You can't outrun who you really are (Shang-chi 2021)

 297.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

8/10

Marvel needs to pick itself up after the events of End Game and introduce us to a new set of characters due to the losses that the MCU has had in recent years. A movie directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who I have only seen one other movie of his on the big screen which was 'Just Mercy', a film that I really enjoyed. After watching that, this movie is quite far apart in terms of genre for me. Simu Liu is going to bring Shang-Chi to life, a hero that I have never heard and also an actor who has been given a chance at the big time. For me, there was going to be no expectation. Going in with a blank canvas on not knowing where this character and story is going to be wedged into the MCU is going to be an interesting factor. I also expect a lot of great martial art scenes as from what I'm hearing, Disney has made a major coup by signing Tony Leung to the cast.  A man who is seen as one of the most successful actors from Asia. 

The movie is going to begin with a voiceover and a little bit of history regarding the Ten Rings. We have already heard about them in Iron Man 3 as a terrorist organisation led by Ben Kingsley's characters, which turned out to be a front. We won't delve into that as it's a little long-winded. This movie will follow the actual Ten Rings, found by Xu Wenwu.

 The rings give him godly power and grant immortality. Toppling governments and going through history dictating his way through major world events, the Ten Rings organisation is set up until he looks for a village called Ta Lo in a magical forest and this place house magical creatures. He is stopped by a guardian called Ying Li, with the two falling in love and kicked out by the villagers as Wenwu is from the outside. They marry, have two sprogs named Shang-Chi and Xialing and Wenwu looks away the rings.

When Shang-Chi is 7, is mother is murdered and Wenwu brings the rings back out as vengeance. Shang-Chi is put through brutal training and his sister is cast aside as she secretly teaches herself. Wenwu sends his son, now at 14 years old, to complete the assassination on the gang that killed his mother. After completing this, is comes home, only to leave for San Francisco, leaving his sister behind.

We are now in the 'present day' and Shang-Chi has renamed himself Shuan. Working as a valet with his best mate Katy, played by Awkwafina. He receives a letter from his sister, fills Katy in on his history and heads to Macau with Katy in tow to find Xialing. This is all after he is attacked by henchmen on a bus who are after the necklace his mother gave him.

 Xialing is running a fight club and there we see Wong fighting Abomination from The Hulk movie, an interesting little cameo and someone who will return in the She-Hulk tv show on Disney+. The club is attacked by the Ten Rings and Wenwu shows up before taking the trio to his compound where the kids grew up. He explains that he has heard his wife calling him from beyond the forest and believes her old village is holding her hostage. He plans to destroy them all unless she is released and when our trio object, he locks them away. All of a sudden, a bit more comic relief is added to the movie as, within their cell, they bump into Trevor Slattery. For those who need a refresher, Trevor played the figure of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. He has been locked away for impersonating Wenwu and has befriended a little magical creature named Morris, who is from the village and guides the trio to his home. 

They travel to another dimension to Ta Lo and explain what has happened so far. They meet their aunt who explains the history of the village, the fact that their mother is not there and they are there to guard a dark gate. Previously a soul-consuming Dweller in Darkness had attacked the village but they were saved by a Chinese dragon named the great protector. They closed the gate and now that evil dweller has been contacting Wenwu, pretending to be his late wife so that Wenwu will open the gate with his Ten Rings. Our trio join the village ranks in training, preparing for their father and his army. 

The battle begins and Shang-Chi is beaten by his father who makes his way to the gate. Shang-Chi is hit into a lake and disappears into the depths with some bubbles. With the gate starting to break, some of the smaller soul-eaters escape and start an attack on both armies who are still fighting in the village. The Great Protector revives Shang-Chi and the fight once again starts between himself and Wenwu.

 There is a new confidence in the son now and he gets the upper hand over his father before sparing his life. The battle takes a turn as the Dweller breaks free from behind the gate and heads straight for Shang-Chi. Wenwu steps in and saves his son before the Dweller grabs him. He gives control of the rings to his son before being killed and the final battle is one between Xialing and Shang-Chi riding the Great Protector and the Dweller in Darkness.

 As the battle hits, the Dweller is getting the upper hand, taking the soul from the dragon but all is saved by our comic relief Katy. She fires an arrow through the Dweller's throat and the Great Protector now in the ascendancy and Shang-Chi strikes the final blow. The movie draws to a close with Shang-Chi and Katy returning home to San Fran and whilst in a pub with mates, Wong appears through a ring and summons them both to Kamar-Taj. 

There are a couple of scenes left as our mid-credit scene is set in Kamar-Taj whilst Wong is checking out the rings. He introduces the duo to Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers whilst they all discuss the origin of the rings. Finally, there is an after-credits scene which sees Xialing take the throne at the Ten Rings, which she promised her brother she would disband. She is training women amongst the men and a couple of her lead henchmen are passing around some pictures but I couldn't make out who they were or if they are going to be targeted. 

I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I didn't know what to expect as it wasn't a well-known character, I don't watch too many martial arts movies if any at all and I can't even remember seeing the trailers for this movie looking back. MCU movies at the moment need to make a big impact with the loss of so many massive characters but onwards and upwards and I hope this movie was well received. 

The storyline was really interesting as it took a turn halfway through that I had no idea that it would take. I came in with the notion that it would be based around martial arts and maybe that was a bit naive of me but also excited me when we suddenly had these massive mythical creatures fighting rather than just another movie of human combat. For me, the downside was actually having Katy save the day to an extent and I think this was a step too far for her character. I enjoyed her as comic relief, to have her fighting was also a good thing but that's where it should have stopped for her. The show then should have been run by Shang-Chi and any final assistance from his sister Xialing. This would have been the main arch as the siblings save the day from fighting each other earlier in the movie. 

