A band of soldiers is dispatched to war games deep in the woods. When they stumble across a rival team slaughtered in camp, they realize they're not alone.
Fun but I can’t help thinking that a few minor edits could knock 10 mins off the running time and it’d be better for it.
Still, fantastic practical effects go a long way to make up for it!
★★★
Scientist Bruce Banner scours the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers force him back to civilization, he finds himself coming face to face with a new, deadly foe.
I’ve been doing Brave New World homework with the kids, so we’ve done Falcon and Winter Soldier, and had to go back to this, which we’d previously skipped.
My 10 y/o daughter was dead against it (“I don’t like Hulk films”) but as the credits rolled she said: “That was good.” And had the grace to look a bit ashamed 😂
I’ve seen it plenty of times and, honestly, I just alternated marvelling at the adorable Liv Tyler and the size of Tim Roth’s nose.
★★★
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.
I know a lot of people hate this on principle, and others genuinely think it’s bad. And, I wouldn’t say it was good, but I have seen a lot worse.
My biggest problem is purely story-based. We could call this the Ant-Man problem, where it just doesn’t follow its own rules. Put simply, getting punched by Capt Marvel should be fatal to almost anyone in the MCU. You have a hero that powerful and you’re going to have narrative problems, this is why she was benched for most of the Infinity Saga.
To counter this, Danvers could easily have a Daredevil-esque moral crisis here; setting her own limitations in how she must atone for her past actions. But there is nothing even close to that interesting going on here.
Instead, though, somebody decided to slap all the fun buttons. For me, this approach was more hit than miss and I happily leaned into the levity. I can easily see, though, that this is really not for everyone.
★★★
Drummer and Ashford find themselves trapped with few options for survival; Anna tends to the wounded masses as Melba continues to hunt down her prey; the Rocinante crew struggles to survive as Naomi reunites with her true family.
I’m on the S3 finale of The Expanse and Anna Volovodov might be shading Chrisjen Avasarala as my favourite character… so many to choose from, though!
Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
For a story about Rocket, there was a distinct lack of Rocket doing Rocket things, while everyone else went to town with their usual shtick.
★★★½
The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.
Being a child of the 80s, I have very fond memories of this but it turns out it’s also a very good film!
It’s full of excellent practical effects and stunt work and you’ve got to love those sets, knowing someone actually built them.
There’s some great lines, fun characters and arguably the cutest baby (actually babies) ever to grace the screen.
They just don’t make ‘em like this any more!
★★★★
Secret Level has landed on Prime Video
A satisfyingly graphic introduction to the incredible violence of the grim dark future and the Emperor’s chosen.
It neatly establishes the in-universe pecking order of human vs. post-human, with the Astartes dismantling their opposition in short order. It also showcases the more esoteric aspects of the lore and the greater threats facing humanity.
However, while this short amply demonstrates the power of the Space Marines, it also highlights their weakness as a storytelling device. Stoic, honour-bound warrior monks with little to no personality beyond their varying levels of savagery or tactics in battle.
If the Warhammer 4k Universe wants to succeed on screen, it will need to deliver a lot more humanity than taciturn giants undertaking various acts of sacrifice and mutilation, no matter how gloriously realised.
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are—or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, ruthless elitists gather at a remote location to hunt humans for sport. But their master plan is about to be derailed when one of the hunted turns the tables on her pursuers.
A teen gang in a South London housing estate must team up with the other residents to protect their neighbourhood from a terrifying alien invasion.
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. But when a pair of bungling burglars set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory. By planting booby traps galore, adorably mischievous Kevin stands his ground as his frantic mother attempts to race home before Christmas Day.
I’ve no idea how many times I have seen this but it still makes me laugh.
The soundtrack is perfection. It’s probably not up there in most people’s minds as one of William’s best but it completely elevates the movie from good to classic.
And the Marley reconcilliation sub-plot? Just lovely. Gets you right in the Christmas feels.
★★★★★
