The Belko Experiment

As always, searching through Netflix’s titles for something I’ve never seen before, I came across The Belko Experiment as it had a very high rating average from other members.  Seeing that it was categorized as being in the horror genre, it piqued my interest enough for me to look it up and to read up on it. 

 

The first name that caught my eye was the name of James Gunn.  Many of you may know that name of the man who brought a little-known Marvel Comics property to the screen in a film called Guardians of the Galaxy, but I also remember him as the director for a pretty good throwback horror flick—Slither.  Gunn has also been a very successful writer of screenplays, such as Scooby-Doo, Dawn of the Dead (2004), Super, as well as the two—soon to be three—Guardians of the Galaxy films.  After seeing him attached to this title, I figured it’d be somewhat entertaining.

 

Although Greg McLean’s name didn’t ring a bell when I saw his name attached as director, I soon found out he was the director of a couple of Aussie horror flicks that I thoroughly enjoyed—Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2.

 

Along with a few familiar names in the cast, I decided to have this disc sent to me to watch, and so I added The Belko Experiment to my queue and awaited its arrival.

 

Let me synopsize the film with the help of IMDb’s plot summary…

 

In a twisted social experiment, eighty Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogotá, Colombia, and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company’s intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

 

From the start of this film, it had me interested, having all the characters introduced as exposition is given about how they all—as most of them are Americans—took this awesome job in South America, working for this American governmental building in the middle of nowhere.  But that’s when the uneasiness begins, especially when they notice there is a bit more security on this particular day as they’re all being checked in systematically upon entering the company’s grounds. 

 

Of course, this movie comes with the understanding that you’re going to need to suspend disbelief a bit—as most films of this caliber.  Certain features of the film might make you laugh at how absurd it is, but some aspects might make you ask yourself would you do the same if you were in the position of the characters on screen.  I’d give an example, but I really don’t want to ruin any of the surprises or shocks this movie will present to you upon first viewing.  All in all, as the synopsis above will tell you, this is a story about a deadly group test to see who has the best survival instinct.

 

So…what can I tell you?

 

Although most of the characters are cookie-cutter and run-of-the-mill clichés of your average good guy/bad guys, they still give you faces to root for and others to jeer.  Even though the subject matter is pretty serious, there’s always room for the comic relief which is brought forth in the shape of Sean Gunn as he plays Marty, the stoner employee of the Belko Corporation.  Some of the dialogue he delivers is pretty funny and alleviates the tension in some of the scenes.

 

Now the main character of Mike, John Gallagher Jr., was someone who I didn’t know at all and wondered why they’d have an unrecognizable actor in the lead.  When reading up on him, I realized that I did see him in a couple of other films—Hush and 10 Cloverfield Lane—but he really wasn’t the center of attention in any of those movies, so he never really left an impression on me.  But as the film went along, it became clear that the story needed him to be the regular-everyday-good-guy that felt a moral obligation to save whoever he can rather than taking the easy way out.

 

In watching this movie, it basically asks you a theoretical question: What would you do in this situation?  You’re stuck in this building, with no way out, and you’re given a choice to kill other people to save yourself.  It’s a tough dilemma, that’s for sure.

 

Now, Tony Goldwyn plays Barry, the manager of the employees and, at first, plays it as the protagonist, trying to have everybody remain calm and to reassure them that they’ll all make it through this.  Seeing him in this capacity surprised me as I can’t help but remember him as the antagonist in Ghost opposite Patrick Swayze.  Sure enough, however, after it’s apparent that the only means of escape is to do what the voice over the intercom tells them to do, he turns into the nemesis we all know he’s destined to be. Also along for the ride in the bad guy train is John C. McGinley as Wendell.  Both men are portrayed as former military and have an edge over everybody else in their experience with combat and taking the offensive.

 

You’ll see Michael Rooker in this as Bud the maintenance guy and although he really doesn’t play into the plot, it’s good to see a James Gunn alum involved here.

 

What’s my final “bit” on The Belko Experiment?

 

Overall, the movie is a lot of fun and will hold your interest throughout, especially to see what will be the outcome of all this.  I guess this film can be categorized as a thriller—not really a horror film, but it does have it’s bloody moments.  When the gore hits, it’s pretty wild and shocking, coming out of left field and upping the ante.  The few main characters go through quite a bit in this film and you can totally understand what they’re all going through, wondering if you’d have the audacity to do the unthinkable or the moral obligation to do what’s right.  The Belko Experiment will definitely make you think twice if you’re ever offered a government job in a country outside of the United States.  Check this one out, you’ll really enjoy it.

