I watched The 355 with mixed expectations. It has several glamorous actresses, so I knew that would be a plus. And I expected some decent suspense. But it turned out to be a poorly defined film lacking a solid storyline. The net result, to put it bluntly, is that The 355 is a disorganized mess, and is really just barely mediocre.

The 355 is in the genre of a spy thriller, and the main conflict is that a top-secret weapon has fallen into the hands of mercenaries. Several female agents mobilize to keep them from using the weapon, which would have worldwide catastrophic consequences. The agents include Jessica Chastain as Mace, Penelope Cruz as Graciela Rivera, Bingbing Fan as Lin Mi Sheng, Diane Kruger as Marie Schmidt, and Lupita Nyong’o as Khadijah Adiyeme.

I will give the film props for some of its action sequences, and there were some suspenseful segments. But despite the all-star lineup, to me this film came off as a Bourne film meets Charlie’s Angels and topped with a silly 007 approach. And it just never really became clear exactly how their mission was critical.

It’s really a struggle to be positive with this one. Director Simon Kinberg is still new to the directing game, and that may be where much of the blame lies. The film is disorganized and has no compelling factors to be anything close to a blockbuster hit, in spite of its great cast. The film didn’t even come close to living up to the trailers, which really just tried too hard. Just two stars for The 355.

Director Christian Schwochow created Munich: The Edge of War to be a puzzle of deceit, and he succeeded—in spades. The film is based on actual events preceding World War II, and it is politically enticing and spellbinding.

In 1917 (2019), a British war film set during World War I, actor George Mackay played the role of a soldier who faced serious peril while delivering a critical message. In Munich: The Edge of War, Mackay plays British diplomat Hugh Legat, who is assigned to Munich and must get a message out in an effort to prevent Adolph Hitler, played by Ulrich Matthes, from starting World War II. Jeremy Irons plays
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who desperately wants to avoid war. The plot thickens when Legat meets old friend Paul Von Hartman, played by Jannis Niewohner, who works for the German government. Though on opposite sides, they come together to figure out what is best for both of their countries. But there are spies everywhere and danger lurks around every corner.

Munich: The Edge of War had my head spinning with its puzzles of lies and misinformation. And my understanding is that it is a realistic depiction of the situation before the start of World War II. The espionage focus of Munich: The Edge of War is simply top-notch.

I found Munich: The Edge of War to be one of the best true story thrillers of World War II that I’ve seen for a long time. It was a thrilling and sometimes astonishing experience. George Mackay may have delivered his best performance since 1917, and Jeremy Irons was brilliant as Neville Chamberlain. Munich: The Edge of War is worth the time to watch on the big screen, and it should be a big hit when it opens on Netflix on January 21. Three and a half stars for Munich: The Edge of War.

It’s a bit perplexing that this film isn’t called Scream 5, or some addition to the title that lets us know it’s not the original Scream. But the bigger problem I have with this iteration is that it is just like every other horror film, including the original Scream.

Probably the best thing about this Screamis the return of some of the most important characters, including Dewey Riley, Gale Riley, and Sidney Prescott, played by David Arquette, Courteney Cox, and Neve Campbell, respectively. There is also, of course, the fun of the blood-curdling suspense and the slashing violence and gore.

But it’s all so predictable. I feel there is some algorithm for the redundant murder scenarios in this and other horror films. That algorithm being—just as a character comes to some important realization, they get killed. Which, to be fair, even though you know it’s coming, can make you jump out of your seat.

The plot of Scream is also familiar. The town of Woodsboro is revisited. There are sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, played by Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. Tara is attacked by a new slasher with the same mask and outfit as the previous four Scream films. After Tara’s attack, Sam feels she needs to take a stand—but not alone. Her boyfriend Richie Kirsch, played by Jack Quaid, is there to help deal with the slasher face.

Trying to be positive here, but it’s not coming easy. I love most of the previous Scream films, but this one was dry and repetitive. As I mentioned earlier, it gets credit for bringing back some important characters and actors, but overall it’s a below average flick to start the year. I hope that there is another horror film in 2022 that can top this one. Just two stars for Scream.