John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård
Running Time: 169'
Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗

This is still a classic John Wick film, but feels watered down, in part because of its too long runtime, in part because of too prolonged action scenes, and in part because of a rather weak and anticlimactic story. There is also less story, and the action scenes just don't flow like before. There is more of them, which means more action, which sounds great for an action flick, but they became quite repetitive, and I found myself yawning during a middle of one. Trying to keep it fresh for the fourth time, some of the stuff in the movie is bordering ridiculous. John Wick is "realistically" killing so many bad guys that I'm amazed at how many incompetent assassins exist in this universe. He really heavily relies on his bulletproof suits, which are incredibly effective, not even flinching when getting hit. The movie introduces a blind assassin, played by Donnie Yen, who admittedly has some great scenes, but seems like a superhero while deflecting bullets with his sword. Skarsgård's character is creepy and villainous enough for the most of the movie, but doesn't deliver at the end. We also have a bounty hunter with his attack dog that he is too attached to for being in the business he is. His whole arc is unnecessary and it just feels like the dog is more important than him, just as a nod to the first movie in the franchise. Even Fishburne's character, the Bowery King, feels superfluous and out of place, as most of the movie takes place in Paris and not in underground New York. There is enough action to tickle your vicariousness, but the film unintentionally points out how creators didn't really know where to go with Wick and just focused on one part of the experience, stretching it out for four movies. Still, it's better than Taken.

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Black Adam (2022)

Genre: Action
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo
Running Time: 124'
Verdict: ⊗⊗

This whole movie just seems like a collection of knockoffs from other superhero movies. Black Adam has an abundance of incredibly strong powers, and he is overpowered throughout the entire film, until is easily defeated by a mysterious mineral of a certain color, that originates from his home. He is chased by Justice Society, a much lamer version of Justice League, that consists of Hawkman (knockoff Falcon but golden), Doctor Fate (knockoff Doctor Strange, but with a cool helmet), Cyclone (knockoff Storm from X-Men) and Atom Smasher (knockoff Ant-Man with a dash of Deadpool). While Hawkman and Doctor Fate have some character development, other two just seem completely irrelevant. There are other, non-super characters in the film, like a kid that teaches Black Adam how to be a superhero, and his mother, an archeologist, that represents her entire country. But they are so trivial that I can't remember what they did for the entire film. Most of the plot is about Justice Society trying to apprehend, contain or reason with Black Adam, with little to no effect. But no one really ever poses a threat to him, except for the main (very uncharismatic) villain, in the last half hour, maybe. It's not really clear who are the bad guys, or what is their technology level. For the most part they seem like some dull, unorganized terrorist group, but then have some high tech flying bikes and force fields, and a vague agenda of creating hell on Earth for whatever reason. It's hard to find something good or interesting in this movie. Maybe there is a commentary on policing poor countries and stealing their heritages, but I feel silly even making that stretch. As a superhero movie, it is mildly entertaining, but is not very funny, surprising or engaging. And it's way too long. If they didn't use so much slow motion it would probably be half as long. Black Adam maybe expands the DC Extended Universe, but it doesn't advance it anywhere significant.

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Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson

Running Time: 119'

Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗

 

Love and Thunder tries to live up to Ragnarok, with colors, comedy, music and general goofiness, but it just doesn't work this time. It turns slightly towards a rom-com, but it's not that strong as a comedy and is even weaker as a romance movie. Actions scenes seem crowded and pointless, worldbuilding is lazy and music is repetitive and misses more than it hits. The movie adds a bunch of just weird things to the universe, like (suddenly) sentient weapons and whole pantheons of gods, a lot of which seems like should've been mentioned a lot earlier in the franchise, or even the universe. Like, Stormbreaker can become jealous. What? It's an axe! So much of it is just way over the top. It's hard to gauge how oblivious Thor really is. Mostly seems very, but then we get flashes of real awareness, and they seem out of place. Guardians of the Galaxy, Christian Bale and his character and even Valkyrie are completely underutilized. Except for few funny scenes, the only thing that really stands out is Natalie Portman's acting. It's a pleasure to watch her here, even though her character is quite strange and silly. However, this is not a bad movie, it just feels like representative of MCU's decline. It's obviously a movie for kids, unlike any earlier Thor movies. I guess they finally figured out the demographics for movies with gods. It's just, after Thor 4 I don't feel like watching Marvel movies anymore, because they are not so hardcore like before. So unless they explore a new way to restore the superhero core, I will ignore them and watch them no more.