 

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Jeepers Creepers 3

One of the biggest surprises of 2001 in the horror genre of films was the release of the frivolously recognized Jeepers Creepers.  The film, as it turns out, introduced the world to a whole new icon of terror, giving us The Creeper—a mysterious demon that, for every twenty-third spring, for twenty-three days, gets to eat…parts of people that it needs for its own rejuvenation of appendages, organs, or whatever bodily parts that needs replacing.  It was a fascinating concept that took the horror world by storm, giving us one hell of a scary movie.  The 2003 sequel, though not as good as the first, was still a lot of fun to watch and entertaining throughout.

 

So, for nearly 15 years, Jeepers Creepers fans had been waiting for a sequel to this franchise, hoping that The Creeper was going to return to the big screen to bring more terror to hapless victims.  Questions arose to how this would happen, as we saw that the creature was seemingly defeated after the second film, with the desiccated body hanging in a barn showing that the demon had gone into hibernation for the next twenty-three springs.  Would we see a film set twenty-three years from that first film, some sort of sci-fi vision of the future where the body comes back to life and somehow escapes the barn it was kept within?  Or would Victor Salva (writer, director, and overall creator of the Jeepers Creepers franchise) take the story back to the old west (as was the rumors that had been swirling around, hinting that the story would go that way when he spoke in interviews)?

 

Well, as it turns out, after waiting a decade and a half, Salva decided to create a story that takes place between the first and second film, showing what The Creeper had been up to after it took Darry and before it terrorized the busload of high schoolers stuck on the desolate highway.

 

Although I hadn’t really read into the plot of the film before its opening, one thing that took me a back was the fact that the film was set to be released for a one-day-only engagement back in September of 2017.  I’m sure some of this stemmed from Victor Salva’s past, where he’d been convicted of molesting a child—a child that had starred in a film he directed back in 1989—with that same individual leading protests every time one of Salva’s films were set to be released.  In fact, Jeepers Creepers 3 was supposed to be released a week earlier than it was, but was delayed due to some protests.  However, after that hoopla was overlooked, the success of that one-day showing prompted theaters to screen it for a second day.  Unfortunately, I missed those two opportunities and chose to wait until now to view the film in its entirety (although the film was shown in its edited form on the SyFy channel during that theatrical run).

 

So…before we dive into this film, let’s synopsize Jeepers Creepers 3…

 

Set between the first and second film, Sergeant Davis Tubbs (Brandon Smith)—along with Sheriff Dan Tashtego (Stan Shaw)—assembles a task force to hunt and destroy The Creeper (Jonathan Breck) once and for all while growing closer than ever in learning the secrets of its dark origins, as the monster terrorizes a local farming community.

 

Right away, I’d noticed that the film had a different feel to it, ostensibly showing that Salva had changed his directing style and filming tastes, which didn’t necessarily make me dislike this film at the beginning, but was a little different nonetheless.  At this point I had known this was going to be an in-between story so I was going with it the best I could.  I couldn’t help but think that this was going to go the route of Rogue One where I knew how it would end, that the creature wouldn’t be killed in the finale.  I mean, if part one and part two were only days apart, it’s obvious that The Creeper wasn’t going to be defeated in this story. 

With that in mind, really, the only way to enjoy this film is to watch what The Creeper does, who it kills, who it eats, and what new things we can learn about it.  But do we truly learn anything about it?  A little, I guess…but that’s not saying much—trust me.

 

Okay, so it’s nitpick time.

 

One of the main things I’d liked about the first two films—which is a theme I like about most good horror flicks—is setting most of the film in the dark.  Although the first film starts off during the day, that was the time of the film where we didn’t see much of The Creeper, with the remainder of the film taking place at night.  The same goes for the second film, where the shit goes down when night falls.  Here in Jeepers Creepers 3, just about everything takes place during the day.  So many things go against the film because of that fact and diminishes the terror and horror we should be feeling for the characters in this story.  For one, the special effects don’t look that great, specifically the CGI.  I’m sure Salva had a hard time selling this film and trying to get a decent budget for it…seeing The Creeper’s booby traps shooting out from his vehicle, and even his wings flapping behind him, give this away in such a paltry way.  It probably would’ve helped if the effects were concealed or suppressed would they have shot these scenes in the dark.  But even if the CGI was near perfect, having The Creeper appear in the daytime doesn’t seem as scary.  Keeping those things in mind, along with some of the sound effects as well, all make for this film to be a bit of a downer.

