Search
American Animals (2018)
7.2
Rate It
Movie Watch
Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S....
crime drama
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
8.7
Rate It
Movie
On a remote island off the coast of ireland padric is devasted when his buddy colm suddenly puts an...
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
7.4
Rate It
Movie Watch
Dr. Steven Murphy, a cardiothoracic surgeon, befriends a teenager named Martin, who has a connection...
Psychological horror Psychological thriller
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) in Movies
Apr 7, 2018
I honestly don't know whether or not I actually liked this movie. The score was god awful, and the 'tension' music came at weird, non-tense times. The sex was plum bizarre and the characters did a whole lot of nothing. The beginning sequence when it's around 2 minutes of a beating heart creeped me out, and made me feel slightly ill to my stomach. Barry Keoghan (AKA the guy from 71 and Dunkirk) did well, though his American accent sounded like a mix between Ryan Gosling and Benedict Cumberbatch doing American accents. Though, as whack as it was, it kind of fit with the awkwardness of the character.
Dunkirk (2017)
8.0
Rate It
Movie Watch
In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Saltburn (2023) in Movies
Dec 29, 2023
Interesting...Intriguing...and Dark
Actress/Writer/Director Emerald Fennell is turning into an artistic voice that bears noticing and with SALTBURN - her follow-up to PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (the film that won her the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay) - Fennell’s artistic voice is in full bloom.
Starring Barry Keoghan (Oscar nominated for THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN), SALTBURN tells the story of an Oxford student who befriends the rich, cool kid (Jacob Elordi, EUPHORIA) who invites him back to his family compound, SALTBURN, for the summer with his eccentric (to say the least) family.
As written and directed by Fennell, SALTBURN is a satire on the elite rich, showing them in their extravagant, quirky isolation in their compound, looking down on the common folk from their piles of money (or…in some cases…oblivious of the common folk because of their money) while peeling back the layers to show the unhappiness and manipulation underneath.
Fennell layers this story richly, slowly folding back facades and layers to show the ugliness of inherently unhappy people who cover their unhappiness up with wealth, money and parties.
Into this world comes Oliver Quick (Keoghan) who is the audiences’ conduit into this level of living - and who has secrets of his own.
Keoghan is interesting to watch (as always) and the family…Elordi, Sadie Soverall (his sister) and Archie Madekwe (another outsider who is jealous of Oliver’s appearance) all are good looking, good enough performers who live the hedonistic lifestyle and deny the consequences and responsibilities thereof.
When a film needs an “ice queen” as the matriarch of a family, Rosamund Pike is, inevitably, brought in and she brings the goods to Saltburn. She is perfectly cast as the mother of the family who says what she thinks, does not show what she is feeling and doesn’t give a darn about anyone else. She is suitably balanced by the off-balanced, quirky performance of the always good Richard E. Grant as the patriarch of the family who is (usually) lost in his own little world of whatever fantasy he is currently involved in.
But if this was just a film about a quirky family, it would be a fun, interesting romp. But…in Fennell’s hands, it becomes something much more sinister - and much more interesting - to watch.
Saltburn is a film that one must sit with after watching to digest what was just witnessed, but…ultimately…is one that is very interesting….and intriguing…and dark.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Starring Barry Keoghan (Oscar nominated for THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN), SALTBURN tells the story of an Oxford student who befriends the rich, cool kid (Jacob Elordi, EUPHORIA) who invites him back to his family compound, SALTBURN, for the summer with his eccentric (to say the least) family.
As written and directed by Fennell, SALTBURN is a satire on the elite rich, showing them in their extravagant, quirky isolation in their compound, looking down on the common folk from their piles of money (or…in some cases…oblivious of the common folk because of their money) while peeling back the layers to show the unhappiness and manipulation underneath.
Fennell layers this story richly, slowly folding back facades and layers to show the ugliness of inherently unhappy people who cover their unhappiness up with wealth, money and parties.
Into this world comes Oliver Quick (Keoghan) who is the audiences’ conduit into this level of living - and who has secrets of his own.
