Category Archives: Science Fiction

12.17.22
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Avatar: The Way of Water

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, learn the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.

James Cameron created a monumental landmark in visual entertainment and epic storytelling with Avatar. A sequel so many years later with so much promise to top the first would send too impossible to be real, but The Way of Water manages to deliver that same ambition felt in every shot of the first film and then some. Years were spent to create new technology to film motion-capture scenes underwater, and I’m glad Cameron spent all the time he needed to get it right because the term “out of this world” has never fit more for anything else. The plot beats in the first hour are familiar, but everything from there onwards is breathtaking, grand, and mesmerizing to the eye. The underwater scenes are some of the most visceral visual cinema I’ve ever seen, with the detail and realism allows you to completely suspend disbelief as you feel you’re actually on Pandora. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are great in their roles again, and the script this time beautifully captures the depth of a parent’s love for their child. Sigourney Weaver returns not as the same character but in a different and inventive way. Jake and Neytiri’s children are as complex and poetic characters as their parents who carry across the story’s themes such as empathy, uniqueness, and selflessness.

Cameron manages to somehow expand on the scale of Pandora and this fictional universe that millions of audiences were already in love with, while finding the intimate moments beneath all the colorful CGI that often stick out and resonate. The cast ensemble may not be Lord of the Rings-level of memorable yet, but the world-building and storytelling certainly is. Not to mention, the love Cameron creates between the audience and the oceans of Pandora may hopefully bring attention to the way corporations and human actions deplete our oceans here at home, and the way of water the title refers to is the beauty of nature that our ancestors knew so purely that can give life and consume those who don’t respect it. The overall narrative has familiar beats but the emotion is heartfelt and thrilling, and the atmosphere and aesthetics are a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has to be seen on the biggest screen you can seek out and in 3D — I’d recommend IMAX 3D, which is how I saw it. Avatar: The Way of Water may have the lesser story of the two Avatar films, but it has a sensational awe and grandeur to its fusion of images, score, and weight that invites you to not only enjoy, but experience, behold, and never want to leave the forests and oceans of Pandora.

11.11.22
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter in the wake of King T’Challa’s death, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje must band together with Nakia, T’Challa’s former lover and a War Dog spy, and CIA agent Everett Ross to forge a new path for their beloved kingdom.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to decide how to face two immense challenges — following up a cultural phenomenon and one of the most popular and resonant movies in recent years, and doing it without its magnificent lead, Chadwick Boseman. The effortless charisma and commanding dignity Boseman brought with him are absolutely missed in this sequel, yet writer-director Ryan Coogler decided to use his loss to give the film a complex gravity and message about grief, legacy and moving forward. Not only does Coogler use the sequel to expand the scale from the first film into a glove-trotting political fantastical battle, but also as a means to explore new stylistic grounds, feeling more director-focused than any Marvel movie in a while.

The visuals and action manage to even outdo the excellent and versatile fights from the first film, and the pace is much more graceful than the tighter pacing of other MCU films from this year. The music by Ludwig Goransson has a language of its own, always surprising, entertaining, and hitting you hard. Goransson uses African, Latin, and electronic bases in order to create a score that builds off the one from the first. The cinematography is more intimate than in the last film, with the camera sometimes closer to the characters or letting the visuals feel more seamless rather than showy. The movie addresses our feelings of sadness about losing Boseman and T’Challa through the characters, but doesn’t linger in it or feel stuck in the past. Speaking of the characters, Letitia Wright is great as Shuri, who is forced to mature quickly after what she’s had to cope with here, but it feels like this entire world of Wakandans, even the lovable side character of M’Baku, is growing and getting wiser with time. Angela Bassett delivers a ferocious performance as Ramonda, and honestly some of the best acting this entire Marvel franchise has seen. Dominique Thorne also shines as a cheerful, lovable presence she conveys through Riri Williams. Lupita Nyong’o also provides warmth and elegance as Nakia, though Martin Freeman’s return isn’t exactly necessary and his role in the plot could’ve been combined with Nyong’o’s character. Now, how does one follow up a villain as resonant and scene-stealing as Michael B. Jordan’s brilliant Killmonger? With Namor, Tenoch Huerta delivers a kindness we haven’t seen in many villains before, while clearly being violent and vengeful in his methods while showing warmth and empathy towards his people. He makes Namor a memorable character whose backstory’s execution isn’t the most hard-hitting but whose developments are always interesting.