 

It’s always expected that these horror movies will include a secondary plot, such as incorporating a teenaged romantic encounter or maybe some family quarrel going on, so I can’t fault Salva for featuring the love interests of Addison and Buddy (Gabrielle Haugh and Chester Rushing respectively).  Still, whatever story he was trying to put forth with Meg Foster’s character of Gaylen was a little confusing at best.  A scene at the beginning of the film introduced us to a man encountering The Creeper on some deserted road.  Turns out, that guy was Gaylen’s son, Kenny (Jordan Salloum).  Now, she’s seeing visions of him and he’s telling her to stay away from the severed hand of The Creeper that he buried on the property…?  It could have been a bit more interesting if they had expanded on this plot thread and why she’s able to see him, but I usually dislike subplots like this that show some sort of clairvoyance (much like the cheerleader in the second film) of one of the characters. 

 

Probably the biggest question I have for this film: What was with Sergeant Tubbs’ terrible hairpiece?  If anything shows the limited budget this movie attained, it’s that awful periwig.

 

I think I’ve said enough about this film.  What’s my final “bit” on Jeepers Creepers 3?

 

For a film that was many years in the making, as well as Victor Salva constantly talking about doing a sequel during all that time, this sure was a mediocre accomplishment.  You’d figure he’d have something more in store for us, either showing us The Creeper’s origins long ago or going into the future to see how it was going to escape its capture.  Talks of having Gina Philips reprising her role as Trisha while teaming up with an aging Taggart to finally go after and ending The Creeper for good sounded like such a great concept, I really don’t know why Salva didn’t go with that angle.  Though Philips reprised her role for about a minute at the end of this one, setting up a potential sequel later on, it was probably all for naught as I don’t think we’ll ever get another Jeepers Creepers film unless Salva gives the rights to another filmmaker to do it.  If you want to see an okay, yet average, horror movie, go ahead and seek this out (I think it’s still on SyFy’s OnDemand channel and even streaming on Netflix).  Even if you’re a Jeepers Creepers fan, this film is worth a watch…somewhat.  It’d be interesting to watch all three movies in a sitting (if you’ve got about six hours to kill), but just make sure to watch it in this order: part one, part three, and then part two.  At least part two will leave it on a high note.

 

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Happy Death Day

Now, you all know I love me some horror flicks with the slasher subgenre being my favorite.  The films of yore, showing masked maniacs terrorizing teenagers and being defeated at the end by the survivor of the film (yet never truly dying) only to come back in a sequel is very nostalgic to me and something we haven’t seen lately in theatric horror movie releases. 

 

Don’t misunderstand me, there are quite a lot of horror films in the past ten or fifteen years that have been captivating and entertaining.  But I’ve just missed that age of cinema where we’d get a slasher flick here and there that was just pure fun and terrifyingly engrossing.  Nowadays, we’re just treated to so many haunted tales, like The Conjuring, Insidious, and Annabelle, leaving “Chucky” and “The Creeper” to scare audiences only in direct-to-disc releases.

 

There’s just something about a masked-killer-movie that gets the blood pumping and gives the audience that point of mystery—especially if the killer is never revealed, only to be resurrected in a follow-up film.

 

And that’s what I had expected when I first caught a trailer for the 2017 film, Happy Death Day.  Seeing the killer stalking around with a butcher knife and wearing a baby-faced mask seemed all too perfect.  Add to that, the story seemed to take on a Groundhog Day vibe, where the focal point of the film must relive her demise over and over again…the film seemed to be the faultless amalgamation in making a slasher for the 21^st century.  I was interested—yet, not that interested to go out and see it in the theater—and when it was available on Netflix, I gave it a looksee.

 

But before I get into my view of the film, here’s the synopsis of Happy Death day…

 

After a night of hard partying and heavy drinking, self-centered college student, Tree (Jessica Rothe), wakes up on the morning of her birthday with a serious hangover in the dorm of a guy—Carter (Israel Broussard)—whom his name she can’t remember.  Within the course of the day, Tree is murdered by some unknown masked assailant and wakes up to start the day all over again.  Tree then realizes she’s re-experiencing the day of her murder—always restarting with her waking up in the same dorm with the same situations—and will end only when she discovers her killer’s identity.