Keoghan is interesting to watch (as always) and the family…Elordi, Sadie Soverall (his sister) and Archie Madekwe (another outsider who is jealous of Oliver’s appearance) all are good looking, good enough performers who live the hedonistic lifestyle and deny the consequences and responsibilities thereof.
When a film needs an “ice queen” as the matriarch of a family, Rosamund Pike is, inevitably, brought in and she brings the goods to Saltburn. She is perfectly cast as the mother of the family who says what she thinks, does not show what she is feeling and doesn’t give a darn about anyone else. She is suitably balanced by the off-balanced, quirky performance of the always good Richard E. Grant as the patriarch of the family who is (usually) lost in his own little world of whatever fantasy he is currently involved in.
But if this was just a film about a quirky family, it would be a fun, interesting romp. But…in Fennell’s hands, it becomes something much more sinister - and much more interesting - to watch.
Saltburn is a film that one must sit with after watching to digest what was just witnessed, but…ultimately…is one that is very interesting….and intriguing…and dark.
Letter Grade: B+
7 1/2 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Darren (1599 KP) rated American Animals (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: American Animals starts as we see the heist about to take place, rewinding us 18 months where we meet Spencer Reinhardt (Keoghan) an art student in Transylvania University, struggling with his identity, turning to his streetwise friend Warren Lipka (Peters) the two discuss the potential of stealing rare expensive books from the library.
As the idea turns into a plan they bring in Chas Allen (Jenner) and Eric Borsuk (Abrahamson), can they make this plan come off, well the answer is no because as we see the planning we meet the real thieves now in their 30s discussing what they remember about the idea.
Thoughts on American Animals
Characters – Warren is the streetwise student on a scholarship, not living up to his potential, he will always get things down however illegal they might be. He is the one that brings the team together to make this happen even if he is also the one that gets them in the most problems. Spencer is the art student that comes up with the idea because he is sick of not standing out in the art world, looking for the pain be believes artist require. He is all in with the planning but when it comes to following through he thinks they will need to go too far. Chas is the getaway driver, he has the most money which helps with the planning of the heist. Eric becomes the brains learning where things could and would go wrong if they do it in certain directions. We do also meet the adult versions of these characters in the real version that are looking back on the crime they committed.
Performances – Evan Peters is the clear highlight in this film, he always comes off unpredictable which seeing the older versions of the characters you completely understand too. Barry Keoghan does play the stranger member of the crew well, he is the one that is happy to plan not commit a crime, he needs to be straighter faced than Peters character. When it comes to the rest of the cast they are fine without needing to do that much.
Story – The story here is based on the real story of four university students that robbed the rare book collection in the library of their university. The way the story is told is interesting because it does both help and hinder the film, having a mix of the actors playing the younger versions and the real men talking about the events does give the story a documentary feel. Where this does hinder the story is by telling us that they failed early on and are now just remembering what happen which takes away any excitement or edge of your set moments towards anything going on. There are moments in the story which are good to watch, for example the scene where they are watching heist movies to learn how to pull it off and seeing the pitch perfect plan in Warren’s head. If we are being honest, the story is about 20 minutes too long because the opening hour just drags you along, once the heist gets underway things get more exciting but by then you might see the audience lose interest.
Crime – The crime follows a real heist that happened at the same university, we get to see how it was planned, how things went down and seeing the consequences the boys felt.
Settings – The film is mostly set in and around the university, this helps for any heist film, we do get moments where we step away, but that is for the plan which does work when you see how the boys are out of their depth at times.
Scene of the Movie – Selecting the names.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The first hour.
Final Thoughts – This is an overly long heist movie that drags along at a horribly slow pace, once things kick off we do get some interest, but the fact we have the real criminals involved in telling the story we know the outcome.
Overall: Just watch for Evan Peters being slightly crazy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/08/28/american-animals-2018/
As the idea turns into a plan they bring in Chas Allen (Jenner) and Eric Borsuk (Abrahamson), can they make this plan come off, well the answer is no because as we see the planning we meet the real thieves now in their 30s discussing what they remember about the idea.
