Gran Turismo

 It's been ages since I brought up Neill Blomkamp. What's he been up to lately? Well, he did the horror film Demonic and he would have done Alien 5 if not for reasons. He's back with Gran Turismo, which is both named after the racing video game series and a biopic of a particular real-world racer, Jann Mardenborough.

The film opens with a history of the eponymous games. Among its fans are Jann (Archie Madekwe), who dreams of racing real cars over his ex-footballer dad Steve's (Djimon Hounsou) objections. Meanwhile, marketing bigwig Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) gets Nissan to sign off on GT Academy, a reality show in which GT racers are trained as actual racers. Jann qualifies for the GT Academy after he wins an online race. He and nine other recruits are put through boot camp by ex-racer Jack Salter (David Harbour). Eventually, Jann makes it to the finish line. It's not clear sailing from here.

Jason Hall and Zach Baylin's screenplay fundamentally sounds like every cliched sports movie ever. The son with big dreams, the parent with (admittedly sound, considering the sport) objections, the gruff trainer, the tragic accident, the big comeback and so forth. There's naturally a rival, who comes not in the form of a GT student, but Josha Stradowski's arrogant Nicholas Capa. It's still as emotionally effective as every cliched sports movie ought to be. You'll feel it when Jann has his tragic accident and cheer when he makes his comeback. 

There's a good cast here. Madekwe as Jann is so likable, we're invested in him even when the film slows down. We're impressed as Jack is when he diagnoses a brake problem from his GT experience. Speaking of Jack, his unabashed cynicism is delightfully entertaining, and we're invested in him as he becomes a genuine supporter. Hounsou's Steve is a lot more believable than most forbidding fathers. We especially feel it when he and Jann reconcile at the end. Capa and the other GT racers are just there. The most the latter do is fill out Nissan's team at the climax in Le Mans.

Blomkamp's panache helps liven up the proceedings. There's an audacious charm when the film briefly turns into a live-action video game at times. Jann is even "awarded" a trophy for avoiding the cops after a drunken party. It's also impressive to see cars assemble around Jann a few times. The racing scenes, both digital and real, are spectacularly shot & edited and are set to a dynamic score by Lorne Balfe & Andrew Kawczynski. 

Gran Turismo's true story is a reasonable framework for its video game narrative. Its plot is overtly familiar, but you'll still be invested in its lead character all the way through. Its racing scenes are worth seeing on the biggest screen you can find. They're just as spectacular as Ford V Ferrari's races. See it soon if you want to see it on the biggest screens possible. It's sure to liven up what maybe an otherwise dull September.

Blue Beetle

DC’s newest film, Blue Beetle, involves one of its oldest superheroes. Or rather, the latest incarnation of one of its oldest superheroes. The name debuted in 1939, but his latest alter-ego, Jaime Reyes, debuted in 2006. I could go into detail about his multiple publishers before DC, but that would complicate a review of an uncomplicated movie. Let's go.

Jaime (Xolo Maridueña) returns home from law school with debt on his mind. Not only does he have student loans to deal with, but his family is about to lose their home following his dad, Alberto (Damian Alcazar) losing his business after a heart attack. He and his sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), are hired as cleaners for evil rich lady Victoria Kord's (Susan Sarandon) mansion. But they're quickly fired. Victoria's niece, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), promises Jaime a new job or two. But all Jaime gets out of the job interview is a Burger Box which Jenny tells him not to open. 

Jaime opens it anyway and finds a metal scarab, Khaji-Da (Becky G), inside. Victoria wanted it to reverse engineer her own line of super soldiers, the OMAC. Instead, the scarab merges with Jaime and morphs him into a blue-armored superhero. Naturally, Jaime wants answers from Jenny. Victoria wants her “property” back and sends her proto-OMAC, Ignacio Carapax (Raoul Trujillo), after him. The whole family will have to chip in to stop the bad guys.

Director Angel Manuel Soto and writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer have created a light superhero film. Jaime's first transformation into Blue Beetle is more farcical mayhem than horrific. Underscoring the scene with the Spanish song La Chona accentuates the chaos until Bobby Krlic's score fully takes over. There's more hilarious chaos during Jaime's subsequent outing as he deals with his new powers. Its chipper tone keeps our eyes on the screen instead of our watches during its 127 minutes. Its most cliche elements, including Carapax's proclamation "your love for your family makes you weak," Jaime's retort to that, and a family member's seeming death (as opposed to another's actual death), aren't a detriment.

Naturally, the cast keeps our attention all the way through. Maridueña as Jaime is a likeable go-getter and incredibly selfless long before he meets Khaji-Da. His on-screen family and their chemistry are endearing. In addition to Escobedo, Adriana Barazza (Grandma), Elpidia Carillo (mom Roccio) and George Lopez (Uncle Rudy), get some great lines. Their collective likability makes the midpoint devastating, but they all bounce back when they storm Victoria's castle with Jenny's dad's (second Blue Beetle Ted) weaponry. 

Now for the others. Jenny and Jaime make a good on-screen couple. She's easily more likable than her condescending aunt, played perfectly by Sarandon. Carapax is capably brutal, while his aforementioned taunt makes tragic sense once his backstory kicks in. The Kords' head scientist (Harvey Guillen) is so delightfully goofy, that we feel a bit sorry when Jenny swipes Khaji-Da under his nose. The film makes a big deal out of Khaji-Da being a planet destroying weapon, but Khaji-Da's personality barely correlates with that. Khaji-Da has some great chemistry with Jaime, too, especially when it stops him from killing Carapax.

The film's visualization of Jaime's Blue Beetle armor highlights its technical proficiency. The costume designed by Mayes C Rubeo blends spectacularly with its CGI enhancements. Its various powers and weapons are pretty cool, too. Its production design is equally impressive for turning Decatur into the fictional Palmera City. I'm pretty sure I recognized a few streets beneath their own digital enhancements. The only bit of CGI that didn't blend well was a surprising gadget in the climax. Everything else is seamless. The action scenes also blend nicely with Krlic's techno score.

Blue Beetle is every bit as fun as The Flash wanted to be. It's just as fun watching its superhero talk to his family as it is watching him fight bad guys. Its most poignant moments come when the Reyes family are comforted by their neighbors following their midpoint tragedy. You'll leave the theater hoping for more rather than being glad it's over. Indeed, the mid-credits promise a certain character's return. Overall, it's a late summer surprise that you need to see as soon as possible. It's even playing with a Spanish dub. So, you have your options. 

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

 It's time to hear more about a film I namedropped.

Did you ever want to know what it was like to sail with the definitive vampire? Well, we've got the movie for you. The Last Voyage of the Demeter expands the Log of the Demeter section of Dracula's seventh chapter to feature length. Let's see how they fared.

July 1897. The Demeter makes port in Bulgaria. Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) and his first mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) look to fill the crew on their way to London. All prospects jump ship once they realize that the Demeter is taking on a certain bunch of crates. Dr. Clemens (Corey Hawkins) comes aboard after he saves the captain's grandson, Toby (Woody Norman), from being squished by a crate.  Clear sailing, right?

A week or so later, the crew discovers an anemic stowaway named Anna (Aisling Franciosi) inside one of the crates. Suddenly, something else feeds on the crew. It turns out that Dracula (Javier Botet) is aboard, and Anna was brought along as his "rations." She and the survivors have to keep Dracula from reaching England. I think you know how it ends for them.

This was conceived by writer Bragi Schut Jr and directed by André Øvredal (Trollhunter, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark). What do I think about the end result? It sets up its mood rather well when the Demeter is found crashed ashore in the opening. Clemens's introduction and how he gets a spot on the Demeter is quite compelling. It's even got some strong jump scares, particularly when one of the crew turns into a Zombie Vampire. 

Where does it go wrong? An overwhelming sense of genre blindness. The Demeter realize Dracula's with them when he slaughters the livestock. They don't know he's a vampire but realize he's dangerous. But they don't even look for his hiding spot until much of them bite it. It's not a rather proactive plot, to say the least. Schut was inspired by Alien in writing the script, but both the xenomorph and Nostromo crew were more active than either party here.

We now get to the on-screen crew. Clemens, as I previously said, had a good first scene. He also had a great finale as he fights Dracula and parts with Anna. It would be a waste if he didn't appear in a sequel covering the rest of the book (I have an idea that purists will hate on how he fit in). Anna turns out to be cool when she proves herself quite adept with rifles. Captain Eliot and Toby get the film's most dramatic moment when the latter is vampirized. Joseph the cook (Jon Jon Briones) is quite quirky, and even unnerving when he goes mad later on. But other than them, the rest of the crew are either unlikeable or dull. Fortunately, the least likeable of them are Dracula's first victims. 

Dracula himself is the film's visual highlight. His visage is that of an even more ghoulish Count Orlok from Nosferatu. His unnerving, withered form leads to a spectacular jump scare when he pounces on a victim like a leopard. What makes him visually marvelous is his design; most of the time, you can't tell if you're looking at a CGI monster or a real man in makeup. The Demeter herself represents some good production design from Edward Thomas. It's a creepy ship even before Dracula makes his presence known. The sound design helps out with Dracula's unnerving shrieks. Bear McCreary's score is pretty bombastic, especially its end credits theme, but it's pretty moving at times.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an admirable seabound horror film. It may not be proactive, but its technical aspects and lead character are compelling. Who knows if a prospective sequel will be made given its box-office. But at least we have Nosferatu to look forward to ... whenever. It's surely a unique spin on Dracula, that's for sure. That's it for now.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

 It's been a while since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles headlined their own movie. It's been a bit longer since they headlined an animated movie. They get to do both in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which was spearheaded by Seth Rogen but directed by Jeff Rowe. Let's see how it is.

Scientist Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) always wanted a family. So, he made a family of mutants with green ooze. His employers, TCRI, hunt him down and kill him. But Stockman's ooze got into the sewers and mutated four turtles into Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Raphael (Brady Noon) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) and a rat into their Master Splinter (Jackie Chan).

Years later, the Turtles hide in the New York sewers and only surface to steal supplies. One supply run leads them to encounter their first human friend, April O'Neil (Ayo Edeberi). April is an aspiring reporter who wants to unmask the criminal mastermind "Superfly." The Turtles decide to help her, hoping to be accepted as heroes by the general public. Things get complicated when they discover that Superfly (Ice Cube) and his gang are Stockman's mutant family. Superfly is out to help mutants take over the world. The Turtles can't let him do that, no matter how cool Superfly and his family are.

