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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Best Mad Max so far
Yeah, I've said it.
The classic ones were amazing.
Fury Road was and still is one of the best blockbusters of the previous decade.
Furiosa takes what Fury Road was and makes it even better. Visuals are still stunning. Road fights are even funnier, longer and more original than the Fury Road ones.
The world building is amazing- we get to see the same one than the previous movie but, this time, we have the chance to see and enjoy a couple of cities that were only mentioned before.
Now, besides comparisons- Furiosa is an epic standalone movie. You don't need to watch any other movie to understand it- the ending even connects you directly with the sequel, Fury Road.
And the cast! Chris Hemsworth does an incredible job as the villain. You can see the fun he's having playing him! And there's nothing that will remind you of Thor which is amazing.
Hands down to Anya as Furiosa though. She does make the character her own. She's outstanding as the centre of the story even when she doesn't have many lines- but her eyes, my God. How do the speak.
Go watch it. This is that kind of action packed "you should watch this on the big screen" kind of movie.
National Treasure: Edge of History: Charlotte (2022)
Waste of Riley?
I'm liking NT Edge of History, I keep saying that. This episode brought back Riley Poole and it was pretty cool and all to see him interact with the main group and try to solve the clues in the funny almost-yet-not-entirely useless way he used to.
But... IDK, it seems a waste of talent to bring back one of the beloved main characters of the movies just to play a rushed "let's find three numbers" Escape Room game. Yeah, the plot moves on regarding the clues that point to the main treasure the young heroes should find. Yes, Riley is still fun and charming. But besides the riddle-solving of the week and the "I'm pretty sure it's not him if you're making it look that obvious" cliffhanger by the end, this felt like one of those "you could have done this in 10 minutes" filling episode.
National Treasure: Edge of History: Graceland Gambit (2022)
Still interesting
The main storyline keeps you interested, the rhythm is following a decent pace so you won't get bored, and Jess is definitely a greatly built character. Also it's fun and somehow original how the Elvis world was brought into the plot in a kind of twisted way. The singing moment was fun nevertheless.
There are some worrying issues that have been growing alongside the series that make the whole pack a bit difficult to buy sometimes.
For example, how do they younglings keep knowing everything about everything historically speaking? How can a young influencer suddenly become the best hacker ever? Stuff like that.
Anyway, I'm still on board. I'm liking the series in many ways so far. And I'm never ever skipping that amazing intro sequence.
National Treasure: Edge of History: The Treasure Map (2022)
Going in the right direction
The second episode begins right where the first one left us. The story is building itself, the characters are more interesting now, and I'm even starting to like Liam who, until now, looked like a sad melodramatic grandchild who is sad and mad to anyone.
Yeah, Ben Gates is not here, but I'm actually starting to see the National Treasure spirit behind the whole atmosphere. And now we have to wait one week to see how this is moving forward.
During the first episode I didn't find that interesting that the plot decided to go around Peter Sadusky as the comeback from the movies (he never was the most interesting character), but the way the story goes around the Freemasons, who were named and relevant during the movies but we never got such a backstory or a focus on them more than "they are the people who made the clues to hide the treasure", seems pretty clever. So I'm buying it. This show is definitely having my attention, can't wait for next Wednesday!
Oh. Have I mentioned that the intro sequence and music is fantastic?
National Treasure: Edge of History: I'm a Ghost (2022)
Decent start
Yeah, Nicolas Cage is not here (at least not for know, who knows if there'll be a cameo or not). And yeah, if I were to change the identity of the person who gave Jess the first clue as well as the soundtrack, this (at least for now) could be titled anything else but National Treasure, and maybe then I wouldn't have watched it. You never know.
But it is titled after the National Treasure name, it comes with a light edition of the known soundtrack and it does bring that character back. So what?
I'm not gonna give a full series review until the season is finished (idk how people can rate a show based on 2 episodes), but the pilot is pretty decent. It has some weak points (where are Jess' tremendous knowledge and puzzle-solving habilities coming from besides genetics being less more than a teenager herself? How convenient it is that she works for the place where all that stuff is hidden and that she happens to randomly see one particular item just before almost throwing it away? How did she know the place in the picture so easily if it's that exclusive and hard to walk in? Just to name a few).
Still... We'll see how the story goes, so far so good. The main plot seem as interesting as a classic "run against the villain to find all the artifacts in order to find the treasure" formula and, I gotta say it, Zeta-Jones looks surprisingly good in the evil side of the tale.