Thoughts on American Animals
Characters – Warren is the streetwise student on a scholarship, not living up to his potential, he will always get things down however illegal they might be. He is the one that brings the team together to make this happen even if he is also the one that gets them in the most problems. Spencer is the art student that comes up with the idea because he is sick of not standing out in the art world, looking for the pain be believes artist require. He is all in with the planning but when it comes to following through he thinks they will need to go too far. Chas is the getaway driver, he has the most money which helps with the planning of the heist. Eric becomes the brains learning where things could and would go wrong if they do it in certain directions. We do also meet the adult versions of these characters in the real version that are looking back on the crime they committed.
Performances – Evan Peters is the clear highlight in this film, he always comes off unpredictable which seeing the older versions of the characters you completely understand too. Barry Keoghan does play the stranger member of the crew well, he is the one that is happy to plan not commit a crime, he needs to be straighter faced than Peters character. When it comes to the rest of the cast they are fine without needing to do that much.
Story – The story here is based on the real story of four university students that robbed the rare book collection in the library of their university. The way the story is told is interesting because it does both help and hinder the film, having a mix of the actors playing the younger versions and the real men talking about the events does give the story a documentary feel. Where this does hinder the story is by telling us that they failed early on and are now just remembering what happen which takes away any excitement or edge of your set moments towards anything going on. There are moments in the story which are good to watch, for example the scene where they are watching heist movies to learn how to pull it off and seeing the pitch perfect plan in Warren’s head. If we are being honest, the story is about 20 minutes too long because the opening hour just drags you along, once the heist gets underway things get more exciting but by then you might see the audience lose interest.
Crime – The crime follows a real heist that happened at the same university, we get to see how it was planned, how things went down and seeing the consequences the boys felt.
Settings – The film is mostly set in and around the university, this helps for any heist film, we do get moments where we step away, but that is for the plan which does work when you see how the boys are out of their depth at times.
Scene of the Movie – Selecting the names.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The first hour.
Final Thoughts – This is an overly long heist movie that drags along at a horribly slow pace, once things kick off we do get some interest, but the fact we have the real criminals involved in telling the story we know the outcome.
Overall: Just watch for Evan Peters being slightly crazy.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/08/28/american-animals-2018/
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Eternals (2021) in Movies
Nov 5, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Fair warning - I'm going to be briefly discussing some major spoilers down below...
Straight up, Eternals is extremely close to being a perfect movie (in my opinion of course, I understand that it's proving to be divisive).
For starters, the narrative is wonderfully crafted. As expected, it jumps all over different time periods, from anywhere between 5000 BC to present day, and manages to not feel jarring. It's pacing is a little slow within the first half an hour or so, but it's forgivable considering the whole host of new faces being introduced. It's impressive then, that each character gets a decent amount of development, you know exactly what everyone is about in a pretty swift manor. The bonds that these characters share make for some genuinely emotional moments throughout a film that frequently feels like an odyssey.
The cast is solid as hell. Gemma Chan is the closest to a lead character, and she's great as always. LAST SPOILER WARNING Richard Madden manages to be a suitable leader, and then ruthless, convincing, and cold when he takes a more villanous turn. Gave me some semi Homelander vibes. It's wonderful to see the likes of Ma Dong-Seok and Lauren Ridloff make the jump into blockbuster territory. Barry Keoghan continues to be generally awesome in everything he's in. Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, and Kumail Nanjiani are all great as well, and the heavy hitters, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, are left shy of the spotlight but still feel important. I was surprised to see Bill Skarsgård's name during the credits and can't help but feel he was a little wasted as CGI villain Kro. I would have liked to have seen more of Kit Harrington but I understand that he essentially a big tease for future projects (forever keeping my fingers crossed for a Midnight Sons movie...)
