MOVIE REVIEW: THE GREEN KNIGHT

 

King Arthur's headstrong nephew embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight, a mysterious giant who appears at Camelot. Risking his head, he sets off on an epic adventure to prove himself before his family and court.

Director: David Lowery

Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Ralph Ineson

Release Date: July 30, 2021

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Rated R for violence, some sexuality and graphic nudity

Runtime: 2 h 10 min

Review:

David Lowery’s deconstructed Arthurian tale is a methodical pensive take that’s moody and visually stunning.  Lowery’s film isn’t going to be for everyone since his pacing is deliberately slow as he lets visual and moments linger on screen for an extended amount of time.  Everything moves at a slow simmer allowing the thematic meaning to seep into your mind.  It’s the opposite of a blockbuster film since it asks you actively digest what’s being presented on screen. Dev Patel leads the film ably in a understated but thoughtful turn as Sir Gawain as he tackles destiny and life during his journey. Patel’s dialogue is sparse but he communicates a books worth of emotions via his eyes.  The supporting cast is equally effective with Alicia Vikander making the biggest impression in a duel role one of which leaves her nearly unrecognizable. David Lowery’s film fits nicely next to John Boorman’s classic Excalibur and much like that film it’s a visual feast that will leave you thinking about it long after the film is over.    

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: GRINGO

Mild-mannered U.S. businessman Harold Soyinka finds himself at the mercy of backstabbing colleagues, local drug lords and a black ops mercenary after traveling to Mexico. Crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal, Harold fights to survive an increasingly dangerous situation that raises the question -- is he out of his depth or two steps ahead?

Director: Nash Edgerton

Cast: David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried, Thandie Newton, Sharlto Copley

Release Date: March 9, 2018

Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime

Rated R for language throughout, violence and sexual content

Runtime: 1h 50min

Review:

Gringo is a weird mismash of knock off Tarantino films that seemed to litter the cinematic landscape after Pulp Fiction hit in the late 90s.  Nash Edgerton film is overly busy and needlessly complex.  The characters themselves are interesting and eccentric enough but none of them have any tangible depth to them to make them overly interesting.  To its credit, the film boast a stellar cast who make the film far more watch able than it deserves to be.  David Oyelowo is the main attraction since he’s clearly having a great time playing against type.  Oyelowo who’s usually a dramatic actor has some solid comedic chops and provides of the films best moments.  Charlize Theron & Joel Edgerton are terribly underused especially in the second half of the film.  The same goes for Sharlto Copley’s character who’s interesting but he’s introduced late in the film leaving you wanting more.  Gringo as a whole feels like a missed opportunity, it’s not an unenjoyable film but you can’t help but feel like there is a much better film there.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: RED SPARROW

Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets a CIA agent who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds

Release Date: March 2, 2018

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, torture, sexual content, language and some graphic nudity

Runtime: 2h 19 min

Review:

Red Sparrow is a solid if predictable throwback to 80’s cold war spy thrillers like Gorky Park.  Those walking into this film expecting a fast movie action centric spy film will be thoroughly disappointed.  Francis Lawrence film moves at a snails pace with the cast keeping everything interesting even during some of the quieter moments.  The plot plays out in a pretty straightforward fashion so the twist and turns that inevitably occur don’t really surprise or shock that much.  Some of the graphic sequences are uncomfortable but they don’t hit the intended tone.  Thankfully, Jennifer Lawrence carries the film ably even though she’s acting through some impressive bangs an unconvincing Russian accent.  Still, she’s always interesting and engaging.  If this film had cast a lesser actress in the lead the film would have been thoroughly unbearable.  The supporting cast is rounded out with the excellent actors like Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons and Ciaran Hinds.  Sadly, Edgerton and Lawrence don’t really share much chemistry making their relationship feel forced throughout.  Jeremy Irons character could have used a bit more screen time to flesh out his motivations which are sadly passed off in single sequence late in the game.  Red Sparrow isn’t a terrible movie, it just one that feels like it could have been much better.