The film proudly emphasizes the teenage part of the title. They goof around, make mistakes and yearn to connect with humans their age. They’re rowdy & rebellious with their sheltered lives and we believe it. That the turtles are voiced by teenagers this time greatly amplifies this fact. They have such entertaining chemistry and buoyant personalities. It makes it all the more moving when April rallies NYC to help them defeat Superfly after they're initially slandered on the news. Even earlier, Splinter's flashback to how he and the Turtles meet is an endearing moment.

A good hero needs a good villain and Superfly is on the case. He initially appears to be a cool fly when he welcomes the turtles to his family with open arms. But he turns frighteningly vindictive once the turtles show some hesitation. That's all before he turns into a giant chimaera in the climax. The film's literally sketchy art style perfectly sells us on that form's unnerving nature (the component animals still move around!). Giant Superfly gives the Turtles a perfectly suitable final battle. 

Now for a few other characters. The mutant family is made of familiar names such as Bebop (Rogen), Rocksteady (John Cena), Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou) and Leatherhead (Rose Byrne). Their personalities are eclectic as their character designs. They get their best moments when they rebel against Superfly. Splinter gets some great character development as he loosens up. April is quite compelling as we see her overcome stage fright to help the Turtles. Meanwhile, co-villain Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph) is just there to be important in the sequel. The mid-credits promise that and another familiar face.

Overall, Mutant Mayhem is an entertaining reboot for the heroes in the half-shell. Its crassest jokes aren't a detriment to its compelling family story and radical fight scenes. It also has a great Reznor & Ross score to punctuate its many moods. Its art style is as unique as its teen comedy angle. See it as soon as you can. It'll make not just a great family matinee, but a great distraction from the heat.

Haunted Mansion

 Christmas in July is a thing, so why aren't people open to Halloween in July? When Hocus Pocus underperformed thirty years ago, folks partially blamed its off-season release that aforementioned month. They'll likely do the same for Haunted Mansion, Disney's second attempt at making a theatrical movie based on its Disneyland attraction. Let's see how they did it this time.

Single mom Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase Dillon) move into an old house in New Orleans. They immediately move out once they realize that it's occupied by ghosts. But the ghosts refuse to leave them alone until they move back in. So, they do. Everybody got that?

They're eventually forced to hire some outside help. Their ghostbusters are astrophysicist Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield), Father Kent (Owen Wilson), history professor Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito), and medium Harriet (Tiffany Haddish). Like them, they're also forced to stay at the mansion. Their investigation leads them to the ominous Hatbox Ghost (Jared Leto), who really wants them to stay. Permanently. Perhaps the ghost of Madame Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis) can help them send Hatbox back to the other side.

I admit that the original attraction was one I skipped when I went to Disneyland in 2016. So, all the references director Justin Simien (Dear White People) and writer Kate Dippold threw together mostly flew over me. That's not to say I wasn't impressed. Actually, this is a surprisingly visually inventive ghost movie. Production Designer Darren Gilford, cinematographer Jeffrey Waldron and the visual effects team conjured up a splendidly surreal mansion. We get such sights as a rotating hall, vanishing windows, a stretching room and a variety of ghosts. The climax with numerous ghosts flying around is spectacular. Leto is virtually unrecognizable under the CGI and modulated voice as Hatbox. His facial expressions and lip-synch were a bit off, but it's mostly marvelous.

The acting was mostly good. Gabbie and Travis are fine protagonists, but they're often overshadowed by the others. Stanfield's Ben gets the most compelling arc as he comes to terms with his wife, Alyssa's (Charity Jordan) sudden death. We feel it when he reminisces about her in front of the others. Bruce's joke afterwards makes for welcome levity, while a stray cat Ben keeps meeting is surprisingly relevant. Bruce and Madame Leota are entertaining, while Kent and Harriet get their best moments when they help rally the ghosts against Hatbox. A pair of tour guides’ (Winona Rider and Dan Levy) exposition about Hatbox’s human identity is even scarier than Hatbox himself. Meanwhile, JR Adduci doesn't get to do much as William Gracey, the ghost of the mansion's previous owner, which is unfortunate as his backstory is involving.

Haunted Mansion is a peculiar film. The visual effects are outstanding to the point they deserve an Oscar-nomination. But they're often prioritized over the film's human cast. The protagonists are often overshadowed by their colorful supporting players. It's still entertaining, though, and it runs at a quick-paced 122 minutes. It maybe off-season, but it's still a good diversion from the obnoxious heat. See it soon, for there's no telling if it will actually be on Disney Plus this Halloween. For all we know, it could be ... December!

Nimona

The only thing depressing about Nimona is that it almost never existed. It started development under Blue Sky Studios in 2015, shortly after ND Stevenson's eponymous graphic novel was published. But its years of development were nullified when Disney killed the studio in 2021. Annapurna resurrected the project as a Netflix release. And now, it’s here.

And you’re going to hear about it.

In an unnamed kingdom, knights in shining Armor exist with laser blasters and flying cars. These Knights are trained by a massive Institute. Here, we find Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) about to be knighted alongside his boyfriend, Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang). Nearly everyone except Ambrosius and Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint) looks down upon Ballister for him being a commoner. That gets worse when Ballister’s sword laser blasts the Queen point-blank. Ballister is literally disarmed in the mayhem, and he goes on the run.

Ballister hides away with his new robot arm until the shapeshifter Nimona (Chloe Grace Moretz) storms into his life. Nimona senses a kindred spirit in Ballister and offers to help him clear his name. He only accepts her help when his solo-quest ends in jail. But he’s still unnerved by her impishness and her shapeshifting. Meanwhile, Nimona hides a painful past with Gloreth, the legendary heroine who founded the Kingdom. The Institute's Director (Frances Conroy) drives them apart with fear and distrust. It all leads to a gigantic scene.

The film and its title character are animated forces of nature. The film’s wild sense of humor is embodied by Nimona herself. Her and Ballister’s prison break is a wonderfully manic exercise in slapstick. That scene is loaded with great shapeshifting gags. Her firecracker personality is infectious the second she shows up on-screen. Her and Ballister’s bickering is entertaining until it's not. A few scenes have Ballister basically tell her to pick a form and stick with it. It's a lot less funny once we see Nimona's backstory. You'll fully understand her lifetime of ostracization once she transforms into the living embodiment of depression. That makes their reconciliation all the sweeter.

Ballister isn’t fully upstaged by Nimona. He’s an earnest knight with an endearing relationship with Ambrosius. So, we’re fully on his side when Ambrosius (reluctantly) leads the manhunt against him. It’s quite fun to see him loosen up under Nimona’s influence. We definitely feel it when they fall out and ultimately reconcile. I won't spoil how the latter happens, but it's quite moving.

Now for the other characters. Ambrosius is just as likable as Ballister and not even him disarming Ballister changes that. In fact, it's quite effective when he realizes he's in the wrong. Fellow Knight Todd (Beck Bennett) maybe a bully but he's an amusing bully. The same can't be said about the Director, who turns fully loathsome at the midway point. Still, how she rebounds from being outed as the villain is so simple it's clever. Diego the Squire (Julio Torres), the Director's unknowing accomplice, is the victim of an entertaining interrogation from Nimona. We get some good cameos from Indya Moore and RuPaul as news anchors and Stevenson himself as a cartoon mascot.

Everything about its cel-shaded visuals, from its production design to its characters, is appealing. Its anachronistic aesthetics leads to some fun results. Nimona’s usual range of forms are cuddly, while her depression form is truly nightmarish. It’s all set to an amazing score from Christophe Beck; Nimona’s main theme, in particular, is alluring. The modern song choices perfectly punctuate its most frenetic action.

I just have one problem with Nimona being on Netflix. It's that I won't be able to witness a live crowd's reactions. Nimona is both a wild good time and a profound story of acceptance. It's got me interested in reading the original graphic novel. Maybe you'll have the same reaction once you Netflix and chill with it. Now, if you excuse me, I need to prepare for the last review of the month.

Shin Kamen Rider

I would have loved to have seen Shin Kamen Rider on the big screen. But just like with Shin Ultraman, its theatrical release was just two nights. Fortunately, it’s ready to stream on Amazon Prime, albeit as Shin Masked Rider. Either way, it’s free, so let’s go talk about it.

Hideaki Anno once again revitalizes another Japanese pop-culture icon. But unlike with Shin Ultraman, and the earlier Shin Godzilla, he goes it alone without his frequent collaborator, Shinji Higuchi. As a rundown, Kamen Rider was created in 1971 by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, who, among other works, also started the Super Sentai franchise, the eventual source of Power Rangers, with Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. There have been multiple variations of Ishinomori’s concept throughout the years. But the original one has persisted with them.

The film opens up with Takeshi Hongo (Sosuke Ikematsu) and Ruriko Midorikawa (Minami Hanabe) on the run from the evil Shocker organization. Takeshi was to be their latest cyborg mutant warrior, the Grasshopper-Aug, but Ruriko set him free. He’s quite unnerved by his new inhuman power; he can smash Shockers’ goons’ faces in with a single punch. But after a pep talk from Ruriko’s father, Professor Hiroshi (Shinya Tsukamoto), Takeshi reinvents himself as Kamen Rider and saves Ruriko from the evil Spider-Aug (Nao Omori) and his goons. 

Takeshi and Ruriko are recruited by Agents Taki and Tachibana (Takumi Saitoh and Yutaka Takenouchi) to help them defeat Shocker. Takeshi struggles to do the right thing without killing anybody else. But that’s complicated when Ichiro (Mirai Moriyama), Ruriko’s brother and the leader of Shocker, steps up to bat. His master plan is to assimilate all of humanity’s lifeforce (aka Prana) into the single Habitat Realm (much like the Human Instrumentality Project that Evangelion hinged on). Fortunately, Takeshi’s fight is easier when another Shocker warrior, Hayato Ichimonji (Tasuku Emoto), joins him as Kamen Rider #2.