It's important to celebrate how visually breathtaking Eternals is from start to finish. There are of course some familiar Marvel aesthetics here and there, but Chloé Zhao has really laid down her own stamp. Even the fight scenes look unique, the Eternals powers always looking elegant. The climactic showdown is a particular highlight. This is all complimented by what is arguably the best music score in the MCU yet, with Game of Thrones veteran Ramin Djawadi coming through with something truly special.
In terms of wider MCU connection, Eternals very much feels like it's own thing, which works well with its unique feel. I am excited however to see some of these characters interact with other properties in the future. The proper introduction of Celestials is an exciting prospect, and that one shot near the end (you know the one), shows that technology is ready for the likes of Galactus to show up in the near future.
Eternals is yet another bold step for the MCU in a new phase. A movie with a hell of an ambitious scope that manages to stick the landing. I entered the cinema with slight trepidation due to it's early critical reception, and I left thinking that it's one of the best MCU entries so far, and I continue to be hyped for the future of the franchise.
Straight up, Eternals is extremely close to being a perfect movie (in my opinion of course, I understand that it's proving to be divisive).
For starters, the narrative is wonderfully crafted. As expected, it jumps all over different time periods, from anywhere between 5000 BC to present day, and manages to not feel jarring. It's pacing is a little slow within the first half an hour or so, but it's forgivable considering the whole host of new faces being introduced. It's impressive then, that each character gets a decent amount of development, you know exactly what everyone is about in a pretty swift manor. The bonds that these characters share make for some genuinely emotional moments throughout a film that frequently feels like an odyssey.
The cast is solid as hell. Gemma Chan is the closest to a lead character, and she's great as always. LAST SPOILER WARNING Richard Madden manages to be a suitable leader, and then ruthless, convincing, and cold when he takes a more villanous turn. Gave me some semi Homelander vibes. It's wonderful to see the likes of Ma Dong-Seok and Lauren Ridloff make the jump into blockbuster territory. Barry Keoghan continues to be generally awesome in everything he's in. Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, and Kumail Nanjiani are all great as well, and the heavy hitters, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek, are left shy of the spotlight but still feel important. I was surprised to see Bill Skarsgård's name during the credits and can't help but feel he was a little wasted as CGI villain Kro. I would have liked to have seen more of Kit Harrington but I understand that he essentially a big tease for future projects (forever keeping my fingers crossed for a Midnight Sons movie...)
It's important to celebrate how visually breathtaking Eternals is from start to finish. There are of course some familiar Marvel aesthetics here and there, but Chloé Zhao has really laid down her own stamp. Even the fight scenes look unique, the Eternals powers always looking elegant. The climactic showdown is a particular highlight. This is all complimented by what is arguably the best music score in the MCU yet, with Game of Thrones veteran Ramin Djawadi coming through with something truly special.
In terms of wider MCU connection, Eternals very much feels like it's own thing, which works well with its unique feel. I am excited however to see some of these characters interact with other properties in the future. The proper introduction of Celestials is an exciting prospect, and that one shot near the end (you know the one), shows that technology is ready for the likes of Galactus to show up in the near future.
Eternals is yet another bold step for the MCU in a new phase. A movie with a hell of an ambitious scope that manages to stick the landing. I entered the cinema with slight trepidation due to it's early critical reception, and I left thinking that it's one of the best MCU entries so far, and I continue to be hyped for the future of the franchise.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Green Knight (2020) in Movies
Aug 2, 2021
Green Knight, based upon the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, does the poem justice. We join our relatively pure-hearted Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) on Christmas morning, as he wakes up in what appears to be a brothel. He rushes home to his Mother (Sarita Choudhury), to change for the Christmas Day feast with the aged King (Sean Harris). Mother is left behind as Gawain goes to the feast, and conjures the appearance of the Green Knight.
Gawain agrees to the Christmas game proposed by the Green Knight, so he can be knighted himself. The game is the same as the poem, a knight gives a blow to the Green Knight, and a year from that date, the knight will visit the Green Chapel so he can return the favor.
