MOVIE REVIEW: CARRY-ON

 

A young airline security guard is blackmailed by a mysterious passenger who threatens to smuggle a dangerous package onto a plane on Christmas Eve.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Jason Bateman

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, some language and suggestive references.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Carry-On is an old school potboiler in the vein of Die Hard that takes full advantage of strong performances from Taron Egerton and Jason Batman engaging in a tense game of cat and mouse.  Jaume Collet-Serra confidently sets up the premise after quick introductions to the main characters before he moves right into the meat of the story.  The story itself will never be considered smart by any extent, but it does a solid job of keeping your attention especially as the stakes get progressively higher.  He consistently maintains a steady rhythm to the tension even as the script takes increasingly ludicrous twist and turns.  Taron Egerton brings his likeable everyman energy to the proceedings which works perfectly for the central role.  Egerton is able to give his character a believable sense of being out of his depth initially before rising to the occasion.  He's able to bring a sense of authenticity to the role that probably doesn't come through in the hands of a lesser performer.  Jason Batman is clearly relishing his role as the seemingly omnipotent ringleader.  His measured, controlled diction and delivery are perfectly suited for his role as the mastermind.  He can imbue his character with a cold, calculating, detachment that gives him a palpable sense of danger throughout.  The two don't share many scenes together but their verbal interchanges pop and ultimately make the film work.  Danielle Deadwyler makes the most of her screentime as an FBI agent on the trail of Bateman that leaves you wishing the film had given her a more prominent role.  She is given a particularly fun action sequence set to Wham's Last Christmas which is sure to be one of the more memorable moments in the final act.  That final act does stretch out longer than necessary which ultimately keeps Carry-On being truly memorable.   

B

MOVIE REVIEW: KRAVEN THE HUNTER

 

Kraven's complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

Director: J. C. Chandor

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.

Runtime: 2h 7m

Review:

Kraven The Hunter manages to be a halfway decent crime drama until it remembers it also must be a comic book story which drags down the whole experience.  J. C. Chandor does his best to deliver an engaging story highlighted by some decent action sequences.  Unfortunately, he's fighting some terrible headwinds with a terrible script, shoddy CGI and a goofy collection of characters that he must wrangle together.  The fact that he manages to deliver something more coherent and watchable than Madame Web or Morbius is something of a small moral victory for him and his cast.  That being said, there's so much clunky dialogue and bad accents thrown onscreen that you are left with a decision to either check out or just go with it.  The incredibly talented cast does the best they can with what they are given and occasionally manage to find some depth in their characters.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes great use of his good looks and chiseled frame in the central role.  He is solid enough to make it all watchable, the script doesn't really ask much from him, even though his accent rotates between bad Russian, non-descript and his native British.  Russell Crowe, sporting an equally bad Russian accent, chews up every bit of scenery as Kraven's gangster father.  Crowe and Taylor-Johnson have some fun chemistry together which the film would have been wise to focus on instead of Alessandro Nivola's Rhino.  Christopher Abbott shows up as supporting villain who’s also more interesting than The Rhino which makes you wonder why the latter is the main villain in the first place.  Ariana DeBose, whose name is Calypso as the film reminds us of every five minutes, is given the thankless supporting role that doesn't give her much to do outside of randomly giving Kraven his powers and shell out some exposition.  Ultimately, Kraven the Hunter isn't laughably bad like some of the other entries in this strange Sony spinoff universe but inherently forgettable.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ORDER

 

A string of violent robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads veteran FBI agent Terry Husk to a white supremacist group that plans to overthrow the federal government.

Director: Justin Kurzel 

Cast: Jude Law; Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, Alison Oliver, Marc Maron

Release Date: December 6, 2024

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for some strong violence, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 58m

Review:

Justin Kurzel's tense police procedural feels like a throwback to classic Michael Mann films from the 80's and 90's with its straightforward single-mindedness buoyed by stellar performances across the board.  Kurzel's film is hauntingly beautiful in how its shot by taking full advantage of the natural beauty that hides the sinister workings of the white supremacist domestic terrorist at the heart of the story.  It’s a fascinating juxtaposition that offers up a hefty bit of thematic subtext to the story playing out on screen.  It’s all wonderfully shot but straightforward and lean with very few visual flourishes thrown into the mix.  It’s an incredibly efficient film from start to finish that never loses sight of where it's going or how it wants to get there.  Jude Law embodies the film's no nonsense approach with his turn as the hardboiled FBI agent who drives the story.  Law has rarely been better as he gives his character a hardened intensity that drives his relentless pursuit of his target regardless of the personal toll it takes on him.  We are given only a few morsels of background information on the character, but Law manages to give him enough layers so that we understand the depths of his determination even if not the reasons.  On the other end, Nicholas Hoult takes advantage of his boyish looks paired with a tangible sense of charisma that becomes more an unnerving as his groups actions become more extreme.  There's subtle work from both actors on display with Law's performance being the showier of the two but Hoult is just as good with his measured approach.  They only share a few moments on screen but when they do the screen screams with tension as each party attempts to size up each other.  Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett are solid in smaller supporting roles with Sheridan leaving a sizeable impression on the film.  There's plenty to appreciate about The Order, especially since it brings a certain level of immediacy and importance due to some readily apparent modern day connections.  

A

MOVIE REVIEW: Y2K

 

On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Year's Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when Y2K becomes a reality.