We'll see how this goes.
Wednesday (2022)
Is it THAT great?
I agree to disagree.
Don't get me wrong, there are many things done amazingly in the 'Wednesday' series and the Wednesday character is the greatest one. Jenna does a brilliant performance of the Addams daughter in every way I can think of, and she knows how to give her many layers without losing her way.
Also the atmosphere, the Nevermore Academy environment, the photography, the effects, the way the world was created is fantastic.
And what about Thing? Thing steals the show alongside Wednesday. Period.
However, here are my reasons of why, and despite that, I don't believe it's as fantastic as a TV series as I've been hearing around:
1. The Addams family. Wednesday (and maybe uncle fester) is the only one I really see. Zeta-Jones as Morticia is nice regarding make-up, but I don't feel the character as I used to in previous movies. Luis Guzmán doesn't make Gomez for me, Idk. And I don't see the fatty inocent Pugsley in any way.
2. Enid is a nice character, but it seems kind of... Exagerated? Maybe it's something they did on purpouse to make it clear she's as opposite to Wednesday as she can be, but still. Too much.
3. The main plot has so many problems. The way the story is connected to the Addams family is the most interesting part of it, but how it's solved, how it's rushed at the end around the Crackstone and the Gates... It doesn't work that much.
4. It was too predictable to know who the Monster was, and it was also too obvious how the show was trying to focus the attention and the clues in a different direction. Just saying.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
More adventure, more Gates, more fun, not THAT great
They've done it again.
A twist around American history, the importance of the Gates legacy, the hidden clues, the "sneaking into somewhere really important nobody should ever be", the "stealing/kidnapping something/someone you should NEVER put your hands on" thing... The formula is pretty similar to the one used in the first movie, and it works. It may not have the whole magical adventurous feeling of the first one, it may re-use some stuff in a pretty unnecessary way... But still works. It's still pretty fun and entertaining. It's still a great 'National Treasure' story.
As the greatest bad point, I still don't understand why they always have to come with the "boy and girl get together in the first movie so they've obviously broken up by the time the second one begins' thing. But still, it works pretty easily and they handle it nicely.
Oh, and we have Ed Harris now as the main antagonist. What about that.
National Treasure (2004)
A classic already
I'm rewatching both 'National Treasure' movies now before the release of the newest Disney+ series 'Edge of History'... And what can I say? I love this one. It may not be perfect. It may sometimes have the "clue after clue is a bit tiring" feeling (not that I feel that way, but I've heard people complaining about that).
But 'National Treasure' is far from boring. It's entertaining, it's fun, it's interesting, it dives in an interesting and different way in some aspects of the US history, it gives us attractive and deep characters...
There's just something about his kind of action-adventure-treasure hunt gendre that makes me love it beyond expectations, and 'National Treasure' is, indeed, one of my true favs under that flag.
Oh, and that OST. One can't just avoid that terrific OST.
Thank you, Ben, Abigail and Riley. What a ride.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Where are you going, Marvel?
There used to be a time when I went to see every new MCU movie on release date. I was excited about it, I was generally really into it all the way through, I was one of those staying every single time until the end of the credits just in case and calling a "boo" to those leaving earlier like "are they new to Marvel? You can't just leave yet, you don't know what's coming!"
There was excitement. There was a plan. There was a goal. There was a Thanos slowly bulding himself in the background.
I'm not sure where Marvel is going after Endgame. They keep talking about "we'll start seeing the new plan soon", but for now I see "meh" movies except maybe "Spider-Man: No Way Home". Then came "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", which was not that multiversal neither that crazy. It was just okay.
And now we have Watiti leading a Thor story for the second time... And not as great this time.
I don't know where Marvel is going with this, but as a standalone movie, I don't see its potential either. There's no drama even during the dramatic moments because they spent too much dialogue on the jokes, and most of them don't work. The Jane situation, the Mjolnir-Stormbreaker jealous mumbo jumbo... Even the other Gods, ironically specially Zeus, feel like a joke. How come Thor, Jane and Valkirie are the only three people in the entire universe giving a heck about a guy literally killing all the Gods and looking for a way to kill them all at once?