Anno’s episodic screenplay breezes through Shocker’s mutants. Our heroes meet a new mutant who gloats evilly, they fight, and the mutant loses, dissolving into foam upon death. One mutant, the Scorpion-Aug (Masami Nagasawa), doesn’t even meet Takeshi. These episodes are held together by Takeshi and Ruriko’s developing platonic relationship. This plot thread amplifies the third act, where Takeshi fights Ruriko’s former friend, Hiromi (Nanase Nishino), now the Wasp-Aug. Another plot thread, where Takeshi flashbacks to his policeman dad’s murder, hits the hardest at the end. 

Any problems with the story? We only get fleeting flashbacks to Takeshi’s "recruitment." They're all in the opening. Hayato barely figures into the plot until about an hour in. The Bat-Aug's (Toru Tezuka) virus scheme is nearly, almost accidentally, confusing, not helped by Amazon’s mistimed subs. A few lines are left without subtitles at all. Other than that, there's not much to gripe about.

Let’s highlight a few characters. It’s great to see Takeshi and Ruriko open up to each other. You’ll feel it after the fight with KK-Aug (Kanata Hongo), a part chameleon and mantis mutant. Hayato makes up for his late arrival with his bravado. Hiromi/Wasp-Aug’s childish personality and spectacular fashion sense leaves quite an impression. Ichiro is a decent antagonist, but K (Tori Matsuzaka), his stoic robot aide, is the most likable of the villains. K is actually an update of the titular character in Ishinomori's Robot Detective, and his design is spot-on. 

The Kamen Riders and their mutant adversaries were all impressively redesigned by Anno and a few collaborators. The mutants' lairs are as splendid as they are. The fight scenes are spectacular, especially when Takeshi and Hayato face a literal swarm of knockoffs near the end. Veteran anime composer Taku Iwasaki's rendition of the show's theme song, Let's Go! Rider Kick, perfectly punctuates that fight, as well as Takeshi's first fight as Kamen Rider. The most impressive effects are the CGI-enhanced makeup job underneath Takeshi's mask. Some effects aren't flawless, namely Bat-Aug in flight, but they're still creepy.

Whether it's Shin Kamen Rider or Shin Masked Rider, it is still a good superhero movie. Its story isn't fully elaborated, but it makes for an interesting two hours. Anyone who missed the theatrical run have a nice home matinee waiting for them. Just beware of the subtitle problem. Then again, that seems to be a problem with Prime.

Oppenheimer

A Christopher Nolan movie is highly anticipated by itself. After all, their first trailers generally debut a full year before their release. We get plenty of time anticipating Nolan's latest. But Oppenheimer's hype skyrocketed when the internet paired it with its biggest weekend rival. Both movies are well on their way to recouping their budgets. And now, I'll explain the other half of the most anticipated double feature in cinema history.

Nolan adapted American Prometheus, the biography written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, of J. Robert Oppenheimer. We see Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) progress from university student to university professor right when World War II hits. Gen. Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) hires him for the Manhattan Project that would invent the first atomic bomb. He soon has grave reservations about the A-Bomb’s ethicality. This nearly leads him to be ruined as a Communist sympathizer.

All of this is depicted in full color in the film’s Fission storyline. The Fusion storyline follows Oppenheimer’s archenemy, Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), the chairman of the AEC, in monochrome. Strauss believes Oppenheimer has it out for him. So, he set up Oppenheimer for his eventual fall. But a nasty surprise awaits him when he aims for a Cabinet post.

The non-linear storylines are generally easy to follow. We learn quite a bit of Oppenheimer’s life during its massive three-hour runtime. Murphy's compelling performance as Oppenheimer helps the runtime breeze on by. Its most significant subplot concerns his relationships with his wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt), and mistress, Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), both of whom have Communist ties. It's an interesting subplot, though how the Bhagavad Gita figures into it is pretty odd. Meanwhile, Downey Jr.'s Strauss plays the subtle schemer for most of the movie. His vindictiveness explodes in a climactic speech. And then we understand it all.

A bigger challenge is keeping up with the film’s massive cast. I lost track of one Haakon Chevalier (Jefferson Hall), a bit ironic considering his significance. In fact, much of the cast is filled with recognizable actors in unrecognizable roles, including Benny Safdie as Edward Teller and James Remar as Henry Stimson. Kenneth Branagh is more recognizable as Niels Bohr, but you won't recognize Gary Oldman and Tom Conti as President Truman and Albert Einstein, respectively, unless you saw their names in the credits. The makeup team is just that good. Even Murphy's Oppenheimer is that stunning a dead ringer for the real man.

The sound design is generally better than Tenet. There's only a few instances where Ludwig Goransson's stunning score overwhelms the dialogue. A few bits of dialogue are cut off by some atomic imagery. But it's generally discernible. What matters is the explosions. We see them, and after a lull, we hear them. The arrangement gives them quite the punch, especially with the Trinity Test. Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and the visual effects team perfectly amplify the nightmarish splendor. Equally shocking is when Oppenheimer hallucinates a crowd getting vaporized. The editing just works.

Oppenheimer is a captivating biopic. Its double storylines perfectly capture its main characters' central perspectives rather well. This can mitigate some of the film's incomplete perspectives. Both men are compelling whether as optimists, cynics or egotists. It's a good motivator to read up on their histories. See it on the biggest screens you can find. It will be a while before it comes to home media. You bet I'll get it and the published screenplay by year's end. It's certainly worthy of its hype. And more.

Barbie

You would have never guessed years ago that Barbie would among the most anticipated films in history, much less half of the most anticipated double feature in cinematic history. But that's exactly the case as Barbie and Oppenheimer make their cinematic debuts. The latter film is three hours long and I'm not made of time. So, it's off to Barbieland.

Barbieland is where all the Barbies and Kens live and party. One particular Barbie, the Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), suddenly questions her mortality during a dance number. She tries to laugh it off until those questions interfere with her life. Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) sends her off to the real world for her answers. Her Beach Ken (Ryan Gosling) tags along for the ride.

Their misadventures in Los Angeles draw the attention of Mattel's CEO (Will Ferrell). Barbie joins with Mattel employee Gloria (America Ferrera) and her daughter, Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). Ken, meanwhile, discovers patriarchy and toxic masculinity, and brings them back to Barbieland. The resulting "Kendom" threatens to mess with the real world. Barbie, Gloria and Sasha have to hurry before Ken and the Kens make their Kendom permanent. That's basically it.

Greta Gerwig and her co-writer Noah Baumbach visualize a surprisingly profound story. Sure, Helen Mirren's deadpan narrations comprise some of the film’s funniest lines. But she's also insightful as she narrates Barbie's history in the opening. Who knew that "stereotypical" Barbie was quite the trendsetter? Barbie even meets her maker, Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman), who gives her a much-needed pep talk. The patriarchy exemplified by Kendom and the Mattel board personifies their stupidity. That's some great satire, there.

Mirren's on-screen costars are clearly having fun whether they're playing humans or dolls. The Barbie and Kens are fully committed to playing their toyetic roles. That's what makes Robbie's buoyant performance as Barbie so endearing. We're on her side whether her problems are mundane (flat feet!) or serious (her existence). You'll have fun asking, "which one?" when Gosling's Ken complains about another Ken (the most significant one is played by Simu Liu). Ken's goofiness is entertaining even when he turns bad. The supporting Barbies (including Issa Rae's President Barbie and Hari Nef's Doctor Barbie) make for a fun bunch. Sasha and Gloria get their best moments with rousing speeches that exposit on the film's thesis. Even the Mattel board of directors show some hidden depths. 

The film's commitment to its doll aesthetics is commendable. The Barbieland visualized by Sarah Greenwood is an astonishing life-sized playset. Everything from the Dream Houses to the Vehicles are convincingly toyetic. That makes it delightfully surreal whenever we see Barbie driving overhead. You'll think they're actually toys come to life. Mattel's oppulent boardroom gives the real world its own splendor. Jacqueline Durran dresses the Barbies and Kens with equally appealing wardrobes. The soundtrack includes a decent score from Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt and some appealing songs, including the opening Pink, which has a hilarious reprise.

Overall, Barbie is a film that'll entertain kids and cynics alike. It's hard to frown when everyone on screen is having a ball. You'll even learn a thing or two during Barbie's existential crisis. Its 114 minutes will breeze by in no time. What's to hate about it? Not much. Just see it. I'll get to the other half of this "double feature" this weekend. Watch for the review.

Psycho-Pass: Providence

Once again, I'm reviewing a theatrical spin-off of another anime I never followed. This is Psycho-Pass: Providence, which is actually a prequel to the anime's third season, which aired in 2019. This will fill in whatever plot details the season opened with. Let me fill in some more with the general setting:

This is basically Minority Report: The Anime. In this crummy future, Japan is monitored by the AI Sibyl System, which rates a person's likelihood of committing crimes on the "Psycho-Pass" scale. Anyone with a "Crime Coefficient" reading of 100 is likely to meet an Agent of the Public Safety Bureau, who will likely rehabilitate, incarcerate, or - in extreme cases - kill them. The latter is usually accomplished with their special Dominator guns. A few agents still advocate for the traditional justice system, including the series protagonist, Inspector Akane Tsunemori. 

This time, Akane and her usual Agents are called to investigate the murder of Professor Milicia Stronskaya. She was researching a worldwide expansion of the Sibyl System. But her papers have gone missing, and our heroes have to find them before her killers, a militia called the Peacebreakers, get them first. The Japanese Government is more than willing to negotiate with the Peacebreakers and their fundamentalist leader, Tsugumasa Tonami. But Akane and her partner, Shinya Kogami, are more than willing to see the investigation to the end.

The film opens with text explaining the setting. It goes by a bit too quickly, but it's there. The film's discussions of futuristic law and order are quite interesting. It's especially interesting during the film's shocking swerve finale, during which the Sibyl System is spectacularly circumvented. In the meantime, we're introduced a bit too quickly to Akane's many co-workers. But I found the two mentors, Dr. Shindo and Professor Saiga, the most likable for their affability. You'll feel it when they both take their lives. Akane herself is quite likable; her relationship with Shinya gives the serious story some needed levity.

Now for the new characters. Kai, a double agent infiltrating the Peacebreakers, is the one who personally killed Prof. Stronskaya. We soon learn he had a good reason for it. It's just so compelling to see him more than a cold soldier. You can almost believe Tonami preaching of peace despite his followers' violence. He's so affable that he can circumvent the heroes' Dominators. That's a problem when he possesses his followers with their "Divider" chips. It's quite creepy when he does so. What makes him so memorable is his villainous breakdown. He throws off the cloak of affability and fully turns ax-crazy to battle Akane. That makes it grander when Akane finally takes him down. 

