Film reviews

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Review

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The word, “Shazam!,” is where the positive superhero factor usually comes into play with a Shazam movie. In Shazam! Fury of the Gods there is a whole lot of “Shazam!” and much superhero nostalgia, but the film is actually somewhat of a trainwreck. The pacing is off, and I found myself wondering whether I could take this sequel seriously. For a continuation of a superhero franchise, this one felt very forgettable. It relies too much on the slapstick of its heroes and enemies, instead of focusing on the central conflict in the film. Director David F. Sandberg directed the first Shazam film in 2019, and he’s back for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but this one just doesn’t seem to be one that will enthrall its superhero fans.

In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) is back as the superhero Shazam. As fans of the franchise know, when the word “Shazam!” is used Billy turns into the adult version of himself and he is recognized as the Shazam superhero. The adult and superhero version of Billy is played by Zachary Levi. The team of heroes and misfits are also back, ranging from Superhero Freddy (played by Adam Brody), Superhero Darla (played by Meagan Good), Superhero Pedro (played by D.J. Coltrona), and others. The enemies are Hespera and Kalypso (played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu).

In addition to the heroes, there is a god character who helps Billy. That character is also named Shazam and he is played by Djimon Hounsou. Sadly, though, the film does not develop this character enough or take it seriously.

Again, the directing in this film just seems out of focus. The pacing is off and the excess of humor detracts from the superhero importance. There is also not enough backstory about the enemies. The film leaves the audience wondering who is more powerful. Instead of lots of superhero jam it just keeps resorting to the buzzword, “Shazam!,” to keep the enticement going.

The credit I do give Shazam! Fury of the Gods is that it keeps its family-friendly approach. And that will help sell it to its target audience. But unfortunately, it is one of those continuation films that will leave much of the audience not appreciating the franchise. I still do, but this film didn’t help my appreciation. Overall, I just wish it could have stepped up its action, its twists, and given us some hidden gems of what is to continue in the franchise. This sequel was not very detailed, and when there is not much detail to a superhero franchise it doesn’t gives its audience enough information to anticipate what to expect down the road. I will say that I didn’t totally hate Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but I definitely didn’t love it, and it fell way below my expectations. Two stars for Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Film reviews

Inside Review

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Nothing is more anxiety-provoking than being locked up fending for survival. In Inside there is a tone of discomfort in its harrowing premise. Inside is Vasilis Katsoupis’ second project as a director. This film involves a problematic situation where the anxiety goes to the core of its main character. Inside is Castaway (2000) taking place in a New York penthouse. One error led to someone being completely locked up. Inside brings all kinds of frustrations while focusing on survival and escaping confinement. There is no easy way to define this movie experience because audiences will take away different emotions once they see Inside for themselves.

In Inside the focus is on an art thief, Nemo (played by Willem Dafoe). He makes his way to a high-end New York penthouse to steal expensive works of art. His heist runs into trouble when alarms are triggered which seal off the whole penthouse. With the owner never there and all contacts lost once the place is sealed off, Nemo finds himself trapped. With the precious works of art surrounding him, he must figure out if he can escape or survive in the penthouse. As he realizes that it’s impossible to escape, he decides he should start making the penthouse feel like a home until he can figure out how to get out. Can he maintain his patience? What legal trouble could he face if he escapes?

Inside filled me with repulsive feelings as Nemo engages in activities he did not plan for. The penthouse has a lack of resources. There is no running water, messed up air conditioning, and barely any food. Nemo does find a way to make his resources manageable, but his bizarre mindset grows under shocking tensions. Inside caused me to feel scared due to Dafoe’s brilliant performance as someone stuck in confinement.

The features in the penthouse also contribute to Nemo losing his mind. For example, the refrigerator plays music when it is open for too long which makes Nemo even more angry. The other big anger factor for Nemo is the fact that there is a camera system through the plasma screen TV of the penthouse. He can see that there are others working and coming in and out of the building. Sadly, they cannot recognize that there is anything wrong with the penthouse that Nemo is trapped in because it is soundproof, and the main owner is never there. The film’s audience knows who the owner is, through pictures and information, but they never see him on screen.

