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Reviews
Samaritan (2022)
A forgettable but not regrettable watch
'Samaritan' is solidly average. Good performances all around from the cast, the plot and some moments are a bit "comic booky". However it never really dragged, it was a fairly engaging film and had the cast sucked this would probably be a 5 or 6 as it really doesn't do anything new. The ending would have been better had they not (and I mean literally, at the end) beaten you over the head with "it" from early on. Less is more sometimes.
The action and effects were competently done, Stallone always shines and is seldom in a stinker. His character was believable and if you're a fan he's just as enjoyable to watch now as he was 40 years ago. It was kind of fun to see basically Rambo with super powers, and to that point an 'R' rating would have cheapened and detracted from the story IMO. I went in disappointed with the PG-13 but it works. The fights and deaths are brutal and you feel every hit, several cringe and "oh DAMN" moments in spite of the blood and gore being virtually non existent. Which is fine, it worked for the film and while I'm not opposed to blood and guts it just would have felt out of place here.
The Coven (2022)
Nothing at all happens
Boring af. Movie was so bad it's not even worth tearing apart. At no point in its 90 minute runtime did I care about nor was I interested in a single thing happening.
I do like how the guy says he's a black belt then proceeds to get rocked by literally everyone he encounters though.
The Bad Batch (2016)
There lead characters actions DO make sense and it's heartbreaking
I feel like a lot of people missed a key plot point: during the rave scene, The Dream explains why they are exiled: it's not just criminals, they exile the mentally ill and intellectually disabled.
I believe Arlen fell under that category plus on top of that she probably has PTSD and so imo her actions do make sense and it makes the film that much more darker and tragic.
It was probably 30 minutes longer than it needed to be, but the cinematography was excellent and practical effects are always appreciated.
Initiation (2016)
Pleasantly surprised!
5 men are kidnapped and forced to fight to death, the movie delivers exactly what it promises. The cast was anywhere from competent to excellent, with Dan Horton being the standout. The directing, set design and cinematography all were well done and the sets were simple. Nothing elaborate or memorable but they felt perfect for the scene.
Now the fights themselves were pretty well done. Quick and brutal, none of this over the top Hollywood nonsense of people beating the hell out of each other for 10 minutes. Which may be entertaining, but anyone who's ever been in or seen a real fight will tell you that's BS, most fights are over in less than a minute. Every blow takes it's toll and you feel it with the actor, the fights come off as authentic and very believable and at times sickening in the way the director has perfectly captured the honesty of two men fighting for their lives.
The sound fx also shine through and add life and realism to The fights. Bones break, teeth fall out, and skulls hitting concrete are all delivered with a sobering impact that feels believable and gives weight to whays happening.
I would have liked to have seen a better resolution to the main characters backstory, but overall it was an entertaining movie. I went in with high hopes but low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Aside from the aforementioned, virtually no time is spent or wasted developing the world or origin tales. Literally 60 seconds in the it takes off running and doesn't slow down much at all. Which can be disastrous, who wants to watch a bunch of people they have no investment in fight for their lives? Yet here is one of the times it worked. I dont even remember the main characters name or if we even got it, but I felt for him and everyone else. For what little screen time most of the actors had, they managed to milk as much as they could and gave me characters I cared about and connected with on some level through believable performances. Nobody tried to ham it up or make the scene more than what it was and the lines all felt genuine. I don't know that if go so far as to say this movie truly excelled in any one area or there was a particularly memorable scene, nor does it really do anything fresh or new. But I also can't find any true faults. Everything it did, it did well enough that It's definitely worth watching if you're a fan of this genre. I mean really, what all can one expect from a movie about death fights? It is what it is, dont try to make it any more than two people beating the hell out of each other. We don't need complex or irrelevant side plots, don't need to see numerous flashbacks, just follow the damn train CJ. We're given just enough to know what's going on and to be invested in the characters, and for me really this movie is a great example that sometimes less is more.