anywaychannel Reviews

Battle Creek Brawl (1980)

A under rated classic

[9/10 · 26 December 2023]

The Big Brawl(1980) or Battle Creek Brawl as some call is a fun and thrilling martial arts movie.

It was made by the same people who made Enter The Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978) and it stars Jackie Chan in his 1st American movie in an attempt to repeat the success of the former 2 movies particularly Enter The Dragon. Does it?

Well it's like comparing apples and oranges.

Enter the Dragon is more a spy/action adventure movie while Battle Creek Brawl is more of a comedy/action adventure movie. There both good it just really depends on what you like.

I will say Battle Creek Brawl (1980) is a really fun movie. It's paced well, the music is really good, and the plot/character's are really good which I'll admit is really hard to find when it comes to these kung fu movies.

I just really like the character's, there so much fun and easy to understand. The movie also looks great as well being more of a period piece move rather then taking place in modern day.. The fight scenes with Jackie Chan are as expected really good to and very creative. As it has all the stuff you would expect from him including using slapstick/objects as weapons and it also really shows off his stunt work as well which is impressive. We even see him pull off some impressive kicks and punches kind of like Bruce Lee.

In fact Jackie Chan himself should really stopped being compared to Bruce Lee or his work because while both are similar, the 2 are really talented on there own and should be admired as such.

Same thing with Battle Creek Brawl (1980).

Like I said it's a really fun movie with tons of creative fight scenes, a heart warming story/character's and a visually impressive one at that with a killer soundtrack.

It's a underrated classic that unfortunately gets buried under Jackie's more successful movies and Enter the Dragon (1973).

Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (1989)

The 1st dragon Ball z movie and not a bad one to start off with.

[7/10 · 9 July 2023]

The 1st Dragon Ball Z movie and not a bad one to start off with.

Dragon Ball Z Dead Zone centers around the villain Garlic junior, a villainous monster who plans to get revenge on Kami the guardian of the earth by gathering up the dragon balls and wishing for immortality.

Through this process his minions not only defeat Piccolo the second strongest fighter in the world and also kidnap Gohan who is the son of Goku.

Goku the earth's protector must now team up with piccolo to get his son back and stop Garlic Junior.

Now something you have to understand about the Dragon Ball Z movies is that they are non canon meaning they don't line up with the main show (which is Dragon Ball Z) very well.

As such they are pointless but still entertaining and usually contain great villains and action.

All of this applies toward this movie as not only is it entertaining and has great fight choreography in the action scenes but it also in a rare occurrence actually tries to take place in the main timeline as it pretty much hints it takes place between the original Dragon Ball series and Dragon ball Z.

It still doesn't succeed in that though. Mostly because at the start of the show Dragon Ball Z characters like Krillen, Master Roshi and Bulma meet Gohan (Goku's son) for the 1st time while in this movie (which is supposed to take place before the show) they meet him or at least are aware of him here.

Still it was nice that they at least tried.

As for the movie itself like I said it is still entertaining as is the main villain Garlic Jr but besides the cool fight scenes there's not much to it.

Mostly because a lot of these movies are really short, being between 40 to 60 minutes meaning they have to have really simple plots which pretty much end just as they get started.

Still they are fun to pick up and watch as is Dead Zone.

Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel is a action packed yet flawed Superman movie

[7/10 · 9 July 2023]

Man of Steel is a action packed yet flawed Superman movie.

Man of Steel centers around Clark Kent who is an alien sent to earth as a baby by his father Jor El after his home planet Krypton explodes.

Clark spends most of his time in hiding until General Zod, a prisoned kryptonian criminal comes to earth looking for him as Zod plans to turn earth into Krypton using a world engine.

Clark must now stop Zod from terraforming the earth as Superman.

When I heard they were doing a reboot of the Superman franchise it didn't really shock me.

Mostly because the last few Superman movies weren't exactly a whole lot to write home about with Superman 4 (1987) being a disaster due to its low budget and the underwhelming Superman Returns (2006) which wasn't bad but not exactly really exciting either.

