's trying to figure out what's going on and why, there are some very bad people after him. I believe that with an even better director, even bigger find-fuck things could have been conjured from the premise, but the director bet more on the action and I'm happy with this one. The plot in question is explained clearly and there are a few plot twists, so by action standards I think it's very superior. The protagonist is likeable and he’s good in the fight scenes. It's very much Bourne style, with fast exchanges of moves, quick combinations, devastating blows, exactly what only Koreans can do, and he shows it here to a great extent. The finale, on the other hand, is a tribute to John Wick, with bloody headshots, the protagonist alone against everyone, various combat weapons, great music and awesome atmosphere. I was a bit disappointed with the final boss, I was expecting more destruction there, but I’m definitely satisfied on all counts. The traditionally excellent visuals and fine actors are already a given. I'm really happy about it. Story 4/5, Action 5/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotions 2/5, Actors 3/5. 8/10.

An average chilling survival-adventure film from Netflix. A bit of a disappointment for me, unfortunately. This year's survival duel so far is won by Gold, which I found to be a class above in almost every way. Here I fell asleep twice at first and finished watching more out of politeness. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is likeable and Joe Cole, after his excellent role in Gangs of London, seemed a bit underused here. The film is based on true events and that's one of the reasons why not much happens. Apart from the polar bear scene, which could have been more intense in the style of The Revenant, but it's still probably the best scene of the whole film, which is perhaps a little sad. The chilly atmosphere works, the production design is nice. and the plot isn't completely stupid, it's just unfortunately quite boring and the digression from survival in the second half didn't suit me at all. The film will definitely find its fans, but I'm glad it’s over. Similar to Mads Mikkelsen’s Arctic. Story 3/5, Action 2/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 2/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 5.5/10.

Sharlto Copley as the famous eco-terrorist Unabomber! Those who have seen the series about the Unabomber will appreciate the film less. I went into the film completely unfamiliar and I have to say I'm not all that happy with this biopic adaptation. Sharlto Copley puts on more or less a one man show and performs very well. As a probe into the soul of yet another twisted individual with a distaste for modern technology, it works in part, but the film definitely fails on the crime and disturbing side. The film focuses a lot on the main character's voice-overs, survival in the wilderness, and planning sabotages, which would have been enough for about half an hour, but to kill an entire film in two hours in that style is downright painful. If this was one of the greatest manhunts in FBI history, it's quite disappointing that there's no proper detective to hunt him down, in fact the viewer doesn't even get to enjoy proper explosions and dead bodies, so for me it's quite disappointing. Interesting yes, but also a bit boring unfortunately. Story 3/5, Action 0/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 1/5, Fun 2/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 1/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 4/5. 5.5/10.

After the excellent Suicide Squad 2, James Gunn serves up an excellent spin off, Peacemaker, which along with The Boys is probably the best comic book ride ever. For anyone who liked SQ, I believe Peacemaker will not disappoint, as it has all the comic book props that go with it. John Cena is likeable and steals the whole show for himself (including the great Eagly!). Of the rest of the cast, I also liked Harcourt and of course the hilarious character of Vigilante, who fits like a glove here. Visually, the series seems poorer in places, but it doesn't matter because the cadence of humour is high and the action is of course awesome, and there’s plenty of it and it’s insanely to grotesquely brutal (there is definitely no shortage of proper gore). Surprisingly the Alien invasion plot itself works here, it is cleverly thought-out, and quite a few times the series managed to surprise me with various unexpected twists that had the right shocking effect. The finale is a decently epic carnage that can't leave anyone cold (limbs and heads literally flying through the air!). I must also praise the music, which is strongly rock and even though I am not a fan of this music, I have at least two songs from the series in my playlist, which is commendable. For me so far, together with Reacher, the series event of the year, I enjoyed it very much and I wish you the same. Story 4/5, Action 5/5, Humour 5/5, Violence 5/5, Fun 5/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotions 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8.5/10.