 

 

What I liked about the film, without a doubt, was the look of the masked killer.  I guess you can put any type of mask on someone and if they don’t speak and just leer at their victim, they’ll seem just as disturbing.  Although my opinion of having the film reveal who was wearing the mask the whole time was that they should’ve chosen not to do so, but the twist that was worked into the end more than made up for it.

 

What I didn’t like about the film was the matchup of Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard as Tree and Carter.  It worked at first only because Rothe’s character was a despicable person who was easy to hate and when she treats Broussard’s character like crap, it was easy to take in.  However, once she took a liking to him and saw that he cared about her, there didn’t seem to be enough chemistry between them.  The scenes they shared at that point were awkward and unnatural.  Luckily, those scenes were very few so it didn’t take you out of the film as much.  Another aspect of the film I thought was wrong to include was Tree’s relationship with her father and how she makes amends with him during the second act.  It felt out of place and seemed to be taken out of a Hallmark or Lifetime channel movie.  The actors tried to convey their strained-relationship-turned-loving interaction, but just like the rapport between Tree and Carter, it seemed artificial. 

 

Alone, though, Jessica Rothe seems to really take hold of this part and plays it very naturally, especially the spoiled and bitter college sorority girl.  In fact, she plays the part so well, it makes it hard to believe that she could change her ways near the end of this film.  At first, she looked familiar, yet I really don’t recognize her from anything else.  Looking at her IMDb list of productions, however, she has a list of about 33 acting parts—but nothing I’d ever seen.

 

The same goes for Israel Broussard, I kept thinking he looked familiar and all through the movie I kept racking my brain as to where I’d seen him before.  Glancing through his résumé on IMDb didn’t help much because there was nothing there I’d seen…and it finally hit me—he just reminded me of Hayden Christensen.  Perfectly cast as this good kid who decided not to take advantage of the hot girl who he let stay in his dorm room, there was no believable kismet about them when it comes to this flick.

 

Happy Death Day was directed by Christopher Landon and although he hasn’t directed a slough of films, he’s actually helmed a couple of flicks that had surprised me.  In 2014, he directed the Paranormal Activity spinoff, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and the following year had him overseeing the very entertaining Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.  I can’t say that Landon did anything special with this film, nor can I say he was able to bring out the best in these actors, but the shots were set up nicely and I really couldn’t complain about anything regarding the direction of the film.  Writing credit goes to Scott Lobdell and his claim to fame is being the writer of a number of X-Men comic book titles in the 90s.  Besides writing the comedic film Man of the House back in 2005, this is probably his biggest theatrical film that he has a credit for writing.  Together, these guys really didn’t knock it out of the park, but it was a solid effort.

 

Even though the plot is similar to Groundhog Day--so you really can’t give the story the recognition for being original—there is one supplement to the plot that I thought was a unique twist to the whole living-out-your-day-over-and-over idea, and that is the little subplot on how the repeated murdering of Tree is taking a toll on her physically.  At one point, she passes out and ends up in the ER where the doctor tells her the x-rays show scar tissue and damage from the trauma her body had withstood from the murders she had suffered through.  I thought that was a nice touch…though it went nowhere from there after that.

 

So…what’s my final “bit” on Happy Death Day?

 

Aside from borrowing the framework of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day, the film works with that aspect of the main character living the same day over and over again, especially bringing in the mystery of this killer always getting to her no matter what course she takes in the day.  But, then again, that’s the downfall of the story because it gives a sense of the supernatural that no matter what happens or what the main character does, this killer always kills her.  Though this aspect kept me rooted in my seat and having me wait for the reasoning behind this, when we find out, it really doesn’t make sense.  If you can suspend disbelief in that facet of the film, it’s still enjoyable throughout the first half.  However, interjecting the strained relationship with the father brings the story to a full halt and really changes the style of the film to a lighthearted drama—something that really shouldn’t be in a horror movie.  All in all, the film is entertaining enough, but don’t expect it to be remembered for years to come.

 

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The Open House

Netflix has had a string of hits within their series of original films, from their television series like “House of Cards” and “Stranger Things” to the movies like “Gerald’s Game” and “War Machine.”  With so many films to choose from and so many series to get into, you can literally spend days to months binging on these presentations and becoming a closed-in recluse as you do so.

