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Initial Reviews - Movie Reviews

@initial.reviews

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0-19 • Waste of Time
20-49 • Skip It
50-79 • Stream It
80-99 • Worth the 💰
100 • Must Watch

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The innovative and extremely popular video game series Resident Evil has never had a very good live action adaptation. So, writer, director, and massive Resident Evil fan Zach Cregger, fresh off his smash hit Weapons, takes the bull by the horns.

Bryan (Austin Abrams) is, as he calls himself, “a glorified Postmates driver.” His job is to deliver organs to people about to undergo surgery and he’s about to finish up for the night. But when an order offering double the pay for a delivery to Raccoon City comes in, Bryan immediately accepts. Shortly after, he discovers that this breezy 95 minute film is essentially one giant chase sequence, with all sorts of infected creatures pursuing him.

Resident Evil is really good, and I had a great time watching it! That said, the humor can definitely be a turnoff. The film was hilarious at times and stale at others. Cregger did inject Weapons with humor, but there isn’t even a tenth as much of it in that film as there is in Resident Evil. I also wasn’t particularly impressed with the CGI, although the theater screen I saw it on certainly wasn’t the best.

I’m definitely going to see this again. My complaints are minor, and I’m mostly disappointed because I love Weapons so much. I also really appreciated how much time Cregger spent making certain scenes feel like they had been ripped straight out of a video game. by @initial.reviews

129

4

18 days ago

Writer-director Na Hong-jin is a visionary craftsman, and his latest film, Hope, is the most expensive Korean film ever made. Although you can certainly feel the scale, its seams become increasingly visible once the major set pieces kick into gear.

Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) begins the film investigating the death of a large animal bearing unorthodox claw marks. But little investigation actually follows, as it quickly becomes clear that whatever caused these wounds has already begun tearing through the nearby city.

Hope is a chase film. It begins, a chase ensues… and eventually, it ends. That can be thrilling and intense, but 157 minutes of sustained pursuit starts to wear thin around the 100 minute mark. The experience is made worse by some truly awful digital effects. Considering how gorgeous the non digital portions of the film look, that was especially disappointing. Hope is an underwhelming film that looks ugly and isn’t funny (despite desperately wanting to be)! by @initial.reviews

118

9

25 days ago

It was a slow week at the movies, so here is an updated list of my most anticipated films for the rest of the year.

Wildwood: I love the stop motion visuals presented here, and I’m especially excited about the longer runtime. A stop motion epic is fairly rare, but always welcome.

Artificial: I’m interested in this because Guadagnino is one of my favorite directors, and the controversy surrounding the film makes it even more intriguing.

Primetime: Lance Oppenheim is a name you should start to familiarize yourself with!

Resident Evil: Zach Cregger is a very exciting filmmaker because his vision is both very fun and well thought out.

Dune 3: I’m very excited to see how this trilogy ends! I’m also hoping it generates more Oscar buzz. by @initial.reviews

107

2

a month ago

It’s fitting that Coyote vs. Acme opens with the text, “This is Based on a True Story.”

Acme, the evil corporation, mirrors Warner Bros., as the studio nearly erased this film for a paycheck. It’s a shame Warner Bros. tried to throw away a movie for more money, but it’s even more of a shame that the film they tried to dump was actually pretty dang good.

Acme products have failed Coyote time and time again, so now Coyote is taking action. He forcibly hires lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to help him take down the mega-corporation led by Acme lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena).

I refuse to seriously critique this film. What Warner Bros. did was gross, and I enjoyed this movie IN THEATERS. If you like movies, give this one your money. by @initial.reviews

121

5

a month ago

Tony is an absolute failure of a character. In fact, director Matt Johnson spends an extremely sizable portion of this film telling you, in different ways, just how much of a screw up Tony is. But, like any good underdog story, the best part is when they finally find their footing.