This decadent and twisted teen series that is currently one of the most watched on HBO returns with a second season and it's solid again, though I have minor reservations. The first episode is probably the highlight of the entire second season, the gritty story of Fezco had that touch of a highbrow gangster drama and the visit to a drug den definitely managed to give me goosebumps. Episode 5 was also intense, with an unpleasant junkie bottom and the final police raid, and Episode 7 had a theatre form that was playful and creative in its direction, these are definitely the scenes that will stick in the memory the most. What I was a bit disappointed about, however, was that the introductory prologues of the various characters disappeared this time, as they did in the first series (there are still plenty of characters who deserve backgrounds, while not many new characters were added, which I also see as a shame), and I dare say the sex scenes were also lacking (a complaint?). But this is still decent entertainment, it's gritty, uncomfortable, disturbing with all the teenage angst associated with it. I'm surprised that the line with Zendaya and the dealers was left unresolved, and the last episode is traditionally the weakest, as in the first season. I'm curious about the 3rd season, but I'm not up to a full rating again. Story 4/5, Action 2/5, Humour 2/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotions 3/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10.

Dating is dangerous! A solid romantic psycho-thriller in the Hannibal mode, and mature for a debut. The main character has trouble finding love, dating doesn't work out until the day she meets a nice man in a store (read Winter Soldier!), but she has no idea that he has a rather strange appetite. There's not much to write about the story, but I'll admit that I turned off the trailer out of boredom and it's one of those films I wasn't looking forward to, and as a result it's a spring horror surprise. The film is beautifully shot, with impressive interiors and colours, technically on par, the acting is also solid with the main character having the face of Anne Hathaway, and the atmosphere is awesome with an exploitative feel focusing on psyche rather than violence, but even that comes across to a lesser extent. The plot itself is pretty twisted and refreshing, the film flows well and the ending is decently gritty and suspenseful as well, so I'm satisfied. I was expecting another boring talky drama and got a great cannibal thriller. Story 4/5, Action 2/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 7.5/10.

Matt Reeves and his dark neo-noir detective Batman! I was hoping that the new Batman would instantly join the top 10 films I've ever seen and unfortunately that's not going to happen, as some of the individual elements didn't quite work for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't a solid film that everyone should see in the cinema. In fact, I can't really imagine seeing the film at home and not falling asleep. Matt Reeves pulls us into a three-hour dirty and dark Gotham that is no stranger to crime and corruption. The acting is very precise, Robert Pattinson as Batman is perfect, Zoë Kravitz is the sexiest Catwoman ever, Jeffrey Wright as Gordon is very solid, and Paul Dano is very good as the villainous Riddler (although at times I thought he overacted quite a bit, but nothing distracting). Colin Farrell as the Penguin should also be praised, he managed to shine in a small space as well. The atmosphere of the film is really reminiscent of Fincher's Se7en, and I was reminded of Saw in a few scenes (probably due to the puzzles). As a detective film The Batman is very good, with great crime investigation, but I'm a bit disappointed that we don't get much action itself, given the long running time, I would have liked at least a more spectacular finale (apart from a couple of ground fights in the dark, there's really nothing wow on my part), which unfortunately means I won't be in a hurry for a second viewing. Praise must also go to the music, which is spot on, and above all the cinematography and technical aspects are of the highest possible standard. I had goosebumps twice, during the one-shot Batman flyby and also when the Batmobile starts up (although surprisingly it was only used once!!). All in all the three hours were fine, there is a lot of quality work done in many ways, but it is so exhausting that the experience is not multiplied by euphoria as I had hoped. Maybe on a second viewing I'll enjoy the film even more, maybe the experience needs to mature, but either way, satisfaction prevails. Story 4/5, Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 3/5, Entertainment 4/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 5/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 5/5. 8/10.

I liked the first one a bit more, but the second one is also a solid animated film for fans of modern pop music. The animation of the animals is amazing (the lion leads the way!), the songs are fresh, the storyline is fast-paced and the film reliably manages to entertain. Too bad it lacks humor for an animated film, but I'll still pull it out at 4 stars. 7/10.

An average 90's-style thriller. During a winter storm, the main character is forced to stop at an isolated rest area with four other strangers. She encounters a kidnapped child in the parking lot and the problems start. I quite like thrillers with the theme of one place, a group of strangers, someone hiding something, but unfortunately they reveal that too soon here and the film lacks a proper twist or shocking revelation, as it did in the iconic Identity. Acting-wise I wasn't too impressed with, the film is visually, there is minimal violence (it needed more characters and definitely more savagery), but the nail-biter was more or less pleasing, you don't see that every day. It's relatively OK for one viewing on a dull evening, but in no genre level is the film satisfying enough to stand out from its counterparts. Story 3/5, Action 2/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 3/5 Music 2/5, Visuals 3/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 2/5, Actors 3/5. 5.5/10.