 

Of course, I tend to gravitate to anything horror—especially if it’s a Stephen King adaptation—so when I saw this new Netflix Original called The Open House, I immediately sat down to watch it.

 

It actually caught my attention in an online article that listed the “horror movies that’ll blow you away in 2018” and had this flick near the top.  It even showcased its trailer, which I indulged myself in, and I was very impressed with it, so my curiosity was piqued.  However, as an oddity to all this, with my decision to watch this film, I also checked the IMDb page to look into the production a bit more and noticed right away that the film had an average user rating of 3.3 out of 10.  I say that’s an rarity because I usually won’t even start watching a film unless I see it has a 5 or more in IMDb.  But I was enticed and wanted to see for myself how this movie would pan out.

 

So, before getting into it, here’s the synopsis of The Open House…

 

Teenager, Logan Wallace (Dylan Minnette), and his mother, Naomi (Piercey Dalton), find themselves on their own after Logan’s father (Aaron Abrams) is ran down and killed by a car speeding through the parking lot of a convenience store.  With Logan and his mother left destitute, they decide to take the offer of Naomi’s sister, Allison (Katie Walder), to stay in her house temporarily while it’s in the market to be sold.  As the house is open for potential buyers during the day, Logan and his mother are besieged by a threatening force during the dark hours of night.  Is it a supernatural being?  Is it a malevolent individual hiding in the house?  Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem to want them there.

 

Now, this movie starts off pretty well and I think the writing and directing team of Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote had some good intentions going into this.  The backstory on the two central characters are described well enough to give you an understanding on their life and how their situation comes to be, moving it to the psychological thriller portion of the film.  It definitely strings you along as we see Logan and his mom experience some very weird incidents in the house—banging in the basement, the water heater being shut off, doors slamming closed behind a character…all your typical horror movie tropes are thrown in there for good measure and are used well.  Even at that point, we get some good scares and setup, evolving the story into some paranormal insinuation, so I can’t fault the two directors on their ability on putting together a film that sucks you in.

 

The problem with this film is how completely unsatisfying it is when it ends, where so many plot points are unresolved and the answer to the main question—Who is this person responsible for everything?—never materializes.  Seems like they wrote themselves into a corner with all the little indications of other characters that appeared enigmatic, but couldn’t come up with a resultant ending to them all.

 

As I’d mentioned, Matt Angel and Suzanne Cootes were the writing and directing team behind this.  Angel has had a nice career in acting, playing bit parts here and there (he actually plays the younger cop in this film), but his directing résumé consists of two films—a film called Ha/lf and The Open House.  Suzanne Cootes, however, has had even less experience.  She’s credited as a writer for two films, a director for two films, and a producer for two films—Welcome Home, Lee and The Open House.  Now, I’m all for giving someone a chance to climb that ladder in the movie business because everyone has to start somewhere, but you’ve got to knock it out of the park or give a little something more than this.  Who knows?  Maybe it was Netflix studio interference or a lack of money for filming…it could be anything out of their power.  But the sum of it all falls here in what we see on screen…and it ain’t much.

 

I’ve got to admit, the film kept me watching, I was never bored or felt like turning off the show, waiting it out until the end.  But it left a bad taste in my mouth to wait an hour and a half to get no answer to the questions raised throughout the story.  Don’t get me wrong, I know there have been a lot of films throughout the years that use the formula of a masked killer that is never revealed, but that formula usually doesn’t include other cryptic individuals that are hinted as maybe being possible culprits.  If they were going for a vibe like The Strangers, then they shouldn’t have written these other characters in as suspects, they should’ve started with how Logan and his mom were thrown into this situation and became targeted by someone who just wanted to randomly target them, much like the movie Hush, which is a very good thriller.

 

The two biggest characters that are shown in this film that makes us think they have something to do with the strange occurrences in the house?  Martha (Patricia Bethune) and Chris (Sharif Atkins).

 

Martha—seemingly a neighbor who resides nearby, but is never shown where she lives—is the biggest question mark, showing up at strange times during the film and saying something at one time only to be contradicted later.  She was purposely written to be a candidate for the unknown terrorist of the film, but is simply cast off at the end.

 

Chris—the local store clerk who tries to befriend Logan’s mom—is another character who seems a little off.  He appears at awkward times throughout the film, even showing up at the house to see if he can look through it as he claims to be a potential buyer only to disappear without saying a word.  The character’s inclusion as one of the suspects isn’t as bad since we see his full arc of the film.