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Genre: Action
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Running Time: 126'
Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗⊗

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doubles down on the multiverse concept introduced in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with a lot of disposable new characters, or new versions of characters appearing, that have little to do with the plot, and more with arousing as much of their broad audience in as little lines as possible. The movie is colorful and wonderfully disorienting, but sometimes feels unsatisfying and it's surprises are not that surprising. There is too much going on, with little or less focus on specific characters, places or plot points. It doesn't give you time to think about any rules or systems in place, and instead forces you to suspend the disbelief and enjoy the ride. Universes are not properly developed, which is my biggest objection, with the title implying there will be quite a few of them. Instead we got barely three, with about a dozen more in a quick, slightly comedic scene that leaves you wanting a lot more than it provides. Acting is good all round, especially with Olsen and some of her more emotional scenes. Strange is charming and witty as ever, but this feels more as Wanda's story, as she has a lot broader character arc here, and just more powerful scenes. The movie is still obviously MCU formulaic, being pretty, funny and flashy, but occasionally Raimi's suspense and dark humor very much come to light. It's really his touch on some amazing horror, and sometimes very brutal scenes that distinguishes this movie from others in the franchise. Otherwise, it's just a good Marvel movie.

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The Batman (2022)

Genre: Action
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano
Running Time: 176'
Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗⊗

This unimaginatively titled Batman movie was arguably not needed but is definitely welcome, so we are not left with Affleck's version as the last one, and it does give us some new takes on the character and his city. The Batman is mostly faithful to the source material, and the changes it introduces are reasonable for a modern take. Two years of fighting crime on the streets leave Batman as a relative beginner, overly confident in his abilities without being too effective or clever, but still having an impact on criminals. Mostly street ones though, as the organized crime seems not much effected by or worried about the vigilante, even having a laugh on his "I am Vengeance" catchphrase. Batman easily takes on goons and thugs that are firing at him with automatic rifles point-blank and still somehow not even trying to aim at the only body part not under a bulletproof armor, but he struggles with taking down the crime lords because he (still) has little access to them. Generally, the whole organized crime of the Batman's early crime fighting years is very well-developed, and movie cleverly plays with the Batman and Bruce Wayne connection. The whole cast is great, even Pattinson as ever-brooding Vengeance, and these are definitely better iterations of Riddler and Penguin, and even mob boss Falcone. While visually and atmospherically amazing, story and characters still occasionally suffer as some plot threads seem without satisfying conclusion, and several setups are without strong explanation, for example commissioner Gordon's undying trust in Batman. For its long run time, the movie is tense and intriguing but with a relatively weak ending. Overall, it is a very good, but not the best Batman movie. Similarly to Batman Begins, it is a good setup for a franchise, and definitely still worth watching on its own.

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Moonfall (2022)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Starring: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley

Running Time: 130'

Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗

 

Moonfall is dumb, but it's not really trying to hide it. It is a sci-fi disaster movie that is more on the fiction side than science, even though it occasionally throws in some fancy sciency terms like "gravity" or whatever. Rarely, it does feel like a nice space movie, but then it quickly returns to the chaotic clusterfuck of whatever happens to the civilization when skies start to fall. Or at least it should, because the world plunges into chaos pretty early in the film, but we only get bits of that chaos through snippets of TV or radio news. It feels like a huge missed opportunity, as for the most of the movie we follow only three, almost random characters who often share a screen. There are other characters, but they fall very much in the background, along with the actual consequences of the titular calamity. There are some unnecessary deaths in the movie, and I would gladly trade some of the family drama scenes for more funny and/or disaster scenes. It delivers on spectacle though, but with some strange pacing and editing, it sometimes feels withheld. Casting is also a bit weird. Berry is too strong for this film, and Bradley not enough. I just didn't buy the conspiracies theories coming from Sam Tarly over here. Although charming, it really does feels like the same character. Meanwhile, Wilson seems just perfect for this role. Listen, Independence Day it is not, even though it obviously tries to be, but at least it has some mildly interesting reveals at the end that flimsily, but plausibly explain why everything is happening, almost literally. Moonfall is a modern disaster movie. None of them are great, but at least you know what you're getting.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Jon Watts

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch

Running Time: 148'

Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗⊗⊗

 

Marvel and Sony put on their best lipstick and most glamorous dresses, veiling a lack of underwear, ready to provide the best fan service money could buy. Really, as a film, Spider-Man: No Way Home is probably the best Spider-Man movie. Not because of a good Peter Parker story, but because of the way it treats former movies and how it handles an amazing gallery of Spider-Man villains. It is spectacular, funny and full of surprises. It is also visually great, a lot of it coming from Doctor Strange's meddling with dimensions and the multiverse, but also from a colorful palette of the villains and general mayhem they bring with themselves. To provide all this goodness, movie sacrifices some explanations of how some things happen or work, but it's really hard to mind as it doesn't give you much time to think. It tries to further develop Spider-Man's relationships with his girlfriend MJ and best friend Ned, but they kinda fall to the background because of just a preposterous number of other individual story lines and distractions that happen in the scenes. Spider-Man: No Way Home satisfyingly concludes a lot more than this trilogy, but I still feel it is just a villain away from being the perfect Spider-Man movie.

