Cindy Prascik's Marvel (Streaming) Double-Feature

My dear reader(s), last week I indulged in a rare Saturday in front of my television, allowing me to catch up on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and Ant-Man: Quantumania (2023).

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

First on my home-viewing docket: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The people of Wakanda must face new threats even as they mourn the loss of their king.

Chadwick Boseman was a singular talent, and movie fans joined the fictional residents of Wakanda in mourning the man and his alter-ego. The funeral for King T'Challa is as devastating as if it were real, and this sequel suffers greatly for having lost an irreplaceable screen presence. The franchise still has its share of engaging talent in Winston Duke (M'Baku), Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia), and Danai Gurira (Okoye), but it chooses to shift focus to Letitia Wright (Shuri), whose tepid magnetism wilts under the weight of this tentpole.

Wakanda Forever retains many of the things that made the original Black Panther so special: a fantastic score, glorious costumes, and majestic sets/locations. Action sequences are well done, if overlong, and there's enough humor to keep the undercurrent of sadness from overwhelming the movie's mood. Some wonky CGI provides unintentional laughs. In the mix with Gurira, Nyong'o, and Duke, the reliably entertaining Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the magnificent Angela Bassett (chewing it up like mid-90s Gary Oldman) keep the movie mostly watchable, but ultimately it can't surmount a weak lead and an entirely insufferable run time.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever clocks in at a bloated 161 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of strong violence, action, and some language."

Overcoming the loss of Chadwick Boseman probably would be impossible for even a great movie, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is not a great movie. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gets four.

Next on last weekend's agenda: Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 

Scott Lang and company are dragged into the Quantum Realm, where they face a new super-villain.

Quantumania is the movie equivalent of when it's two days before payday and you have to try making a meal out of whatever's left in the 'fridge. It throws everything at the screen in hopes of making something worth consuming, but you really just wish you had something fresh. 

If Wakanda Forever suffers for the loss of Chadwick Boseman, Quantumania survives almost exclusively because it's impossible to dislike Paul Rudd. I never could imagine that many people were clamoring to bring Ant-Man to the big screen, but Rudd's charisma makes it easy to excuse the low-rent hero. Having Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer along for the ride doesn't hurt, either. Quantumania's story is a jumble, struggling with the same issue as all multi-verse/timeline stories: Why should anyone care what happens, when it's just going to UN-happen the minute it becomes inconvenient to the cinematic universe or detrimental to the studio's bottom line? Much like the Thor movies, the Ant-Man franchise is more like a comedy that's heavy on action than a super hero movie that's funny sometimes, and its humor is its salvation. Like all Marvel product, it fails to earn its runtime, but after Wakanda Forever it seems pretty doggone short. Given that the story's such a mess and the Quantum Realm looks like a high-school production of Star Wars, it's very little on which to hang one's super-hero helmet, but it'll have to do. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania runs 124 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence/action and language."

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a car crash, watchable only thanks to a terrific lead who keeps things light and entertaining. Credit where credit is due, it also features the most inspirational line I've ever heard in a film: "It's never too late to stop being a dick." Of a possible nine Weasleys, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania gets five.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: CREED III

 

Still dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed is thriving in his career and family life. When Damian, a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces after serving time in prison, he's eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian -- a fighter who has nothing to lose.

Director: Michael B. Jordan

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad

Release Date: March 3, 2023

Genre: Drama, Sport

Rated PG-13 for intense sports action, violence and some strong language.

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

Creed III is an energetic passing of the torch from Sylvester Stallone to Michael B. Jordan as he moves front and center in the franchise. Jordan takes the reins in the director's chair and shows off an impressive eye throughout.  His direction gives the film a tangible sense of immediacy and energy that makes Stallone's absence almost an afterthought.  Jordan guides the film with a self assured confidence that's readily apparent and engaging from the start which makes this work far better than it should.  The plot also offers an interesting twist on the usual formula by delivering an antagonist who plays like Mike Tyson by way of Cape Fear.  Jonathan Majors plays the role with a simmering anger and resentment lingering under his smiles and brutish physique.  Majors is able to give the character far more depth and pathos than what's written on the page and in doing so makes him the most interesting performer onscreen.  That's not to take away anything from Michael B. Jordan who delivers a more season take on his character in this third round.  The film pops when they both share the screen with a special kind of energy that's a product of their chemistry together.  Their energy is strong enough that it nearly drowns out the supporting players with Tessa Thompson being the only one who leaves a noticeable mark with a measured and loving turn.  Ultimately, it's a showcase for its two stars as the story runs through a variety of themes in its run up to the final showdown.  There are still the usual tropes as we get a rather rousing training montage and expertly crafted fight sequences which convey the ferocity of the matches.  Jordan does use a few flourishes during the final sequence to deliver something different, almost mystical as a chance of pace.  Creed III is a solid display filmmaking especially since it makes you overlook the fact that everything plays out in an entirely predictable manner and ties it up with a particularly tidy bow.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA

 

Ant-Man and the Wasp find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that pushes them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.