This movie is the most sophisticated work Marvel’s done in a while, distancing itself from reminders of the bigger universe and allowing Coogler and crew’s creativity run free and deliver spectacle that feels consequential and really sinks in. It’s refreshing to feel like a Marvel movie isn’t constantly working to check off boxes to set up a bigger universe and pander to the widest action movie fanbase possible — after all, the first Black Panther was all about making stories about POCs no longer niche. While the messages may not be as revelatory as in its predecessor, it’s a film that rivals the first in ambition and weight. Perhaps it resonates so well because we all feel like a world with Wakanda is an infinitely better one, and a world without its late hero is one that’s infinitely worse. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever demands your eyes on the big screen and an open heart, with the performances and style creating an action adventure with gripping and soulful humanity.

10.23.22
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Black Adam

After using his powers for vengeance, the mortal slave Teth-Adam was imprisoned by the gods and trapped for centuries, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years later, Black Adam is freed and finds his unique form of justice challenged by the Justice Society of America (JSA).

If you’re familiar with the kind of blockbusters Dwayne Johnson is often a part of, this is no different — an action movie that tries to be as crowd pleasing as possible with as little brain energy as possible. And it’s very middle-of-the-road for his filmography — it’s not as fun as the Jumanji or Fast & Furious films but not as embarrassingly bad as Skyscraper or Baywatch, so right there in the middle with forgettable spectacle like San Andreas, Red Notice and Jungle Cruise. Johnson delivers a solid performance as Black Adam, whose humor this time around comes more from Adam’s “fish out of water” aspect. However, his character’s actual development in order to justify him turning into a more rageful anti-hero is pretty uninteresting and it says a lot that all four members of the Justice Society have no backstory or arc but are far more interesting than him. Aldis Hodge shows off his badassery as Hawkman, going toe-to-toe with Johnson and even managing to steal the show from him, along with Pierce Brosnan, who is also great as Doctor Fate, whose powers and presence are intriguing. Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell are also entertaining as the other two members of the JSA. Unfortunately, the movie is brought down by a bloated conflict, weak CGI and a script you’ve seen a thousand times before. The rapid editing of action scenes takes away lots of the grandiose, even when Black Adam fighting the JSA starts off fun. By the third act, it descends completely into a forced “good guy vs bad guy” CGI-fest of action that feels pulled straight out of Justice League. Though the style manages to occasionally have fun, it’s got too many elements working against it, whether it be the editing, Marwan Kenzari’s awful character, the lack of thematic clarity, or a willingness to take itself less seriously than it should.

Black Adam serves loud noise and huge action scenes — exactly what The Rock is known for — but unfortunately nothing more. The solid supporting cast and occasionally entertaining action and scale isn’t enough to save this movie from descending into generic chaos.

08.16.22
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Nope

OJ and Emerald Haywood are siblings who own a ranch in a lonely gulch of inland California, where they train and handle horses for movie and TV productions. Soon, they bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. 

To call Jordan Peele a unique filmmaker of our time would be an understatement — he’s blended genres and used them to incorporate thoughtful social commentary into the most mainstream popcorn entertainment, all while giving audiences films that can satisfy, challenge, and entertain. Nope is no different. It’s a science fiction-horror-thriller-comedy with a modern infusion of likable characters and borderline surrealist world-building, and Peele’s filmmaking is at the level of the most respected auteurs like Stanley Kubrick. It’s got moments of shock, laughter, brutality, and terrifying humanity that adds so much astonishment to a film that starts with what could’ve been an overused premise in anyone’s else hands. Daniel Kaluuya has evolved into a modern film star of his generation — though he’s starred in Black Panther and won an Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah, it was Peele’s debut Get Out that guaranteed his stardom. He’s a master at being funny but showing a character confront with real and inner “demons” in a silent way but always being a fun character too. Keke Palmer has a contagious, bubbly energy and I’m sure the entire cast and crew had plenty of laughs due to her fantastic delivery of her lines that often sneaks up on you in hysterical ways. But she’s also a genuine hero, not to mention Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea who are scene stealers.