The film looks and sounds great thanks to Production I.G. The futuristic production design includes some massive high rises, but its most appealing scene is a holographic Lunar New Year parade. Shinya fighting Kai in a holographic prairie is unintentionally surreal. But the final shootout with the Peacebreakers is spectacular once our heroes get to use their Dominators. The Peacebreakers opening raid on Stronskaya's ship is made all the more tense with Yugo Kanno's score. The film's overall sound design is as appealing as its visuals.

Psycho-Pass: Providence makes for a good future crime thriller. It's a bit dense a starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the franchise. But it has a few legitimately surprising plot twists along the way. Certain events have made the film's themes of giving AI too much power more relevant. It's available in both subbed and dubbed formats, though my theater only has it subbed. Whichever language you see it in is fine. But see it soon if you want to before it makes its theatrical exit. As for me, I'll prepare for my next reviews. 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Everybody went all out last summer for Tom Cruise's return as Maverick. But will they do it again when his superspy alter-ego, Ethan Hunt, accepts his latest Mission: Impossible? His latest mission is too big for one movie to contain; thus, we have Dead Reckoning Part One.

This time, Ethan, his fellow spies Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickwell (Ving Rhames) are on the hunt for a key so important, the IMF won't tell them what it does. Except we already know. The key controls "The Entity," an evil AI housed in the submarine Sevastopol, which sits at the bottom of the Bering Sea after it tricked the crew into torpedoing themselves. The key splits in halves, and fellow agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) has one of them. Ethan gets Ilsa's half after he gets some bounty hunters off her trail. It's off to the races.

They try to get the other half at the Abu Dhabi Airport. But the mission turns impossible when a few factions intervene. One of them is Gabriel (Esai Morales), Ethan's old enemy and The Entity's favorite human. Agents Briggs and Degas (Shea Wigham and Greg Tarzan Davis) pursue Ethan as a rogue agent. A professional thief, Grace (Hayley Atwell), gets involved with Ethan and his team as an unofficial newbie. Not everyone's going to make it out alive.

Director Christopher McQuarrie sits firmly on the franchise's formerly rotating director's chair. He and his co-writer Erik Jendresen provide more opportunities for Ethan to show off. Its most advertised scene is Ethan driving a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuting to reach the Orient Express. It's pretty cool, but his dynamic entry on the train itself is spectacular. An earlier car chase in Rome is pretty thrilling and amusing. Ethan's infiltration of an Intelligence Community meeting and Benji's disarming of a suitcase nuke are the film's tensest moments, by far. The film runs an unusually massive 163 minutes, but you'll rarely be bored.

I think it's because of the cast. Ethan and his team once again form a great ensemble of agents. They and the new characters get plenty of time to shine. Of the new characters, Grace and Gabriel's henchwoman Paris (Pom Klementieff) get the most meaningful character arcs. Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) returns from the first film, now higher up in the Intel community, and his worthy opponent relationship with Ethan is quite interesting. Agent Briggs and Degas's compelling subplot gets its best moment when they help Ethan evacuate the Orient Express. Director Denlinger is a perfectly smug villain, but you may not recognize his actor unless you look at the credits: Cary Elwes. 

This may be a part one, but its story isn't lacking. Ethan and Gabriel's rivalry concerns a woman named Marie, who's only seen in flashbacks. We don't know who she was to them. But we're intrigued enough to stick around for Part Two to find out. It's also a rare part one where the good guys win. You'll just have to wait to see how the villains catch up. Part Two is supposed to come out next year, but who knows with the Double Hollywood Strike going on (Go SAG and WGA).

This part is still a great spy thriller. Its runtime is barely noticeable thanks to its characters and set pieces. A good time is guaranteed for many if you choose to accept Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, as your next movie mission. Now, if you excuse me, it's time for the next review.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

 Did you know that Dreamworks had a new movie last week? Apparently not with its box-office figures. The good news is that Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken only cost $70 million, so its current $18.8 million gross isn't as catastrophic as its pricier competitors.

Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor) tries to live among the land dwellers in the town of Oceanside. She and her family pass off their Kraken-ness by claiming to be Canadian (it works). Her mother Agatha (Toni Collette) forbids Ruby from going into the ocean. Unfortunately, that means she can't go to prom either, since it's on a yacht. She's forced to dive in to save her crush Connor (Jaboukie Young-White) from drowning. Although the new girl, Chelsea (Annie Murphy), takes credit for the rescue, Ruby has bigger things to worry about.

Ruby and her fellow Krakens maybe humanoid on land, but they revert to full sea monster size in the ocean. Ruby, in particular, is the granddaughter of the sea queen (Jane Fonda). Grandmamah, as she insists on being called, helps Ruby hone her Kraken powers. Ruby later bonds with Chelsea after the latter reveals herself a mermaid. But mermaids are actually the evilest of sea creatures, according to Grandmamah. And, as the ads show, Chelsea is no exception. A giant sea battle is imminent.

It's not a complex film, but it's decently entertaining. The Gillmans' "we're from Canada excuse" is surprisingly plausible because the rest of Oceanside blindly believes it. That makes it funnier. Ruby's "panic attack" when she's named royalty was "trailer fodder," but it's a bit funnier in context. Her training with Grandmamah gives us an amusing montage. She puts her skills to great use to defeat Chelsea. I'm kind of mixed on Chelsea's true nature. Her being evil could have been better if it wasn't advertised that much. Her true identity is a bit better of a surprise. But it's quite reminiscent of the plot twist for 2005's Sky High. Anyone remember that? Anyway, her final form's raging water hair is impressive.

It helps that Ruby is a likable protagonist. Her peppy personality is infectious, and we really feel for her at her lowest. She and her supporting Krakens have such cuddly designs whether as humanoids or sea monsters. Grandmamah is entertaining, while Chelsea is surprisingly believable when she acts the nice girl. Human antagonist Captain Gordon Lighthouse (Will Forte) is actually an entertaining braggart. Ruby's human friends - Margot (Liza Koshy), Trevin (Eduardo Franco), and Bliss (Ramona Young) - are a delightfully quirky bunch. The same goes for the other Gillmans, especially their pet Nessie and Ruby's Uncle Brill (Sam Richardson). 

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is sure to entertain the youngest filmgoers the most. The biggest surprise for older filmgoers is how short it is - 91 minutes. It's sure to amaze both sets with its impressive visuals and Stephanie Economou's alluring score. All in all, it's a decent family matinee. But see it soon if you want to see it on the big screen. It might not last longer with that box office.

Shin Ultraman

Eiji Tsuburaya co-created Godzilla with Tomoyuki Tanaka and Ishiro Honda in 1954. But he alone created Japan's biggest superhero, Ultraman, in 1966. Last year, writer Hideaki Anno (creator of anime staple Neon Genesis Evangelion) and director Shinji Higuchi (the Attack on Titan duology) revitalized Ultraman's movie career in Shin Ultraman. It's finally ready to purchase digitally after a two-night theatrical release this past January. I got it on Amazon on the Fourth. 

And now, the review...

The film's opening montage details the origins of the SSSP (S-Class Species Suppression Protocol) organization, which defends Japan from giant monsters. During one such attack, a giant spaceman codenamed Ultraman shows up and defeats the rampaging monster. The SSSP try to make contact with Ultraman as they fend off more monsters. A new recruit, Hiroko Asami (Masami Nagasawa) leads the investigation with her "buddy," Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh). Unbeknownst to her, Shinji is Ultraman (sort of), and while the Japanese Government is wary of their "ally," a few more spacemen aren't as benevolent as he.

Yes, that's basically it. Anno's screenplay is as episodic as the TV show. Ultraman beats up a monster and another comes in. The consecutive spacemen Zarab (Kenjiro Tsuda) and Mefilas (Koji Yamamoto) sort of blend together even if their methods don't. But it's not boring. It's barely ten minutes before Ultraman makes planetfall. That's how fast this 112-minute film moves. Act Five is its most profound as the SSSP and Japanese Government try to cope with impending annihilation from the living satellite Zetton. Naturally, Ultraman defeating Zetton made for a thrilling climax.

Let's talk about the hero himself. Ultraman is quite compelling as he goes from neutral observer to stalwart guardian. He refrains from blowing up the highly dangerous Gabora, instead using his fists, and as Shinji, he opens up to the SSSP. The film's final moments let him plead his case to his superior, Zoffy (Koichi Yamadera), who set Zetton on Earth. It's as compelling as any of the fights. Saitoh doesn't get much time as normal Shinji, but he's good as Ultraman as Shinji. Anno himself plays Ultra-sized Ultraman using some decent motion capture effects. A key scene has Ultraman played by his original suit actor, Bin Furuya, who turned 80 this week. His real voice is provided by Issey Takahashi.

The SSSP are all likable characters. They're not Ultramen, but Commander Kimio Tamura (Hidetoshi Nishijima), nerdy Akihisa Taki (Daiki Arioka) and biologist Yumi Funaberi (Akari Hayami) are still memorable. Hiroko is a strong deuteragonist as she appeals to Ultraman's better nature. Their comedic moments are much needed relief. Zarab's design is perfectly unsettling, while Mefilas has the slickest look. They're both formidable villains, though Mefilas' affability gives him a slight edge. Zoffy is unnerving as he deploys Zetton, but his climactic talk with Ultraman lets one empathize with him. 

The opening montage features monsters from Ultraman's predecessor, Ultra Q, and even features Kunio Miyauchi's groovy theme tune. Shiro Sagisu's rendition of that theme, Miyauchi's score from Ultraman itself, and his original work, results in a strong soundtrack. The CGI creature designs are cool and mesh well with their real environments. The fight scenes are dynamically shot and edited. One can't help but delightfully smirk with Ultraman's goofy spin attack and accompanying sound effect when he fights Gabora. Ultraman's fights with Zetton are the visual highlights of the film. Especially the second.

Shin Ultraman is a strong reinvention of a classic superhero. It's also a good introduction to that superhero. Its characters and story are as great as its visuals. Whether physical or digital, see it as soon as possible. If all goes well, I'll be able to review Anno's follow-up, Shin Kamen Rider, sooner than later.