Man of Steel however manages to be a more actioned pack but also a little more dreary.

The movie starts off on Krypton where we see the typical events of Joe El sending Kal El aka Superman to earth but they add a little more to make it more exciting. Like having there being a war while the planet was getting ready to explode and having Jor El actually fighting General Zod which I liked.

I will admit there is a little too much going on in it though because not only is there a war happening but also they have other things happening like them explaining that Kal El is the last natural Kryptonian birth and him having something called the codex embedded into him.

Which I guess is also interesting but because you can tell they're trying to rush through the Krypton scenes so we can get to the main earth scenes it feels a little rushed.

In fact the whole 1st act where they tried to tell Superman's origin again is kind of all over the place because after the krypton scenes they cut to Kal El (now Clark Kent) as a adult which was kind of weird as I was expecting them to go over all the stuff that happens to him in as a kid/teenager in a cohesive straight forward story but instead they just randomly flashback to his childhood every so often which was really distracting.

Thankfully as soon as we get to the 2nd act they stop doing that and the movie straight up just becomes an action movie with Superman fighting the kryptonians which was much better.

In fact all the action in this movie is amazing. A huge improvement over Superman Returns (2006), a movie that definitely lacked that.

I will admit though the characters and plot fall a little flat at times.

I don't know if it's because the 1st act of the movie was kind of all over the place but all the characters in the movie feel a standard.

Like they're not bad or anything just okay.

Mostly because there's not a whole lot of sense of joy or fun in this movie save for a couple of scenes which I guess makes sense considering the plot but it also makes the movie feel a bit lacking too.

The camera work in this movie is also terrible with a lot of shaky cam which I'm not a big fan of. I mean the camera even shakes when there just talking and it's really distracting/annoying.

Still though this movie is a lot more entertaining than Superman Returns (2006) due to all the action and I can see why it has its fans.

I just wish the movie was better constructed (Especially in the 1st act) and the characters were a little more upbeat.

Superman Returns (2006)

Superman Returns is a good movie but also a underwhelming one.

[6/10 · 9 July 2023]

Superman Returns is a good movie but also a underwhelming one.

The movie centers around Superman coming back to earth after being gone for 5 years due to him leaving to see the remains of his home planet Krypton.

When he arrives back on earth he is welcomed back by everyone except Lois Lane who has since formed a family in his absence including having a son and a boyfriend named Richard.

Meanwhile Lex Luthor (after inheriting a massive fortune) plans on using the crystals he found in the fortress of solitude to form his own island made out of kryptonite in yet another real estate scheme.

So of course the plot of this movie sounds interesting and what's even more interesting is that this movie apparently takes place after Superman (1978) and Superman 2 (1980) as it ignores Superman 3 and 4 understandably.

Since Superman Returns was made in 2006 this of course means we now have a new cast playing the title characters and for the most part they do a good job.

They don't really act like the characters from the original 2 movies if you want me to be honest though.

I assume that's because in universe this movie takes place 5 years after the events of the 1st 2 movies so I guess the characters have understandably changed.

The only thing that's really distracting in my opinion in terms of hooking Returns up with the other 2 movies is the time period.

Since 1 and 2 were made in the late 70s/80s that meant those movies obviously take place in that decade. However since Returns was made in 2006 well Returns takes place in the early 2000s complete with flip phones which is a little distracting.

The movie in itself though is a bit of a mixed bag.

I think the 1st half of this movie is pretty good to be honest.

The idea of Superman coming back after 5 years and Lois having a family while he's gone is a good set up but then as soon as Lex Luthor's weird island plan comes into play in the 2nd half that's when everything comes to a screeching halt.

In fact I'll say this, the movie's pacing is extremely slow and underwhelming. It literally takes forever for anything substantial to happen.

The plot of this movie seems to be tailored for a run time of an hour and 30 minutes but for some reason they tried to stretch it out for 2 hours and 30 minutes which is crazy.