C+

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Death Wish & Red Sparrow

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas to kiss Awards Season goodbye with Death Wish and Red Sparrow.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

First on the docket: Death Wish.

 

A surgeon goes vigilante after his family is attacked.

 

Regular reader(s) will not be too shocked to hear I couldn't be bothered to revisit the original Death Wish (which I've seen exactly once) before checking out the the remake/reboot/whatever, so...no comparisons here, sorry.

 

2018's Death Wish is a by-the-numbers revenge thriller that holds few surprises. With Bruce Willis in the lead, it's passably entertaining, but not really dark enough to be taken seriously nor crazy enough to be much fun. Vincent D'Onofrio is wasted in a cookie-cutter sidekick role, though the silver lining is mercifully little screentime for the annoying Elisabeth Shue. Law enforcement is played as bumbling comic relief, with a standard baddie around every turn. I clocked shout-outs to two of my favorite made/set in Chicago movies, The Dark Knight and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but I'm pretty sure they weren't on purpose. Ultimately, I enjoyed Death Wish because it's my kinda movie, but I in good conscience I couldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't share my affinity for witless shoot 'em ups.

 

Death Wish runs 107 minutes and is rated R for "strong bloody violence and language throughout."

Death Wish is a reasonably entertaining way to give your brain a couple hours' rest, but you'll forget it almost as soon as you exit the theater. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Death Wish gets five.

 

Next up: Red Sparrow.

 

When a Bolshoi ballerina's career is ended, she's recruited for a secret Russian intelligence service.

 

Hey you guys, remember that George Clooney movie The American? The trailers sold it as a thriller, but in actual fact it was the slowest, quietest movie in the history of movies?* (*Including silent movies and The Revenant.) Well, welcome to The American's step-sister, Red Sparrow. While Red Sparrow is neither as quiet nor as plodding as The American, it disappointed me in many of the same ways. Red Sparrow runs two hours plus and moves at a snail's pace. Criminally underusing the talents of James Newton Howard, it's often so quiet I could hear the people ten rows behind me chewing their popcorn. The movie spotlights every uncomfortable, disturbing, or just plain gross moment for the sake of it; in more skilled hands it could and should have been genuinely disturbing, but instead it's just sensationalized for shock value's sake. (It hurts me to say that, as director Francis Lawrence masterfully helmed three episodes of one of my all-time favorite TV series, NBC's short-lived Kings.) Though it's pretty tense throughout, Red Sparrow didn't once surprise me; its twists and turns are too easily anticipated. The film is a decent vehicle for showcasing the brilliance of Jennifer Lawrence, and the supporting cast is plenty solid (nice to see you, Ciaran Hinds!), but it's a shame the movie isn't half as smart as it wants to be. Red Sparrow's one real accomplishment is giving me a weird crush on Joel Edgerton, which I'm guessing won't be too rewarding for the creative team. Oh, and, hey...don't forget to make fun of me for hating this in two weeks when I tell you all how awesome Sherlock Gnomes is, m-kay?

 

Red Sparrow clocks in at 139 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, torture, sexual content, language, and some graphic nudity." (Movie fans, they're serious. This one is not for the squeamish.)

 

Red Sparrow is a coulda-shoulda-woulda been thriller that's worth seeing for Jennifer Lawrence, but not for much else. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Red Sparrow gets four.

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: IT COMES AT NIGHT

A married couple (Joel Edgerton and Carmen Ejogo) and their teenage son (Kelvin Harrison) isolate themselves from the rest of humanity when a mysterious plague throws civilization into chaos, but their secluded existence is threatened when a young family seek shelter with them. Christopher Abbott and Riley Keough co-star. Written and directed by Trey Edward Shults (Trey Edward Shults). ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Director: Trey Edward Shults

