jackson-97078
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
9 years
Reviews
Don't Worry Darling (2022)
Interesting concepts, misguided direction
Oh boy, where to start.
I'll begin with positives. The production design was gorgeous - it was easy to be swept up in the fantastical 1950's American suburb setting thanks to the colourful set pieces and wonderful costumes. Florence Pugh is really the stand out performer in DWD, but even her talent was not enough for me to genuinely care for her character. Unfortunately the positives end here. Although Chris Pine is fine and played the role well, there was no substance to his character, he is written to be obscure and sinister but not enough about his character nor the Victory Organization that he leads is revealed to have the audience invested in his performance imo.
The negatives, of which there are many.
First and foremost my biggest issue concerns Wilde's direction. The movie would have been much better suited to tackle either Florence's character struggling with her sanity, OR the Victory Project's shady dealings. Both are explored but neither is convincing nor given enough exploration. Wilde borrows well established tropes from the psychological thriller genre that are better utilized in films like Shutter Island and the Truman Show, and these tropes are shamelessly replicated in an attempt to come across as smart or groundbreaking, but unfortunately come across as juvenile. Harry Styles might not be as bad as some are making him out to be (he is inexperienced, not atrocious) yet there were multiple moments in the theatre when his delivery spawned audience laughter. I'll avoid spoilers, but the third act is littered with moments that seemingly come out of no where and raise more questions than they answer. I can't help but feel this movie was doomed from the start and would have been better off in another director's hands. Watch are your own risk !
I'll begin with positives. The production design was gorgeous - it was easy to be swept up in the fantastical 1950's American suburb setting thanks to the colourful set pieces and wonderful costumes. Florence Pugh is really the stand out performer in DWD, but even her talent was not enough for me to genuinely care for her character. Unfortunately the positives end here. Although Chris Pine is fine and played the role well, there was no substance to his character, he is written to be obscure and sinister but not enough about his character nor the Victory Organization that he leads is revealed to have the audience invested in his performance imo.
The negatives, of which there are many.
First and foremost my biggest issue concerns Wilde's direction. The movie would have been much better suited to tackle either Florence's character struggling with her sanity, OR the Victory Project's shady dealings. Both are explored but neither is convincing nor given enough exploration. Wilde borrows well established tropes from the psychological thriller genre that are better utilized in films like Shutter Island and the Truman Show, and these tropes are shamelessly replicated in an attempt to come across as smart or groundbreaking, but unfortunately come across as juvenile. Harry Styles might not be as bad as some are making him out to be (he is inexperienced, not atrocious) yet there were multiple moments in the theatre when his delivery spawned audience laughter. I'll avoid spoilers, but the third act is littered with moments that seemingly come out of no where and raise more questions than they answer. I can't help but feel this movie was doomed from the start and would have been better off in another director's hands. Watch are your own risk !
Halo (2022)
Look how they massacred my boy
What can be said that hasn't been already?
From the perspective of someone who grew up on and loves the games, particularly the first 3, this series is a bastardization of some of the most beloved science fiction IP. The fact that Paramount bought the rights to adapt Halo yet the show runner refused to play the games themselves is criminal imo. A Halo series should have been a guaranteed home run - tens of millions of people love this IP and have for 20+ years. All they had to do was respect the fan base, but they crashed and burned. Even as a sci-fi action show it can't stand on two feet and suffers from abysmal writing. Everything negative about the movie/tv industry is apparent in the development of Paramount+'s Halo, and should hopefully serve as a wake up call to the next studio that wants to tackle a beloved IP such as this one. Shameful execution. I'm truly baffled at wrong they got this. My solution? Hand off the production of Halo to another studio or some developer who is familiar with the content and lore who will take the time to flesh out the series properly. Will it happen? Of course not, but one can dream.