It doesn't help that there isn't much of/if any action in this movie.

I mean it starts off strong in the beginning when we see Superman save a plane falling out of the sky which was pretty cool but after that the action either takes too long to get to and when it does happen it honestly feels a little underwhelming.

In fact that's how I would describe this movie. It's underwhelming. Not bad but underwhelming and a little too long for my taste.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980)

The Richard Donner cut is an unfinished movie that is more like a special feature

[7/10 · 8 July 2023]

Superman 2 the Richard Donner cut is an unfinished movie that appears to be more of a special feature then an actual concrete movie despite what some might say.

This movie/cut of Superman 2 came about due to the infamous behind the scenes drama of the original Superman 2 (1980).

Originally Richard Donner (who directed the 1st Superman movie) was going to direct the 2nd one as well and even shot a lot of scenes for 2 while he was still making the 1st one.

However due to rising tensions between Donner and the producers he was let go and replaced by Richard Lester who proceeded to finish the movie using some of Donner's scenes while shooting his own which were re-written to some extent. Despite this Superman 2 (1980) ended up being very good and one of the best superhero sequels ever.

Still fans wanted to see what Richard Donned would have done if he had stayed on the project so as a result in 2006 we got the Richard Donner cut.

Now the plot of the Richard Donner cut is essentially the same as the original Superman 2 released in 1980 except there are some differences here and there.

For example in the original Superman 2 the movie opens with Superman saving Lois in Paris from terrorists who are about to set off a hydrogen bomb. Superman throws the bomb into space where it explodes and accidently releases Zod and his cronies from the phantom zone which they were imprisoned in by Superman's father Jor El.

In the Richard Donner cut however we see it is the missile that Superman launches into Space in the 1st movie that sets Zod and co. Loose.

The movie has several alterations like this in the 1st act and the 3rd act which while varying in quality it is still interesting nonetheless.

By the time we get to the 2nd act though where Clark Kent aka Superman and Lois Lane go to Niagara falls and Zod attacks earth that's when the movie really starts to falter.

This is because Donner only shot about 50% of Superman 2 due him being let go before he could finish it so as a result he uses little snippets of footage Lester had shot for his version as well as even screen tests which weren't made to be seen in any capacity to finish the film. You see why this doesn't work right?

I mean I'd be okay with him using the Lester footage since those were actually completed but like I said he only uses snippets if it. So for example let's say a scene in the original Superman 2 (1980) was 2 minutes long, well Donner only uses 30 seconds of it making it appear really rushed. Especially the romance of Superman and Lois.

In the original Superman 2 (1980) Lester shot the relationship between Lois and Superman in well fleshed out and developed scenes meanwhile in the Donner cut it's very rushed and feels under developed since again he only uses snippets of what Lester had shot as well as screen tests.

Which to me is maddening since he could have just used whatever Lester had shot to mitigate that problem.

Like I said there are even times where he uses screen tests to fill in the holes which again are unfinished and barely expectable.

It also doesn't help that all the stuff in the Lester cut was just better than any of the stuff Donner had shot in my opinion.

For example the Paris scene at the start of the original Superman 2 (1980) was a far better opening for the movie vs the missile recap we got in the Donner cut not helping that because this cut was made in 2006 and had a small budget they used really bad cgi to complete the missile scene which looks awful. In fact they even uses stand ins for Christopher Reeve and Margo Kidder at certain points which of course is very distracting.

Due to the unfinished nature of this movie they even re-use the ending of the original Superman (1978) to complete this movie which is completely stupid and makes no sense.

There are literally only 2 good things in this cut.

1. The Marlon Brando scenes which were cut from the original 2nd movie were put back in this cut and are pretty good. The only reason they didnt use any of the Marlon Brando scenes in the original cut was because the producers didn't want to pay Brando again.

2. The fight in Metropolis in the Donner cut is also better then the original cut as it not only has better action but it also cuts out any of the original slapstick humor Lester put in for some reason.

Besides those 2 things however the original Superman 2 (1980) cut by Richard Lester is much better and more worth your time.