Director:  Peyton Reed

Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, William Jackson Harper, Katy O'Brian, Bill Murray

Release Date: February 17, 2023

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for violence/action, and language

Runtime: 2h 5m

Review:

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania gets credit for delivering one of the tripper entries into the Marvel monolith.  Peyton Reed waste little time throwing the audience into the Quantum Realm and peppering the screen with all variety of sci-fi weirdness and oddities.  It’s a visual cornucopia that just assaults the senses from all sides as the cast ventures through the worlds.  There's nearly enough there to make you ignore the fact that the event which kicks off the entire plot is even more contrived than Spider-Man: No Way Home starting point.  It shouldn't come as that much of a surprise since this is the film that kicks off the newest phase of Marvel's ongoing opus.  Specifically, this film serves as an introduction to the new big bad that will be the serve as the primary villain over the next few years.  In that regard, they have been blessed with Jonathan Majors and his impressive acting talents.  Once Majors appears onscreen, he dominates the film with an impressively nuanced turn that bodes well for future appearances.  Up to that point the cast had delivered a surprisingly choppy collection of performances which is disappointing considering the assembled talent.  Rudd is his usual dependable self, giving the impression that he could play this role in his sleep by this point.  Rudd and Evangeline Lilly still don't have much onscreen chemistry which keeps their story line from really carrying the sort of weight you'd expect by the third film.  Kathryn Newton joins the cast as their now grown daughter and brings a spark of youthful energy even if her character veers close to annoying is spots.  Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas sadly seem to be going through the motions even though Pfeiffer gets a decent size of the plot.  Both are never outright bad but you get the sense they aren't giving it their all.  There's a tonal imbalance throughout the whole film which shifts from quippy goofiness to drop dead serious sometime in the occurring in the same scene.  There are points were you start to feel that Majors deserved to be in a better more serious film which would have taken advantage of performance.  As is, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania does its job in setting up the future, especially with two rather important post credit scenes, and doing it in an enjoyable but ultimately forgettable film.  

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Da 5 Bloods

My dears, the bad news this week is my cinema has reopened...with a full slate of movies I've already seen, and nothing I'd risk a deadly disease to see again. (*cough* Rocketman *cough*)

The good news is Netflix is premiering a buzzy, brand-new release from revered director Spike Lee, Da 5 Bloods.

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

A group of veterans returns to Vietnam to repatriate a fallen colleague...and reclaim a hidden treasure.
The good news is Da 5 Bloods is a pretty engaging picture that doesn't feel long despite its boated runtime. It's painfully relevant, hammering home some difficult truths about the many sides to any story, the ambiguousness of "good guys" and "bad guys," and the ugliness of prejudice, even among those who are, themselves, victims of it. It boasts some nice performances (what a delight to see Norm Lewis!), and — between the festering wound that the Vietnam war remains in this country, and the historical footage and photos it uses to underline its own story — the film packs quite an emotional wallop.

The bad news is Da 5 Bloods is more predictable than the worst broadcast network police procedural. The aforementioned nice performances are countered by some legitimately terrible acting. The film's gruesome violence is so over the top as to be almost comical at times, and its melodramatic score is equally ridiculous. Finally Da 5 Bloods suffers a severe shortage of Chadwick Boseman. If you are watching this movie to see Chadwick Boseman, watch 21 Bridges instead. It's a better movie, and you'll get a lot more Chadwick for your buck.

Da 5 Bloods clocks in at 154 minutes and is rated R for, "strong violence, grisly images, and pervasive language."

I'd be hard-pressed to call Da 5 Bloods a good movie, but it's certainly an important one that's worth your time. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Da 5 Bloods gets five.

Until next time, dear reader(s), take care and stay well, and I'll hope to see you at the cinema soon!

MOVIE REVIEW: DA 5 BLOODS

Four African American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Director: Spike Lee

Cast: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Jean Reno

Release Date: June 12, 2020

Genres: Drama, War

Rated R for strong violence, grisly images and pervasive language

Runtime: 2h 35min

Review:

Da 5 Bloods is a film that has a lot on its mind.  Spike Lee foregoes subtly and delivers a timely but decidedly didactic treaty on race which feels incredibly timely given the current state of the world.   Lee’s visuals here are impressively aggressive throughout with aspect ratios changing based on time periods and news reel footage interspaced to highlight film some of his points.  The story itself feels like a something for the late 70s or 80s Vietnam films which is clearly intentional.  The cast is stellar across the board with Delroy Lindo delivering some of his best work in his storied career.  It’s always great to see The Wire alums get a spotlight and both Clarke Peter and Isiah Whitlock Jr. both deliver excellent work here.  Those expecting Chadwick Boseman to be a major part of the film will likely walk away disappointed since his character gets limited screen time even though he’s one of the driving forces in the story.  While the basic plot is fairly basic, Lee uses multiple techniques to keep the story engaging but its hard not to notice that there could have been some cuts here or there to make the film tighter.  As is, the film moves at a snail’s pace working better as a series of character studies and history lesson. 

B-