Please be sooner.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

You thought The Last Crusade would live up to its title. You wanted his last destination to be The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. But Indiana Jones wasn't done. He is now. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny promises to be the last adventure for Harrison Ford's whip-wielding alter ego. But I, Vance, have to give the floor to Jethro, why?

It's my blog.

Fair enough.

Steven Spielberg hands the director's chair to James Mangold, who also co-wrote the film with Jez & John-Henry Butterworth and David Koepp. Their story begins with Indy getting into one last tussle with the Nazis at the end of the War. Chief among them is Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), who will be the bad guy for this movie. He finds part of the Antikythera, a time-travelling dial built by Archimedes of Syracuse. But Indy and his cohort, Basil Shaw (Toby Jones), take it back.

A few decades later, Indy faces retirement and divorce shortly after losing son Mutt (Shia LaBeouf in Crystal Skull) to 'Nam. Adventure makes a direct call to Indy in the form of goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Shaw's daughter. She needs the Antikythera really bad. That's when Voller, now a NASA scientist, makes his move for the Dial. Helena makes off with the Antikythera and leaves Indy to Voller's goons. But he escapes for Tangier to stop her from auctioning it off. Voller wants the full Antikythera to help the Nazis win the war, with a twist. Indy and Helena have to team up to stop him.

Let's start a bit with Helena. Her self-serving attitude, especially when she leaves Indy to the Neo-Nazis, isn't appealing. But she gets better when she lends a sympathetic ear to Indy when he reveals Mutt's fate. Her sidekick Teddy (Ethann Isidore) helps humanize her a bit more, too. Her best moment comes when she pulls Indy out of his funk at the climax. She made for a fine character by the end. She's not as iconic as Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) but she is hardly one of the film's biggest problems.

Let's look at the film's massive runtime for its issues. Its prologue makes up the first 15 of 152 minutes. But it's a fun prologue as Indy outwits Col. Weber (Thomas Kretschmann) and his Nazis. The digital de-aging for Ford and Mikkelsen is seamless and John Williams's score is reliably buoyant. Afterwards, the film is cluttered by double-crosses and overextended set pieces. We get two characters who are killed far too early. One of them is Agent Mason (Shaunette Renee Wilson), the only good guy on Voller's crew, and probably the best new character. The other is Renaldo (Antonio Banderas), touted as an old friend of Indy's, but is really a mauve shirt. There's also a subplot of Indy being framed for Team Voller murdering two of his colleagues - that is never resolved.

It does a few things right, though. A few of the set pieces were still entertaining. The best of them was Indy's escape from Voller's Villains during the Apollo 11 Crew's ticker tape parade. Indy riding a horse through the New York Subway made for some audacious fun. A close second is the climactic travel through time and the characters' surprise destination. The set pieces are still visually impressive despite their overlength. Voller made for a memorable new villain, and it was satisfying to see him realize his impending demise. John Rhys-Davies made the most of his few scenes as returning ally Sallah. It was also intriguing to learn of Archimedes' inventions during the Siege of Syracuse. See, history can be fun.

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull could have been a swell ending for Indy's adventures. But The Dial of Destiny gives him an endearing coda, too. It takes him and the audience quite a while to get there. But they'll still have some fun along the way. Whatever price suits your fancy is worth it. But see it before a few other longer films leave their box office carbon footprints. I've got those lined up soon.

Asteroid City

It's sometimes hard to write new ways to praise a consistently appealing film style. I wish I could articulate better than pointing out stunningly realistic robots in disguise, for example. It's somewhat easier to articulate on Asteroid City's visual style. Ironically, it's the latest film of another consistently appealing filmmaker - Wes Anderson.

Let's start with the titular place. This desert town designed by Adam Stockhausen and filtered through Robert Yeomen's camera sears into your eyes with its vivid color palette. Its every hue is amplified by the desert sun. Contrast that with Stanley Zak's (Tom Hanks) cooler estate when he argues with son-in-law Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman). Its incomplete highway is as quirky as the town's centerpiece crater. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Who are Stanley and Augie?

They're two of the ensemble of Conrad Earp's (Edward Norton) latest play, Asteroid City. A TV Host (Bryan Cranston) presents the play's origins as a black-and-white special, while the play itself is visualized in color. Augie's son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) is among the five teen geniuses competing for a scholarship at Asteroid City's Junior Stargazer Convention. Augie and Stanley's mutual dislike is made worse by Auggie's wife/Stanleys daughter's recent death. Augie soon falls for movie star Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), while Woodrow falls for her daughter and fellow genius, Dinah (Grace Edwards). 

There's a whole bunch of others. The harried Gen. Gibson (Jeffrey Wright), schoolteacher June (Maya Hawke) and her charges, Dr. Hickenlooper (Tilda Swinton) and singing cowboy Montana (Rupert Friend) barely scratch the surface of its massive cast list. Their lives are complicated when they get a close encounter of the third kind. This forces the US Government to quarantine the city. The residents try to make do, but that won't last forever. Meanwhile, Jones Hall, who plays Augie, tries to make sense of the story.

Let's rundown a few subplots. Woodrow's sisters Andromeda, Pandora and Cassiopeia (triplets Ella, Gracie and Willan Farris) argue with Stanley over their mom's final resting place. Junior Stargazer Ricky Cho (Ethan Josh Lee) blows the alien cover-up wide open, while fellow honoree Clifford Kellogg (Aristou Meehan) keeps asking adults to dare him to do stupid stuff. The real world adds Mercedes Ford's (cast as Midge) conflicts with director Schubert Green (Adrien Brody) and Jones reconnecting with the actress who would have played Augie's wife (Margot Robbie). It's surprisingly easy to comprehend it all during its 105 minutes.

None of Wes Anderson's films produced a single acting Oscar nomination. Maybe Schwartzman's should be the first. Augie deals with his loss on multiple fronts. He's not that successful but he's still a good protagonist. His romance with Midge, as well as Woodrow's with Dinah, is charming. His and Stanley's mutual dislike is as funny as it is tense. It's quite compelling to watch him make sense of the strangeness. Jones Hall is magnetic when he acts out a scene for Earp. The climax gives him and Augie much needed closure. It's not a lot but it's enough.

The close encounters are as awkward as they are stunning. Alexandre Desplat's score perfectly sells us the magnitude of the alien's visits. Both times, the alien's ship bathes the town in green light. Everything stops. But then comes the alien, a lean spaceman who awkwardly makes off with, and later returns, the town's prized meteorite. It's practically a deer in the headlights. Its awkwardness is perfectly portrayed by stop-motion, while the play's suit is pretty good. I'm going to leave the name briefly seen as the alien's actor a surprise.

You'll barely forget anybody or their subplots in Asteroid City's massive cast. You might need that cast list to pick out a few actors (like Liev Schrieber as Clifford's dad). But their characters stand out easily in such a short runtime. Their stories are just as appealing as its visual styles. Come down to the local theater for a few delightfully quirky hours at Asteroid City. Wait till you see the Stargazers' inventions. See what I mean when you see it soon.

Elemental

Pixar could use a theatrical hit right now. 

It was a mistake to demote Turning Red to a primarily Disney Plus movie. That could have been an exhibitor's delight. Fortunately, neither that nor Lightyear's subsequent failure didn't scare away Elemental from theaters. But the latter film's underwhelming opening weekend isn't comforting. I think the advertising made it look like every romantic comedy ever. I also think it's a lot better than that summation.

What we have is a world where everyone is either made of Fire, Water, Earth or Air. The "Firish" couple Bernie and Cinder Lumen (Ronnie del Carmen and Shila Omni) are among the first emigrees to Element City's Firetown community. They set up the Fireplace, a bodega that Bernie aims to bestow their daughter Ember (Leah Lewis) once he retires. Ember's literally explosive temper makes it difficult for her to handle large crowds. One such outburst breaks a pipe and out comes literal water inspector Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie). 

Ember tries to stop him from getting the Fireplace shut down for its faulty plumbing. Fortunately, Wade is a sentimental goof who lets her plead her case to his superior, Gale Cumulus (Wendi McLendon-Covey). She gives them a tight deadline to fix the issue. The two soon fall for each other despite their elemental differences. Wade's family is cool with it, but Ember's parents need convincing. They have a bigger problem as a busted dam threatens to extinguish Firetown.

The only time Elemental's "every romantic comedy ever" template irked me was the second-act fallout. Let me set the scene. Ember and Wade share a romantic moment in the flooded exhibit of the splendorous Vivisteria tree. They find out that they can mix, after all. Suddenly, Ember decides it can't work at all. Her "it can never be" speeches irked me because they were fundamentally standard. What gives?

What makes it better than "every romantic comedy ever" is the cast. Ember's insecurities are quite understandable, whether it's with struggling to uphold her father's expectations or dealing with unbearably stupid customers. Wade's sentimental personality makes him far more endearing than unbearable. They're quite likable as a couple and you'll feel it during the actionized climax. Gale's hidden depths beyond hardnosed bureaucrat are delightful. She makes the aforementioned Vivisteria trip possible with a handy air bubble. Wade's family is as likable as he is. Bernie and Cinder maybe strict, but they are not unreasonable folks. The only character I was ambivalent about was Clod, an earth element boy who crushes on Ember. But overall, there's rarely a dull moment with this likable cast.

It also helps that this is one splendorous romantic comedy. The sprawling metropolis of Element City and the character designs (especially the watercolory Firish ones) are appealing. Ember's glassmaking skills are so alluring that it almost makes me want to try it. You'll marvel as Ember and Wade watch the Vivisteria bloom around them during their trip. The accompanying soundtrack is among the best of Thomas Newman's marvelous score. We also get a few good Elemental gags, including a literal wave at a game of "Air Ball." The Air Ball game itself is fun to watch, too. 

Elemental's advertising maybe underwhelming, but the film isn't. It's so fun watching this elemental cast interact, barring a few moments, that its 109 minutes flew by pretty quickly. I thought it was longer when I went in. It begins with the short Carl's Date, which follow's Up's Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner, in a posthumous role) preparing for his first date in years with Dug the Dog (Bob Peterson) as his wingman. Their chemistry was just as fun and endearing as the feature's main couple. See what I mean when you see it soon.