Only watch the Donner cut after watching the original cut.

Supergirl (1984)

Supergirl is a movie with a good budget but a bad script

[3/10 · 8 July 2023]

Supergirl is a movie with a good budget but a bad script.

The movie centers around Kara El who is Superman's cousin who must travel to earth in order to find the omega haedron which is her home planets main source of power. When she gets to earth she discovers it has fallen into the wrong hands as an evil witch named Selena (played by Fay Dunaway) finds it and plots to take over the world with it.

This seems like a basic premise but literally nothing in the script is ever explained and I'm not going to lie things just kind of happen in the movie.

For example the movie starts off in Argo city which apparently is a piece of Krypton that got saved from it's destruction. How and why this is possible I don't know. The movie barely explains it, as it kind of expects you to just know this kind of stuff.

Same thing with the main plot on earth. Supergirl has to go to earth in order to find the omega haedron or else her planet will literally die but for some reason she decides to enroll in some boarding school and take classes for no reason.

Even something as simple as her getting the Supergirl suit is never explained. Kara literally just has it on when she gets to earth with little to no explanation on how she gets it and why she's wearing it.

There's even a scene in the boarding school where she brings up that Clark Kent aka Superman is her cousin but how does she know this? She's never met Clark before since this is her 1st time on earth. It doesn't make any sense.

Apparently plot holes like this were made because Christopher Reeve was going to play a part in the movie as Superman but he backed out at the last second so last minute re-writes were made.

The villain Selena played by Faye Runaway is also horrible too. There's nothing interesting about her and she's pretty much just here to have a villian. She's not even from the comics.

Like Superman 3 and Superman 4 for some reason after the 1st 2 Superman movies they just stopped using the villains from the comics which once again makes no sense.

Literally the only good thing in this movie are the special effects which like the 1st 3 Superman movies are pretty good for their time especially in the flying sequences which are the only good parts of this movie.

Which is a shame because the budget is good and so are the actors but because the script makes no sense and is full of holes it tends to poison the whole movie.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

One of the worst Super hero Movies ever but it had potential

[4/10 · 7 July 2023]

Superman 4 is regarded as one of the worst Super Hero movies of all time and I can see why.

The plot of the movie revolves around Superman debating whether or not to intervene with the world as it is on the brink of going to war using nuclear arms.

Superman eventually does intervene and ends up sending all the nuclear arms into the sun. This ends up back firing however since Lex Luthor after breaking out of prison attaches Superman's DNA onto one of the missiles which mutates into Nuclear Man who has the same powers of Superman and more. Superman must now stop him as well as the world's impending self destruction.

Now to this movie's credit I do like the script of this movie better than Superman 3.

For starters I like the idea of Superman's inner struggle of whether or not to interfere with the ongoing tensions of war. I think it was an interesting idea even if it was a little too political.

I also liked all the new characters they introduced in this movie like Clark's new love interest Lacy Warfield who makes for some really funny scenes with Clark Kent. Christopher Reeves is also once again perfect Superman.

Gene Hackman is also back as Lex Luthor and once again does a great job. Not only is he really funny but he also has a new sidekick called Lenny who's also hilarious. I also like the idea of Luthor cloning Superman which was also an interesting idea.

Unfortunately everything else in the movie lets it down. Mostly because of the special effects which are horrible.

This was because unlike the 1st 3 Superman movies which all had a budget of 50 million dollars each, this movie Superman 4 had a budget of 17 million dollars and it shows.

The special effects in this movie just look awful and quite frankly unfinished.

In fact the whole movie in general just looks terrible with horrible camera angles and rushed action sequences no doubt caused by its poor budget.

The main villain Nuclear man is also a joke. Like I said the idea of cloning Superman was a good one but not only does he not look like Superman at all but he also looks ridiculous and ends up just roaring most of the time. He's more of a joke than a threat and he's not even from the comics.

Which makes no sense to me considering how many great rogues Superman has in the comics like Brainiac and Parasite. Why is it after Superman 2 they stopped using the villains from the comics?