Cast: Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo

Release Date: Jun 09, 2017

 
Rated R for Disturbing Images, Violence and Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Trey Edward Shults second film, It Comes at Night is being sold as a straight forward horror film which doesn’t do it any favors.  It Comes at Night is a claustrophobic paranoia themed thriller in post apocalyptic window dressing.  It’s a fantastically crafted film that just reeks of talent throughout.  Shults clearly has some talent behind the lens which is aided by some wonderful cinematography which echoes Stanley Kubrick.  It’s the very definition of a slow burn and the cast is utterly committed with each giving understated but strong performances.  Unfortunately, the story seems a tad bit undercooked.  It’s meditation on tragedy and paranoia are simplistic to say the least.  Its story is light on answers and those looking for any sort of a payoff or resolution will be let frustrated.  Perhaps it’s the point or just exemplification of Shults worldview.   Even though it’s not a film that people will be clamoring to revisit, its sparse runtime seems longer than it is, it’s a fine showcase for an impressive directorial talent. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK MASS

The true story of one of America's most violent and infamous gangsters, Whitey Bulger. Johnny Depp stars as Bulger, who was the brother of a state senator and was eventually convinced to wear a wire for the FBI to bring down the Italian mafia in Boston after they invaded his territory. Scott Cooper directs, with Mark Mallouk penning the screenplay based on Dick Lehr and Gerald O'Neill's 2001 best-seller Black Mass: The True Story of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI and The Irish Mob. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Scott Cooper

Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Joel Edgerton

Release Date: Sep 18, 2015

Rated: R for brutal Violence, Language Throughout, Some Sexual References and Brief Drug Use

Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama

Review:

Black Mass is an engaging gangster film that’s gripping enough to keep your attention for most of its 2 hour run time.  Its greatest assets are it’s actors with Johnny Depp delivering some of his best work in years.  Depp is fully committed to the role, losing himself into it easily.  It’s a fascinating character study and Depp’s performance gives the audience a strong sense of what the real man was like, to a chilling degree.  Depp will be getting a lot of positive returns for his work but Joel Edgerton is just as good playing the FBI agent who partners with Bulger.  Edgerton is an incredibly talented actor who easy to overlook because he eases into his characters so well.  His turn here is fantastic giving you a strong sense of why the character’s broken logic made sense to him ultimately leading him to his downfall.  Benedict Cumberbatch is a strong supporting character even if it takes a moment for your mind to wrap around his Boston accent which is great but sounds strange coming out of his mouth.  Sadly, he’s under used and his character is underdeveloped.  Scott Cooper does solid work throughout, keeping a steady pace but he can’t quite overcome the film’s biggest drawback which is something totally out of his control.  In the end, it’s a well worn story that doesn’t deliver any surprises.  It’s a strong film all around but it’s been done countless times.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Exodus: Gods and Kings

Dearest Blog, end of the year means burning that unused vacation, so today I found myself at a mid-afternoon screening of Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
Believing he's been called by God, Moses leads hundreds of thousands of Hebrew slaves out of Egypt.

Dear reader(s), in the interest of full and fair disclosure I'll note that to me the Bible is as real as a Twilight novel. I mean that not to insult anyone's beliefs, but to make it clear that Biblical accuracy or lack thereof is not why I hated this movie. I hated it because, to quote one of my all-time favorite reviews, it is "a lumbering bore."

Much has been made of all the white folks portraying characters who would have been decidedly un-white, and that does make it a bit hard to take the movie seriously. Sigourney Weaver as an Egyptian queen gave me a fit of the giggles that I almost didn't get past, and I'm pretty sure a servant girl was wearing one of Lady Gaga's wigs. Close-ups reveal French manicures on some of the women. (I'm not even kidding.) Accents are all over the place--hell, Christian Bale runs through four or five different ones himself--and the language is too modern to suit the movie's time frame. If Lord of the Rings bought its battle scenes at Wal-Mart, they'd probably look a lot like the ones in Exodus. Much of the CGI is laughably bad; in fact, the whole thing kinda looks like a regional theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar. And if being bored to tears isn't bad enough, there's a boatload of explicit animal cruelty for your viewing pleasure, and a blustery score that occasionally goes all "NCIS terrorist cue." It's more than a little offensive.