The cast for me was very unknown. I didn't know Ben Kingsley was going to be in the movie but picked up where he left off at the end of Iron Man 3 with a comedic performance and was a breath of fresh air. I had seen Awkwakina in Jumanji: The Next Level and she was OK in there, again some more of a comedic in this one and someone who seems will be returning as she was summoned by Wong. Meng'er Zhang who played Xialing and Tony Leung playing Wenwu were both great in their roles. The fight scenes were impressive, imposed the scenes when needed and both had arches that also showed their good sides by the end of the story. The stand out performance was always going to come from Simu Liu. His first major role and a huge step up to be in the MCU which is easily one of the most successful franchises of all time. Without knowing the actor and without knowing the role, I was left with a blank canvas on what to expect. I was impressed as his character was very ranged, popping a joke or two with Katy and then taking a serious side when it came to his father and sister. Simu Liu had the qualities to deliver on all fronts and I look forward to seeing what the future brings. 

Because a movie doesn't have too much pressure to deliver to its audience and me personally, it is easier to go into the cinema with a more open mind. This allows you to be less critical of the movie in all aspects and just enjoy it for what it is. It looked really nice at times, especially when entering the other dimension as special effects took over and helped to take this movie over the finishing line. It is a mid-card MCU movie, I'm not going to lie to you but at the same time with it being so different compared to the other movies and it wasn't copying a storyline from something we may have seen before, it felt like it could rank a little higher. I have no idea where the character goes next, no idea if there is a sequel lined up or if he now joins the Avengers. Only time will tell

Black people don't need to be summoning shit! (Candyman 2021)

 296.

Candyman

6/10

The Candyman franchise never really hit the heights like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the 13th, but it wasn't through a lack of trying. Tony Todd is famous for his role as the Candyman during the 90s' and it's time to revive the franchise with a sequel to the 1992 movie. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II fresh off some success as Manta from the Aquaman movie leads the way in a movie written by Jordan Peele who has taken the horror genre in a new direction over the past decade. In my eyes, some of Peele's have been hits, some misses but this one is directed by Nia DaCosta who is new to me. Yet another movie which was delayed significantly, I am always ready for a horror movie, no matter the time of year that it hits the screen. With a new age of horror fans, it'll be interesting to see how they look to revive the story and hook the audience. 

The movie begins with a little back story, taking us back to the 70s' and the police searching for a homeless man with a hook for a hand. He was suspected of putting razor blades in candy that ended up in the hands of a white girl over Halloween. Sherman Fields then offers move candy to a lad in the laundry room at the base of a block of flats. The kid is scared of this hook-handed man and screams, alerting the police who then beat the man to death. Two weeks later he is declared innocent after all as more razor blades show up.

42 years later and we meet our main character Anthony McCoy, played by  Yahya. McCoy is an artist, living in Chicago with his art gallery director girlfriend Brianna. McCoy ahs been struggling for a vision recently and no better way is there to find one by a legend of gruesome events. He's told the story of a girl who went on a killing spree before kidnapping a baby, offering it as sacrifice. The situation escalated further as she tried to jump into a bonfire with the child, who was rescued, but the woman perished.

 McCoy heads to the area to gain further inspiration and bumps into a laundrette owner named Burke. This guy gives him another story regarding Sherman Fields and the killing which we witnessed at the beginning. He reveals that if you mention Candyman five times in the mirror, the spirit of Sherman will appear and kill the summoner. Burke was the child in the beginning who actually witnessed Sherman being beaten to death.

Finally McCoy has the full inspiration that he needs, creating a piece named 'Say My Name' to display at his girlfriend's exhibit. The painting is shunned by almost everyone and McCoy storms off in a drunken rage. That night, a critic and his girlfriend are killed gruesomely after saying Candyman whilst Anthony McCoy is at home compulsively painting unknown portraits. He becomes more and more obsessed with the legend of the Candyman, finding it relates back over a hundred years to a black man who was killed for having an interracial relationship. The legend then lives on through each murdered black, who all form a hive for the Candyman. The faces are the faces of Anthony's portraits. More and more people hear of the legend and begin to summon the Candyman. As this continues, Anthony realises that he is starting to transform as a bee sting starts to spread across his body. He heads to the hospital for treatment and on giving his information, he realises that his mother lied about his past. He was the baby saved from the bonfire in the 70s'. He finds out from his mother that the Candyman was responsible for the killings all those years ago and he was planned to be sacrificed too. The community declared that they would hide the events and the legend as best they could but now Anthony is totally blown away, wondering through the abandoned area of Cabrini-Green, where the events took place. 

Brianna gradually becomes concerned for her partner through the movie, leaving him to his own devices at times but with Anthony missing, she sets out to track him down. She now bumps into Burke who kidnaps her and takes her to Cabrini-Green, where she wakes to find Anthony in a fugue state, not knowing who he is, no memories, nothing. Burke plans on having the police kill Anthony so that the Candyman legend can live on further. At the moment the community sees the legend as an instrument of suffering but Burke wants the symbol to be of vengeance. He cuts of Anthony's hand and replaces it with a make shift hook. He then turns his attention to Brianna, chasing her through the houses before she turns the tables and kills him with a pen. Anthony appears and collapses in her arms as the police walk in and don't listen to reason before shooting him dead. 

Outside the movie draws to a close as the police force Brianna onto their reasoning, wanting her to admit that Anthony provoked them. She knows what she must do and summons the Candyman in the rear-view window whilst sat in the police car. The Candyman appears in Anthony's body, killing cops and once the final one is dropped, he walks over to Brianna with a hive of bees surrounding his torso and head. The movie ends with the Candyman turning into Daniel Robitaille, Tony Todd's character form the originals. He wants Brianne to tell everyone what she witnessed that night and the movie's credits begin to role with animations of the story and legends that have come from the Candyman as the montage ends with Anthony himself.