Peele’s style always challenges genre, structure, and how the audience expects to react to things. His stylistic energy in Nope invokes eyes staring in awe, jaws dropping, and mouths smiling all at once. Due to this, Nope transcends accessibility for fans of horror, and is a top-notch film for all fans of big-screen spectacle, because it never settles for just being a horror movie. In it’s own way, Nope is a piece of art, that’s not meant to give you easy answers or leave you comfortable. Like Peele’s last movie Us, there’s so much to debunk as the thematic elements often drive the filmmaking in his movies. This one addresses many things, but among it, humanity’s flocking to images chaos and danger, and our obsession with getting as close to death and trauma as we can while wanting to arrogantly cheat the effects they may have on us, should our endeavors to harness danger go wrong. The movie is also a tribute to filmmakers and crew members in positions we don’t often acknowledge, and the achievements of black contributions to cinema that aren’t always celebrated. In a way, Peele uses this movie to celebrate the invention of cinema but also warn about our roles as audience members and monetizers of content that’s both real and adapted from truth. With it, he creates the most daring and awe-inspiring summer blockbuster possible that I’m sure will inspire many to create and challenge the world of films the way he has.

06.19.22
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Lightyear

Lightyear imagines what the movie would’ve been that got kids like Andy excited to get the toy of him in Toy Story. In this universe, Buzz Lightyear is a space ranger tasked with a difficult mission and must learn to make new friends and approaches to his mission — and his purpose as an astronaut and a man — on the way.

Lightyear dazzles as an animated Star Trek of sorts, with some of the best animation I’ve seen in years. The designs of spaceships, suits, weapons and settings, as well as the concept of flight and hyperspace travel, are designed so beautifully that you forget you’re watching something completely animated and get immersed in the visual adventure. The intergalactic settings let Pixar’s animators explore their incredible skills and make something that looks gorgeous. Chris Evans is perfectly cast as Buzz Lightyear, not just because he does the Lightyear voice well but because his character parallels Captain America so well in that they both are willing to give whatever it takes for the greater good but must find their own identity and life for themselves. Keke Palmer is also great as Lightyear’s new companion, and Taika Waititi is as always hysterical as another “rookie” that takes on a deadly mission with Buzz. A highlight though, is Sox, a robotic cat voiced by Peter Sohn whose destined to be a fan favorite Pixar character and steals the screen. The script always finds inventive ways to bring in conflicts and there’s some signature humor and heart Pixar is known to have mastered. Although there’s a twist at the end that may have not had the thematic resonance it was trying to get at, it’s still an exciting movie throughout and could please action/sci-fi movie fans of all ages. Though it’s not as great as the last two Toy Story movies per say, Lightyear has likely Pixar’s most stunning animation since Soul and is a blast for the whole family, with a top-notch Chris Evans voice performance and lovable supporting cast.

06.10.22
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Jurassic World Dominion

Dinosaurs now live — and hunt — alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

With promising groundwork to set up what could’ve been an exciting conclusion to the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World Dominion instead does little with the potential its given and messes up almost every chance it gets to deliver. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are solid action stars but their characters get no development besides looking cool and facing off against dinosaurs. Speaking of the dinosaurs, they themselves barely feel like characters in the story anymore, and the two leads are no longer seen exercising their heroic compassion towards the creatures which felt out of character for them. The conflicts with the dinosaurs feel so rushed and hard to be invested in because the proper explanation and stakes simply aren’t there. A genetic engineering storyline takes up a lot of the film’s screen time, as well as Campbell Scott’s lackluster performance, which is a bummer considering the ideas about whether humans and dinosaurs can coexist go undeveloped as a result. The film spends a lot of time with uninteresting supporting characters, whether bad actors like Scott Haze and Justice Smith or good actors like Omar Sy who simply don’t contribute anything. DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie are great as far as the newcomers go, but the original trio from Jurassic Park add a lot to the movie. Laura Dern gives the movie lots of grace and empathy, and Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum are charismatic, with Goldblum bringing his lovable and hilarious chops as always.

Because there’s no proper motives or conflict in the storytelling, the journey and stakes are too boring and confusing to feel invested in. The writer and director don’t trust enough in the audience and put in a 2-minute exposition sequence at the beginning instead of bringing in ideas through visual storytelling. There’s also loads of plot armor that results in predictability because characters can get away from any danger depending on their importance to the story. Despite the franchise being beloved, the concepts being wondrous and the action being gigantic, this movie doesn’t feel thrilling or even sensical. Although I was looking forward to seeing how the trilogy would resolve and conclude, I felt no excitement during this movie unless it was seeing the two generations of the franchise’s stars interact with each other. Not to mention the CGI dinosaurs help expand the scale but no longer feel consequential or visually stunning the way the practical dinosaurs first did all the way back in 1993.

