John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Review

Synopsis
After killing on Continental Hotel grounds, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run from every assassin in New York City who is looking to collect his bounty.

Review
John Wick was a surprise hit back in 2014. The 2017 sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, maintained the same energy that made its predecessor so exciting while also expanding on the assassin underground glimpsed at in John Wick. So what does John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum bring to the franchise? Guns. Lots of guns. Right from the opening, this movie let’s you know it will be the most brutal John Wick film yet. Wick killing with a pencil from Chapter 2 appears tame compared to some of the ways he kills in this movie. Something that makes this film unique amid other actions films is how darkishly funny it is. Throughout much film, the rest of the audience and I were constantly laughing, both at how comically savage the action is and at some genuinely funny moments. Director Chad Stahelski knows that Wick’s creativity and uniqueness among his fellow action heroes is what audiences love about the titular character and brings more of what has made him so popular.

John Wick introduced the assassin underworld and briefly touches on Wick’s previous assassin life, then Chapter 2 greatly expanded on the hidden world occupied by Wick and his fellow killers. In Chapter 3, there was some expansion on his past, and a smidge more about the assassin High Table. However, world building is where this films stumbles compared to the other films in the series. Since the last film explored the assassin world, this film would have benefited from going even more into Wick’s past and his beginnings than it did.

I thought John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was GOOD 🙂 I’m afraid of Lionsgate trying to milk as much from this series as possible. Wick’s character isn’t expanded on as much and he isn’t left in much of a different position than we’ve seen elsewhere in the series. Nonetheless, the action is why we keep coming back to this universe and once again, Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski deliver on that front. Over-the-top, balls-to-the-wall action fills the movie from start to finish, never letting you catch your breath and constantly keeping you wondering what Wick will kill with next.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Chad Stahelski – Director
Derek Kolstad – Story / Screenplay
Shay Hatten – Screenplay
Chris Collins – Screenplay
Marc Abrams – Screenplay
Tyler Bates – Composer
Joel J. Richard – Composer

Keanu Reeves – John Wick
Ian McShane – Winston
Lance Reddick – Charon
Mark Dacascos – Zero
Asia kate Dillon – The Adjudicator
Laurence Fishburne – Bowery King
Halle Berry – Sofia
Anjelica Huston – The Director
Said Taghmaoui – The Elder
Jerome Flynn – Berrada
Randall Duk Kim – Doctor
Margaret Daly – Operator
Jason Mantzoukas – Tick Tock Man

Hellboy (2019) Review

Synopsis
When Nimue (Milla Jovovich), a centuries old witch, is resurrected, Hellboy (David Harbour) and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense race to find the fabled Excalibur, the only weapon capable of defeating Nimue, before she unleashes her forces on the Earth.

Review
As a cinefile, I can usually find something to appreciate in every film I watch. As a movie reviewer, I don’t like bashing any film. When I watch a film, I watch it for my own enjoyment, not to critique it or find its flaws. Unfortunately for this reboot of Mike Mignola’s popular comic book character, I found very little to enjoy in Hellboy. From the get-go, it’s clear that this is going to be a different Hellboy movie than the two directed by Guillermo del Toro. Which is good. When rebooting a series, some of the most successful ones are usually tonally different. While this iteration definitely feels different, it is also a mess.

One thing I actually did like about this reboot is that it just jumped right into the world of Hellboy. In a way, it reminds me of a movie like Inception where it drops the audience into the world without hand-holding the them. However, there is not much world-building in Hellboy. There is plenty of exposition sprinkled throughout the film to give backstory to protagonist and antagonist but it is the bare minimum. I didn’t feel like there was enough to care about Hellboy, the relationship between him and his father, or the villain, whose justification for wanting to destroy humans is because of reasons. The experience felt like watching a sequel when I didn’t watch the first film.

The plot also unnecessarily convoluted. Hellboy travels from location to location and characters appear and disappear seemingly on a whim, creating a whirlwind pace for the film. Hellboy feels like it’s moving along yet still somehow manages to drag on. As I mentioned before, there was a plot thread focused on the relationship between Hellboy and his father, Professor Broom, played by the criminally underutilized Ian McShane. There was very little time invested into this thread and as a result, when this thread came to a head, I didn’t feel any emotion. And this isn’t just limited to Hellboy and Broom but also Hellboy and all of the supporting characters. Since the story jumps around and characters come and go, no relationships are built. David Harbour does a good job as the titular character but it doesn’t matter when there is no one around long enough to work with.