 

Of course, there’s even the hint that all the activity in the house may be on the paranormal side, seeing that Logan has visions of his dad in the house and the song that he happened to be listening to at the time of his father’s death is played by the mystery man as a way to taunt Logan.

 

I think I’ve said enough about this movie…my final bit on The Open House?

 

The story, as a whole, seems to be one big setup that does not pay off whatsoever.  We seem to have a whole lot of red herrings in this film that all come to be nothing at all.  All of this is given to us while strange occurrences are happening in the house, but nothing is paid off for us.  The problem is that the suggestion we’re given throughout the film is that one of the red herrings is responsible for the targeting of the main characters…but I guess we’ll never find out…I doubt there’s a sequel being made for this dud.  My suggestion?  Try watching any of the other good titles on Netflix and make sure to check the average rating on IMDb…I should’ve trusted it more.

 

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Justice League

Before all else, I must say that I’ve always been more of a Marvel Comics fan, never really getting into the DC Comics side of the books.  Seeing that Marvel used real world cities in their stories—mainly having New York as the backdrop to most of their heroes—I‘ve always felt it was hard to engage myself in made-up worlds like Gotham or Metropolis.  Don’t get me wrong, I do have my share of Batman comics as well as Superman and others of that side of the house, but Marvel is always where my heart had resided.  When it comes to movies, however, as long as it’s a superhero adaptation it doesn’t matter what comic book publisher it comes from—as long as they’re put upon the big screen, I’ll plop down my money to see it.

 

With that said, I was fairly excited about DC coming out with their own ensemble of characters sharing the screen, much like we’d gotten with Marvel’s The Avengers.  But as time went on—but in a quick way as not to induce anxiety in the fanboys—I had become less and less enchanted with the eventual release of this film. Man of Steel was—in my opinion—a very good film, dare I say very well done.  Henry Cavill was an excellent choice to play Superman and I’d really liked Zack Snyder’s vision in that film.  However, after watching Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, I saw how convoluted a movie can become, with too many threadbare subplots and impossible conclusions that made me a little uneasy about where this DC cinematic universe was going. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the film and thought there were some highlights that exceeded my expectations, but left me wanting more overall.

 

Now…finally…we get Justice League, and I can’t help but think this was coming at us way too fast…but let’s get the plot summary out of the way…

 

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), to face an even greater enemy—Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciarán Hinds).  Together, they work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat.  But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—including Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller)—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

 

So…the team-up we’ve all been waiting for, right?  Well…in a way…I guess.

 

The film starts off nicely with a burglar (an uncredited Holt McCallany) leaving some apartment with Batman coming in to apprehend him.  It’s a great scene, being a callback to the beginning of 1989’s Batman, but here’s where my confusion starts.  Turns out that Batman is here, not to capture this crook, but to use him to lure a parademon out into the open.  What?  Did I miss something?  I know we get a vision or dream sequence in BvS regarding these creatures, but when did they become a known threat?  Either something was cut out in the beginning of this film or this is just lazy screenwriting.

 

Although their introductions into this superhero universe was totally forced into BvS, the inclusion of Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash are done a bit better here.  Each intro still lacks a little and needs a bit of finesse, but we’re given enough to care for them and realize their importance in this film.

 

My thoughts on Aquaman?  When it was announced that Jason Momoa was cast as the underwater hero, I thought it was a little weird, seeing that I knew the character to be this clean-shaven blonde man who swam with whales and communicated with all the sea creatures in the ocean.  But I’m accepting of casting such as this, trying to spice up the vision to make it cooler and to give the hero a bad boy look.  However, it still seems a bit unusual to include this superhero to engage in battles that take place on land and in the air.  With Batman requiring to give Aquaman a ride on the car or Cyborg needing to catch him in midair to throw him into another fight, he seems more like a hindrance than a hero.

 

The Flash was always a hero that I liked in the DC Comics, probably because the thought of being able to move that fast would be awesome.  Although I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a comic book containing this character, the TV show that ran in the 90s was a favorite of mine.  I do enjoy the new show and wished they would’ve just incorporated it into this film, but Ezra Miller fills in the role just fine here.  He’s definitely the comic relief in this movie as he has some of the best lines spoken throughout. 