Bale's Moses is an unsympathetic character, who, like Russell Crowe's Noah, comes off as cold-hearted screwball rather than a man agonizing over choices he must make for the greater good. Moses' "brother" turned nemesis Ramses, played by a barely recognizable Joel Edgerton, is a buffoon in enough guyliner for a Motley Crue video. Ben Mendelsohn turning up was a pleasant surprise, but that's about the only good thing I have to say about Exodus.

Exodus: Gods and Kings clocks in at a bloated 150 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence including battle scenes and intense images."

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Exodus: Gods and Kings gets two. It's a trainwreck.

Until next time...

I am, in fact, too fast for love.

MOVIE REVIEW: EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS

From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Prometheus) comes the epic adventure “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” the story of one man’s daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Director: Ridley Scott     

 Cast: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul 

Release Date: Dec 12, 2014

Rated PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images     

Runtime: 2 hr. 22 min.    

Genres: Drama    

Review:

Exodus: Gods and Kings is a throwback to the big scale biblical epics from the past.  Ridley Scott brings a sweeping grandeur to the whole thing but it never really gets its footing with any of the characters.  The film clocks in at nearly 2 and half hours, some of which is quite a slog, yet we never really get any real connections to the characters.  Christian Bale is fine as Moses but he doesn’t give the character any heartfelt drive to save his people.  As such Moses comes off as an annoyed nut whose just doing something because he has to.  At lease the script gave Moses a bit more of a tacticians mind as he plots his revolt that will lead to the liberation of the Israelites.  Rames, played by a guy liner-rrific Jole Edgerton, comes off as a bumbling buffoon all the way through.  There’s a little effort to give him a bit more depth but not nearly enough to matter in the long run.  The supporting cast is prestigious but underused and ultimately wasted.  The film’s lack of three dimensional characters is ultimately its biggest downfall.  Ridley Scott created a visual spectacle which is finely produced but it all feels hollow since we really don’t care about any of the characters, not the way we were supposed to at least.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GREAT GATSBY

An aspiring writer falls under the spell of an aloof millionaire with designs for the young scribe's unhappily married cousin in director Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's celebrated novel. It's the spring of 1922, and wide-eyed Midwesterner Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) has just moved to New York City in pursuit of the American Dream. Settling into a home next door to wealthy Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), Carraway grows increasingly fascinated by the elaborate parties held at his new neighbor's estate. Meanwhile, across the bay, Carraway's cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) flounders in her marriage to philandering aristocrat Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Inspired by the debauchery on display at Gatsby's wild parties and the lives of the wealthy elite, Carraway begins putting pen to paper as it gradually becomes clear that his cousin and the millionaire share a complicated romantic past that remains unresolved. Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, and Elizabeth Debicki co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton

Release Date: May 10, 2013

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language

Runtime: 2 hr. 22 min.

Genres: Drama, Romance

Review:

Let me start off by saying that I personally love Baz Luhrmann’s style. I’ve been a fan since I first saw his take on Romeo and Juliet. Moulin Rouge was one of the best movie going experiences I’ve ever had, turning me into a fan of movie musicals along the way. I’ll even admit that I enjoyed Australia which was an over long bloated mess of a movie but there was enough there for me to like that I had no problem trudging through its 3 movies in one self. Needless, to say I’m an easy mark for his latest adaptation and slightly biased. My expectation were set fairly high and while the movies runtime worried me, especially after sitting through an overlong Iron Man 3 last weekend. When it was all said and done I wasn’t disappointed. I watched the film in 3d, of the few shot in nascent 3D, and it thoroughly impressed me in its immersion especially in the frenetic first half where you feel like streamers and confetti fall around for the better part of the hour. Once we head into the more somber 2nd half of the film Baz pulls back, as required by the plot, and it’s equally engaging. The 4 primary cast members all deliver excellent performances throughout. Leonardo DiCaprio is mysterious and mostly restrained; he does a good job of capturing Gatsby psyche on film. Tobey Maguire, who’s usually bland for me, was rather impressive as the doe eye naïve narrator who slowly becomes more and more cynical as the film progresses. Carey Mulligan isn’t asked to do much but she does display a broken sadness appropriate for her character throughout. Joel Edgerton is just as impressive as DiCaprio and Maguire as the brutish Buchanan, his performance is actually quite eye catching. Equally eye catching is seeing Baz Luhrmann’s last 3 films come together to form this film. There are bits and pieces that taken from each but combined to deliver one of his most complete and compelling films.