The Flash

 The Flash maybe the fastest man in the DC universe, but it took forever to get his big movie going. Numerous writers and directors shuffled through the project before Christina Hodson and Andy Muschetti stepped up to bat. It could have been for naught if WB cancelled the film as damage control over star Ezra Miller's highly erratic behavior. I once said that I wanted to see a Flash movie and I got my wish. All in all, it's fine. Let's see why.

Barry Allen (Miller) is The Flash, the self-proclaimed janitor (and not proud of it) of the Justice League. He helps Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman save Gotham from terrorists. He soon discovers he can speed back and forth in time. He uses that new skill to stop his mom, Nora's (Maribel Verdu), murder and his dad, Henry's (Ron Livingston), wrongful conviction for it. That's when everything goes wrong.

He finds himself in another timeline with barely any superheroes. He frantically rushes to put his slacker alternate (Miller, again) through the same lightning strike that empowered him. But that leaves Normal Barry without his superpowers. General Zod (Michael Shannon) shows up to wreck the planet. So, Normal Barry and Other Barry try to get Batman's (now Michael Keaton) help. They team up to spring Superman from a Siberian prison, but instead find Supergirl (Sasha Calle). They have a Justice League. Now what?

Everybody got that?

Let's discuss the elephant in the room: Miller. Normal Barry is a fine protagonist; his frustrations are understandable and his relationship with reporter Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) is charming. It gets psychological when Other Barry enters the scene. One can't help but think about Miller's antics when they see Other Barry go manic. Naturally, Normal Barry tries to reign him in, which leads to a strong argument between them. What makes it work is that Other Barry isn't wrong with his protestations. It's hard to see the seams when the Barrys are together. It's also hard to believe that Miller, and not someone else, plays a third variant, the Dark Flash. The effects there are that good.

What about the other effects? Barry's hyper speed effects are mostly fine. But his saving a whole maternity ward from a collapsing hospital wing is filled with glaringly obvious CGI babies. It doesn't help that the scene is overlong, one of several that push the film to a needless 144 minutes. Barry finding himself in "the Chrono Bowl" is adequately surreal. His climactic battle with Dark Flash is filled with multiverses of CGI-recreated stars. The highlight of that otherwise technically and ethically questionable climax is a nod to the unproduced Superman Lives. Both Batmen, Wonder Woman and Supergirl have the best associated effects.

Now for the co-stars. Shannon's Zod is an adequate bad guy. Verdu and Livingston are quite sympathetic as Nora and Henry. Nora and Barry's last scene together is quite moving. You'll feel for Henry when he calls Barry at the start. Calle makes the most of her sadly limited screentime as Supergirl. Her rage is palpable when she learns what Zod did to her universe's Kal-El. Clemons is quite likable as Iris, though she also suffers from a lack of screentime. It's fun to see Keaton's Batman do his thing in and out of costume. His spaghetti metaphors for the multiverse are weirdly amusing. The film saves a few more cameos as punchlines.

The Flash's tone zips as fast as its hero. It's sometimes thrilling, sometimes goofy, sometimes farcical and sometimes moving; its climax is depressing. The finale is a bit exhausting despite the moving last scene with Nora and Barry. It could have lost twenty minutes and not miss much plot. But a few parts worked really well here. I wouldn't blame you if you chose to sit this one out to protest its star's misconduct. Still, you can imagine supporting anyone else credited (including Barry's creators, Carmine Infantino and Robert Kanigher) if you see it. It would sure make a weird double-feature with Across the Spider-Verse, especially with their views of adhering to canon.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Orson Welles voiced the monstrous planet-eating Unicron in The Transformers: The Movie within a week of his death in 1985. Michael Bay tried to set up Unicron at the end of Transformers: The Last Knight before his continuity was rebooted with Bumblebee. Unicron officially debuts in live-action with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, directed by Steven Caple, Jr (Creed II), where he's voiced by Colman Domingo. The new film also brings along characters from the popular Beast Wars toys and cartoon. Let's see how it is.

Unicron opens the movie by eating the home world of the Maximals, Transformers with giant cyborg animal modes. Unicron wants their Transwarp Key, a MacGuffin that can let him go anywhere in the universe, but a few Maximals escape with it. Things don't pick up for Unicron until 1994. That's when museum intern Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) accidentally uncovers part of the key. Unicron's heralds, the Terrorcons, come looking for the key.

Meanwhile, electronics wiz Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is roped into carjacking a seemingly abandoned Porsche. That Porsche is actually the Autobot Mirage (Pete Davidson), whose leader, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), sees the key as their way home. Noah would rather destroy it than let it fall into Terrorcon leader Scourge's (Peter Dinklage) hands. The Autobots join the surviving Maximals, including leader Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and Air Razor (Michelle Yeoh), in securing the other key part. It all leads to a titanic fight.

The film's five writers make the seemingly convoluted plot coherent. We get a strong prologue that easily introduces us to the new factions. We understand who the Maximals are even if we don't get the cyborg animal modes. In fact, you'll understand them even if you've never watched Beast Wars. It quickly introduces us to Noah and Elena's stories. Noah struggles to find a job to support his family, while Elena tries to put up with her vapid boss Jillian (Sarah Stiles). We sympathize with them before they're drawn into extraterrestrial affairs. The climax sees them rush to shut down the Transwarp Key while the Transformers brawl. It's a tense scene, especially when Scourge goes after them. On a lighter note, Mirage's refusal to let Noah carjack him leads to an awkward yet exciting car chase. 

The Transformers are also strong characters. Optimus Prime's dilemma with the key is compelling. Optimus Primal and Air Razor are also compelling, but the two other Maximals, Cheetor and Rhinox, are just there. Mirage and the returning Bumblebee are likable comic relief. Scourge and Unicron are perfectly villainous thanks to some excellent voice work from Dinklage and Domingo. A few highlights from the supporting robots include Michaela Jae Rodriguez as Terrorcon Nightbird and John DiMaggio as Autobot Stratosphere.

What's new about the technicals? Mirage gets a good gag toggling through several car modes. Unicron's drones are perfectly creepy. The Maximals' animal modes are impressive creatures. Their climactic robot modes are cool as long as the camera lets us see them for longer than a few seconds. The most we see Cheetor and Rhinox is a few seconds in several sweeping shots. Still, cinematographer Enrique Chediak gives us some astounding panoramic shots of Peru and within Unicron himself. The aforementioned car chase is among the best of editors William Goldenberg and Joel Negron's work. They also balance Elena and Noah's stories rather well. Let's not forget composer Jongnic Bontemps; his score for the prologue perfectly sells us on Unicron and the Terrorcons' threats.

Rise of the Beasts moves along rather well during its 127 minutes. We're not swamped with exposition despite the major new characters coming in. We only feel the weight of its runtime at the climax. We get a compelling cast of human and robot characters to lead the way. The end gives us and Noah a major surprise. Let's hope it pays off later.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

April 2022: Hopefully, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse (Part 1) will satisfy your need for anything Spidey related this fall.

It didn't.

Sony's latest animated Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, skipped last fall and landed now. The intended Part Two is now Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Let's see how this installment is.

Into The Spider-Verse ended with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) taking up the mantle of Spider-Man. It also ended with a stinger starring another Spidey variant, Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). This time, Miguel has gathered all Spideys across the multiverse into the Spider-Society. Their job is to protect the multiverse from anomalies and make sure things stay in canon. It's the end of a universe if specific events don't play out like they should (i.e. Uncle Ben dying).

Miles is drawn into the Spider-Society by Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld). It's a trying time for Miles. His parents, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) keep grounding him. A lowly scientist from the last film is now a multiversal abomination called The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). Miguel also hates Miles for being an anomaly. Miles eventually learns that Jefferson, soon to be promoted Police Captain, is scheduled to die in a "canon event." He's not going to let that happen. 

Even if it takes another movie for him to do it. Yes, true believers, we have a cliffhanger. It's such a doozy that Beyond the Spider-Verse's expected March release seems like an eternity now.

Gwen and Miles share the main character status with aplomb. She starts the movie fighting a dimensionally misplaced Vulture (Jorma Taccone) with Miguel and Spider-Woman Jessica Drew (Issa Rae). She's forced to unmask in front of her cop dad, George (Shea Whigham), who still wants to arrest her. She soon spends the movie beholden to canon until Miles rebels against Miguel. She soon reconciles with her dad in a moving scene. Miles's double-life is as hilarious as it is relatable. Simply carrying cakes across town leads him to taxi trouble and a supervillain, among other things. We're on his side when he learns of his dad's upcoming demise. He fights through numerous Spideys (including a cowboy, a t-rex and a cat) to escape in spectacular fashion. And then that ending.

This film is as visually busy as the first film. The comic book style gags are as plentiful as Spideys on-screen. All of them, including Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), Ben Reily the Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg) and even Lego Spidey, are rendered perfectly in their original art forms. Just try to keep track of them when they all come after Miles in the end. A few highlights of the production design include Mumbattan, home to Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and Nueva York, home to the Spider-Society. These animated sets look even better the closer you are to the screen. It's been reported that there's been a problem with the sound mix on a few screenings. It wasn't that big an issue for me. The dialogue and Daniel Pemberton's score were quite discernable amidst the visual madness.

And how can I forget the villains? The Spot is quite hilarious and pitiful with his villainous incompetence. He knows he's a loser and wants to better himself as a villain. He gets more unnerving the better he becomes with his powers. He finally becomes a full-on vengeful abomination just before the film ends. Miguel is basically the film's other villain. He has a sympathetic reason for adhering to canon. But his harsh methods and shortsightedness perfectly test our sympathy. He truly turns scary when Miles and Gwen defy him. That only amps up the tension the cliffhanger leaves us.

As said before, Beyond the Spider-Verse is supposed to come out next March. But there are reports a delay maybe imminent. To say that would be a disappointment is an understatement. That's because Across the Spider-Verse is as technically and narratively proficient as its predecessor. It's 140 minutes long and it leaves us wanting more. That cliffhanger really helps. On the other hand, a delay maybe worth it if it results in an equally spectacular film. I'm ready when it lands. Are you?

The Little Mermaid

The earliest film I remember seeing was Disney's 1989 film of The Little Mermaid. It was theatrically, even. I'd imagine Rob Marshall's live-action transplant should be as momentous to its youngest audience members as the original film was. It's just that good.