The year passes, and Gawain sets out on his quest. Mother gives him the gift of a green sash, that will protect him as he faces the journey and the Green Knight. He sets off on his trippy journey, encountering a scavenger (Barry Keoghan) along the way and is quickly delayed in his quest and left for dead, losing his green sash. After freeing himself, he sets out on his allegory-filled quest again, encountering St. Winifred (Erin Kellyman), giants, and is led by a fox to a castle near the Green Chapel.
The castle is where the film gets back on track with the poem. The Lord (Joel Egerton) shows kindness and hospitality, while his wife (Alicia Vikander), takes the role as temptress. Alicia Vikander plays both the Lady, and the prostitute that Gawain is in love with back home. It’s understandably confusing for Gawain. The same deal is struck between the Lord and Gawain, while the Lord is away on the hunt, he will give Gawain everything he catches, while Gawain promises to give the Lord anything he receives at the castle. Gawain does not end up keeping the agreement as he’s seduced by the Lady and gets the green sash back. He escapes the castle and goes to the Green Chapel to finish the Christmas game. The end was very interesting, would Gawain choose to be courageous and maintain his honor, accepting death? Or would he be a coward, running away to be knighted, then subsequently become King? The ending was scary good.
My first thought after the film ended was that we finally got a film that did an Arthurian legend justice. I happened to be really into Arthuriana, so this film was such a treat. Though, I am left with some questions. I’m not sure which sister Mother was supposed to be. Was Mother Morgaine or Morgause? I assume it was Morgause, but Mother was a little more witchy, so maybe Morgaine? I also don’t know if in the film, the Green Knight was the Lord. The characters were played by two different actors, but the Lord is definitely supposed to be the Green Knight.
Another thing I did like is that I don’t believe they ever called the King by his name, Arthur. This was a smart move, as the story was centralized on Sir Gawain, and not about Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
The one sore thumb for me was Alicia Vikander. Her accent when she was the prostitute, Essel, was horrid. I also think that character wasn’t really needed at all because she was just annoying. The whole brothel situation itself was kind of lame because Gawain was supposed to be pure and innocent. The innocence being lost at the Castle was a major part of the poem.
Dev Patel was excellent as Gawain; I was entranced by him, and he kept my attention the entire film. I know there were grumblings about his casting, but seriously, this is a fantasy story. It also is not impossible for people of a different race to be present all over Europe. There once was this empire called Rome, that encompassed a very large area, and enabled people to travel around and settle in areas.
I had been looking forward to this film since March of 2020, and it completely delivered. I hope we get more films like this, rather than the barrage of big dumb action and comic book films. I can’t wait to go see this film again!
Gawain agrees to the Christmas game proposed by the Green Knight, so he can be knighted himself. The game is the same as the poem, a knight gives a blow to the Green Knight, and a year from that date, the knight will visit the Green Chapel so he can return the favor.
The year passes, and Gawain sets out on his quest. Mother gives him the gift of a green sash, that will protect him as he faces the journey and the Green Knight. He sets off on his trippy journey, encountering a scavenger (Barry Keoghan) along the way and is quickly delayed in his quest and left for dead, losing his green sash. After freeing himself, he sets out on his allegory-filled quest again, encountering St. Winifred (Erin Kellyman), giants, and is led by a fox to a castle near the Green Chapel.
The castle is where the film gets back on track with the poem. The Lord (Joel Egerton) shows kindness and hospitality, while his wife (Alicia Vikander), takes the role as temptress. Alicia Vikander plays both the Lady, and the prostitute that Gawain is in love with back home. It’s understandably confusing for Gawain. The same deal is struck between the Lord and Gawain, while the Lord is away on the hunt, he will give Gawain everything he catches, while Gawain promises to give the Lord anything he receives at the castle. Gawain does not end up keeping the agreement as he’s seduced by the Lady and gets the green sash back. He escapes the castle and goes to the Green Chapel to finish the Christmas game. The end was very interesting, would Gawain choose to be courageous and maintain his honor, accepting death? Or would he be a coward, running away to be knighted, then subsequently become King? The ending was scary good.