So yeah this movie is terrible which again is a shame since it had a lot of good ideas. It's just a shame that this movie's slashed budget ruined everything.

As it stands this movie is an unpolished mess that should only be watched if you want a good laugh.

Superman III (1983)

Half of Superman 3 is good and the other half is.......

[5/10 · 7 July 2023]

Superman 3 is kind of like a double sided coin. One side being good and the other one being bad. Jekyll and Hyde if you will.

The plot of Superman 3 is essentially split into 2 parts.

The 1st part revolves around Superman going back to Smallville for his high school reunion where he catches up with his high school sweetheart Lana Lang. While there he is exposed to Kryptonite only this time instead of it making him weak, it instead turns him evil. All of this stuff is really good and what you would expect from a Superman movie.

On the other side of the coin however is the B plot which revolves around Richard Pyror who guest stars in this movie as Gus Gorman. A down on his luck computer clerk who gets tangled up with a greedy businessman who wants to get richer by taking over the world with computers.....you see why this part of the movie doesn't work right?

The 2nd part of this movie really isn't that good if you want me to be honest.

I mean I love Richard Pryor but he really isn't that funny in this movie. Mostly because he has nothing to work with due to the script.

Which is strange because you can tell just by the opening credits that this movies trying to be more like a comedy (if you can call it that) but no of the jokes really land and just feel really out of place.

The villains are awful to. Instead of using a Super villain from the comics like Braniac or Parasite, they instead chose to create a original villain called Ross Webster whose essentially just a watered down version of Luthor with little to no substance.

Which is insane considering how big of a rogue line up Superman has.

Literally the only other good thing in this movie is the action and specie leffects which are good for their time.

Especially the junkyard fight with the evil Superman. That scene is amazing and really demonstrates how great Christopher Reeves was as Superman.

Again all the stuff with Superman and Smallville is great. There everything you want and love from these movies.

It's the other half with Richard Pryor and the villains that's awful and unfortunately brings the movie down.

Superman II (1980)

One of the best Super Hero sequels ever!!!

[9/10 · 6 July 2023]

Superman II is not only one of the best Super Hero sequels of all time but also one of the best Super Hero movies.

The movie starts off on Krypton where we see the Kryptonien villains' General Zod, Ursula, and Non (who appeared very briefly in the last movie) are in imprisoned in the phantom zone and launched into space before Krpyton explodes.

We then get a recap of the 1st movie in this awesome music video style of opening credits accompanied by the iconic Joh Williams score which is still one of my favorite opening credit sequences to date.

We then see Superman save Lois lane in Paris from terrorist's who threaten to level Paris with a hydrogen bomb.

Superman of course saves the day and launches the bomb in space however it ends up freeing Zod and his cronies from the phantom zone as they proceed to attack earth since they have the same super powers as Superman. There also accompanied by Lex Luthor later on who once again is played by Gene Hackman.

Meanwhile Clark Kent and Lois Lane go to Niagara falls where Lois finds out Clark is Superman as the 2 engage in a romantic affair as Superman must decide whether or not he should give up his powers so he can be with her.

Like I said this movie does everything a sequel should do. It continues the story and ups the stakes not just with its story but character's as well.

The relationship with Superman and Lois is done really well and has a lot more layers to it then one would think.

It not only develops the character's but it really gives Christopher Reeve and Margo Kitter (who play the title character's) more things to do.

General Zod and his cronies are also a blast. General Zod played by Terrence Stamp is not only very threating but also entertaining as well. Gene Hackman like in the last movie is also still good as Lex Luthor even though he doesn't appear in it as much.

The special effects and action sequences are also good to but again like in the last movie are products' of there time and need to be treated as such.

The only problems I have with the movie is that there are certain points in the film where the humor goes a little off the handle and becomes a little silly.