It was good to get another horror on the menu and it has been a long long time since I'd seen the original Candyman, possibly around 16 years ago personally to see a little revival was going to be a must see for me. Too many horrors at the moment follow the same principals. As with many sequels, the story is already there to help the movie on its way but because there is such a long time between this movie and the original, it was also important to set the scene. I think the storyling for this movie worked well in ticking the boxes. In order to fill the new viewers in, the movie started with some background and filled in the audience with past events so that they were quickly caught up. The storyline itself was a little bit of a slow burn and the transformation at the end thankfully saving the slower parts. It didn't come across as a slasher by any means and that in my opinion is once again down to how slow the movie became in the second act. 

There is only one cast member that I recognised in the movie and that was Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and this watching this movie, he has impressed me with some other roles, but we'll get to those in time. He carried the movie well and it isn't going to be easy to replace Tony Todd as the franchise leader but if this does carry on, he more than made a statement in his quality of being able to carry this slightly iconic role into the next era. The rest of the cast were a first viewing for me, not really centered around but helped the story progress and were pretty ample.

It would be good to see this franchise finally get the recognition that it deserves just like Freddy and Jason, the Candyman can definitely being a character to strike fear into the viewer. I would have like this movie to possibly be a little more gruesome and hold a little more horror but it may just be setting the scene for what's to come. There were some underlying tones reagarding police brutality, white supremacey and political aspects which aren't really wanted within a horror and a since of 'being woke' spoilt the potential. I've said it already that there isn't enough horror aspect to the movie and standing in front of the mirror saying 'Candyman' five times without a worry will always be proof.

It's not about justice Dad, it's about finding peace (Stillwater 2021)

 295.

Stillwater 

6.5/10

Stillwater is a crime drama and stars Matt Damon and an unemployed oil-rig worker who is on a path to free his daughter, who is convicted of a murder that she pleads her innocence. This movie looks extremely gritty and low budget so to find out that the money spent was $20 million, most of that is surely paying Damon's wage. If you're unaware of the Amanda Knox story, I suggest having a quick read as this movie is loosely based around those true events. Safe to say Know wasn't happy about this movie and denounced it through her Twitter account regarding the fact that they profiteered from her experiences, but we'll touch on that towards the end. 

The movie begins and revolves mostly around Bill Baker, played by Matt Damon who is heading out to Marseille to visit his daughter who is halfway through her prison sentence for murdering her roommate and unfaithful partner. During his first visit, she asks him to deliver a letter to her defence lawyer. The letter suggests that her old professor heard about a man who claimed to be the actual killer. 

The lawyer refuses an attempt to reopen the case on hearsay but Bill lies to his daughter Allison and says there will be an attempt. At his hotel, he meets a French lady and her daughter who helps in translating the letter. He visits the professor who sends him on a goose chase with a phone number for someone who claims to know the killer. They set up a meeting with the French lady in tow to help translate the conversation. The girl is very nervous and brings a friend and with a lack of patience, the meeting comes to an end. They do get a name though, Akim.

Scouring through social media, the French lady, named Virgine and her friend find a number of pictures of Allison at parties and print them for Bill to take to the prison on his next visit. He then heads to track him down but is found by his friends first and is given a beating. He comes clean to Allison that there is no further case to be opened by the judge and he himself has found Akim but hasn't told the police. Allison hits the roof and asks him never to return and he has now damaged her one chance of getting out.

Four months pass and Bill has moved in the Virgine and her daughter. Renting a room, he has also found a job on a construction site. He has reconnected with his daughter and is now just waiting for her to get out. In the meantime, Virgine's daughter and Bill have also connected and he takes her to a football game. In some strange turn of events, he sees Akim at the game and follows him in his van, knocking him out and hiding him in a room at the base of the flats he now lives at with the mother and daughter.

 He begs the little girl Maya to keep a secret which she does. Akim actually tells Bill that Allison hired him to kill the two in the flat and she paid him with a gold necklace which said 'Stillwater'. He hires a private detective to have a lock of Akim's hair tested against the crime scene. The detective agrees but is also a little intrigued by how Bill managed to get his hands on the hair. He ends up disguising himself as a building inspector to have a look around the apartment, asking Virgine strange questions about the basement. Once he leaves, she heads down herself for a look. The police are called anyway and detain Bill whilst they have a look at the apartment's basement, finding it empty. Once they leave, a relationship that was blossoming between Bill and Virgine comes to an abrupt end as she admits to finding Akim in the basement and releasing him before the police arrived. She tells Bill to move out and he heads back to the hotel that he was staying at the beginning of his journey. 

The defence lawyer finally meets back up with Bill telling him that the case will be reopened as new evidence has come to light. It's shocking to see that Bill doesn't really have a reaction to this. After everything that has gone on, the breakdown in his relationship with Virgine and Akim saying that he was hired, he's a broken man. Allison is released and welcomed back home to the States by a rather large crowd. Sitting at the airport, Bill asks Allison about the necklace. She breaks down and admits to hiring Akim but only to evict the couple, not kill them. The movie ends with them both sitting at their porch, as Allison notices that nothing has changed in Stillwater but her father recognises that everything has changed for him.