A

Cindy Prascik’s Review of The Great Gatsby

Dearest Blog, with an extra-busy weekend ahead, yesterday I spent the afternoon with The Great Gatsby.
A smalltime New York stockbroker is drawn into his mysterious neighbor's bigtime life.

Not sure how I could spoil a story that's almost 90 years old but, for argument's sake, we'll say spoiler level here is mild, nothing you wouldn't have gotten from the trailers.

Dear Blog, we all know too-high hopes often lead to disappointment. Since I burned vacation time to see this opening day, it goes without saying my expectations were ridiculous, but I'm pleased to report the movie met all of them.
Starting with the obvious, Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby looks magnificent. I elected to pass on the 3D, and it was still as amazing as anything I've ever seen, so much so that I'll be seeing it again in 3D as soon as I can. The costumes, sets, and makeup are effectively another character in the film, setting each scene's mood and even its tempo. The quirky soundtrack suits the movie perfectly.

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor I'll see in anything. Even if the project doesn't appeal to me, I know he'll be good enough to make it worthwhile. His Gatsby is alternately infuriating and heartbreaking, another stellar turn in an amazing career. Carey Mulligan does a fine job in the female lead, difficult for me to admit since I despise her. I generally have no feelings on Tobey Maguire either way, but his is the one role I wished had been filled by someone else. Curiously, his Spidey replacement Andrew Garfield kept coming to mind as a better fit. Gatsby reunites Zero Dark Thirty's Joel Edgerton and Jason Clarke in two quite unsympathetic roles. My favorite performance in the film is from newcomer Elizabeth Debicki. She doesn't have as much to do as some others, but every second of her screen time had my full attention.

Gatsby exceeds two hours by a fair bit, but it never felt long to me; I enjoyed every minute. If I ever knew what caused its release to be moved from December to May, I've forgotten, but after seeing the film it seems wrong. Gatsby is definitely more Awards Season fare than Summer Blockbuster.

The Great Gatsby runs 143 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying, and brief language." (Does the MPAA seriously use "party" as a verb...and have a warning for it??) It is a beautiful, spectacular movie-going experience, and I can't wait to see it again.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Great Gatsby gets eight.

Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be building a mansion across the bay from where Gary Oldman lives with his wife.

Until next time...




Guys, guys, guyzzzzzzz...I think I'm in love (again)! ;-)

MOVIE REVIEW: ZERO DARK THIRTY

Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, the Academy Award-winning duo behind The Hurt Locker, reteam for this drama detailing the hunt for Osama bin Laden, which stars Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain as the intelligence expert who dedicated a decade of her life to tracking down the world's most wanted terrorist. Joel Edgerton, Edgar Ramirez, Mark Strong, Chris Pratt, and James Gandolfini co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Dec 19, 2012

Rated R for Strong Violence, Language and Brutal Disturbing Images

Runtime: 2 hr. 37 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Edgar Ramirez, Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong

Review:

Zero Dark Thirty is not a jingoistic depiction about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Kathryn Bigelow takes Mark Boal script and opts for a detached documentary feel. There’s a noticeable neutrality throughout the film. It’s not the type of feel that’s going for a slant or angle; instead it decides to simply unfurl the series of events that occurred even if some are fictionalized. It’s a methodical straightforward film that keeps you engaged as you watch the frustrating and occasionally dangerous machinations of the world’s biggest manhunt. At its center is Jessica Chastain. Chastain gives her character a calculated intensity and steely resolve. She’s fascinating in her singular dedication to her task, so much so that when the task is done you have to wonder how the character would ever find meaning in another task. The supporting characters come and go as the film goes on. Due to the style of the film, we never get very close to any of the characters even the lead. The climatic raid is almost clinical but incredibly tense and powerful. The same can be said about the film as a whole.