The plot felt also... I don't know. Imagine your daughter dies, you go to your beloved god to ask him for mercy and to bring her back and he basically jokes at your face. You know there's an entity you can find that can give you one wish, whatever the heck you want. So what do you do? Instead of looking for It and ask for your daughter back, you decide that all gods in the world are the same, they all deserve to die, you'll kill them all and you'll take that One and Only Wish to ask for them to die at once.
That also brings many questions that could shake the foundations of the whole Infinity saga. If there's this known entity that can grant you one wish, whatever in the world you want, why would Thanos spend so many years looking for the Infinity Stones instead of just finding Eternity and ask him to erase half the universe?
Or, if the Asgardians know about this entity, why didn't Thor just go for it instead of all those five years of drama, all the time trip mumbo-jumbo, all the sacrifices made? If he was so desperate and self-destroyed about what happened with Thanos in Wakanda it feels a bit weird he didn't even thing about that possibility.
I don't know. Bale was amazing as the God Butcher, even when his character ended up being such a generic I-want-my-vengeance-and-you-all-are-gonna-die villain. Thor-Jane was a nice thing to see, even when due to all the jokes and forced lines I wasn't able to feel the drama under her situation.
What can I say? Right now I'm not quite sure "Thor: The Dark World" is the worst Thor movie.
The Lost City (2022)
It does the job
What can you expect from a comedy-romantic movie that also works as a parody of the classic family friendly adventure-in-the-jungle story? Precisely what 'The Lost City' gives you.
Well, maybe it's not that romantic. And maybe there are too many/absurd/easy jokes even during dramatic or tense situations. But again, it does the job. You go to the cinema, you enjoy your popcorn, you laugh a few times while actually caring for this or that character, the lights turn on again and you won't probably remember this movie that much once you've left.
That's how this kind of movie works; it probably won't be a personal favorite to most people and may become one of those... "Oh, yeah, there was a movie about Bullock in the jungle wearing those exagerated purple shiny clothes... How was it called? The Lost Jungle or something, yeah, yeah. It was fun. And there was a blond guy that was hot".
Sometimes you don't need anything else than an easy movie to spend some time, have fun and disconnect from life for a couple of hours without thinking too much. If that's what you're looking for, this is your kind of movie.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)
Mads wins
It's better than Crimes of Grindelwald, that's for sure. That wasn't hard also. I still don't think this new Wizarding World saga has found its place to shine. The first one did have that magic feeling the other two are somehow lacking; I don't find myself seeing or enjoying the magical and stunning world the HP movies gave me.
It has some nice things anyway. Visuals are overwhelming. Imagine the HP movies with this special effects? Oh wow.
The story feels better and less messy than in the previous movie, but then again it doesn't feel that interesting and it makes you wonder where that "supreme leader of the Wizarding World" figure has been the whole time.
What about Grindelwald? What's happened to him feels good and bad for me at the same time. Good, because I like Mads more. Depp is a great actor, but I feel Mads capture a bigger "I'm the bad guy and the screen is mine" feeling. I believe him more. Bad, because I don't see a glimpse of Depp's Grindelwald in him in any way other than his ideals, so it looks more like a completely different character than a character that switched actors.
About Jacob and Queenie... I won't spoil anything, I'll just say their story feels rushed for the amount of screentime they actually get to share.
The best thing I can tell about this movie (in which Dumbledore steals the show from Newt, whose best part is a comedy act with the manticores) is that I can see Jude Law as Dumbledore more than ever, way more than during Crimes of Grindelwald. I'm loving how the movie actually connects his story with the unfinished business we found in the last HP movies.
So basically Secrets of Dumbledore is entertaining, but it's not perfect and it doesn't feel magical. It just has a lot of this "I'm the movie in the middle of the saga" issue, and you can specially feel that in the visually stunning but horribly short final duel before the bittersweet conclusion.
The Batman (2022)
Bruce who?
I'm giving it a 5/10 just because I believe it's a decent movie and a decent storyline. The tone is dark, the action when it happens it's intense, the tension is there... You can feel the noir and the thriller all the way through.
I went with high expectations due to the amazing reviews I was reading before entering the cinema. However there are a few reasons why I don't consider it that great whatsoever:
1. It's long and slow. This wouldn't need to be a problem, I've seen many long slow-paced movies and TV series. The problem comes when you actually feel how long it is, hence it can turn out feeling boring sometimes.
2. Yes, it's true that this is probably the most detective-like live-action Batman we've ever seen. However and besides the use of some gadgets from time to time I don't have a Batman feeling, he just shows up wearing the suit and beating people up or walks through the main door to check something.