It's not hard to see why Knox wouldn't be happy with this movie. She has always tried to plead her innocence of everything around her own murder case. This movie takes a twist that some may not have seen coming as Allison actually did hire the guy to do a deed but only she will know whether the intention was to kill or if she is trying to pull the wool over her father's eyes once again. I remember leaving the cinema a little angry because of the ending and that the girl ended up getting released when she was actually at fault and I think her Bill would have had a little regret in how things turned out on his pursuit for the truth also. The story was very well-paced and although there was a run time of 140 minutes, it felt a lot shorter as there was never really any downtime. Even looking back now, I can't believe it was that long of a movie. I didn't see Allison admitting to what she did come the end of the movie, I fully expected it just to be left and the audience wondering but at the same time, we are left with a question of whether she did hire a hitman or just a bailiff. 

Matt Damon puts his name to several interesting projects and this one is no different. Giving a character who can come across as very determined but also a little vulnerable in a foreign land, hoping for the help of strangers in order to achieve his goal. The guy finally catches a break as he meets a woman that he grows closer and closer to, including her daughter, only for it to come crashing down with the knee-jerking decisions that he's made. Bill is seen as the main character throughout this movie, which can be seen as a little strange when the story that it is loosely based around would put Allison obviously at the forefront. This was another reason why Amanda Knox was unhappy about this movie. The character of Allison was but on the back burner at times whilst also movie towards a less innocent narrative towards the ending of the movie. Moving into the supports, Camille Cottin as Virgine could actually be seen as a stronger female character than Abigail Breslin as Allison. She helps to give a steady build of the story, also needing her own 'win' with being a single mother and budding actress, all for it to come crashing down. 

This isn't a movie that I would be looking to go back around and watch again. It was a strong storyline that wanted to touch on a story of real-life drama but at the same time, set up in such a way to make things a little more gripping in terms of abduction and a father that would do anything for his daughter. At the same time, it did have some flaws as it came across from the start pushing Allison as an unlikeable character for myself so I was caught in two minds as to whether I even wanted Damon's character to succeed in what he was aiming to do. The length of the movie may have helped give this story time to breathe after each sequence. The movie is nothing remarkable and highly ordinary and a change of pace from what Matt Damon usually signs up for.

Don't have a good day, have a great day! (Free Guy 2021)

 294.

Free Guy

8.5/10

Ryan Reynolds is big news in Wales at the moment with his joint venture of purchasing Wrexham Football Club but at the same time, the guy is never out of work. I had gone to my first screen unseen in a long while and after the past 2 years, I was really hoping that it wasn't going to be a movie, which I'd waste my time watching. With the clues that Odeon had released, a lot of people speculated that it was actually going to be Free Guy which seemed a little too big of a movie for me. Low and behold, as the movie began a little cheer arose as it was revealed to be Free Guy. I had seen a couple of trailers as Reynolds would be playing a computer game avatar that breaks the mould of the game they are inside. The computer world is free to roam for its gamers as Reynolds plays a character named Guy, who literally frees himself from his normal NPC job within the game. His usual role is to be robbed as a bank teller every day. 

We are going to be following two storylines throughout the movie, the first being inside the game as we follow Guy and his mind opening up to his possibilities as well as the outside world with the creators of the idea of this world versus the company that now owns the system. The two worlds collide as one of the creators has a character within the game that she uses to search for proof that her idea of the free world within games and NPC's becoming their own people was actually stolen by a major corporation. Millie in the real world and Molotovgirl in Free City bumps into Guy who instantly becomes infatuated with her. Played by Jodie Comer, we know she's going to have some range. 

Guy wants to help her on her mission and Millie believes this is another online player at level 1 in experience. Her partner at the time of creating the idea of this world, Keys, now works inside the corporation. He is just going along with his asshole of a boss until Millie steps up and asks him for help. She lets him know about Guy but as they are on a mission, Keys, who is now infiltrating the company realises that Guy is actually an NPC. He's been the good guy around the city in order to level up but has no idea that he is actually a character in a game. All along he thought that Guy was being played by a hacker. Instead, this is proof that the programme that Millie and Keys created is still within this game and it was stolen by Antwas who runs Soonami Games. Antwas is pushing for a sequel which means it will delete the proof that our duo needs. Their AI engine allowed people to simply watch characters evolve and grow without having to actually play themselves. Free City is now pretty much Gran Theft Auto with a Truman Show vibe for Guy, who has no idea. 

The movie rushes through as Millie breaks the news to Guy about the game and her true intentions as Antwan sets about to launch the new game. Society is now in love with Guy, also known as 'Blue Shirt Guy'. They love his take on being a hero rather than a villain like everyone else. In what is now a race against time to save Free City, Guy and get the evidence to prove who created the game, our trio takes one last action and that's telling the other NPC's the truth about their lives. We get one final fight scene between Guy and a villain created by Antwan. As Antwan is destroying the city, all that is left are the NPC's and this new villain. The fight scene contains all sorts of homages to games and movies, which is probably the best scene I've seen in a movie in a long while. The beach on the map has always been off-limits and no one knows why. Guy makes his way to the border and jumps through, finding the original AI engine that Millie and Keys created, being hidden by Antwan. The world sees everything go down and Antwan is ruined. 

The movie ends with Millie and Keys now running their own game, Guy is given free roam but the truth comes out about the way Guy was created. He likes his coffee the same way Millie does, their favourite ice-cream flavour is the same, Mariah Carey songs on their playlist. The character was created by Keys as a homage to Millie as he is secretly in love with her. He couldn't admit it and created Guy to express what he felt. The movie finally ends as the two embrace and Millie heads back into the game one more time to give her goodbyes to Guy as Mariah Carey music hits and the credits begin to roll.

