jaysanchu07

Well, at least Paul WS Anderson's consistent. Resident Evil: Afterlife continues Anderson's murderous streak, with another blasphemous RE parody that comes devoid of substance, style and sense. Yes, this detestable mess once again pushes for an action-heavy abomination with majority of its so called narrative, plagiarized from Dawn of the Dead, BUT WAY WORSE. Here, annoying dialogue & background characters fill out the scenes with stereotypical tirades, uninspired deaths and incoherently tied together sequences. Also and as per usual, Anderson's treatment of RE's famous names was infuriating & laughable, relegating their importance to action poses & brooding stares, while severely being miscast by overweight actors. As for the action, Anderson's new obsession with slow-motion captures was an IRRITANT, as every freakin sequence comes steeped with UNTHRILLING moments that by no means deserve to be stretched out. The lack of horror, probably this wretched film's most significant offense, is nowhere to be found, as the undead that launched the video game franchise, has been relegated as awkwardly animated set pieces.

The RE movie franchise has really lost its way. It's no more than a shameless cash-grab. 4/10.

What is wrong with 2010?! The infamous year has continuously produced forgettable movies after another, with Tron: Legacy making a case for the year's most disappointing. Sure, Tron boasts of praise-worthy technical tenets, no doubt. Its cutting-edge visuals for instance, were impressive, as every nook and cranny of Tron's world was a feast for the eyes. This, complimented by jaw-dropping light cycle battles and the orchestral, gritty sound design from Daft Punk, creates an immersive experience where ambition, aesthetics & score perfectly meshes, creating a digital world that pulsates with energy. Where Tron crashes down and demeans its positives, is when the narrative takes center stage. OUCH!

Tron's central storyline that features Sam's heroic journey to rescue his long lost father, became emotionally-empty, with supposedly provoking scenes dampened by exposition after exposition. The motivations of Clu that featured ISO as aberrations & master keys were letdowns, unexciting & undercooked. As for the characters, none were particularly worth the connection, as they come as emotionally one-dimensional as any, furthered by the serious lack of exploration of Olivia Wilde's Quorra & the the TOO FEW, great scenes from Martin Sheen's Castor.

Overall, Tron: Legacy has the touch to keep you engaged for the first 20 minutes, nothing more. The charm from its technical splendor fizzles out FAST, reducing the spectacle to an aesthetically-rich SNOOZE FEST. 5/10.

2010's The Wolfman went from being a promising remake, to one of the worst horror offerings of the year. TSK! Its nuisances kicks off with its strangely put together ensemble, that seems handpicked for marketing purposes. Benicio Del Toro & Anthony Hopkins, corroborated by their serious lack of on-screen chemistry, had absolutely no business fooling around as estranged father & son, let alone against a backdrop of 1800s London! The glaring misuse of Emily Blunt's talents was another wasted promise, as her persona is relegated to a paper-thin mourning widow, that maxes out on drawing Del Toro's desires for the sake of donning an unconvincing, undeserved romantic arc.

Apart from its head scratching casting choices, its over-dramatizations were just as dejecting, drowning out the horror with Johnston's affinity with theatrical melodrama. Yes, his screenplay comes riddled with a great deal of tortured stares & POINTLESS announcements of tragedy, brushed aside for script convenience. These, paired with subpar elements of dread that relishes more on mayhem, than suspense & brooding terror, ushers a weary, mainstream action-heavy tone, pushing aside any atmosphere of fear.

And then, there's the absolutely inept imageries of The Wolfman. The ambition of having a gothic palette for its cinematography, ended up being murky & over processed to the point of cartoonish. The use of CGI for majority of the action sequences was painfully obvious, further dampening the supposed haunting episodes with its lack of realistic appeal.

Overall, Joe Johnston deserves our outrage for absolutely plundering The Wolfman's interesting premise of classic monster folklore. His unfortunate variety of filmmaking blunders renders this cinematic garbage, as an unwatchable B-movie.