 

Cyborg is a character I’m not too familiar with but took a liking to right away in this film.  The story—which we can kind of get in bits and pieces here—of how he became this half man-half machine is very interesting and has the potential for a great standalone movie (yet another strike against Warner Bros.).  The design of the character leaves a bit to be desired, but gets a little better by the end of the film (you’ll see what I mean when you see it).  Ray Fisher plays the part fantastically and it’s hard to believe that this guy has barely a résumé in IMDb.com.

 

Gal Gadot continues her role as Wonder Woman, displaying her heroics early on in the film as she stops some terrorists from blowing up a bank filled with innocent people.  She unquestionably shows her leadership throughout this story and definitely doesn’t take the backseat anywhere in this flick.  I still don’t agree with the casting decision of Gal Gadot in this role because her accent is a little off-putting.  It’s just that I have fond memories of watching Lynda Carter in the role back in the 70s and seeing the cartoons over the years with the character never speaking with any accent.  But Gadot is clearly making this role her own and I guess time will tell if I’ll be able to finally accept her as Wonder Woman.

 

Once again, Ben Affleck nails it as Bruce Wayne/Batman.  It’s a shame we’re hearing stories about him not wanting to continue his role as the hero and how Warner Bros. may need to recast someone else as Batman, but what we’ve seen in BvS and here in Justice League, it’s pretty upsetting to hear there may be such a change to come.  As is with Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Affleck’s Batman is quite a leader as he recruits the new members to join as a team to fight the coming threat to the world.   

 

Finally…it’s no secret that Superman makes his return in this film—even if the trailers didn’t give us this info, all you have to do is check IMDb.com to see that Henry Cavill is included in the cast, so I don’t think I’m giving out any spoilers by stating this.  All that as a given, I’d say that Cavill gives us a much better Superman than he had given us in BvS.  He’s a confident figure and leader, with a more lighthearted way about him.  I won’t even get into the much maligned complaint about his CGI’d upper lip—which, for the record, I couldn’t tell where this work was done. 

 

My final “bit” on Justice League?

 

My overall thought when the third act began—and even as I thought about the film shortly after it ended—was that it felt rushed.  The film clocks in at around two hours and with a large ensemble film like this one, you need to give it a little more time.  I’d already mentioned the mysterious introduction of the parademons and how it seemed like Batman and Wonder Woman already knew about the danger, but that was probably the only gleaming issue I had with the film.  So, besides the short run time and unexplained presentation of the planetary threat, I actually liked this movie a lot.  Dare I say, I may have enjoyed this film more than The Last Jedi (I’ll get to that post shortly).  I’d mentioned earlier that there must have been some scenes cut from the movie and it’s most evident especially if you’ve seen the last trailer.  Most notably, there’s a shot where Cyborg saves a police officer from getting crushed by a tank, Barry Allen/The Flash is shown to push his finger through some glass to make it bubble out then explode, and the teaser at the end of the trailer shows someone walking up to Alfred (Jeremy Irons) though we never see this individual’s face.  But none of those scenes were in the film that was released to us…boo!  All in all, Warner Bros. just needs to take their time with this filmic world, put more trust into the filmmakers and cease their constant interference, stop putting all their eggs in one basket (having Zack Snyder directing multiple movies is a mistake), and they can truly have an awesome DC Cinematic Universe that would give Marvel Studios some competition.  All that aside, Justice League is a good time and worth a watch.

 

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Thor: Ragnarok

Short of boring you on the list of movies within the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, I’ll just say that we’re here on film number five of Phase Three (the 17^th film altogether) and there are still a lot of films slated to be released for the next three years.  Thor: Ragnarok is more or less a sequel of sorts after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron and where Thor—and especially Hulk—went from there.  If you’ve seen Doctor Strange, the post credits scene of that film is lengthened a bit in this film as well and all of that dialogue is explained here in this story.

 

Of course, I’m getting well ahead of myself and making this a bit confusing to the Marvel novices out there, so let me just get into this as easily as I can.  Although, if you’re really new to these films and starting with this particular chapter, you may want to be more acquainted with this series of films and start from the beginning with 2008’s Iron Man.  Believe me, it’s a lot of fun to go through each one, enjoying how they all tie together and seeing the little clues or cliffhangers at the end of each one as you wait for that extra scene (or scenes) in the middle of—or after—the end credits…all paying off with the eventual The Avengers film…as well as the subsequent chapters.