This movie, as I have already mentioned is kind of a mix between Grand Theft Auto the computer game and The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey. A character that everyone comes to know, that doesn't know the truth until it's almost too late. With a strange sense of seriousness regarding the storyline which revolves around Guy is literally life or death. The story for Millie and Keys is a little less dramatic but the two tie in together very nicely. Of course, the story was only going to end in one way, with an addition of a love story between slightly unlikely characters but with some tiny cliffhangers and close calls, we get to our final destination. The story was very enjoyable as the added comedic aspects and references to well know computer games and movies only brought about a positive spin on some worrying moments. As the movie develops, so do the characters and the storyline until we hit the final showdown and the ending that we have come to expect. This was never going to be a movie where Guy was going to lose. The ending almost mirrored the ending of The Truman Show as both characters needed to head over the water to reveal the truth to themselves and the world. 

Ryan Reynolds was easily back to his best as he needed his own range of acting talent to change as the movie went on. Short and snappy jokes, a clueless character who soon becomes an action hero and smitten for a girl, Reynolds shines throughout. This is the first time I have seen Jodie Comer in action after hearing how successful Killing Eve has been. She is renowned at the moment for the roles she can play no matter the accent that she needs to provide. This was no different as she needed to play herself and her gaming character which, other than their face, had different personalities. Online, she was a confident British girl whilst away from the keyboard, a shy but determined American. Some honourable mentions need to go the way of Joe Keery playing Keys. Known for his role in Stranger things as he plays Steve 'The Hair' Harrington, a good character that has come successful within the series. The other mention needs to be Taika Waititi who plays the main villain Antwan. A bit more of crude and dry comedy from this character which is delivered exceptionally if not a little over the top by Waititi but it really works this time around. 

Some movies can capture pop culture to a degree that doesn't overwhelm the audience and this was one of those. Just the right amount of references means the movie didn't feel as if it was relying on something else and bringing in the references to Star Wars, Marvel and other games at the end gave a great climax to an already very good movie. There were a couple of slip-ups with aspects of the story, such as the 'button to kiss' which you may notice yourself and the fact that no one really flipped out once they realised that they weren't real people but maybe that's just to stop too much going on. The movie itself had plenty of special effects and was never boring for a moment. Constantly moving at a speed that never made the movie feel like a trial to watch. It's definitely a popcorn movie for a night in that a lot of people can enjoy for a number of reasons. Keep a keen ear out for some character's voices as there are some big players in the movie acting as cameos which is a little insane.

I'M A SUPERHERO! I'M A MOTHERFUCKING SUPERHERO! (The Suicide Squad 2021)

 293.

The Suicide Squad

7/10

The first Suicide Squad movie hit our screens in 2016 and just like every other DCEU movie, there were people out there that hated it. Between some of the casting to the actual story and it was ultimately seen as a flop. This stand-alone sequel hasn't exactly been plain sailing either. Between David Ayer dropping out of writing and directing and bringing in James Gunn, fresh from Disney sacking him because of past tweets, it was safe to say the expectations were raised a little with the involvement of Gunn. A few of the cast were brought through from the first movie with Viola Davis playing Amanda Waller once again, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg and Margot Robbie reprising her role as Harley Quinn. Quinn was the standout from the first movie, even getting her spin-off movie, which in my opinion wasn't great. The first Suicide Squad was OK for me, nothing to write home about but I'm now one of those with a heightened expectation with James Gunn on board. With the addition of Idris Elba, John Cena, David Dasmalchian and Sly Stallone, the cast was getting packed. There were some surprise additions too as for some reason Pete Davidson joined the cast, more famous at the moment for sleeping around Z-list women and Michael Rooker who has already found success in the MCU movies working with James Gunn. Let's find out if Warner Bros. are finally going to get something right or are once again ready to shoot themselves in the foot. 

We are straight into the action as a team set up by Waller, known as the Suicide Squad approach a beach and are ready to fight. This gang is made up of Harley Quinn, Rick Flagg, Captain Boomerang, Rooker's character, Pete Davidson character and a couple more lesser-known villains but some random actors to say the least. It's utter chaos and everyone is killed apart from Flagg and Harley Quinn, who was given a javelin by a member of the team before they died. That's when the actual title rolls and the movie begins. Although we have lost some characters that we thought were in it for the long run, the timeline flips back a little to find that a second team was created, as a failsafe. This team includes Bloodsport, played by Idris Elba, Peacemaker who is played by Cena, King Shark voiced by Stallone and Ratcatcher 2 played by Daniela Melchoir. The final member is the polka-dot man played by Dastmalchian. The distraction from the other team getting massacred allows this team to move in undetected. They end up meeting with Flagg as a rebel basecamp and agree to help them overthrow the corrupt government whilst also completing their own mission.

In the meantime, Harley Quinn has been caught by the government and is led to meet the dictator, who has fallen in love with her. With a promise of taking over other nations with the help of 'Project Starfish', she takes offence as this may even be a little too much for her. She kills the leader and is once again imprisoned. The remaining team locate the thinking in the Islanders capital. Capturing him, they learn that 'Project Starfish' is literally as it sounds. A giant starfish named Starro was found in space and brought down by astronauts. Now that it has grown to a gigantic size, it will be used to destroy, if it can be controlled. Harley escapes in a very Harley way and we even get the weirdly edited scene which shows her in slow motion firing guns as flowers explode around her. This coincides with plenty of action-packed scenes by her too. She joins the rest of the gang and they head to the bunker which is storing the giant starfish. 

On battling their way inside and planting explosives to take it down, Flagg learns the truth. The US government has been funding these experiments and allowing the residents of the islands to be sacrificed in doing so. They are there to retrieve the evidence as a cover-up and he loses the plot. Unfortunately for him, the Peacemaker is there to make sure the plan goes ahead no matter what and this gives us a face-off between the two. Flagg is killed and this is witnessed by Ratcatcher 2. She's next on his hit list but is stopped as Bloodsport shoots him squarely in the head. 

