thematrixcbc Reviews

Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn (2015)

Great Despite the Animation

[8/10 · 18 March 2017]

So, the primary complaints I've read about this film all have to do with the low quality of the animation, and, well...they're not wrong. For a film that was released post- 2005, the animation is decidedly unimpressive. The art itself isn't bad, but...it's also not fantastic.

As for the script and acting, I'd give this a solid 9/10. The score is equally impressive, and does a fantastic job of ratcheting up the suspense. Although definitely faster- paced than the Romero 1969 original, were it a live-action film, it would be right at home with some of the more recent zombie fare.

It is without a doubt better than the woeful Day of the Dead remake from the mid-00s, being both better-written and better-acted. Giving some of the characters better backstories definitely helped to build a better rapport with them, and you end up caring for them, save for Hank Cooper, for whom no one has ever cared.

Overall, it's definitely worth watching if you're a fan of the genre, though you most certainly have to get past the unimpressive animation.

The Avengers (2012)

...Not Fantastic

[3/10 · 21 July 2013]

I'm generally a Joss Whedon fan, but this film is truly awful.

Now, before I'm pilloried by the Marvel fanboys, let me explain why:

1.) The first hour of the film is spent gradually (very gradually, at points) reintroducing characters from the previous Marvel character films. Which this is to be expected, it happens not in any organic way, but in a very perfunctory, forced manner by introducing the crisis immediately as the film begins.

This is disconcerting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because it leaves you very little room to go "up" from there. There's no build up to the introduction of the enemy...it's just there.

2.) For all of this often needless exposition, there is little, if any, character development within the first half of the film, which left me feeling cold towards any of the main characters - I just don't care if they die. Kill 'em all.

3.) Because the "action" starts at the beginning and doesn't really stop, every moment of exposition feels like it takes a year just to get going. What is often intended to be humorous, springy dialogue is delivered in scenes that are utilitarian, at best, and just leaden mill stones, at worst.

The script is well-written, and the actors do very serviceable jobs delivering their well-written lines, but the truth is that, because the movie started with action and kept going, no one really cares what they have to say.

Will it entertain some people? Yes. But...frankly, it's just not worth paying a monthly subscription to watch on Netflix, much less purchase it to own.