The Little Mermaid is Ariel (Halle Bailey), who is the youngest of sea King Triton's (Javier Bardem) seven daughters. Triton forbids the merpeople from going fathoms above. But Ariel does so anyway and meets the heroic Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). She's charmed by his dreams of sailing beyond his kingdom. A pesky hurricane keeps them from exchanging first words. She saves him from the storm, and while he can't get a good look at her, he's charmed by her siren's voice.

Eventually, Triton's overparenting drives Ariel into the tentacles of her aunt Ursula the Sea Witch (Melissa McCarthy). Ursula agrees to make Ariel into a human for three days. It's permanent if Ariel and Eric share a true love's kiss. If not, Ariel will spend eternity in Ursula's clutches. She also has to give up her voice for the duration. Ariel agrees to Ursula's terms, unaware that Ursula plans to cheat to victory. It's up to Ariel's animal friends - Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), Scuttle (Awkwafina) and Flounder (Jacob Trembley) - to help her get a happy ending. 

Unlike the ending in Hans Christian Andersen's original tale. But that's beside the point.

This film runs nearly an hour longer than the original film. Fortunately, the additions by screenwriter David Magee compliment the story rather well. Prince Eric's new backstory is compelling, as is his new song, Wild Uncharted Waters. He and Ariel have great chemistry; how he learns her name is pretty amusing. King Triton's isolationism has a tragic explanation. We do sympathize with him despite his rough behavior, especially near the end. Ursula being Ariel's aunt originated in early drafts of the 1989 film. It's a good thing that and Ursula's "forget the kiss charm" were incorporated here. It makes her all the more menacing. All in all, the main plot points are just as profound as they were in 1989.

We now get to the musical side of these additions. Lin Manuel-Miranda collaborated with original composer Alan Menken in composing several new songs. Ariel's new song lets her inner voice sing her amazement of the human world. Wait till you hear Scuttle and Sebastian's new song. Miranda also revises Howard Ashman's original lyrics when needed. These few line additions blend well with the rest of the lyrics. Menken's new score and orchestrations are stellar. McCarthy, in particular, steals the show with her rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls.

Bailey makes for a compelling mermaid as Ariel. She's quite likable when she gushes over the human world. We feel for her when she longs to be Part of Your World during that iconic song and its reprises. We cheer for her when she fights Ursula herself in the climax. Bailey's Ariel is just as memorable as Jodi Benson's one in the original film. Speaking of Benson, she gets a nice cameo as a human vendor. You can't miss her. 

Now for the visual aspects. The undersea world is impressive, particularly when we first see it as the film follows a periscope falling into the ocean. The sea life is convincing, both as creatures and as characters. Some of the most impressive effects are the CGI enhancements for the undersea characters. You'll be shocked once you see how much CGI was used to make Bailey into Ariel. These enhancements blend well with their actors. Whether CGI or real, the makeup and costume designs are stunning. It's no surprise considering that Peter Swords King (The Lord of the Rings) and Colleen Atwood helmed those departments. The only visual negative is the final battle with giant Ursula, only because it was too dark to see at times.

But the final battle is an odd complaint, for on the whole, The Little Mermaid is more than quaint. It's a natural expansion of a classic animated film and fairy tale. See it in the best screen you can find. A very packed theater forced me to watch it on the edge of the front row. Hopefully, you can find a better seat than that. But there's no shame if you can't. It's still an impressive film whether you see it in the front or back. Give it a chance.

Fast X

 Last time, I said that The Fast Saga will end in two more movies. Guess what? Universal wants to go for number twelve. That means, this time, The Fast Saga will end in two more movies. At least nothing went wrong with the screening for this entry, Fast X. Yay.

It turns out that Hernan Reyes (Joaquin de Almeida), the drug lord that Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew dealt with in Fast Five has a son named Dante (Jason Mamoa). Dante led the chase when Team Dom made off with the old man's safe. It didn't end well for him. 

Ten years later, Dante kicks off his revenge scheme. That involves tricking the crew into a Rome heist and framing them as nuclear terrorists. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is arrested along with former villain Cipher (Charlize Theron), Dom pursues Dante himself, and Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Han (Sung Kang) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) try to find help in London. Meanwhile, Jakob Toretto (John Cena) takes his nephew, Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), to safety.

Everybody got that?

I think you know this franchise's stock and trade by now. But where do our heroes go from space? The climax involves racing down an exploding dam, while Jakob and Little Brian drop from a passenger jet in a miniature plane. It seems kind of ordinary. Team Dom's overlong Rome heist is a bit exhausting. But I liked the film's opening, in which it reworks Dante into Fast Five's climactic heist. Mamoa and de Almeida's de-aging and the editing are seamless here. A second favorite is the four-way street race Dante, Dom and a few others partake in. The paint jobs on those cars are alluring.

Mamoa runs circles around the main cast with gusto. His Dante makes for one of the most instantly memorable villains in the series. He wins the aforementioned street race with explosive cheating. He regularly threatens the loved ones of his enemies. He even has tea-time with the corpses of a few victims. Mamoa is clearly having fun as a dangerous and childish fop, while his chemistry with Dom is beyond entertaining. 

The film struggles to balance the franchise's ever-growing ensemble with its multitude of subplots. In addition to the ones up top, we also have Isabel (Daniela Melchior), the never-before mentioned sister of Dom's lost love, Elena. Dom and Jakob's subplots lead the way, while Roman and co.'s subplot is rendered anti-climactic by the cliffhanger finale. The finale involves a profound heroic sacrifice. But who wants to bet they'll turn up alive like Han did last time, or another character who shows up just before the credits? On a positive note, Rita Moreno makes the most of her limited screentime as Dom's grandma, while Alan Ritchson is fine as law-abiding antagonist Agent Aimes.

Yes, the Fast and Furious movies are supposed to be silly action films. But they also hope its audience has done its homework concerning the other films. It's an unusual contradiction. Here's hoping the next few films have better plot traffic than this one. Anyone looking for wild speed action will get it in Fast X. Despite a few gripes, the fast and furious cars are still fun to watch. But it's Mamoa's flamboyant and threatening villain that makes the film's 141-minutes worth it. Here's to his comeuppance. 

Knights of the Zodiac

One of the first films I publicly reviewed was the infamous Dragonball: Evolution. Its story was underdeveloped - I don't mean its loopy takes on its source material - but it's weirdly amusing looking back at it. 14 years later, I now come to another live-action version of an 80s manga and anime, Knights of the Zodiac, based on Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya. I'm a weekend late, so let's go.

The eponymous Seiya (Mackenyu) opens the film an orphaned street fighter. He's been looking for his sister, Patricia (Kaylan Teague), who was seized by the evil Vander Guraad (Famke Janssen) years ago. By chance, her ex-husband Alman Kido (Sean Bean) is looking for Seiya. It seems Seiya is adept in Cosmo, basically the Force for Olympian Gods, and he's destined to defend Kido's adopted daughter Sienna (Madison Iseman) as her Knight. 

Sienna is the reincarnation of Athena, whose Knights are powered by the various constellations. Seiya's armor is powered by the Pegasus. But Seiya has to earn that armor, first. That involves training with Marin (Caitlin Hutson), the masked Eagle Knight, to master his Cosmo. Meanwhile, Guraad, who was injured by Athena's Cosmo years ago, drains other folks' Cosmo to sustain herself. She and her personal Knight, Nero the Phoenix (Diego Tinoco), plot to neutralize Athena, who if left unchecked, can destroy the world. That would involve killing Sienna. Seiya can't let any of that happen, can he?

For those interested, the film draws more from the franchise's recent Netflix series than its original incarnation. That includes a few character names and the character Guraad. That may or may not interest the franchise's long-time fans. At least the film retains the services of the show's composer Yoshihiro Ike, who also composed the Legend of Sanctuary film. His score's pretty good, overall. But Seiya first donning the Pegasus Armor is awe-inspiring due to its instrumental of the anime's first and most iconic theme song - Pegasus Fantasy. It's somewhat undermined by the poorly integrated CGI (much of it is), but it still works. 

Director Tomasz Baginski (Oscar nominated for the 2002 short, The Cathedral) and his writing team get the ball rolling with Seiya's first cage match. Seiya faces off against the brutish Jaki (David Torok) until the even-more brutish Cassios (Nick Stahl) literally kicks Jaki out of the ring for his own shot. It's an audacious development, to say the least. The ball keeps rolling with its outstanding fight choreography and Seiya's palpable tenacity. It gets delightfully goofy with one unlucky mook who fights Alman's bodyguard, Mylock (Mark Dacascos). Visually, the bad guys' black armors are fine, though downgrading Seiya and Nero's armor to dull blue is a bit off. Yet, Sienna as full Athena is a perfect recreation of her original counterpart - complete with purple hair.

Now for the cast. Mackenyu livens up Seiya's standard hero journey with a wry personality. His best acting comes when Seiya realizes Alman had a hand in his sister's disappearance. The resolution of that arc, though, is somewhat underwhelming. Sienna gets the film's best line, "I feel like I'm a guest in my own body." When Athena's Cosmo periodically overwhelms her, we fully comprehend how dire the situation is. The climax is basically lifted from X-Men: The Last Stand, though with a different outcome, which is fortunate as Sienna and Seiya's relationship is quite likable. 

Meanwhile, Guraad is a sympathetic villain who still cares about Sienna. Their last scene together is well-acted. Sienna and Alman have an equally compelling relationship. Still, the film's attempts to smooth over Alman's complicity in Guraad's actions aren't the best. He still tries to make up for them in the end, though. Mylock is the film's best character, a man who gives a great a peptalk as a beatdown. To conclude, Cassios is quite funny, while Marin's body language is quite good.

Knights of the Zodiac's take on its source is sounder compared to some other live-action anime films. The visual effects and story weren't perfect, but the cast does a good job with the material. Its release is so limited you'd think that Sony, its distributor, doesn't want anyone to know of its existence. The nearest theater showing it in my area wasn't exactly in my area. You might want to wait for streaming, supposing you're able to see it theatrically at all. Still, if it sparks some interest in the source material, even if you haven't thought about it in years, watching it theatrically won't be so bad.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

I've come across a few AI story generators online. Just type something and let the magic of artificial intelligence type you a story. I could have used one to type up a review for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But none of them generated anything close to describing the plot. So, it's back to brainpower to generate the review.

