Film reviews

Greenland 2: Migration Review

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This is a sequel that starts out promising. It has a premise that makes sense because of how science plays into the effects after the fact. Greenland 2: Migration had me filled with curiosity. After seeing the first film in a COVID-pandemic setting, I feltlike we’ve come a long way since the events of the first film. The factors related to resources are part of the setting where life after tragedy has a new norm. That new norm gets interruptedand when that happens the writing shifts and the momentum loses its value.

With the first film going into a zone of extinction, the family has found means of survival. The Garrity family is still on the trail to find a new beginning. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), Allison Garrity (Morena Baccarin), and their son Nathan Garrity (Roman Griffith Davis) have lived in bunker settings. Much has been shifting due to tectonic plate disasters and needs tostabilize as uncertainty ebbs and flows. Scientific issues continue to evolve in Greenland 2: Migration. However, when the world rumbles again, it’s time for running to different grids to start again. The Garrity family goes to places in Europe such as London and France. In both places, they find themselves below ground dealing with mixed politics due to the world going through many changes in its dismissive process.

Greenland 2: Migration began by following all the right steps for a successful sequel, including new beginnings in new places and life after the many events from the first film. There werealso details of steps to take to move forward with various situations. However, when the suspense kicked in, it felt like it was rushing to be a Roland Emmerich blockbuster. I say this because of how it went from theories and faith to families trying to cross different mountains with ladders and fighting global warming. The components which would have made the story more invigorating were thrown out the window instantly. That is why my faith in Greenland 2: Migration subsided.

When the family faces hurdles in different countries with new disasters, it is the same type of danger repeatedly, i.e., a different border patrol with a form of death penalty awaiting. The apocalypse approach was rapid in this sequel. However, with Butler as the lead, the suspense fueled successfully connects tothe franchise the most. While he is the one who takes risks into his own hands, the fight for survival and family does not get lost in Greenland 2: Migration. There is just a lack in the structure in a sequel which could have made it more enduring. There were still frequent, intense scenes, including lots of different storms coming from the skies. Unfortunately, the importance of the discussions was gone almost right away.

Greenland 2: Migration is a steady sequel. It’s not brilliant butkeeps some glimmer of hope with  storyline that’s mostly intact. It just did not do a adequate job jumping to its main points of action. I expected more backstory from the first film to play into this sequel. Two out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Testament of Ann Lee Review

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This is one of those powerhouse dramas that combines a musicalelement within a historical context with the dramatizations being quite thorough. Directed by Mona Fastvold and co-written with Brady Corbet, The Testament of Ann Lee is a mammoth masterpiece. They’ve created a film where movements uproot themselves through songs and dance and where leaders find themselves to have a proven purpose. It feels like a serious play but then revitalizes itself through the choreography and the musical moments. The Testament of Ann Lee is shockingly astounding. I went in with mixed expectations, but then the politics of historical colonies came together, and blew me out of the water. 

The film’s main character is Ann Lee, played by Amanda Seyfried. She is the founding leader of the Shaker Movementand is labeled by her supporters as the renowned female Christ. The film focuses on building the foundation for a society that strives to be utopian. There are back and forth motions involving segregation and other politics, and it is all about how Ann leads the way. She is the power and force behind changes to come.

The late 1700s was a time where using one’s voice had the most promising efforts for change, especially in an era where females struggled to get leadership opportunity. This all comes through in the frustration vibe apparent in the music and the dancing. With Seyfried’s performance, there is a high-level of encouragement that will wow audiences. Gender equality is the driving force of the fight. She finds herself with those who support her and those who do not, but what matters is what Ann wants. She wants her vision of the incipient utopia to have a solid foundation.

The film has elements surrounding spiritual leadership, yet also has a theatrical feel in the Shakespearean sense. The feel comes with the many settings around a historical London backdrop and a society portrayed in the era of evolving castles. New beginnings do not come easy, but it takes one voice to make a change. The Testament of Ann Lee paints the portrait to encourage those to stand their ground.

A term that is used frequently in the film is, “Divine manifestations,” and I will say I felt that aspect throughout the trial and error of Seyfried’s performance. It was especially apparent in her dealing with tragedies and her overcoming those hardship moments. That is where the growth of her voice stumbles, only to become bigger. The Testament of Ann Lee is a spellbinding tale of falling and getting back up repeatedly. The direction of Fastvold does not hold back from greatness in an era with no technological advancements. The Testament of Ann Lee is by far a true and poetic portrait of surrealism and one standing her ground. Musically and cinematically a spectacle, there is nothing like The Testament of Ann Lee. There may be times when superiors want to hold Ann back, but that only drives her to be more ambitious. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for The Testament of Ann Lee.

 

 

Film reviews

Primate Review

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The thought of owning a monkey as a pet always seemeddangerous to me. Primate creates that situation and throws in moments of mayhem and horror. Directed by Johannes Roberts, this is one of those thrillers where a jungle is already part of a family’s life. However, when resources are not aligned, there is a combination of bad tests and non-thorough examinations. The monkey then jumps out of its cage with a vindictive vengeance. Think about a one-person Planet of the Apes film…only that ape wants to kill everyone. Primate is a portrait of a pet that will make audiences never want to own a chimpanzee.

The film’s main characters are Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), Kate (Victoria Wyant), Hannah (Jessica Alexander), and Kate’s older brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng). They go to Lucy’s house in Hawaii for a vacation. Lucy’s sister is Erin (Gia Hunter) and her father is Adam (Troy Kotsur). Lucy’s father is hard of hearing and writes books about animal research. There is one special pet in the family, Ben (Miguel Torres Umba), a chimpanzee that is part of the family. As far as everyone knows he is trained to be loving. Yet, when Lucy’s father leaves on a business trip, Ben goes on a crazy rampage.

The film begins to become a brawl of safety concerns. Lucy, Kate, Hannah, and Nick must learn to protect themselves from Ben, because Ben’s anger continues to rapidly grow. In a big house in the Hawaiian mountains, it is hard to run, Ben’s mighty anger grows exponentially. With all the love and support that Ben has received for years, it creates a landscape of curiosity of wondering what might be making him become so vindictive. There is the talk of rabies, since Ben is a rabid monster, but uncertainty about whether that applies given the scenarios being experienced.

Primate is one of the most loud and rambunctious thrillers involving an ape I have seen in ages. It is not a perfect film, but it keeps audiences’ attention with the hot-headed aspects of chimpanzee behavior. It makes me want to avoid ever being near a chimpanzee ever. Overall, the creativity behind the film is vivid and attention-grabbing. At the same time, the storyline isextremely predictable. Fortunately, the writing is strong as are the scares. The brief glimpses into the sciences help create the suspense in Primate. Two-and-a-half out of four stars.

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