3. I'm not saying Pattinson does a bad acting job, because he doesn't. But there's NOTHING in his role that makes me think of Bruce Wayne in any way other than the fact that that's how people refers to him in the movie. If someone would have told me he has a different name I'd believed it, because I don't see the Wayne identity in him. And I see this problem in every I-should-know-you character. Alfred is a sad old man without a nice Brittish accent or a nice I-make-fun-of-Bruce sense of humor. Selina just feels like Catwoman when she's throwing a kick or scratching someone.
I don't know. I'm glad so many people loved it and enjoyed it, but this is not my type of Batman.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man: Endgame
Yeah, maybe a 10 is a fanboy rate. I am a Spider-Man fanboy, 100%. But you know, I was over hyped and this movie went beyond my expectations. I laughed, I cried, the entire room clapped at many specific moments...
Let's put this straight. The trilogy of Raimi brought the Spider-Man I liked the most until Spider-Man 3 came out, and that was the big mistake in my opinion. TAS wasn't perfect but it was enjoyable. The second part was okay.
Holland? Well. I believe Homecoming and FFH are enjoyable but imperfect. Homecoming was born under the shadow of the Avengers. FFH was about becoming a better Aventer and leave the shadow of Iron Man. I didn't really see a strong Spider-Man feeling in those movies even though they're entertaining and Holland does a great character.
But NWH brings him as the Spider-Man he's supposed to be. He's definitely Spider-Man. He's definitely Peter. May is definitely aunt May beyond what you could imagine. Strange is cool but he doesn't steal the show like Stark did in the first one, and that's good because, you know, it's not his movie. But he does his job, oh yeah. He does it.
Oh, and the villains. This is, in my humble opinion, the first Spider-Man movie that doesn't screw up bringing many villains together- it's the opposite actually, it's amazing. You have to see it with your own eyes. This movie is everything any Spider-Man fan deserves, no matter your gender, nationality or toothpaste.
Oh, and wait until the very end. The mid-credits scene is good, but what's waiting for you at the end of the last credits is gonna blow your mind.
No Time to Die (2021)
No Time To Waste
As an average fan of 007 and a big fan of the Craig era I don't believe it's his best shot. Actually, in my humble opinion, the only trully entertaining part of the movie is the beginning, all this Italy packed action prologue before the 5 years jump.
It's long, and It feels long. It doesn't feel Bond. As an action movie it's okay, yet predictable. And as the Craig Era clousure the end of the story leaves you kind of cold once the credits begin to show. It's an ending, that's for sure. But it kind of throws you down with a "so that's it" feeling.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
It's okay
I'm a strong MCU fan and I'm one of those who enjoy almost everything out there. If there's a bad movie that's fun I'm gonna enjoy it anyway. And I've enjoyed Shang-Chi. And I've laughed, many times.
The problem is... I don't know. It doesn't really feel like a Marvel one to me, which doesn't need to be a bad thing but in this case, at least for me, it's not an advantage. It feels like an average Chinese "kung fu + over-fantastic-Asian-mithology" one. Gosh, they spend at least the first 10 to 15 minutes of the movie speaking Chinese. True, true, the trailer already sold us that style, but it's way further than what the trailer shows. I'm not a particular fan of that style of movies myself but I did give it a go because... Well, you know. It's Marvel. But it doesn't feel like Marvel, and I only believed that it is because of one small cameo in the middle of the movie, because of the last scene and because of the middle-credits one.
That's the thing. If Shang-Chi wasn't a Marvel one, I don't believe I'd seen it at all because, as I said, Chinese fantasy-kung fu movies are not my thing, so I guess that's on me.
But yeah. It was fun nevertheless.
Cruella (2021)
Emma vs Emma
Both Emmas are great in their roles, that's for sure. This movie has a great character compilation, it's fun to watch, it doesn't feel long at all... It's one of those movies I don't think I'd mind watching every once and then.
I guess its only problem is that the main character is no Cruella as it is, given that Thompson's feels way closer to that crazy woman we know from 101 Dalmatians. Besides that... Cheers to the movie!
The Suicide Squad (2021)
It deserves the article
"The Suicide Squad" is everything "Suicide Squad" wasn't. And that's all I need to say here (sorry Will Smith, alongside Margot you were one of the really few decent parts of that one).