Worth it. 

As is the movie.

This time, the Guardians get an unwelcome visitor to their planet Knowhere. He is Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the perfect being created by Ayesha the Sovereign (Elizabeth Debicki) after the Guardians trounced her in Vol. 2. He mortally wounds Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) before Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) drives him off. Rocket's cybernetic implants will kill him if the Guardians try to fix him. So, the team sets out to raid Orgocorp, the company that created Rocket, to find his medical records.

The Guardians team up with Star-Lord's old crew, the Ravagers, now led by Starhawk (Sylvester Stallone) and joined by the time-displaced Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Their raid gets them noticed by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), the mad scientist in charge of Orgocorp, who created not only Rocket but the Sovereigns as well. Meanwhile, Rocket's life flashes before our eyes as we see how the Evolutionary created him. It's not pretty. The Guardians have to hurry before Rocket either dies or Adam gets him for the Evolutionary (after which, he'd surly die). 

All of this and more unfold over 150 minutes. But the subplots are mostly good, so you'll barely notice. During the film, Star-Lord tries to reconnect with Gamora, Nebula (Karen Gillan) tries to cope with Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis's (Pom Klementieff) silliness and Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the Dog (Maria Bakalova) fall out. The Ravagers are mostly there, while Adam's Heel Face Turn is pretty amusing. Rocket's origin story is the most compelling subplot. We meet young Rocket and a few experiment buddies as they cope with their living conditions. It's quite endearing to see them bond, which makes it painful by the last flashback. You'll even feel for the denizens of the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth even if you can't understand them.

You'll also feel something for the High Evolutionary. Unsurprisingly, it's contempt. Iwuji's performance makes him one of the vilest villains to ever exist in a comic book film. He's not just cruel to his experiments but is unbelievably petty. He loses it when Rocket shows signs of being smarter than he. If there's a problem with the film's massive length, it's that his inevitable demise doesn't come sooner. Indeed, one of the film's most brutal moments is when Rocket extracts revenge for his cruelty. It's as satisfying as it's shocking. His resulting Robocop face mask is a highlight of the film's great makeup work. You won't forget his actual face.

Once again, James Gunn assembles a mighty crew of technical Marvels. Once again, the makeup and visual effects Marvels conjure up a variety of impressive intergalactic residents. You can barely tell which of Counter-Earth's residents are makeup or motion capture (I think the rabbit was the latter). The High Evolutionary's other experiments, including Rocket's old pals, are quite unnerving. A highlight of these experiments is a brutish creature I nicknamed "Chthulu-Chewbacca." Its stunning production design is highlighted by the utterly alien Orgosphere, the Orgocorp headquarters, as well as the High Evolutionary's massive ship. The Orgocorp guards' bulky armor makes for a fun costume design. I can go on, but I won't.

The film is meant to be the last adventure for Marvel's favorite intergalactic rogues. To drive the point, the film's mid-credit and end credit scenes are meaningful codas. Its character moments help the time go by. It took them six years to make it, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a funny and gripping space adventure, was worth the wait. Why not blast off?

The Magic Flute

 It's time to get classical. 

This time, we're talking about The Magic Flute, the latest film of Mozart's Opera. Ingmar Bergman's 1975 film presented life backstage and in the audience during a performance. Kenneth Branagh's 2006 film updated the story to World War I to splendidly silly results. Director Florian Sigl, writer Andrew Lowery and producer Roland Emmerich's angle is to turn it into The Neverending Story. The results are weird.

Our hero, Tim (Jack Wolfe), reluctantly transfers to the Mozart International Academy of Music following his dad's death. His dad was a fan of The Magic Flute, and even gave him an old libretto of it to return there. So, he's interested once he learns of the Academy's upcoming production of the opera. The headmaster Dr. Longbow (F. Murray Abraham) doesn't think Tim's cut out for the lead role of Prince Tamino. But three spirits think otherwise.

One night, Tim shelves the libretto in the library at the stroke of 3. Suddenly, Tim's in the universe of The Magic Flute, where he must play through the story as Prince Tamino. So, what's the story? The Queen of the Night (Sabine Devieilhe) tasks her bird catcher, Papageno (Iwan Rheon), and Tamino to save her daughter, Pamina (Asha Banks) from the clutches of the evil King Sarastro (Morris Robinson). Otherwise, she'll cast the land in Eternal Night. But things aren't simple; for one, Sarastro isn't actually evil. 

The relationship between the story fronts is its biggest hindrance. It sometimes feels both fronts are two separate movies intruding on each other. Tim is cast back into the real world after a few hours. But he doesn't, say, study up on the opera in-between visits. The three spirits leave him to his own devices after laying out his mission. A few more visits could've added some urgency to the plot. It doesn't help that the real-world story isn't that interesting. The subplots concerning Tim's roommate Paolo (Elliot Courtiour) and school-bully Anton (Amir Wilson) are far more compelling than Tim's hero quest.

Mozart Land is where the film gets good. Martin Stock's adaptation of Mozart's score is spectacular and the actors do a reasonably good job singing their parts. Papageno is the film's best character, by far. He's quite funny and his duet with his Papagena (Stefi Celma) is nice. Not even him losing his mouth for a bit (long story) takes away his hilarity. Monostatos (Stefan Konarske), Sarastro's captain-of-the-guards, is extremely silly, though I couldn't tell if he was meant to be taken seriously. Sarastro is quite likable, as are the Queen's three servants (Larissa Herden, Jeanne Goursand and Jasmin Shakeri).

Its good production and costume designers ironically shine with the Queen of the Night. She's a formidable presence as she blends into the dark and sings her legendary arias. Peter Matjasko's cinematography deserves some kudos for making her towering in her first scene. The film's best CGI creation is the monster serpent that threatens Tim/Tamino in the opera's first scene. Back to the real world, the Mozart Academy makes for an interesting locale. 

The Magic Flute doesn't exactly blend its two stories rather well. Its supporting cast is much more compelling than its lead character. But the lively world of Mozart's opera makes it worth the watch. The orchestrations and original score make it worth a listen. Check it for yourself once you rent it on streaming now or wait next week for the Blu-Ray/DVD. You might find a past version or two during those searches. As for me, it's time to venture off to the next review.

Renfield

The Public Domain. It lets anyone use a character from long ago in a new story. But it also inspires everyone to use that same character in a new story. At the same time, even.

Take Dracula, for example. Robert Eggers is currently filming a new remake of The Count's movie debut, Nosferatu, for Focus Features. Universal - the parent company of Focus Features - is set to release The Last Voyage of Demeter, based on a portion of Bram Stoker's novel, this August. The Count and his unwitting sidekick, Renfield, headline another Universal release this month. Let's see how it is.

It's been 90 years since Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) ensnared solicitor RM Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) in a master-familiar relationship. Renfield brings the Count victims and protects him from vampire hunters. The Count treats him like nothing in return. Their exploits take them to New Orleans, where Renfield joins a self-help group for people in abusive relationships. Their stories give him new victims for Dracula. But he soon has enough of being mistreated by the master he faithfully served.

Renfield is soon caught up in the life of traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina). The Lobo crime family killed Rebecca's officer dad and she wants vengeance. The rest of the force is in the pocket of matriarch Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and her idiotic son Teddy (Ben Schwartz). Renfield comes to Rebecca's rescue when Teddy and his thugs try to kill her. The experience finally inspires Renfield to divorce himself from Dracula. But Dracula doesn't take rejection well and will take it out on anyone Renfield cares for. It's up to Renfield and Rebecca to stake the Count for good.

What can I say about it? To start, it's got some great deadpan humor and running gags. It also has violence that the cast of Mortal Kombat would envy. You'll get plenty of it when Renfield goes to town on the Lobos and their collaborators. What makes the film truly scary is Dracula's dominance over Renfield. Anyone who's been in an abusive relationship - or witnessed one - will squirm when Dracula pulls the "I'm the real victim" card. Him following through with his threats adds to the urgency of Renfield's plight. Overall, it's a good horror comedy. I'll elaborate further below.

We feel for Renfield once we learn of the life he left behind for the ungrateful Count. That makes it all the more endearing to see him fit in with the mortals. It helps that the support group, including its leader, Mark (Brandon Scott Jones), are likable people who gladly help him redo his persona. Rebecca's subplot is compelling, though others have disagreed. She and Renfield are quite likable together. Her falling out with Renfield is quite understandable given the circumstances. It's great to see them take down Dracula in the end. How they do it is another hilarious highlight.

And now for the villains. Dracula is scary for reasons I mentioned above. But Cage goes all in as the Prince of Darkness and that makes him just as funny. Teddy is an idiot whose greatest strength is family money. But he's quite dangerous when he needs to be and even more so when he joins Dracula. It's a peculiar but effective combination. Aghdashloo is charismatic as Bellafrancesca. Rebecca's partner, Chris (Adrian Martinez) gets his best scene when he and the force reveal themselves in the Lobos' pocket. The one-scene wonder is Joe (Marcus Lewis), a Lobo hitman who runs into Renfield.

Director Chris McKay assembles a perfect technical crew here. The prologue has Hoult and Cage inserted into 1931's Dracula; I could tell with Cage, but I thought it was original Renfield Dwight Frye I was looking at. Hoult really nailed Frye's maddened expression here. The other visual effects are just as impressive (Dracula levitating is a highlight). The makeup team deserve a spot on the Oscar shortlist for taking Dracula from decayed husk to elegant ghoul. Costume Designer Lisa Lovaas dresses him and Renfield in an equally elegant wardrobe. Production Designer Alec Hammond conjures up a variety of memorable locales which include Renfield's modern apartment, Dracula's hospital lair and the Lobos' mansion. And finally, Marco Beltrami's intense score is just as spectacular as Wojciech Killar and John Williams's work in Dracula's 1992 and 1979 films. 

Renfield is an interesting take on the long-adapted novel. You'd be surprised how compelling Dracula's traditional lackey is in his own movie. Its 93 minutes will go by quickly as you watch him deal with modern life. Its villains are surprisingly memorable, though Dracula himself is the most memorable. See it soon to see what I mean. As for me, I'm all the more interested in checking out Demeter once it's out. And maybe Nosferatu.