As the explosives go off, Starro is assisted in his escape and now he's ready to rock. Releasing mini starfish that attach to the public's face, he is able to now control his own army. The team step up, ready to sacrifice themselves so that this giant does not escape. Remember the javelin? Well just as most of the viewers, we guessed it was going to hold a killer blow. Harley drives it through the starfish's eye and Ratcacter 2 orders her rats to eat this villain from the inside. 

The movie ends as Bloodsport holds the evidence needed to free the remaining members of the squad with some blackmail and Waller agrees. The team are airlifted to safety as the Island's government is overthrown by the people. There is a cheeky after-credits as we head to a hospital only to find that Peacemaker survived his wound. He is looked after by Waller's team and thinking about it, it was always going to be the way as the character has his own TV show coming to HBO. 

This movie was first earmarked as a remake with some of the same cast, which was quickly brushed away as a rumour. Then finding out that it was going to act as a sequel was a little more interesting. Ultimately, because it was the first time this squad was patched together, as shown in the story, it did actually feel like a remake. The last thing we want to do is obviously compare this to the first if it was indeed a sequel. Saying that, the story was a little more 'out there'. It felt adult, but at the same time felt a lot lighter than the first movie. The movie added a lot of characters, a small location but a big villain which was brought together with some fun storytelling and as normal for James Gunn, some decent tunes. A very easy to follow storyline for any age although, with profanities and gore, it is hardly going to be aimed at the real youngsters. Knowing that Peacemaker was having a spin-off was 100% a spoiler for the ending of the movie and the after-credits felt a little wasted because of this. The movie was carried with jokes, sarcasm and there is no better point to start discussing the cast.

 I would be wasting room on speaking about Margot Robbie in length as we know what she brings as Quinn. We've seen it before, it was a success once again, done. The leader in this movie and the character that brought more of a back story would be Bloodsport played by Elba. Just like Will Smith's character in the first, this one has a daughter to think about and gain forgiveness from, which the character arch gives us by the end. A pivotal role to play and being dark but sarcastic clearly suited Elba to a tee. His character in the MCU was highly underused for such a great actor and my call for the next bond, even if it has come 10 years too late. Secondly, we have to talk about Cena. An interesting choice to call up to the DCEU and someone who is starring in a lot more movies these days. Away from the screen, Cena is probably one of the nicest guys in the world for what he does for charity. This does not always bring success but it would be deserved. Following in the steps of Dwayne Johnson who was also a major WWE wrestler, the last movie I saw Cena in before this was the Fast and Furious franchise, but that hardly requires acting. As a villain to the villains, Peacemaker needed to go a step above and from delivering the one-liners, sarcasm and then finally the action scenes, Cena hit the make on each occasion. Honourable mentions for the rest of the team, no matter the type of character they brought, I can't remember disliking one and even the casting I queried, died before I gave a shit. 

After bringing success to the MCU, the pressure was on for Gunn in a highly faltering DCEU. The movie was seen as a flop financially but I think amongst most movie fans, it was enjoyable compared to some of the other instalments to the DCEU and ultimately compared to the first. I was well on board with the Gunn appointment and really hope that he does head back and fore between the MCU and DCEU to work because that would only improve the movies on the later side. Plenty of laughs out loud moments followed in the movie and weirdly characters like King Shark voiced by Stallone added extra comedic moments to fill in the gaps. It'll be even more interesting if this team is now carried on in any way as this is Robbie's third main feature as Quinn and the movie seemed to tie up most loose ends of the squad, with Peacemaker as the exception for obvious reasons. I'm more than happy to view some more as it does feel a little more adult but at the same time, we do need to start seeing some new characters from DC as standalone movies rather than revisiting the trial and tested every time. 

RUN! (A Quiet Place Part II 2021)

 292.

A Quiet Place Part II

7.5/10

John Krasinski has been at work again writing, producing and directing a sequel to his first success in the franchise, A Quiet Place. SPOILER ALERT, if you haven't seen the first one, Krasinski cast himself in there to play alongside his real-life wife, Emily Blunt. At the end of the first, his character sacrificed himself to save their kids and this movie will follow the remaining family member's journey through this post-apocalyptic world, which is ravaged by blind aliens, with a keen sense of hearing. It'll be interesting to see how the movie evolves now that the family have to leave their attacked home and look for shelter in a world they haven't seen in a long while. The movie's trailer already shows the addition of Cillian Murphy to our casting. As a guy who can play any role thrown in his direction, not too much is given away at this point as to the character's main intentions once he runs into the family. After the enjoyment that the first movie brought, I was looking forward to watching this one and seeing if it would be as successful. 

The movie begins with a flashback and a little more explanation of where the aliens came from. Krasinski is back as Lee Abbott as the family are watching their son Marcus play baseball down the local park. In the background, a couple of asteroid-like objects are hurling themselves to Earth. Not long after, total panic hits the small town as the aliens begin their attack. At this time, people have no idea what qualities and strengths they are up against and it isn't long before the slaughter is well and truly done for now. 

The story carries on straight where the first finished. A year after the first attack and our family are leaving the first home. On their travels, Reagan has created a weapon using a portable speaker and her cochlear implant. They hit a snag, setting off a trap, Marcus gets trapped in a bear trap and here comes an alien hearing the screams. It is killed by Reagan and Blunt's character Evelyn as the family make it into a foundry, bumping into an old friend Emmett. Emmett is played by Murphy and he leads them into his underground hideout. I think we are about to see if there are any intentions. He is happy to help for now but the family cannot stay. Emmett has completely shut down after losing his wife and kids and isn't sure what he's doing with himself but knows he doesn't want anyone else around. 