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Fun enough
"Fun enough". Jungle Cruise follows the Pirates of the Caribbean "let's make a fantasy/adventure movie out of a Disneyland attraction" style and it does it decently, I'll give it that. It's fun, it's entertaining, it's original ish, and nobody can deny the strong chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.
It's not the most original movie in the world. Actually, it's kind of what you'd get if you take The Mummy (1999) and the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, throw the two in a blender a see what happens. It has resourceful things from both worlds and it's inevitable to think of them but, at the same time, it does it with its own style, and that's what works. So you get exactly what you were looking for: an entertaining enough summer adventure for the family, or that kind of movie you'd watch during a boring and rainy Sunday evening when you don't have any plans and don't wanna think too much, just press "Play", laugh and enjoy it.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)
It's okay... Ish
Yeah, it's okay. That's my main "super-short-review" for anyone who ask me about it. As a Marvel fan from the beginning (and a comic book reader way before the first Spider-Man movies) I'm not ashamed of considering myself a strong fan of mostly everything that the MCU brings to the big or the small screen and yes, I'm always going for it with excitement.
Some movies and TV series are better and some are worst. This one is average in my opinion. It's not thaaat bad, it has some nice action moments and some interesting character development, but there's no "wow" factor at any point during the 6 episodes of its first and only season. We all kind of saw coming many of the so called cliff-hangers and I guess the plot itself is the main antagonist of the show. It doesn't follow a clear line, it doesn't have a clear purpose. Even those sort of "bad guys" are not that bad and they're not treated as such.
It feels as some kind of "in between" two things so as entertaining as it is it doesn't really work strongly on its own. And it had the potential to do so, that's the sad part.
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (2021)
Not that bad, not that good
Okay, I have to say it. I've enjoyed the movie... Basically because it is, indeed, entertaining, it has an action-packed duration and an interesting script regarding Vesemir, Tetra & co. And we get to see some nice cameos from the books and games we like. The animation was, overall, pretty good, which is something truly important if you want to come with an animated movie happening in an epic universe.
However...
1. Monster design. I'm not a huge fan of what they did to them.
2. As many people said that's not how the Kaer Morhen incident happened. It wasn't supposed to be the Witcher's fault.
3. Witchers are so buffed in this movie compared to how they actually are, I guess it's what happens when you go into the anime-style.
Those are just details I can't forget. If you're doing a movie in the Witcher universe, and you're using characters, creatures and events people who's into that know about, that's something you should respect and then use your imagination for other things that we don't know about. That's how the "expanding the universe" mambo jumbo works.
Baywatch (2017)
Have you ever rated 1 a drama because it wasn't fun?
Okay, I don't think this movie deserved an 8, but it's not a 5 either. It's stupidly fun, it's entertaining, and that's its entire purpose. You don't go watch The Avengers looking for a Shakespearian script. You don't go watch 007 looking for a kids movie. You don't go watch a horror movie looking for a relaxed moment. See my point? People need to learn how to review a movie for what it is. And this is an easy summer comedy to laugh about with your friends and some beers. And gosh, did we laugh.
Free Guy (2021)
This is why we go to the cinema
I'm so glad I've spent muy money on this one. I'm a Reynolds fanboy and I'm not afraid of saying so and hell, does he not disappoint me at all in this one. Free Guy is pure dinamite. Okay, you need to like video games, or at least be able to enjoy something strongly related to them, in order to have fun with it. But just sit down, relax and watch it. This is visual porn. This is a movie worth watching in a huge screen (I already know it won't be the same to see it on my TV at home). It's visually STUNNING, guys. The CGI is so-so-good. You really believe how the world is build. And it's a lot of SE.
The cast is also amazing to say the least specially when it comes to the Reynolds-Comer tandem (Am I the only one who thinks of DMC3 "Lady" character when I see her in the movie?). They have so much chemistry together! And you know. As predictable as the main plot can be... It's honestly like playing a video game you already know how it's gonna end but you know you'll truly enjoy the journey. And I never thought a movie would make me care so much about NPCs. Lmao.
Maybe my least fav part was Taika Waititi. I usually enjoy a lot his films as a director and I don't dislike his many late cameos on some movies. But here... Idk. His villainous Antwan feels... "Over exaggerated" maybe? But that's not killing anything in the movie anyway. And it's a really, really enjoyable one. If you haven't gone seen it yet I don't know what you're waiting for.