 

But…let’s dive into the summary of Thor: Ragnarok…

 

Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the Mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), his former ally and fellow Avenger.  Thor’s quest for survival leads him in a race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying his home world and the Asgardian civilization.

 

Now, the story starts off with what may be perceived as Thor breaking the fourth wall, chronicling how he came to be in the predicament he finds himself and it’s kind of along the lines of Deadpool explaining to the audience the happenings in his film.  But as the camera shows his plight in his confines, we see he’s talking to a skeletal corpse…and this is the beginning of the comedy we’re going to witness in this flick (more on that later).

 

In Thor: Ragnarok, we get a more lighthearted hero, with a bit of humility and clowning (bordering on buffoonery) that we haven’t seen in the previous two solo outings.  But make no mistake—he’s still the hero and still the Mighty Thor of this story…but he’s forced to be submissive for the sake of returning to his home in the hopes of saving his people from the evil Hela.

 

Speaking of Hela, I wasn’t sure what to expect of this character, if we were going to get someone along the lines of the opponents of the other Marvel heroes or if it was going to be a boring character that Thor would easily defeat.  It turns out that Hela is a very complex character who is very powerful and the story shows how dangerous she is from the moment she’s brought forth on screen.  Cate Blanchett really shines as this evil adversary and is probably the most refreshing antagonist Thor has faced thus far.

 

Going into my favorite portion of this film and being somewhat familiar with the Hulk line of comic books, there has been one aspect not explored and that is the character’s ability to speak.  In the late 70s, Lou Ferrigno famously brought the hero to life but had roars and growls dubbed in when he opened his mouth.  In the 2003 Ang Lee film, there were a couple of scenes (one was a dream sequence) where the Hulk spoke a line or two and the 2008 film had a few words as well.  In The Avengers, Hulk had his “puny god” line he delivered, but not much else…until now.  Giving him many lines—mostly hilarious—makes it easy to build on the bond we see between the two heroes of the film.  The anger, the tantrums…even the silly display of childishness in this film is so comical and uplifting.  The moment he’s introduced in the gladiatorial match against Thor, yelling out his name along with the chants of the crowd, is the moment you’ll grow a grin from ear to ear.

 

So, I mentioned the comedy of this film and it’s one of the little things I can nitpick about it.  I’ll admit, just about every gag and one-liner that’s performed in this movie had me laughing out loud and I enjoyed every minute of it.  But standing back to look at what I’d just watched, especially comparing Hemsworth’s performances in all the other Marvel films in which he’d been featured, makes it very obvious that he’s a different person here.  In the first film there are funny scenes because he’s a fish-out-of-water character on Earth, in the other films there may have been one or two funny moments but he was always the straight man.  Here…he’s funny for the sake of it and it’s very obvious.  However, since it’s entertaining—and not very annoying—it’s easily forgiven, especially knowing that director Taika Waititi has a comedic background and infused it into the character of Thor and the surrounding Marvel characters.

 

Finally, Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster is perfect as he’s given the freedom to just be himself and just run the character as he sees fit.  Being the ruler of the planet Sakaar, he plays the character as a giddy—yet likable—villain, but shows his bad side in ways that are both funny and extreme.  Goldblum fits so well in this film and you’ll love it every time he gets screen time.

 

Overall, the emotion most of us comic book geeks have is the anxiousness we’re feeling for the future films to come: The Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, and so many others.  It’s a great time for us fans of Marvel Comics to be alive!

 

My final “bit” on Thor: Ragnarok?

 

There is so much here, much more than I can go over without spoiling the main plot as well as minor subplots within the film.  The film will leave you wanting more and hoping it’ll never end.  The music score is wonderful, with an 80s synth vibe, leaving Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” to pop up during the climatic part of the film (I’ve never heard the song sound so good!).  All the players do such a great job in this film, from the returning cast members (Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Idris Elba as Heimdall, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin) to the newcomers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Karl Urban as Skurge, and Taika Waititi voicing the fan-favorite Korg), I’m hoping we get more Thor films like this one.  Thor: Ragnarok should not be missed!

 

By the way, make sure to wait for the mid-credits scene that will give you a taste of what’s to come in Avengers: Infinity War.  However, it’s up to you if you want to wait until all of the credits finish up to view the last scene…it’s a bit amusing, but it’s a coin-flip if you want to sit through all that time to see it.

 

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