Director: Kyle Mooney

Cast: Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Rachel Zegler, Fred Durst, Alicia Silverstone, Kyle Mooney

Release Date: December 6, 2024

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Rated R for bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug and alcohol use.

Runtime: 1h 31m

Review:

Y2K has its moments as a Superbad meets This is the End meets Maximum Overdrive mash up but a shoddy script and inconsistent tone keep it from hitting the mark.  Writer, director and actor, Kyle Mooney, throws every late 90's cliché he can think of at the screen with some working better than others as he sets up the basic premise.  The nostalgia is fun for a bit but the story rush past basic characterization from the get go which leaves us with a cast of terribly generic characters that don't connect the way they are supposed to.  There's a herky-jerky feel to the whole thing as it hits a handful of inspired comedic bits before grinding to a halt with randomly emotional moments.  Its makes for a very strange flow that leaves you wishing Mooney had just gone all in on goofiness of the concept and fully embraced it.  It's a shame since his cast is game for assorted wackiness thrown at them led by Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler.  Martell brings a Crispin Glover's George McFly energy to his performance which is sort of fun but you wish the script had given him a bit more to work with.  Zegler deals with a similar situation since she's not asked to do much outside of look the part of your typical high school IT girl.  Martell and Zegler have some fun energy together onscreen too which the film never takes full advantage of.  Julian Dennison is also good fun as Martell's character longtime friend but he's inexplicably taken off screen fairly early on.  There is a rather fun sequence in the back end once a certain singer pops up onscreen which ends Y2K on a high note but that doesn't keep the whole thing from feeling like a missed opportunity.  

C

MOVIE REVIEW: MOANA 2

 

Moana journeys to the far seas of Oceania after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors.

Director: Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand, David Derrick Jr.

Cast: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House, Alan Tudyk, Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Hualālai Chung, Awhimai Fraser, Gerald Ramsey

Release Date: November 27, 2024

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical

Rated PG for action/peril.

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

Moana 2 delivers vibrant animation and an earnest central performance from Auliʻi Cravalho but it never manages to hit the heights of the original.  Directors Dana Ledoux Miller, Jason Hand and David Derrick Jr. recreate the world and characters of the first while attempting to expand the cast of characters.  There's a solid sense of familiarity throughout as you are left waiting for it to finally take off with a rousing song or action set piece and finally forge its own path.  There's a slightly more mature theme in this entry as we watch Moana grow into a leader but the script never really takes advantage of the opportunity before moving on.  The new characters that join her on this voyage are little more than clichéd types who don't really add much to the story with a mute coconut warrior leaving the largest impression in the long run.  Awhimai Fraser's Matangi is initially poised as an intriguing villainess who's holding Maui captive, but her storyline is quickly resolved before the film can take full advantage of the character.  The story fumbles moments like this across the board as it holds the reunion between Cravalho's Moana and Johnson's Maui until the final act.  The film pops a bit once the central duo are back on screen together but never does anything new or interesting with them, instead being content to provide remixed versions of similar moments or songs.  The songs themselves aren't as memorable or catchy as those from the original, with the film sorely missing Lin-Manuel Miranda's talents.  Moana 2 is a solid enough family film, it was originally destined for Disney +, but it is missing that special spark of the original to make it memorable.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: GLADIATOR II

 

Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington

Release Date: November 22, 2024

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Rated R for strong bloody violence.

Runtime: 2h 28m

Review:

Gladiator 2 marks Ridley Scott's return to ancient Rome's fighting pits with massive action set pieces that are dazzling and entertaining, but the story never finds its own footing as it is content with hitting the same beats as the original.  Twenty four years after his Oscar winning original Ridley Scott is still a master of creating massive set pieces with a heavier emphasis on maritime action here.  The battles are wonderfully staged and appropriately bloody and chaotic as Scott ups the ante in terms of cinematic mayhem.  These moments deliver the kind of thrills you'd expect from a legendary filmmaker returning to one of his most loved creations but it does beg the question as to why the story feels like an afterthought.  The plot seems to twist itself into all sort of illogical contrivances to make Maximus's son follow the exact same path as his father.  It would be excusable if it had something new, interesting or revelatory to say but its pretty much the same "Dream of Rome" tagline from the original.  It makes everything feel like a hollow facsimile of the original which is hammered home with clips of that film being inserted throughout.  Paul Mescal has the unenviable task of stepping into Russell Crowe's shoes here and sadly he can't match the screen presence or intensity he brought in the original film.  Mescal does his best but he's generally the least interesting character onscreen as we follow him go through the same trials as Crowe's Maximus, he even has a dead wife he wants to meet in the afterlife to boot.  Suffering a similar fate are Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger who have to step into the emperor role which Joaquin Phoenix memorably played in the original. In spite of their best effort, neither can really bring the sort of dangerous depravity needed to make for a memorable antagonist.  Pedro Pascal fairs better with a measured turn as a general who is ready to lead a revolt.  The film wouldn't have fared better if it'd given his character more of a spotlight as there's plenty of moral grey to play with but the story never bothers to fully explore it.  Denzel Washington proves to be the film's saving grace as the only real movie star onscreen throughout.  Washington is clearly having a ball as he chews up scenery gleefully every time he shows up onscreen.  He bring so much enthusiastic energy to his performance that you easily overlook how clichéd the character and his motivations are written.  In another universe there's a better version of this story that would have focused on Pascal and Washington's characters and political aspirations and intrigue.  These kind of missed opportunities leaves Gladiator 2 feeling like a well constructed but ultimately soulless retread of far better film. 

B-