Marcus in the meantime has become infatuated with 'somewhere beyond the sea' which consistently plays on a radio station. He is adamant that it is a clue from other survivors on where to go. Reagan is the only one who can head out on the mission with her brother's leg injured and her mother looking after a newborn. She figures that she can weaponize the radio tower and help other people protect themselves. After heading out, Emmett soon follows and saves her. She asks him to help complete her mission but due to Emmett not knowing sign language, it is a struggle to start. Back at the foundry, Evelyn has left Marcus with the newborn and heads into town to get medical supplies but Marcus hits a snag as he discovers the corpse of Emmett's dead wife and screams, alerting a couple of aliens. He accidentally locks himself and the baby inside an air-tight furnace. We know have two stories side by side as Marcus and the baby are on a countdown to death and Reagan along with Emmett reach a  dock where they are set upon by feral humans. 

Emmett only has one plan as he makes as much noise as possible, attracting aliens to kill the attackers as he and Reagan quickly board a boat and row to the island. On the island, a group is living as normal as possible. BBQ's, laughter and noise in other forms aren't fearsome for these lot. The leader of the colony cannot do enough to help the newcomers and feed them before hearing their plan. In the morning we do hit a little hiccup as a creature has floated over on another boat, nice and conveniently so that the story doesn't end easily. The leader gets killed but the plan is complete and the radio tower becomes a weapon for everyone who recognises that the aliens react badly to the horrific static through the speakers. Back at the foundry, Evelyn has found Marcus and the baby before they suffocate. Marcus has already found the frequency on the radio, not only letting him and his mother know that Reagan is safe but that they can now use the sound to escape from the alien parading around the foundry. The movie ends quite openly. Reagan leaves her hearing aid at the microphone with the broadcast turned on, hoping that anyone who recognises it, can use it to escape to somewhere safe.

That's where the credits roll. It leaves many questions as to what happens next, how far does this signal carry and has anyone else around the world found a tactic to fight back? I think the story for our family ends here as the safety of the island is what they need to finally settle down. If we do a get third movie in the franchise, I doubt it would act as a straight sequel. Maybe a spin-off set somewhere else in the world at the same time or even later in the timeline with humans fighting back. I want to take a closer look at how these aliens came to Earth in such dramatic circumstances and there are plenty of directions we can head in. Hopefully, they don't change behind the camera too much, so that the success does continue. 

With the father figure of this movie lost in the prequel, it was time for the children to step up as best as possible. Both children evolved to help protect their mother and younger sibling and although Marcus was made to step into his father's shoes, after an early injuring, it was actually Reagan who stole the show. Much like her character Millicent Simmonds was very impressive once again in the movie. As an actress who is deaf in real life, she was asked to become an adult in this movie very quickly. After working with professionals to make sure that her sign language was clean and I can imagine she felt a sense of pressure to be the representation for something we rarely see on the big screen. I do not doubt that the community felt that Millicent was a massive success. Cillian Murphy is the other stand-out addition to the movie. From seeing the trailer I was very unaware of whether his role would be for good or have a more sinister motive. Because Murphy has such a range on his CV,  there's a slight intrigue on what he is going to bring to the big screen in terms of character style. Starting as a shut-off loner, looking to just do the bare minimum as he has lost everyone he loves, the character is quickly reminded there's still good in the world. He becomes our main male lead, unbeknownst to himself and whether he wanted it or not, he was integral to the success of Reagan's mission. As always, a great job done by Murphy with the character arch and quite possibly the standout part of the movie.

I'm always game for a horror movie and more so when it's a monster flick. The idea of this movie was interesting in the first movie and it was always going to be a task to replicate the success of the first movie. I enjoyed it just as much. To keep the same writer and director on board was always going to be a big feature as visions can sometimes be changed as the bosses move ideas about. Krasinski and Blunt have worked very well together here as a personal relationship has seemingly helped but as we possibly move away from the characters we have come to know, and Krasinski is also moving away from behind the camera to a more consultancy role on a rumoured third installation, I just hope things don't go a little too astray. It doesn't need to and the blueprint for enjoyment is already there to work with. 

Hey, McGregor! Had a girlfriend once, she was cross-eyed. Didn't work out. We could never see eye to eye! (Jungle Cruise 2021)

 291.

Jungle Cruise

7/10

Just as Pirates of the Caribbean began, Disney has decided to make a movie based around one of their rides in their theme parks. Jungle Cruise as a ride has been going for years and is a very simple concept. A bunch of park guests head onto a boat with a cocky skipper, go around a track hidden under a river whilst checking out some animal models and waterfalls. The Skipper is full of puns, as in every single word is a joke and as the night draws on, the jokes get a little more adult. I've only ever ridden the ride a couple of times but it's a good laugh and has to be taken with good humour as you may be addressed. To hear that the movie was being announced, it was safe to say I was a little puzzled. Once the cast began to come out, it got a little more interesting. Dwayne Johnson will be our Skipper as Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall join us for the ride. Let's test the waters.