From the perspective of someone who grew up on and loves the games, particularly the first 3, this series is a bastardization of some of the most beloved science fiction IP. The fact that Paramount bought the rights to adapt Halo yet the show runner refused to play the games themselves is criminal imo. A Halo series should have been a guaranteed home run - tens of millions of people love this IP and have for 20+ years. All they had to do was respect the fan base, but they crashed and burned. Even as a sci-fi action show it can't stand on two feet and suffers from abysmal writing. Everything negative about the movie/tv industry is apparent in the development of Paramount+'s Halo, and should hopefully serve as a wake up call to the next studio that wants to tackle a beloved IP such as this one. Shameful execution. I'm truly baffled at wrong they got this. My solution? Hand off the production of Halo to another studio or some developer who is familiar with the content and lore who will take the time to flesh out the series properly. Will it happen? Of course not, but one can dream.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
A step up from the first? Yes, but little more
It's no debate James Gunn wins the title of best SS movie (so far) but I'd hardly consider this film "one of the best comic book/superhero movies" as some of the others here have claimed. Ignore anything you see that mentions this movie and academy awards in the same sentence. Let's start with the pros.
Positives:
The R rating was a great call and allows for most of the films better moments, the graphic violence and language just allows for a much more authentic action movie and fortunately I think this movie will contribute to studios being more comfortable with giving mainstream comic book movies that hard R they really should have.
Weasel. He was an easy top 3 character and he has 4 mins screen time (maybe)
Fans of earlier James Gunn will notice some parallels in The Suicide Squad to his Slither (2006), and this did feel like Jame's movie which is nice to see WB learned their lesson it would seem. (Just give us the Ayer version already look how it worked with Syndercut)
Cons:
Comedy was a generous 50/50. Some genuine laugh out loud moments but repetitive and childish more often than not. (That Norman Bates line was golden though)
Bloodsport was a recycled Deadshot. At least try and make him original? A no nonsense, insanely accurate military man with some estranged daughter issues that lead him into joining the squad (sigh) I'll say Idris's performance topped Will Smith's but Will was the highlight of Ayer's SS it should be said.
Amanda Waller wasn't written well and I question her role going forward in the DCEU honestly.
King Shark was a dud character. Giggled a couple times but his presence felt silly.
Harley Quinn was the only standout as being being significantly more enjoyable in Ayer's Suicide Squad, I can't look at her anymore without thinking of WB's agenda and how she's used as a marketing tool. She's way too OP for the limitations of her character.
Won't be catching it again soon but it's not 'bad' by any means, just be weary of the 8-10 reviews or you may feel disappointed as I was. Will give it a rewatch and see how things change over time but for now I'd rank it slightly below Deadpool? Cheers if you read this far!
Positives:
The R rating was a great call and allows for most of the films better moments, the graphic violence and language just allows for a much more authentic action movie and fortunately I think this movie will contribute to studios being more comfortable with giving mainstream comic book movies that hard R they really should have.
Weasel. He was an easy top 3 character and he has 4 mins screen time (maybe)
Fans of earlier James Gunn will notice some parallels in The Suicide Squad to his Slither (2006), and this did feel like Jame's movie which is nice to see WB learned their lesson it would seem. (Just give us the Ayer version already look how it worked with Syndercut)
Cons:
Comedy was a generous 50/50. Some genuine laugh out loud moments but repetitive and childish more often than not. (That Norman Bates line was golden though)
Bloodsport was a recycled Deadshot. At least try and make him original? A no nonsense, insanely accurate military man with some estranged daughter issues that lead him into joining the squad (sigh) I'll say Idris's performance topped Will Smith's but Will was the highlight of Ayer's SS it should be said.
Amanda Waller wasn't written well and I question her role going forward in the DCEU honestly.
King Shark was a dud character. Giggled a couple times but his presence felt silly.
Harley Quinn was the only standout as being being significantly more enjoyable in Ayer's Suicide Squad, I can't look at her anymore without thinking of WB's agenda and how she's used as a marketing tool. She's way too OP for the limitations of her character.
Won't be catching it again soon but it's not 'bad' by any means, just be weary of the 8-10 reviews or you may feel disappointed as I was. Will give it a rewatch and see how things change over time but for now I'd rank it slightly below Deadpool? Cheers if you read this far!