My first thought after the film ended was that we finally got a film that did an Arthurian legend justice. I happened to be really into Arthuriana, so this film was such a treat. Though, I am left with some questions. I’m not sure which sister Mother was supposed to be. Was Mother Morgaine or Morgause? I assume it was Morgause, but Mother was a little more witchy, so maybe Morgaine? I also don’t know if in the film, the Green Knight was the Lord. The characters were played by two different actors, but the Lord is definitely supposed to be the Green Knight.
Another thing I did like is that I don’t believe they ever called the King by his name, Arthur. This was a smart move, as the story was centralized on Sir Gawain, and not about Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
The one sore thumb for me was Alicia Vikander. Her accent when she was the prostitute, Essel, was horrid. I also think that character wasn’t really needed at all because she was just annoying. The whole brothel situation itself was kind of lame because Gawain was supposed to be pure and innocent. The innocence being lost at the Castle was a major part of the poem.
Dev Patel was excellent as Gawain; I was entranced by him, and he kept my attention the entire film. I know there were grumblings about his casting, but seriously, this is a fantasy story. It also is not impossible for people of a different race to be present all over Europe. There once was this empire called Rome, that encompassed a very large area, and enabled people to travel around and settle in areas.
I had been looking forward to this film since March of 2020, and it completely delivered. I hope we get more films like this, rather than the barrage of big dumb action and comic book films. I can’t wait to go see this film again!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Eternals (2021) in Movies
Nov 10, 2021
Works Well Enough
The interesting thing about creating a Cinematic “Universe” (like Marvel has done and others are desperately trying to do) is that because it is a “Universe” you can tell different types of stories with different types of characters in differing styles.
In ETERNALS, Marvel has really attempted to open up their “Universe” by introducing their audience to the Eternals, celestial beings that are tangentially interested in the goings-on of the human world.
It’s not a Super-Hero movie, per se, it’s a world of “Gods and Monsters” (to steal a phrase) that has repercussions across the Universe.
So with this background in mind, the ETERNALS succeeds, mostly, because it is trying to be something…else. NOT a SUPERHERO film, but something on a different plane.
Unfortunately, this probably will put off “Fan-boys” who want “more of the same” (more Avengers, more Thanos, more F/X smashy-smashy, fight-fight) and ETERNALS just isn’t intended to be that.
Your first clue that this film is trying to be something else is the choice of Director - recent Oscar Winner Chloe Zhao (NOMADLAND), known for her personal stories and interesting visuals. She brings that sensibility to this film and it (mostly), though it is the type of Cinematic style that works best in low-res (like an independent film like Nomadland) rather than large IMAX Comic-book film event films.
The movie itself is entertaining…enough. It is, necessarily, slow at the beginning as Zhao needs to set up these characters and the realm that they are playing on (and orient the audience as to how this fits with the AVENGERS:ENDGAME of it all). There are 10 (yes, TEN) Eternals to introduce along with ancillary characters, so the film has to take some time to gather steam.
And…it gathers steam, not in the action sequences (which are serviceable) but in the characters and the character interactions and this is where the film really works for me.
Gemma Chan (CRAZY, RICH ASIANS) and Richard Madden (Rob Stark on GAME OF THRONES) are, basically, the lead characters as their relationship takes center stage for most of the film - and these 2 (especially Chan) holds the screen well, which is tough to do since there are so many characters - and so much other things going on.
The real hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, IMHO, is the Casting Director who, time-after-time, plucks relative unknowns and throws them into parts that they are perfectly cast for…Salma Hayak (leader of Eternals, Ajak), Lia McHugh (Sprite), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari) and Barry Keoghan (Druig) all fit their parts well, with the relationship between Makkari and Druig being particularly interesting.