The storyline had to be unique and obviously, nothing the ride itself could offer as that is just a safari. We get a little history firstly as a few conquistadors who had set out for the tree in the 1500s only to be bested by the jungle and saved by a tribe who had sworn to protect the tree. They were saved by the tears of the moon but when the chief refused to reveal the location, they killed everyone but not before being cursed. They were subject to being immortal but not being able to be out of sight from the river. The movie begins with Blunt as Lily with her brother MacGregor, as they try to gain interest in funding for an expedition to find the Tears of the Moon. The petals of this tree can cure countless lives but they aren't the only ones on the search. They are denied, which the duo expected but there was an ulterior motive. Lily was in the museum to steal an arrowhead which along with the map should help with the location of the tree. Narrowly avoiding a fellow named Prince Joachim, who is after the same price, she escapes through a window and the journey begins. Onwards to the Amazon, the duo now needs a boat and navigator for the rivers. By this time we have already been introduced to Frank Wolff played by Dwayne Johnson. The next few minutes are all nostalgia from the ride as the puns and 'backside of water' are mentioned and I remember sitting forward to give a nod to my friends as I had already brought the subject of the ride to their attention. He has set up most of his 'scares' and 'highlights' within his Jungle Cruise whilst also being in debt with a local pier owner. He gets his engine repossessed before looking to steal it back and posing as the wealthy, respected pier owner to take the job that Lily has to offer.

 After another narrow miss from the Prince and his submarine, our trio is now on their way. In Frank's cabin, Lily finds the same map that she is carrying, along with many others and sketches of the arrowhead. She accuses Frank of seeking the tree too but he is adamant that he gave up a long time ago. They are then set upon by a tribe but it isn't long before they reveal that Frank hired them and everyone is set free. 

The tribe chief helps Lily translate the cravings on the arrowhead which reveals the location of the tree and the fact that it only blooms on a blood moon. Switching to the Prince, he has tracked down the Conquistadors and given them a sight of the river once again, bringing their statues back to life. They have now succumbed to the elements of the jungle as one is made mostly out of snakes, another out of bees and honey, another of mud and so on. They are hired to track down Frank and his crew, retrieve the arrowhead and Prince Joachim will set them free. They quickly set about their task and attack the tribe's village. Lily and MacGregor escape but not before witnessing Frank get stabbed by Don Aguirre, the leader of the pack and seemingly fall to his death from a very tall tree. 

To the sibling's amazement, they find Frank washed up and very much alive, even though he still has a sword through his chest. Then we learn about his history. He was actually one of the Conquistadors. Don Aguirre's best friend to be exact and when helping his friend try to find the tears of the moon, learnt that they may not have been as close as they thought. As Don Agguire slaughtered the village, Frank stepped in to try and stop. He also got caught up in the curse, hence why he now gives river tours. He has never seen the world away from the river and has pictures of buildings and cars that have come with time in a world he's never experienced. Lily is a little more appreciative of the actions of Frank now and the pair agree to go on together with MacGregor a little worse for wear. 

As Lily risks her life to open the secret entrance, the pair find that Prince Joachim had already captured MacGregor and been led to the same place as our trios now become prisoners, we are led inside and to everyone's astonishment, there the tree sits, nice and dead. It does though come alive once Frank and Lily once again work together to solve a riddle. The moon hits the branches and petals form, each one a cure for seemingly everything. 

One last hoax from our trio though as Lily agrees to shoot Frank for a petal, knowing he can't die and as he enters the water, he comes back to his boat to fight the conquistador's now in attendance. There is only one way out of this fight as Lily runs the branches for a petal she is followed by the Prince and Frank is overrun by his old companions. He is going to run his boat directly into the cave's wall to stop the flow of the river. This will stop the ghostly cursed gang but will also mean that he is sacrificing himself so that the siblings can get away. As per normality, absolutely any plan made by Dwayne Johnson's characters works. The Prince is killed comically before the siblings and Frank's cat find him attached to the wall and made of stone. With the one petal that Lily has, he puts it into Franks coincidental open mouth and nothing happens. Until they walk down some steps, the inevitable happens and Frank breaks free from his statue-like state. There was no doubt to me that this was going to happen, that Lily and Frank would embrace with a kiss and the movie ending now that Frank is free from the river's curse, with the two heading to London. MacGregor is back in the museum to let everyone know they will have no part of his discovery, whilst Lily is teaching Frank to dive a car in our last effort for a giggle.

It was very interesting that Disney chose the Jungle Cruise ride to base a movie around, considering the ride doesn't have a story. With success from their Pirate movies, I guess they can aim to make anything work. The Pirates ride now has Johnny Depp's character scattered around the place so I wonder if this will happen with Jungle Cruise. Heading back to the movie though, it was 100% enjoyable. Nothing more than a popcorn movie and nothing to set the world alight. It brought fun, laughter and a little freshness to a world where Disney keep spoiling childhoods with live-action remakes. Quite an interesting concept for a storyline, which tied together with a couple of villains and twists to keep the waters a little less calm. Maybe the ending was a little too predictable, which is never really new for Disney, the mid-story twist regarding Frank's character did keep the audience on their toes. A good storyline for those younger Disney fans as it didn't stay too 'cute', the jokes hit at different age groups and the movie also contained some decent action scenes. 

Dwayne Johnson played Dwayne Johnson very well. That isn't a typo. We've honestly come to expect ok to great roles from him and this was middle of the road. Looking like he'd just finished another level of Jumanji, the one stand out feature of him in this one was how well he could carry the one-liners that the ride for me is famous for. Brought together with some comradery of Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall's character the three complemented each other immensely onscreen. Blunt played the strong and independent female, held up by society. Whitehall the gay character, is thrown out by society for being who he is with only his sister understanding. Maybe they were a little too on the nose to keep up with today's PC world on ticking boxes in movies now but as already mentioned, every single character worked to help the storyline.

As a mixture of something that felt like a Jumanji movie possibly crossed with the colouring of Pirates of the Caribbean. Jungle Cruise will be a good movie to enjoy for audiences of most ages. Hopefully, Disney doesn't take the success of this movie for a reason to milk it for more than it is. The story came to a nice ending and all answers were tied up in a couple of hours of viewing. We do though know what Disney are like and any sniff of the dollar bills and suddenly we have a franchise on our hands that no one asked for. Please don't rock the boat.