Tag Archives: Film reviews

Film reviews

Predator: Badlands Review

Leave a comment

Predator: Badlands is jolting and offers a thrill ride where creativity with CGI combined with a new beginning puts it at the top of the game. With a sci-fi direction that is unstoppable in its ability to deliver glorious imagery during exciting action sequences. Compelling motions weave back and forth and caused me to jump out of my seat frequently. Combats of landsand monsters take place in uncharted territory. The era of this franchise is on a track that I find amusing. Predator: Badlands exceeded my expectations.

The film is about a young predator that is not in his clan. His name is Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. Things went awry with his team, and the planets and territories are shifted. He meets an ally named Thia, played by Elle Fanning. There is an alien creature dynamic in which the moving parts are colliding in the world. Teamwork is at hand, while also on the verge of clashing components. There are lots of monsters, lots of vast lands, and spaceships abound making Predator: Badlands quite unique.

There is fully a vibe of CGI taking effect. Its utilization creates scenes that feel like they are being correctly executed in a way that many would expect for a movie with “Predator” in the title. There are moving creatures, different ships, clans all over the place, and clashes and chaos everywhere. I was sold on this full throttle adventure because of how it evolved. While there is initially much disconnect, the film progresses into finding an ally and then working through complicated trails as the story continues. The duo has a strong force.

Director Dan Trachtenberg keeps stepping it up with his films and alien creatures. His ability to find connections amid conflict is highlighted by his writing which focuses on continuity. He can effectively bring connections into play for a purpose. Predator: Badlands was on-point. The “point” was “chaos” among clans and a creature ostracized. Predator: Badlands strikes up a new source of meaning. Typically, in sci-films, there is a bigger source of influence when an alien is out of their circle—that is what creates the wars among allies and politics in the fictional settings. Given that context, the question that is also asked is, “Is Thia trustworthy?” The journey of wrongdoings has many loopholes creating a mysterious sci-fi ride unlike any other in Predator: Badlands.

The ride of questioning components in crazy lands with new creatures is invigorating. Predator: Badlands was colorful in the way the film depicts skies and space as well as lands of intensemilitary action. Overall, it is stellar. For those who love the previous Alien or Predator films, this one is a treat. The graphics are well correlated with the levels of terror and suspense. There is accuracy with it. So many moves along the way in Predator: Badlands makes for non-stop fun. Lots of space, lots of adventure and tons of robotics too. I rate Predator: Badlands at three-and-a-half out of four stars.

4DX, Back to the Future, Capsule Reviews, Film reviews

Back to the Future in 4DX

Leave a comment

Back to the Future, an Immersive Experience:

It has been forty years since the first Back to the Future was released in cinemas, and many cinemas around the world have turned back the clock by releasing it  once again. This time in IMAX and 4DX. I saw Back to the Future in 4DX, and I will say I felt like I was back on the ride that was once at Universal Studios. Despite the ride sadly coming to a close, the 4DX experience felt like a much longer and innovative experience that I never wanted to end. It felt exhilarating to revisit the days of Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown. Michael J. Fox (Midnight Madness, Class of 1984) is Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Goin’ South) is Dr. Emmett Brown. The relationship of a young teen and a scientist traveling back in time is a gem that sparks many unforgettable moments. The 4DX upgrade is like a touch of physical joy for its audiences to feel like they are in the Delorean.

4DX Features:

4DX has many blends of moments with fog, rocking chairs, and loud sound effects. So much that it feels like an invigorating ride of suspense turbulence. With Back to the Future, audiences will experience an icy mist on their faces as the Delorean comes back from the cold temperatures. As there is the suspense to go back in time, they will feel their seats rock, jolt, and halt. Also, as there are the confrontational moments with antagonist Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), the seats will stomp or wiggle. The oomphs of feeling part of the movie does not hold back the fun with Back to the Future in 4DX. The experience is so immersive that it feels like seatbelts and helmets should be worn. The nostalgic  fun is hard to dismiss.

Worth the time?

Back to the Future in 4DX is definitely well worth the time and the energy. Especially for those who have kids and want to take their children to see it in a cinema for the first time. I will say though, that if choosing 4DX, to mentally prepare children for the fact that the seats will be moving around throughout the duration of the film. The fun aspect about that though, is the fact that parents can tell their kids they are going back in time with Marty and Doc Brown. That is how I felt with the 4DX moments of Back to the Future. I felt all the moments I loved were just rushing back to me to the max. This was a surreal blast from the past. 

Review is also available on MovieArcher at the link below!

https://www.moviearcher.com/movie-archer/classic-targets-in-4k/back-to-the-future-1985

Film reviews

Bugonia Review

Leave a comment

Yorgos Lanthimos always has a mind for the blinds and this time it is in terms of an alien scenario. His film, Bugonia, revolves around two misfit men and one girl. One of the most artistic and over-the-top films from Lanthimos where limits are pushed–more on the sides of graphic violence than his other works.Emma Stone once played a character from a Frankenstein perspective in Poor Things, and transitions well into a role of an alien on Earth. The question of who trust is critical.

The film focuses two men, Teddy (Jesse Plemmons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) that are obsessed with conspiracies. They live around the rural areas of Georgia and Teddy is solely focused on his crazy ideas. Don has some social issues. They both kidnap a high-profile CEO named Michelle, because they believe she is an alien with a mission to destroy all life on Earth. Going forward, the film becomes a ride of crazy and confused scenarios, while also remaining genius in  following its clever storyline. Lanthimos knows the path of creating crazy and silly while combining it with politics and science. Bugonia had me thinking in circles.

There are moments in the film where Teddy and Don visit Michelle in a locked basement. She tries to convince them that she can make life better. Teddy has problems of his own, and with that Lanthimos creates introductions to other characterizations of conflict. Bugonia does not only focus on the sci-fi individual, but also the conflicts of the others involved. This creates unique and scientific approach that is genius. Overall, the chemistry between Stone and Plemmons is the gem, because there are beliefs that are true on one end and not true on the other hand. The performance of Stone brings out a ravenous monster of surprises that is both subtle and invigorating. There is also a blend of dark comedy in the mix which audiences must be ready to stomach.

The setup around two men holding a woman hostage under the assumption she is an alien is where my mind kept boggling back and forth. It did so in a positive light, because the approach of Lanthimos was not in a predictable track, it kept continuing down the path of blindsided notions. This has been what I am used to seeing from him, especially with the many twists and bizarre scenarios I have seen from his other projects. There is always an array of aspects that will lead to the unexpected. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Bugonia.