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Film reviews

Heads of State Review

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A thriller based on a global threat starring Idris Elba, John Cena, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas is overrated for serious thought and more geared on laughs. In Heads of State, there are only two characters that are of major importance, Elba and Jonas. Because the UK has a central focus in the story, they fit the bill more effectively. Cena is literally the tag along who is tangential and relies upon his over-inflated ego to fuel the film’s comical mischief. This film’s writing seems initially to flow with promising value. Espionage and conspiracy are what sells the audience, but the outcomes of what is trying to be accomplished keep falling off track, In the end, the audience is left to think, “Where do the lines correlate?”

The setup is two political figures in mayhem. There is the US President Will Derringer (Cena) and the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Elba). The undercover agent is Noel Bisset (Jonas). Will and Sam are two high-end individuals with big egos. Their personalities successfully fuel the joyful silliness that audienceswill cherish in Heads of State. Will used his fame to make his way to becoming President from acting gigs in major motion pictures. Sam earned his merit as the UK Prime minister by working his way up in the old school manner. Both struggle with some arrested development in different ways. At the same time, they must learn to survive together without killing each other.

Heads of State fuels the international vibe by having the film shift to various interesting locations including Italy, France, and Poland. Political and European espionage is spotlighted through the writing which is sometimes slapstick in nature and at the same time two-sided. The film has moments of stupidity but then comes back with funny punchlines. Many of the punchlines are based on the egos tangling between Will and Sam. Soon, however, they learn to work with each other to save their own lives as well as the ones that matter to them most. Despite the characters’ individual merits, the film is captivating because it is built upon a foundation of dark comedy mixed with a political flavor.

In all honesty, it is one-of-a-kind. The world may view Cena as a pro wrestler continuing to climb his way to bigger roles due to his celebrity. It may also view Elba as the British actor who many assume is the closest to the becoming the new 007. The film has some overrated moments, but they work together well at delivering a comedic boxing match. Overall, I found myself being sold on Heads of State especially given the fact that it has British culture woven throughout. The references to Fish and Chips play well in the celebratory scenes.

Do these two men escape? Are politics stronger than anticipated? These are pieces of a puzzle which grow deeper and fuel the fire for something more invigorating. A dazzling, albeit slightly mediocre circus of fun. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for Heads of State.

Film reviews

Three Thousand Years Of Longing Review

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Three Thousand Years of Longing is a film where the premise seems promising. That is because its trailers and ads make it look extraordinary or revolutionary. Sadly though, the storyline and the concept are arbitrary. The dynamic of the characterizations in Three Thousand Years of Longing is spot-on. That is because there are intriguing character backgrounds. I will say though, that the backstory to the film’s continuity is strange and twisted.

When the film begins, the concept of the Disney classic Aladdin (from 2019) came to my mind. It is practically an Aladdin themed premise taken to today’s world. With Idris Elba as the Genie type of character, his performance is brilliant. The film does display brilliant performances. It is just that the film’s labeling and backstory seems to have more stereotyping than a fantasy premise. To an extent, I felt all the blame of errors was being labeled onto Elba’s character. That is beside the point though.

This is the plot of Three Thousand Years of Longing. Tilda Swinton is Alithea. She is a scholar that is going solo on a trip to Istanbul. Her background involves research on life and creatures for reason. Despite her loneliness at this conference, A man that seems like a wizard comes into her life, and he is The Djinn (Elba). As Alithea is taken by surprise, she begins to grow close with the Djinn in deep conversation. However, her closeness becomes questioned as The Djinn offers Alithea three wishes. The three wishes are granted because of how she gave him his freedom from an art-type of antique. There are problems though with the wishes for Alithea. The Djinn may not be real. Also, with Alithea’s background of mythology, she knows tons of stories of wishes going awry. Three Thousand Years of Longing is a tale of curiosity towards wonderment of the three wishes for Alithea.

The three wishes in Three Thousand Years of Longing does not present happiness. It does not even have much elaboration on positive uses of the three wishes. The film tries to be more poetic than finding a fantasy with wishes. From this, I felt that the film’s artistic filmmaking is more of like a love tale than a breathless cinematic experience. However, it is not breathless.

Three Thousand Years of Longing may be symbolic. The film may also be a fantasy. As I have said though, the continuity and backstory of events keep seeming to be stereotypical. There are multiple moments where when Alithea tries to understand her choices, that she questions the harshness of The Djinn’s past. I just felt it made it look like The Djinn kept on having the negative label. The film may have tried to be experimental and surreal, just its approaches were off-putting.

Film reviews

Beast Review

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I have four words, and they are WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE! Beast is a ravenous, treacherous, and wild experience. It is the most fun I have had with a jungle flick in a long time. There are lots of jumps, plenty of nature, and limited resources for survival. But put actors Idris Elba and Sharlto Copley in a jungle film and you have an excellent partnership to team up for survival. I found myself curious as to who would be the one to tame the dangerous lion most effectively. I will say, however, the taming is not going to help that much. Better hope there are many Plan Bs if the dangerous lion chooses not to cooperate.

In Beast Elba plays Dr. Nate Samuels who is taking his daughters on a wild excursion around the Savannah. His daughters are Norah and Meredith (played by Leah Jeffries and Iyana Halley). Sharlto Copley plays Martin Battles, a lifelong friend of Nate. Together, they go on the safari with Nate’s daughters, and Martin shows them his lion taming skills. Soon, their fun and wild excursion goes awry when they notice multiple injuries and destroyed villages. While it is common for animals to do damage, this is not the damage that Martin or Sam had prepared for. Suddenly, a rogue lion comes out of nowhere and all four are in his territory with limited resources. They must do what they can to protect themselves from the unstoppable creature that can kill instantaneously. It becomes a true battle for Nate to protect his family as well as his friend Martin.  

With Elba playing the father who must protect his daughters. I knew that would set the tone for the kinds of risks to be considered in the film. There are moments where Nate and his daughters must hide from the lion continuously, and on top of that, they must watch their every movement. I love the suspenseful aspects of the film that really made the audience feel as if it were a real-life situation. As Martin says on the topic of lions, “The females do the hunting, and the males protect the prey,” It is now Nate who must protect his prey, i.e., his daughters. Beast is a ride of unexpected dangers that only puzzles and invigorates as things spiral out-of-hand.

The rogue lion hides in an array of corners which create a force of nature between the beast and the humans. Keep in mind that the scene is ultimately the rogue lion’s territory so it can plot its attacks and follow its instincts. Nate may not be able to hide, but he can fight back. Go see Elba and Copley fight a lion to save a family’s life in Beast. Three and a half stars.