05.06.22
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange encounters multiversal threats once again as he goes on a journey across realities with America Chavez, Wong, and Wanda Maximoff.

This sequel certainly lives up to the madness part of its title by providing a journey of visual marvel throughout alternate universes, a concept that’s been set up in other Marvel properties like Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home but is explored here in full effect. Sam Raimi’s direction provides what feels like a true creative vision, including amazing, adventurous grandeur and use of CGI as well as some horror undertones in certain scenes that is some of the darkest a Marvel Cinematic Universe film has gotten. But to add to that, there’s genuine excitement and thrills to be found in nearly every frame — the pacing is fast and wastes no time doing anything but moving the story forward. Benedict Cumberbatch does a great job as the witty Strange but also some of his more unhinged variants from other universes. Elizabeth Olsen, who was Emmy and Golden Globe nominated for her performance in WandaVision — which I’d call a required watch to understand the events of this film — continues her journey into Wanda’s darker side and wonderfully delivers the pain she experiences and the empathy she conveys with the audience even when her inability to properly grieve from the events of Avengers: Infinity War has gotten people hurt. Together with the preceding show, Olsen creates one of the most tragic and powerful performances in the MCU. Xochitl Gomez is a lovely addition to the franchise as the young America Chavez, who shares a lot of fun scenes with Cumberbatch.

With the vast possibilities of alternate realities comes lots of excitement as to what could happen, as well as genuine thrills and suspense weaved within the many magical rules of the world of the Sorcerer Supreme and the Scarlet Witch. Sam Raimi goes back to his horror roots with some of the dark undertones in certain scenes, that still blend in well with the cheerful and wondrous MCU tone we’re used to. The one thing that gets lost within the gigantic adventure is Strange’s own character arc — Strange’s growth through the film as an actual person has the right setup, but the payoff feels underwhelming and his internal journey needed more of a through line, which was felt more in his first solo movie. Chiwetel Ejiofor is fun to see as Mordo but his inclusion feels haphazard and incomplete. It’s also easy to get lost within all the explanations and world-hopping events that require some attention, with some exposition that ends up being unnecessary. Ultimately though, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is one of the most creatively rewarding MCU films in a while, though not the most emotional, funny or heartfelt, it’s filled with moments of edge-of-your-seat action, epic imagination, breathtaking visuals, campy horror, and insanity that have to be experienced in a theater, creating a sensory overload like no other superhero movie or blockbuster.

04.01.22
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Morbius

Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease that has rendered him handicapped his entire life, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead and must fight for control of himself.

After lots of delays and unconvincing trailers, Morbius pulls off the impossible — it’s even worse than expected. It’s one of the worst superhero films to date and one of the worst films I’ve ever seen in a movie theater. Academy Award winner Jared Leto continues a streak of subpar acting choices with a miscast, creepy turn as Michael Morbius, who’s supposed to be a social outcast doctor turned hero the way Benedict Cumberbatch so convincingly was in Doctor Strange, but Leto brings forth no charm or charisma and actually comes off as an unlikable hero who’s distant from the audience for the whole runtime. Matt Smith also delivers a horrible performance with a character you can’t stand and whose every move is predictable. Adria Arjona and Jared Harris try their best but are stuck with poor writing that doesn’t serve their skills or characters any well. Speaking of which, the characters’ morals, decisions, and conflicts feel so hollow they’re almost non-existent and simply there to check off boxes on the list of superhero origin clichés.

The movie attempts to be darker than the Marvel Cinematic Universe films in the main Tom Holland Spider-Man continuity, but unlike The Batman, another dark superhero film this year, Morbius has no energy, tone or clear objective to exist. The CGI makes the fights hard to watch, especially the vampire look and powers which look like images from a video game. The action is done in a way where it’s impossible to tell what’s going on and the lighting and score are dark and gloomy, sucking any life out of this sad movie that feels more like a first-draft concept idea than an actual movie made for an audience’s entertainment. But it’s not only embarrassingly bad to watch — it commits the unforgivable sin of being boring. Although at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s one of Marvel’s shortest movies ever, it feels so much slower than any other superhero film and I was begging for it to end. There comes a point where even when you find yourself drifting off and the movie has become beyond saving, it still finds a way to outdo itself and become simply unbearable and laughable in the final act. Even the bland Venom movies (which are set in the same universe as Morbius) have had aspects to offer some fans of the source material, but to any fans of comic-book movies, vampire movies, or just good movies, please spare yourself — the only thing you’ll get out of this movie is the desire to forget it immediately after you watch it.

