Categories: Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) 3/5

Categories 3/5, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi

I get why Deadpool & Wolverine has exploded, it is a fan-service and in-joke theme park ride. However, this also cuts out the legs from under it. Deadpool 2 did a lot to push more towards a plot and an accompanying tone shift from the first, and this latest outing undoes most of that while mixing the Marvel staples. What are the staples? Story and character motivations take a backseat to puns and cameos, like without spoiling anything consider how quick Wolverine’s motivation turns off at the end (literally zero response).

There are a lot of other issues I took but I don’t want to make this a spoiler review. Also it was weird for them to still make one character an integral part of the story while also being unable to get the original actor, at that point rewrite the part. It isn’t like the plot wasn’t already paper thin or had not already been sidelined numerous times by that point.

Distant (2024) 3/5

Categories 3/5, Comedy, Drama, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi

It is not a perfect, there is a scene that looks cool but moves nothing and a hint of romance crops up that is awkward, but I think anyone who enjoys Sci-Fi can find something here. I think the first half is a stronger movie, but thrill junkies may disagree. Seeing what the planet has to offer was fun, even if not surprising. Anthony Ramos was a solid lead.

It is a shame people are going to be so hard on this movie. I have zero regret watching Distant.

Event Horizon (1997) 2.5/5

Categories 2.5/5, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller

I have a soft spot for Event Horizon. Cosmic horror is just rare and kind of fun. I’ve seen the movie quite a few times, but when I watch it I know I am eating garbage. Acting, direction, script, everything is all uneven. Still, the many pieces that take inspiration from other sources have something to them.

Lets stop remaking good movies, lets remake Event Horizon.

Glass (2019) 1.5/5

Categories 1.5/5, Drama, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Glass is so impatient with its characters that it feels detached from Unbreakable and Split. The camera jumps around, dialogue is fast and sometimes feels weak, and McAvoy is a delight to see again but even his multiple characters are shown very little patience of time.

Some strings are also pulled way too tight to get all of these characters together again, some not making sense as they are portrayed.

Shyamalan is not always balanced in his casting and direction of said casts either, and this is no exception as there are uneven performances.

Shyamalan also, once again, falls victim to having cool ideas and hamfisting his way to their execution. Ultimately it does what it always does, cool moments mixed with nonsensical ones and an overall feeling of “if only he had done a better.” The characters deserved so much better.

A Quiet Place Part II (2020) 4/5

Categories 4/5, Drama, Horror, Movie and Series Reviews, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Building off of what came before, Regan, the daughter, is now empowered and her and the movie at large are reconnecting humanity. If the first movie was about grief, sacrifice, and survival, then this one is about hope and resilience.

I’m just going to make a list here because I don’t have it in my to explain properly why I like this movie and yet have a lot of issues with it at the same time.

• Multiple times adult characters just up and leave children when everything tells us they would let them know first, if at least so that they do not follow.
• There is also a blatant misunderstanding of how a basic amplifier works and I looked really close for a battery compartment. You cannot just cut the cord off and immediately use it.
• Then there is the use of a record player as a two parter issue, one being that it is convoluted way to get attention and two being records do not just keep playing nonstop like an mp3 would. The second I can let go and assume the station had some automatic arm that was able to repeat the record.
• Oxygen tanks do not explode. Oxygen cannot make a fire, only contribute to it.
• There is a bit where a young character suddenly explores, but the characters motivation doesn’t really exist for this, and I would argue it exists in the opposite direction. I think there is a reason this scene is cut alongside another: one is good and one is not.
• The first movie showed that the creatures seemed like good swimmers. It seems retroactive to now make them die in water. It is around the hour and four minute mark in the original, the basement scene. I went back to check and the thing lowers its head in the water and slithers into it. Shallow? Sure, but that thing clearly was comfortable with water. It was submerged for almost 30 seconds of screen time. Also, Signs did it first.

That all having been said, I still enjoyed the movie and a lot of the touching sentiment was not missed on me. The list makes it seem as though I am going super hard on the movie, but I only say something because I got invested. The only truly awful thing was the amplifier, that hurt my soul. My mind says it is a 3 1/2, but my heart says to give it a 4.