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Iron Man 3 (2013)

Žanr: Akcija

Režija: Shane Black

Glume: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

Trajanje: 130'

Presuda: ⊗⊗⊗

Čovjek od željeza se (opet) vratio, sad nakon avanture sa Avengersima. Doduše, nema baš puno referenci na taj film ili događanja u njemu. Ovaj put je negativac Mandarin. Osobno neman pojma ko je i šta je u stripu, al ovdje je negativac dosta zanimljiv. Napokon dobra uloga za Ben Kingsleya. Ozbiljno, koliko puta ste tog ćelavca gledali kao negativca? Iako je glavni negativac poprilično zloban i opasan, ne izgleda kao da se Tony Stark puno muči sa njim. Zapravo, kroz većinu filma izgleda da Tony ima neke psihološke probleme, koji dignu karakterizaciju lika na visoku razinu, ali im se nikad ne posvete previše. Sami problemi se riješe sami od sebe, te (opet) Stark bez puno muke pređe preko svega. Film je zabavan, ali mi je malo dosadilo gledati Robert Downey Jr. kako glumi sebe dok glumi superjunaka. I izgleda da cijela ostala produkcija se bazira na tome. Scene su epične, dojmljive, nekad zabavne, ali nema nikakve drame. Ovo je već treći film (četvrti sa Avengersima) o Iron Manu. Svi znamo da Tony Stark nema supermoći. Svejedno, unatoč teroristima, izdajicama, luđacima, izvanzemaljcima, bogovima i štasvejoš, Iron Man još nije pronašao nemesisa. Sve mu je lagano. Što je malo demoralizirajuće za ostale heroje.

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Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - Zvjezdane staze - Prema tami

Žanr: Akcija

Režija: J. J. Abrams

Glume: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch

Trajanje: 133'

Presuda: ⊗⊗⊗

Drugi film u novom serijalu Star Trek filmova prati drugi film u starom serijalu Star Trek filmova. Doduše, ne baš puno. Negativac je isti - Khan, te ga ovaj puta glumi Benedict Cumberbatch, kojeg će većina prepoznati kao “onaj bolji Sherlock”. Iako mu pristaje uloga briljantnog i devijantong antagonista, sam lik se ne ističe toliko koliko bi možda trebao, s obzirom da ga film stalno napuhava. S druge strane, to dopušta paru Kirk - Spock da se više razvijaju, što ne vodi priču, ali je dovoljno zanimljivo. Teško je ocijeniti ovaj film jer izgleda kao niskobuđetni fan-made film, samo što nije niskobuđetni. Uopće. Štoviše, cijela produkcija je vrlo kvalitetna (iako je 3D totalno viška), ali scenarij je iznimno jednostavan i nema velikog razvoja likova. Sporedni likovi su vrlo sporedni, stavljeni tu bez puno funkcija osim da podsjećaju na stare likove. Iznenađujuće, sve to skupa ne smeta toliko. Film vas neće iznenaditi, ali je vizualno impresivan i sasvim dobar kao još jedan u Star Trek serijalu filmova.

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Total Recall (2012)

Genre: Akcija

Directed by: Len Wiseman

Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel

Running Time: 118'

Verdict: ⊗⊗⊗

Stvarno sam želio uspoređivati ovaj film sa originalom, do te razine da sam pogledao stari film opet, prije nego sam pogleda ovaj. Mislim da je to bilo pametno, jer shvativši koliko je original glup (suprotno mom sjećanju), maklo me sa ikakve ideje uspoređivanja. Collin Farrel je Douglas Quaid, radnik u tvornici u godini dvijetisućeinekoj, kojem se život naglo okrene kad ide sebi umjetno ugraditi sjećanja (izgleda da će tada to biti skroz normalno). E pa odjednom shvati da je možda (a možda ipak ne) tajni dvostruki agent oko kojeg se bore dvije seksi žene, usred rata između trenutne vlasti i pobunjenika koji oće štagod inače pobunjenici oće u distopiji u budućnosti. Dok je cijeli svijet budućnosti poprilično dobro napravljen, zanimljiv i relativno uvjerljiv, sama priča više daje mista akciji da se odvija u tom svijetu nego radi išta zanimljivo. Film je hrpa izmješanih scena di Quaid ili biži od seksi ženske koja ga vata ili pokušava skužit zašto ga seksi ženska vata. Ništa logično dakle.

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