Do not expect conversations or a whole lot of dialogue during Inside. Expect a whole lot disastrous thinking from the mind of Nemo caused by his continued frustration with finding a way out from a mission that went awry and caused him to be trapped in the penthouse. There is only so much Nemo can do to prevent himself from going completely insane in his unprecedented situation.

There are moments when Nemo narrates. Dafoe’s performance in this role slurs and goes down dark alleys. He shares a story in his narration about when he was young and was asked what items would have most meaning to him that he would save in a fire. The correlation to his narration and the situation he finds himself in is that there is no value when something valuable is destroyed. Instead of Nemo hoping to escape and make a profit from the art pieces he stole, he now finds himself in locked-up solitude creating his own art.

In the film, Nemo says, “There’s no creation without destruction!” In Inside there is a lot of creation and destruction. Unfortunately, it is a lot harder than Nemo or the audience anticipates because there is no simple answer to get him out of confinement. From my perspective, this film is an experimental thriller that keeps its audience thinking. Three stars.

Film reviews

Scream VI Review

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“Do you like scary movies?”  Scream (1996)

I do like “scary movies” and many cult classics. Do I like Scream VI? I am neutral on that question. Scream VI is a film where the franchise does not stop its nostalgic and repetitive trends terror. The scary phone calls still come when expected. There is a killing jump in the storyline.  I found this movie to be a blur as it is a continuation of Scream (technically Scream V, but they still call it Scream), with no big changes or shocking realizations. I do not think these films should continue since the original director Wes Craven is dead. Sadly, the originality is lacking given the new direction in Scream VI.

In Scream VI, the survivors from the last film are back. They have gone through trauma, seen  harsh killings, and now they must contend with new terror in Scream VI. Sam Carpenter (played by Melissa Barrera), Mindy Meeks-Martin (played by Jasmin Savoy Brown), Chad Meeks-Martin (played by Mason Gooding), Tara Carpenter (played by Jenna Ortega), Kirby Reed (played by Hayden Panettiere), and finally Gale Weathers (played by Courteney Cox) are all back for a new terror. The new faces in the realm of the killing trail are Ethan (played by Jack Champion), Quinn Bailey (played by Liana Liberato), Detective Bailey (played by Dermot Mulroney), Anika (played by Devyn Nekoda), Jason Carvey (played by Tony Revolori), Danny Brackett (played by Josh Segarra), and Laura Crane (played by Samara Weaving). With returning victims and new characters, the trails of Woodsboro and New York are chilling with deaths by the Ghostface killer once again. But how many of them are there? Scream VI dives into a storyline that tries to add more emphasis on the evolution from the previous films.

There is a considerable amount of boredom with Scream VI as it relies on constant repeats from the franchise. There is a great deal of extended violence, but is it exhilarating? Not to the extent I was anticipating. Without David Arquette as Dewey Riley, the momentum of Scream VI hits a plateau. The previous gems of this franchise which included giggles, shocks, and awes have become a downward spiral resulting in a deteriorating experience.

There are no chills and there are no entertaining realizations in part due to different directors. The plot all comes down to how a film like this sells rather than structuring the storyline. I am sorry, but with horror, there needs to be structure. Some may be excited by numerous kills or creepy moments, but there should be an established progression. I did not experience any rewarding concept in Scream VI.  While it keeps the momentum of twists and kills, believe me, they are not very surprising or worthwhile. There is no poetic approach, and I don’t know how anyone could view this film as revolutionary. Its continuity is as stale as Scream in 2022 which again was really Scream V causing much confusion for audiences in this mess of a franchise.

In all honesty, anyone can be the killer. The line up of characters is not serious and the kills seem to happen at any given moment. The good and bad characters also have secrets up their sleeves.  It is like the director only cares about shock and awe. The enthralling factors in Scream VI are way below my entertainment expectations for a horror experience.

As I elaborate on how this franchise’s continuation is annoying, I still have a small amount of appreciation for Scream VI. It is a horror film franchise that has continued over the years which is somewhat fascinating. It is always fun to learn that characters in films find serious situations to be a joke based on what they see in the movies. The film has a comedic thread and connection between the main characters who are eventually the next target of a killing spree. I do appreciate how the humorous aspect has truly grown as the franchise has evolved. I just hope that somehow  Scream VI becomes a relic, because this film fails to be successful at all with its attempt to deliver horror for its audience. One-half star for Scream VI.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!