Dominic Sessa plays Anthony Bourdain, the legendary figure whose authenticity and self-assurance led him to great success. But the hard thing about those qualities is that people who have them tend to have more ego trips than things to be assured about. Here, that’s similarly the case. And for its entire breezy runtime, it was both hard to watch and a necessary pleasure to see Chef (Antonio Banderas), Sal (Leo Woodall), Stavros (Stavros), and Nancy (Emilia Jones) kick his ass.

It’s no surprise that the writing here is excellent, as Matt Johnson also helped pen the script. What is a shame is that I’m never as enamored visually or sonically by a Johnson film. The film’s nostalgic color palette is enjoyable, but I wish I could get lost in those aspects as much as I get lost in the drama. Just a nitpick. See it in theaters, please! by @initial.reviews

93

5

a month ago

If you’re familiar with David Robert Mitchell, you’ll know that his sophomore feature, Under the Silver Lake, was quite the stylistic departure from It Follows, his debut. Here, DRM departs yet again, but instead of veering into a fresh reimagining, The End of Oak Street is a decent swing at all things Spielberg.

Oak Street disappears in the middle of the night and reappears in the Jurassic Period, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Platt (Ewan McGregor, not good, and Anne Hathaway, very good) to find a path to safety while taking care of their children (Christian Convery and Maisey Stella).

Spielberg is a magician of action/adventure. His prime was filled with classics that move with such grace. DRM really tries his best Spielberg impression, but it tends to sag when compared to Spielberg. It’s hard to put a finger on why, but it might be because the family drama feels lackluster. In a dinosaur film, the drama can’t just be that the dinosaurs are trying to eat the protagonists. So, the non dinosaur stakes are established right away. But the film moves at such a breakneck pace (99 minute runtime!) that it’s hard to really sit with the family drama.

The End of Oak Street is without a doubt the most graphic PG-13 film I’ve seen. So, it’s possible that Spielberg’s charming characters are missing because of the incredible brutality. It’s also possible that the overtly whimsical Michael Giacchino score extends that divide between brutal dinosaur flick and Spielberg flick. by @initial.reviews

148

7

2 months ago

The effects of Marvel’s production style are now being felt by people watching films outside the MCU. Here, Masters of the Universe takes its best swing at a Marvel film, particularly Thor: Ragnarok, and, like most Marvel films, fails to impress.

Director Travis Knight isn’t a name synonymous with corporate slop, but this film feels like the epitome of it. I don’t think Knight is entirely to blame, but I might as well. The plot isn’t really worth discussing in detail; it’s essentially He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine) realizing he’s overpowered and fighting Skeletor (am I allowed to say his name?).

The only redeeming quality of this slop is Daniel Pemberton. And wow, was he needed. His score is electric and melodically interesting while still being an earworm. I’m content that Masters of the Universe failed. I want more inspired visions, please! by @initial.reviews

99

3

2 months ago

Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie comes highly recommended by just about everyone who sees it, and for good reason. Despite its modest budget, NTBTSTM feels remarkably ambitious. Its ingenuity and creativity make it endlessly entertaining as it balances emotion with absurd comedy without ever losing momentum. I’m excited to dive further into Nirvana the Band the Show and Matt Johnson’s other films.

Minions & Monsters was a pleasant surprise. John Powell’s score is enchanting, energetic, and anything but phoned in. The Minions are doing exactly what they do best, physical slapstick, so placing them in the era of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin is a great choice. It’s a charming film that delivers plenty of laughs and is a great pick for kids. by @initial.reviews

129

0

2 months ago

Nolan’s talent lies in his ability to distort reality. His grounded, slightly gritty, yet sleek aesthetic is the perfect balance to the disorder that comes from time distortion. It’s no coincidence that his best films, Memento, Dunkirk, and Inception, all play directly to that strength. The Odyssey feels like a reaction to Tenet: where Tenet is ambitiously boring, The Odyssey is an obvious attempt to win over mainstream audiences, hence its success.

13 - Normie masterpiece.

12 - A stiff attempt, but not offensive.

11 - It’s like taking the convoluted plot of a Mission: Impossible movie and stripping away all the fun, action, and drama.

10 - TV movie. Normie masterpiece.

9 - So close to being really good. The editing is awful.