This film is rated R (NC-17) and takes full advantage of it. Every shooting or stabbing creates rivers of blood and gore that would make Quentin Tarantino jealous. Now, I’m not one to criticize a movie for being violent. I revel in movies that aren’t afraid to be bloody and gory… as long as it works for the context of the film and it makes sense to do so. That isn’t the case here. It felt like it was being gruesome for gruesome’s sake. Of course, it didn’t help that the CGI was atrocious, which only made things look worse. To paraphrase Ian Malcolm, the movie was so preoccupied with whether or not it could that it didn’t stop to think if it should.

I thought Hellboy was BAD 😦 I wanted to like this film, especially as a fan of the del Toro Hellboy films, but this is just a mess of a film. Character relationships weren’t properly built, the story was stifled in favor of action, and the CGI is comparable to a late 90s or early 2000s film. If this is considered closer to the comics adaptation of Hellboy, I’ll take my further from the comics adaptation back, please.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Neil Marshall – Director
Andrew Cosby – Screenplay
Benjamin Wallfisch – Composer

David Harbour – Hellboy
Ian McShane – Professor Broom
Milla Jovovich – Nimue / The Blood Queen
Sasha Lane – Alice Monaghan
Daniel Dae Kim – Major Ben Daimio
Alistair Petrie – Lord Adam Glaren
Sophie Okonedo – Lady Hatton
Troy James – Baba Yaga
Emma Tate – Baba Yaga (voice)
Mark Stanley – Arthur
Brian Glesson – Merlin
Penelope Mitchell – Ganeida
Thomas Haden Church – Lobster Johnson
Markos Rounthwaite – Grigori Rasputin
Joel Harlow – Von Krupt

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Review

Review #106

Synopsis
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his first mate, Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally), go in search of the fountain of youth. They cross paths with the nefarious pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and Jacks old flame, Angelica (Penelope Cruz). Jack convinces Angelica he has been to the fountain of youth, so she makes him lead the expedition so she can find the fountain to save her father.

Review
The Pirates of the Caribbean series in an interesting one. It started out amazing with The Curse of the Black Pearl then slowly went downhill when trying to embrace its fantasy side, which was my favorite draw towards the series. Although On Stranger Tides still has fantastical elements, its clean story slate gives it room to do its own thing and not be bogged down like At World’s End.

Since At World’s End capped of the trilogy, the only characters to return were Jack Sparrow, his first mate Gibbs and rival Barbossa. This gives the franchise room to bring in new characters. Blackbeard is one of the best additions to the series. It is clear from the beginning that he is someone even other pirates think isn’t to be trifled with. He has some great lines throughout the film, especially when he is first revealed. McShane delivers the lines with precision and humor that makes it hard not to enjoy the character.

Penelope Cruz as Angelica is another great addition. She is the first female character since Elizabeth Swann that can go toe-to-toe with Jack and really get inside his head. Many of the other new characters, though, are fairly forgettable. There aren’t any that really stand-out and are memorable and exists to fill in mainly as Blackbeard’s or Barbossa’s crew.

Like I said before, I like how the Pirates series brings to life sailor myths and legends. At the center of the story is Ponce de Leon’s fountain of youth and the aforementioned Blackbeard. But my favorite would be the mermaids. They only appeared briefly, except for Syrena, but their time on screen was exciting. They were mysterious and beautiful, then all of a sudden they became terrifying and dangerous.

One of the running jokes from the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies was whether or not Jack plans his crazy antics or just made it up as he goes along. Unfortunately, this movie spoils that and I feel it takes away some of the mystery of Jack and his charm.

Another thing that bugged me was it doesn’t clearly explain Blackbeard’s powers. It is made clear his sword controls the ropes and rigging, but not necessarily how. Or how it can affect other ships such as the Black Pearl. Or how he zombifies his captains. I know these are small things but I like it when they are explained, even if it is short and simple.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides reels back on some of the elements that hindered previous movies in the series and brings in a mostly new cast. Although many of these characters are mostly forgettable, On Stranger Tides manages to capture the essence what made The Curse of the Black Pearl so enjoyable.

