Tag Archives: Sci-Fi

Film reviews

Predator: Badlands Review

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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.

Film reviews

Monolith Review

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I love news stories and am fascinated by the way true stories aretold. Monolith spoke to me because it is both enticing and mind-boggling. Directed by Matt Vesely, this film is unique due to the way in which the characters feel empathy with the story they are researching. The writing is strong and stays on point as it dives into cinematic aspects of realism and human emotions. Monolithis a sci-fi thriller that keeps its audience thinking through thethrills of finding answers and making connections. Monolith speaks the universal language of finding the right pieces to solve a puzzle. The movie showcases how invigorating the work of a journalist can be.

Monolith focuses on The Interviewer played by Lily Sullivan. She is an investigative reporter with a podcast that is titled Beyond Believable which covers crime stories and mysteries. The Interviewer is just getting over some turmoil based on disputes at a previous outlet. She is finding new direction and a new audience when she comes across a story that will change her world forever.

The story involves bricks which are artifacts that have meaningful symbols. The bricks have fallen into the hands of a few individuals who have had past experiences which create an attention-grabbing story for The Interviewer. Sullivan’s role as a reporter is quite keen as she deeply investigates the brick artifacts. Living in her solitary home in the mountains, the revelations about the bricks become her story.

The film’s writing demonstrates that her reporting is no joke. The Interviewer speaks to Floramae (played by Ling Cooper Tang), Klaus (played by Terence Crawford), and Laura (played by Kate Box). They describe how the bricks made them feel powerful and that there have been weird psychological outcomes when the bricks were around them. The process of putting together the pieces is where Monolith shifts gears from serious to surprising. The revelations in the story cause it to blow up and increase the following of the podcast as the number of listeners and comments skyrocket. “I want to expose the truth,” accurately describes Monolith as an investigative thriller where a theory is deeply explored to find meaning.

Monolith is audacious in the way the story goes back to afoundation that is at times overwhelming, descriptive, and theoretical. The power of the artifacts brings darkness to the life of The Interviewer. She is the soul focus because the film is justshows her while everyone she talks to is on the phone. As the truths are unveiled, the safety and anxiety of The Interviewer becomes questionable. Is her research making her the next target? Is someone who has had the artifact targeting her? Does someone wish for negative consequences to impact her?Monolith is a true thriller where there is no turning back.

The film is a reporting story that I found spellbinding. The clues and theories in Monolith lead to a harrowing twist. There is an unexpected revelation in the film that makes the audience shake. My curiosity was piqued with all the interesting evidence revealed—the artifacts, the stories, and the puzzle astonished me. One artifact leads to multiple meanings in Monolith. What is the outcome? Is there a risk or other hidden factors? Is there more to the story? Find out in Monolith. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.