A

[Trailer] The Great Gatsby

I’ve watched this trailer a few times and I’m still a little taken aback by it. Personally I’ve been a fan of Baz Luhrmann, even enjoyed his over bloated Australia, but I’m going to hope some of the odd choices can be written off to a strange marketing campaign. I’ll hold judgment until I see more but for right now I’m a tad confused at what direction this is going to take….

MOVIE REVIEW: THE THING (2011)

IN THEATERS

THE THING (2011)

An American paleontologist and a team of Norwegian scientists fight for their lives against a shape-shifting extraterrestrial that can perfectly mimic any living creature in this prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic. Upon receiving word that the Antarctic research team has unearthed an alien craft, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins the group to explore what secrets the ship might hold. Though by Kate's estimation the creature inside the spaceship has been dead for centuries, it has actually just been lying dormant in the ice. Perfectly preserved, it has awaited the day when it would finally be freed from its frigid prison; now, after eons of lying in wait, that day has finally come. Suddenly revived during a crucial experiment, the malevolent alien begins methodically mimicking each member of the crew undetected. By the time Kate realizes the frightening implications of the creature's unique ability, it may already be too late. As paranoia among the crew begins to intensify, it's up to Kate and the crew's helicopter pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to make sure the extraterrestrial menace is exterminated before it has the opportunity to escape -- for, should it manage to make its way to a heavily populated area, humanity's days may be numbered. Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr. makes his feature directorial debut from a script by Eric Heisserer and Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Release Date: Oct 14, 2011

Rated R for Strong creature violence and gore, disturbing images and language

Runtime: 1 hr. 43 min.

Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

REVIEW:

The Thing prequel was always going to be a dicey subject for me since Carpenter’s remake from the 80’s is one of my top 3 favorite horror films of all time. I’ve tried to keep an open mind but I am only human and I’m sure my prejudices infect this review more than it should. This prequel feels a lot like a remake especially in the first act. It plays very similarly but first time director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. seems more interested in getting to the creature effect as opposed to building up suspense. The story also changes the creature’s logic, making it more aggressive where as Carpenter’s version reacted in a more defensive manner. The effects in of themselves are impressive and pay homage to the Carpenter film but the CGI is of variable quality, occasionally looking very good then looking incredibly bad in others. Heinjinigen turns this prequel more into a standard creature feature with characters that could barely be called paper thin. The characters, including the lead, feel like nothing more than fodder for creature. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is terribly miscast her and she reads lines about as flatly as they can be read. Her performance and character are never engaging or interesting instead a general sense of bland throughout. The remainder of the cast is simply asked to replicate versions of characters from the Carpenter film, with Joel Edgerton and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje doing their best Kirk Russell and Keith David impersonations. There are a few scares here and there but with the lack of any tangible suspense they are all telegraphed making them fairly obvious. The final act plays more like something from the Aliens franchise. The ambiguity of the Carpenter film is missing right through the end. A nice wrap up scene, setting up the Carpenter film, during the credits is well done but doesn’t do much but put the final pieces in place. Fans of the Carpenter film will find things to like here and there and will probably walkout with the desire to watch the Carpenter film as soon as they leave the theater, quickly forgetting this prequel.

C

[Red Band Trailer] The Thing (2011)

The first trailer hardly instilled a lot of hope in me for this prequel but this Red Band Trailer and the amount of CGI which looks to dominate the creature effects are really making me feel more than a little depressed.

Still trying to keep an open mind but it’s getting harder and harder……

[Trailer] The Thing (2011)

Finally a proper trailer for this prequel has arrived. After some bootleg footage last year we hadn’t heard a whisper about this project outside of it getting moved back and back.

The Thing is my favorite Carpenter film and one of my favorite horror films in general.

While this trailer is for a prequel, the Norwegian camp’s story, to the original it sure does feel like a remake, lots of shots of things familiar to fans.

Not sure it’ll work just feel like something attempting to be the real thing……