Rating
3.5/5

Also check out my reviews for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, and At World’s End.

Favorite Quote
Jack Sparrow: Have I mentioned, sir, what a lovely daughter you have?
Blackbeard: A fitting last sight for a doomed soul.
Angelica: Remember, father, we need him.
Blackbeard: If I don’t kill a man every now and then, they forget who I am.
Philip: Coward! They do not forget. The crew sees you for the miscreant you are. A coward, no matter how many you slay.
Blackbeard: Twice in one day, I find myself in a bewilderment.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Rob Marshall – Director
Ted Elliot – Writer
Terry Rossio – Writer
Hans Zimmer – Composer

Johnny Depp – Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush – Barbossa
Penelope Cruz – Angelica
Ian McShane – Blackbeard
Kevin McNally – Gibbs
Sam Claflin – Philip
Astrid Berges-Frisbey – Syrena
Stephen Graham – Scrum
Keith Richards – Captain Teague
Richard Griffiths – King George
Greg Ellis – Groves
Damian O’Hare – Gillette
Oscar Jaenada – The Spaniard

John Wick Review

Synopsis
Retired hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) goes after his former boss, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), after Viggo’s son, Iosef (Alfie Allen), steals his car and kills his dog.

Review
I haven’t seen a new Keanu Reeves movie in quite some time (I missed last year’s 47 Ronin), so it was good to see him back on screen. I’ll admit I was mildly surprised how much I enjoyed John Wick. I had only seen the trailer recently, but it looked intriguing. John Wick provides plenty of action but it also isn’t afraid to have some fun along the way.

Pacing in an action movie can be difficult to pull off. One of my favorite aspects about John Wick is that there is constant action. Every few minutes there is another action scene. However, It never becomes too over-the-top, but at the same time, it doesn’t really slow down. There was just enough character development to keep me interested in John Wick, but that never took away from the action.

The camera work is better than most action films nowadays, too. It doesn’t cut away very often, allowing for the entire fight to be seen without getting disoriented. There was one scene in particular that takes place inside a dance club where it does cut away quite a bit. Usually this is a problem for me but I actually didn’t mind it too much here because it added to the scene. The choreography was pretty good, too. There are a few times I think it borders on the ridiculous and it reminded me of an 80s action movie, which added to my enjoyment, never detracting from it.

When John Wick is introduced, he is already in retirement and throughout the movie there are no flashbacks about his time as a hitman. There is some exposition (mostly by Michael Nyqvist’s Viggo) to learn about his past. But despite not seeing him be a bad-ass hitman in the past, it is established early on that he was.  Everyone was scared by simply hearing his name (look at the quote below, which happens in the within the first few minutes of the movie, to get an idea). Also, everyone seems to know him which makes for some pretty funny interactions.

Despite John Wick being an action movie, it never takes itself too seriouslyand was actually fairly whimsical. It throws in some good one-liners and the aforementioned character interaction were pretty humorous.

John Wick is more than a generic action movie. It provides plenty of action and great choreography without becoming too outrageous and even throws in a few good laughs. It’s great to see an action movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, allowing it to have fun, making it more enjoyable overall.

PS, John Wick’s dog in the beginning is absolutely the cutest dog I have ever seen in a film.

Rating
4/5

Also check out my review of the sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2.

Favorite Quote
Aureilo: [picks up phone] Aureilo speaking.
Viggo: I heard you struck my son.
Aureilo: Yes sir, I did.
Viggo: And may I ask why?
Aureilo: Yea, well, because he stole John Wick’s car, sir, and, uh, killed his dog.
Viggo: Oh. [Hangs up phone]

Trailer

Cast & Crew
David Leitch – Director
Chad Stahelski – Director
Derek Kolstad – Screenplay
Tyler Bates – Original Music
Joel J. Richard – Composer

Keanu Reeves – John Wick
Michael Nyqvist – Viggo Tarasov
Alfie Allen – Iosef Tarasov
William Dafoe – Marcus
Dean Winters – Avi
Adrianne Palicki – Ms. Perkins
Omer Barnea – Gregori
Toby Leonard Moore – Victor
Daniel Bernhardt – Kirill
Ian McShane – Winston
Lance Reddick – Hotel Manager
Bridget Moynahan – Helen
John Leguizamo – Aureilo
Clarke Peters – Harry