8 - What a falloff from the first two films. Way too long and slow.

7 - Normie masterpiece.

6 - The Tumbler chase makes my mouth water.

5 - You already know how good this is.

4 - Nolan’s best. The visuals are the only thing holding it back.

3 - You already know how good this is.

2 - A fantastic movie. It’s almost too realistic.

1 - Just imagine how good Nolan would be if he made even more movies like this. by @initial.reviews

198

18

2 months ago

Christopher Nolan returns to theaters after a relatively short break following his Best Picture winning and widely heralded ‘masterpiece’, Oppenheimer. While Oppenheimer is every bit as dry as The Odyssey, Nolan’s restrained visual style at least suited the Oppenheimer courtroom proceedings and scientific debates. Here, Nolan adapts Homer’s The Odyssey, a world full of spectacle and imagination. But, the result is an epic that feels far too timid for its own material.

Odysseus (Matt Damon) must find his way home after he and his army achieve victory at Troy. Waiting for him in Ithaca are his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland, who’s trying his best.) What Odysseus doesn’t realize is that his journey home will take far longer than expected. In fact, it takes about three hours.

Three hours is a behemoth runtime, and The Odyssey certainly has the source material to justify it. Unfortunately, the production design feels phony, the score is surprisingly underwhelming, and the film’s episodic structure leaves each new encounter feeling shallow and disposable. For the amount of money Nolan commands, you’d at least think his camera could stay in focus. Here, though, that’s not even the film’s biggest visual problem.

The costume design, world building, and overall atmosphere are lifeless here. I attribute much of that to Nolan’s directorial style, which insists on grounding everything in realism, a choice that is so ugly against backdrops of a world of gigantic visual possibility. Ludwig Göransson delivers what may be his weakest score to date. For a composer known for inventive instrumentation and memorable themes, The Odyssey sounds almost as lifeless as it looks. And as Nolan’s trademark time jumps repeatedly pull the audience away from Odysseus, it becomes increasingly difficult not to check the clock… especially when the film’s narrative hook doesn’t truly arrive until there are only 40 minutes left.

Nolan ranking tomorrow. by @initial.reviews

244

37

2 months ago

Moana’s return in live action form is yet another example of Disney prioritizing financial gain over artistry. While the idea of adapting an animated film into live action isn’t inherently bad, it certainly isn’t a compelling one. And for such a bland concept to take shape as a $250 million feature is frustrating.

While Catherine Laga’aia isn’t terrible as Moana, her performance is undermined by a film that looks astonishingly ugly from a VFX standpoint. As Moana leaves her island to discover herself and forge her own path, it’s difficult to feel the weight of her journey when every scene is drenched in unnatural lighting against lifeless CGI environments. Even the practical elements feel unconvincing, just look at The Rock’s wig and many of the costumes.

Moana is every bit as lazy as it looks. I hope audiences continue to turn away from films like this and instead support more artistic, imaginative visions for family cinema. by @initial.reviews

105

1

3 months ago

My five most anticipated films for the rest of 2026 are at the bottom of this write up.

2026 has been a tale of two halves, with the second looking far more exciting from both an auteur and mainstream perspective. Films like Digger and Primetime are balanced by Dunesday. The first half, however, has been the opposite. There have been some great films, but the clear edge belongs to the back half.

5 – A well made film that’s charming and quirky, but too goofy for its own good.

4 – The weakest entry in the mainline franchise, but its style and narrative accomplish exactly what they set out to do.

3 – A stylish Pixar film that’s edgy? Sign me up!

2 – The Drama features a shocking twist that pairs perfectly with director Kristoffer Borgli’s vision.

1 – Obsession is so effective because it manages to be exciting, thrilling, and shocking while remaining grounded in complex characters and rich themes. It’s the kind of filmmaking that Stanley Kubrick achieved with The Shining.

5 most anticipated for the rest of the year…

1. Dune
2. Primetime
3. Resident Evil
4. Digger
5. The End of Oak Street by @initial.reviews

171

4

3 months ago