This is because the movie was shot by 2 directors. The 1st director was Richard Donner who directed the 1st Superman movie. He had shot some of Superman 2 while he was making the 1st one but due to a conflict with the producers he was let go and they ended up getting another director named Richard Lester to finish it and while he does a good job for the most part there are a couple of scenes where his particular style clashes with the original director at certain points.

Besides that though the movie is still great and is easily my favorite out of the Superman movies. It's fun and actioned packed and well worth seeing.

Superman (1978)

The pioneer of super hero movies and probably the best

[10/10 · 6 July 2023]

Superman the movie while not the 1st super hero movie ever made, was definitely the 1st super hero movie done right and takes the source material seriously.

Everything about this movie is well crafted and done tastefully as it adapts the source materiel well and is made to a high quality standards from its story telling to it's effects which while dated still were very impressive in 1978.

The movie is essentially split up into 3 different parts.

The 1st act is in krypton where we see Jor El played by Marlon Brando send his only son Kal El to earth due to the planets impeding destruction. As you would expect Marlon Brando churns out a great performance and the dread of the planets destruction is handled well and convincing.

The 2nd act takes place in Kansas as we see a teenage Kal El now Clark Kent developing his powers with his earth parents before he heads north to make the fortress of solitude. Once again this act is handled well. The cinematography of the corn fields of Kansas looks stunning and is accompanied by John Williams score which is of course brilliant.

The 3rd act takes place in metropolis where we see Clark Kent (Played by Christopher Reeves) now a reporter at the daily planet reveal himself as Superman and comes across the more familiar comic book characters of Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and his arch nemesis Lex Luthor played by Gene Hackman who plans to pull the biggest real estate scheme of all time by blowing up California with missiles which builds to a exciting and emotional climax.

This act is once again handled well mostly due to Christopher reeves portrayal as Superman and Clark Kent as he not only does a good job creating difference's between the 2 identities but he also manages to add a lot of layers to the title character nobody's ever really seen before at least not at that time.

Gene Hackman is also great as Lex Luthor and is very funny.

The special effects are also very good but again are a product of there time and are on par with the original Star Wars movies. This was the movie that really made people believe man could fly and I can see why.

The only problems I have with the movie is that while it holds up pretty good for the most part it is a little dated in some parts (particularly in the 3rd act) and may come off as corny but since it still represents the comic book really well it doesn't really bother me.

It's also pretty long to as it clocks in at 2 and a half hours which I guess makes sense due to it having to tell the origin of Superman which as I said it does wonderfully and well worth a watch especially for Superman/Comic book fans.

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

A huge improvement over Death wish 3

[7/10 · 1 May 2023]

Death Wish 4 is about a architect named Paul Kersey who has settled down in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and her daughter. When the daughter is killed by drugs given to her by a huge crime origination however Paul sets out as the vigilante again to destroy the drug scene with a little outside help.

Going into Death Wish 4 I wasn't really expecting much considering how mediocre Death wish 3 was. I mean it wasn't horrible but it wasn't really good either.

To my shock though Death Wish 4 is not only better then 3 (which isn't really hard to do) but it was almost as good as 2. Mostly because it actually try's more then 3.

For example at the start of 4 we see Pauls new life with his girlfriend and her daughter. We can see he really cares about them and wants to start over. Almost like he got a new lease on life. That's why when the daughter is killed by the drug organization it makes you totally understand why he would go after them just like in 2. Far better then 3 where there's almost zero connection with him and the guy he's avenging.

The plots also a lot more complicated then that last one in fact all of them. I wont give them all away but there's a lot of twist and turns in the plot that really surprised me.

I mean its not the greatest writing ever but it certainly has more layers then 3 and it might even have more then the 1st 2 as well.

The only complaints I can think of is that the girlfriend kind of disappears in the middle half of the movie for some reason even though she kind of plays a big part in the 1st act. I mean she comes back later in the climax of the movie but you almost forget about her at that point.

The movie also feels a little to long in places as well.

Like I said there are a lot of plot twists in the movie and while I appreciate they put a lot more thought into the story this time around I do think some of the plot twists kind of feels a little to much at certain points.