Speaking of interesting relationships, Ma Dong-seok (so good in the Korean Zombie flick TRAIN TO BUSAN) as Gilgamesh almost steals the screen from MOVIE STAR Angelina Jolie’s Thena…almost. Jolie is a MOVIE STAR that just walks onto the screen and commands your attention - and she is perfectly cast as Thena. It is a very smart use of her talents…and her personae as a MOVIE STAR and works very well.
Finally, it took awhile for the film to figure out what to do with Kumail Nanjiani’s character of Kingo (and Nanjiani’s tremendous comedic talents), but, eventually, they do figure it out - but not entirely - which is really the problem with this film. It ALMOST figures out the formula to make this huge, broad, galactic film very personal, but doesn’t quite get there.
I liked, but didn’t LOVE, ETERNALS. I applaud what this film tries to do and I am fine with where it went and was entertained by it. If this is the first part of a journey, then I am anxious to see where ETERNALS goes from here. If this is a “one-off” film, then it doesn’t, quite, work well enough.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
In ETERNALS, Marvel has really attempted to open up their “Universe” by introducing their audience to the Eternals, celestial beings that are tangentially interested in the goings-on of the human world.
It’s not a Super-Hero movie, per se, it’s a world of “Gods and Monsters” (to steal a phrase) that has repercussions across the Universe.
So with this background in mind, the ETERNALS succeeds, mostly, because it is trying to be something…else. NOT a SUPERHERO film, but something on a different plane.
Unfortunately, this probably will put off “Fan-boys” who want “more of the same” (more Avengers, more Thanos, more F/X smashy-smashy, fight-fight) and ETERNALS just isn’t intended to be that.
Your first clue that this film is trying to be something else is the choice of Director - recent Oscar Winner Chloe Zhao (NOMADLAND), known for her personal stories and interesting visuals. She brings that sensibility to this film and it (mostly), though it is the type of Cinematic style that works best in low-res (like an independent film like Nomadland) rather than large IMAX Comic-book film event films.
The movie itself is entertaining…enough. It is, necessarily, slow at the beginning as Zhao needs to set up these characters and the realm that they are playing on (and orient the audience as to how this fits with the AVENGERS:ENDGAME of it all). There are 10 (yes, TEN) Eternals to introduce along with ancillary characters, so the film has to take some time to gather steam.
And…it gathers steam, not in the action sequences (which are serviceable) but in the characters and the character interactions and this is where the film really works for me.
Gemma Chan (CRAZY, RICH ASIANS) and Richard Madden (Rob Stark on GAME OF THRONES) are, basically, the lead characters as their relationship takes center stage for most of the film - and these 2 (especially Chan) holds the screen well, which is tough to do since there are so many characters - and so much other things going on.
The real hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, IMHO, is the Casting Director who, time-after-time, plucks relative unknowns and throws them into parts that they are perfectly cast for…Salma Hayak (leader of Eternals, Ajak), Lia McHugh (Sprite), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari) and Barry Keoghan (Druig) all fit their parts well, with the relationship between Makkari and Druig being particularly interesting.
Speaking of interesting relationships, Ma Dong-seok (so good in the Korean Zombie flick TRAIN TO BUSAN) as Gilgamesh almost steals the screen from MOVIE STAR Angelina Jolie’s Thena…almost. Jolie is a MOVIE STAR that just walks onto the screen and commands your attention - and she is perfectly cast as Thena. It is a very smart use of her talents…and her personae as a MOVIE STAR and works very well.
Finally, it took awhile for the film to figure out what to do with Kumail Nanjiani’s character of Kingo (and Nanjiani’s tremendous comedic talents), but, eventually, they do figure it out - but not entirely - which is really the problem with this film. It ALMOST figures out the formula to make this huge, broad, galactic film very personal, but doesn’t quite get there.
I liked, but didn’t LOVE, ETERNALS. I applaud what this film tries to do and I am fine with where it went and was entertained by it. If this is the first part of a journey, then I am anxious to see where ETERNALS goes from here. If this is a “one-off” film, then it doesn’t, quite, work well enough.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Erika (17788 KP) Apr 7, 2018
Andy K (10821 KP) Apr 7, 2018