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Film reviews

Venom: The Last Dance Review

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The third installment of The Venom franchise has its quirks and giggles. In the final film, it is the most joyful experience. Directed by Kelly Marcel, she co-wrote the movie with Tom Hardy (who plays Eddie Brock). Venom: The Last Dance has dynamics that collide with laughter and full-throttle action.

The film picks up with Eddie. The power of Venom is connected to Eddie’s body. The voices of Venom keep coming around in his head. They have had many missions (from the previous two films), and their final one is unforgettable. With a journey through deserts, Vegas, and (hopefully) New York, there is still a lot to accomplish. There are evil forces. Eddie finds himself in peril. Dr. Payne (played by Juno Temple) and Rex Strickland (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) follow Eddie. The enemy is unknown, but there are clues.

With the voices having their moments, they Eddie up the rails. The humor makes the layout feel predictable. What does Eddie want most? Does he want normalcy? Does he want to feel power? Does he want to start over? The tracks to a clean slate thrive where Venom: The Last Dance stands.

The Venom voice keeps pushing Eddie out of his element. This final installment is petal to the metal. Venom insists that Eddie is involved with a horse for transportation. The joy in that makes Venom: The Last Dance feel like Venom is on hyper drugs. Like the film Cocaine Bear, that moment can be defined as Cocaine Venom. It is a blistering journey where the norms of crazy are times ten.

The dynamics tend to feel off base sporadically. This aspect fits well though, because this is a franchise for humor. There are ounces of “humor” mended with a superhero direction. The twist though, is its main character is not a hero of any kind (he has not been since the beginning).

There is an appreciation for the film’s clever misdirection, embodied by the character Mrs. Chen (played by Peggy Lu). Eddie crosses paths with her, and that moment is the key to the craziness galore of Venom: The Last Dance. It is the thriving aspect where awkwardness is written genuinely well. It is audacious and fueling of entertainment all around.

The writing in Venom: The Last Dance effectively conveys confusion, rage, and annoyance, aiming to be top-notch in addressing all relevant issues. Its atmosphere of grueling humor (from the voice of Venom) is the sitcom noises throughout the entirety of the film. Will Eddie dismiss this power he has inside of him? If so, how bonkers of the journey will they (Eddie and Venom) endure? It is the many surprises that do not hold Venom: The Last Dance back from having surreal aspects (despite its goofiness).

The force intended for evil is portrayed as finding good in Venom: The Last Dance. It will take a lot of patience for Eddie to handle his final descent with Venom connected to him. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I give Venom: The Last Dance three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Marvels Review

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My anticipation for The Marvels was so-so, and it didn’t even meet up to those expectations. The introduction is a blur, the film jumps right into the conflicts, and it makes the Marvel cinematic universe feel not so much like part of a movie series, but more like a television series. The introductions and approaches in previous films in the franchise were so much more inviting. The heroes in this installment are also redundant, and there are unexplained universe entanglements. Overall it is one of the most lacking films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far.

The plot of The Marvels links back to Carol Danvers a/k/a Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson). The universe is in a flux and her powers hit a halt because her powers get mixed with two other ladies, Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau (played by Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris). This mixup presents a serious challenge and danger to Carol in her mode as Captain Marvel. With no time to find strategies to mend the powers, the three ladies must work to be heroes together. Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is also back to assist.

I will give the film credit for how the three ladies interact. Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau have brighter minds and a better sense of how to handle danger, while Kamala is still learning the ropes. The annoyance and frustration among the three could be entertaining and enjoyable at times. But it didn’t make up for the off base and out of focus writing, and the plot of the film unfolding too fast. It is one of the most rushed films I have seen in the Marvel film series. Character development is critical for a Marvel film to be strong. It also requires careful linking back to the previous Marvel films. This film was weak on both accounts.

The plus side of The Marvels is that the film is only an hour and forty-five minutes long—one of the shortest Marvel movies in a long time. It was a relief on some level with how short it was, because the ridiculousness of the film could be hard to bear.

The universe being impacted as the focus of yet another Marvel film storyline is possibly the central problem of The Marvels. They writers really need to come up with some different premises at some point. I’m sure the madness of the COVID pandemic, with the shifting of projects, didn’t help the creative process.

What is next after The Marvels? Who is the new hero will have a following? Where will the universe go? I just hope there is a trend of a storyline that can be found later in the franchise that is not so rushed and quirky like The Marvels. Two out of four stars for The Marvels.

Film reviews

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Review

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It’s been six years since the last Guardians of the Galaxy film. The newest version, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, has tones of melancholy and fantasy. But it still has the superhero vibe and the classy tunes that make the film a positive experience.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Chris Pratt is back as Peter Quill, Dave Bautista is back as Drax, Vin Diesel is back as Groot, Bradley Cooper is back as Rocket, and Karen Gillan returns as Nebula. All are back for a mission that somewhat lacks the excitement we expect in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film seems to have shallow character introductions and a lack of continuity for most of the first half. The film also has almost a Star Trek setting. The film did move up a couple of levels with the visuals and CGI, though.

The plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3picks up with Quill finding himself at a loss after the death of Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana). The film goes in much the same direction as recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films. The team still has their tough attitude and their big egos, and they still deliver the humor and joyful superhero galore that fans love. When Rocket is kidnapped by Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter) and an emperor enemy who goes by the name The High Evolutionary (played by Chukwudi Iwuji), Quill is on a mission to get Rocket back. This journey leads to bizarre places in outer space, with many twists and surprises. But the melancholy runs throughout the film.

Though not as stellar as previous films in the franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3does show that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is reaching a serious phase again, and that it’s back on track with projects about to be released and in development. There are many surprises in the film, and fans will have fun trying to put together the pieces to try to figure out what will come next. It just may be that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is taking the franchise in a whole different direction—toward bigger and better projects.

One of the issues with this film is that the enemies’ powers seem overrated. No spoilers, but I will say I was not very impressed with this aspect of the film. But of course subpar enemies mean more success for our heroes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And there is of course also a lot of the saying, “I am Groot,” the tagline of all the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Those three words always bring fun to the table and although they’re intended to be sarcastic, there wouldn’t be witty and fun entertainment without sarcasm in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

So will the team be able to save Rocket? Possibly, but they may take on more damage then planned. Are there any enemies or events linking to Gamora? Maybe. Is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 an amazing ride? No, but it still carries many of the gems that fans of the franchise will appreciate. Three stars for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.