Still though this movies miles better then 3 and while I still think 2 is the best one, 4 certainly comes close.

Death Wish 3 (1985)

A decline in quality but still enjoyable

[6/10 · 30 April 2023]

Death Wish 3 is about a architect named Paul Kersey who moves back to New York to see an old friend. His old friend however is murdered by gang violence that has affected the whole city. Aided by the police Paul must now clean the streets as the vigilante once again.

After seeing the last movie (Death Wish 2) I could not wait to see the 3rd movie. Mostly because of how good the 2nd one.

When I saw the 3rd one however I couldn't help but feel a downgrade in quality which happens in most sequels.

For starters the loved one that's killed this time around is a old war buddy. Someone Paul never mentioned before in the previous movies and we never see one scene with them together before his death making things between him and the gang feel less personnel which was always a driving force in the previous 2 movies.

All the other character's are also pretty one note and generic. No one besides Charles Bronson stands out really.

The only ones I can think of is the main villain who leads the gang who can be kind of entertaining and the police chief Paul works with whose kind of cool since he lets Paul be the vigilante. In fact I actually kind of wish there could of been more scenes with him and Paul honesty since they seemed to have a good comradery.

There's also a forced romance between him with this public defendant character. There's literally no chemistry between them and its so randomly thrown together. It barely has anything to do with the plot and you can clearly tell she was just added in to have a pretty face.

The only really good thing about this movie is the final shootout in the climax. Its awesome. Not only is it big and epic but its also massively entertaining and is the only thing people talk about when it comes to this movie and for good reason.

Its just a shame the rest of the movie couldn't of been like that.

Death Wish II (1982)

Death Wish is back and better then ever

[8/10 · 29 April 2023]

Death wish 2 is about Paul Kersey (Played by Charles Bronson) moving to California after giving up his vigilante ways in New York. When Paul's daughter is killed by muggers however he once again resumes his vigilante identity.

After watching the original Death wish movie I was a little un sure if I wanted to watch any of the sequels.

Mostly because while I liked the 1st movie I thought it was still pretty standard compared to other crime movies at the time like Dirty Harry.

Thankfully though the sequel Death Wish 2 blew everything out of the park.

Everything I felt that was lacking in the 1st movie was improved on and expanded in the sequel.

For example in the 1st movie the muggers kill Paul Kersey's wife and attack his daughter. You would think Paul would go after the muggers when he takes up being a vigilante but no he kills random muggers on the street which while more realistic feels a lot less satisfying.

In the second one not only does he go after the muggers that killed his loved one but he also does so in creative ways. In fact all the shoot em up scenes in the movie are far better in this movie.

The climax also a 100 times better as well and more personal.

There's also a nice romance in the movie with the love interest played by Charles Bronson's real life wife Jill Ireland. Its very fulfilling.

In fact that's the best way to describe Death Wish 2. Its very fulfilling.

Everything from the 1st movie that was lacking is back and improved upon making for a very fun and fulfilling action movie.

Death Wish (1974)

A solid crime flick

[7/10 · 28 April 2023]

Death wish is a movie about a guy named Paul kersey who becomes a vigilante after his wife and daughter are attacked by muggers. His wife is killed but the daughter survives and is catatonic.

When I saw the trailer for this movie I thought I was in for a real emotional/thriller of a movie. Kind of like Dirty Harry and in some parts it is.

The scene where he snaps and shoots a mugger on the street for example is a powerful scene as you can see the pain he is going through due to the loss of his wife.

All the other scenes of him shooting muggers are also entertaining in a action movie kind of way. Any other scene where's he is not shooting anybody though is pretty standard.

Nobody (besides Charles Bronson's character) is really entertaining or interesting and the whole move kind of has this plotting feel to it.

The movies ending also kind of feels anti climatic. I won't spoil it but it feels really underwhelming especially for a movie of this nature.

Still the movies pretty decent and is worth you're time. I would recommended you watch the sequel though as I feel like it does things much better.