12.24.21
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The Matrix Resurrections

In a rebooted Matrix — literally — a resurrected Neo, now oblivious to the truth, must once again choose to take the red pill and free his mind, in order join the rebellion against the systems holding the humans prisoner inside of the Matrix.

The Matrix Resurrections picks up decades after the end of the third film, which was supposed to definitively conclude the series. This new sequel manages to suck you back into this marvelous sci-fi world with great visuals and world-building, but fails to justify its existence beyond being a cash-grab that relies way too much on reminding you that the first movie exists. The movie tries to be meta and self-aware about sequels and corporate greed but this commentary becomes laughable in ways that I wasn’t sure it was trying to be, and it ends up becoming the exact thing it attempted to mock and satirize. The irreverence and over-the-top nature this movie was going for that tried to mimic the original film just doesn’t work when at the same time taken this seriously. It’s nice to see Keanu Reeves back in action as Neo, but his performance somehow doesn’t manage to reach the heights of his turn in a more recently launched franchise, John Wick. Carrie-Anne Moss also returns as Trinity, and so does Jada Pinkett-Smith as Niobe from the previous sequels, but Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is here replacing Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, playing an alternate version of the character inside the Matrix. Wouldn’t have been much more rewarding to see Fishburne return as one of the most iconic movie members and have the talented Abdul-Mateen play a new key character? The only real standout performance-wise is Jessica Henwick, whose part feels like a mix between Morpheus and Trinity’s roles in the original but Henwick gives a lot of personality here, which is saying a lot for this movie. Some of the supporting performances, like Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris, felt weak as they seemed to be over-acting the whole movie.

Though the music, world-building, and concepts are great, as well as the ideas around AI, choice, and free will, it’s hard to give this movie credit for all that because it’s all derived from the original. This film also makes way too many on-the-nose references to the original, including showing scenes again and having visual nods to the point that the first act is almost the same as that from the 1999 film. As a huge fan of that first movie, it’s cool to see the visuals of that outside robot-infested world done today, speaking of which the CGI in the real world is amazing, but the nostalgia for Matrix fans is all the movie has going for it. What made the original work is the incredible action scenes as well as the simplicity of the story and ideas, and this one ditches all that. The fights within the Matrix have headache-inducing editing, and the cuts make it hard to follow. Also considering the conceptually similar Free Guy, which was partly inspired by the original, came out mere months ago, as well as us getting a CGI-filled blockbuster every couple of weeks, it’s hard for this movie to feel that special, besides Lana Wachowski’s evident ambition. There’s also so much exposition needed to explain the gap between The Matrix Revolutions and now, as well as the rules of the world and action of this movie. These explanations are so excessive, confusing and convoluted that it took my friends and I the ride home to truly grasp all the rules. It felt like the final act ditches any sort of logic to simply go for cool visuals and a safe story structure. If you’re a big fan of 1999’s The Matrix like me, and want to see those visuals and that world how it’d be made today, then that’s the only reason to go see this movie. Otherwise, this feels like a rehash of that magnificent first movie that only seeks to bank on our nostalgia and give us more from what we liked 20 years ago.

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12.16.21
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Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home leaves off right after the previous movie, Far From Home, in which Mysterio exposed Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the world, which has repercussions on Peter’s life as well as his loved ones. He goes to Doctor Strange in an attempt to reverse it, but when a spell goes wrong, villains from other universes — and previous Spider-Man films — emerge and wreak havoc across the multiverse.

After the post-credits scene of the last movie, No Way Home by concept already had immense potential. Marvel Studios decided, however, to up the scale for the Spider-Man series and make it the most exciting film led by the web-slinger yet, by bringing in fantastical aspects and past franchises of the character. Jon Watts takes the style and tone of Homecoming and Far From Home and keeps the heart and lovability of the films but also makes this the darkest and most intense Spider-Man movie yet, with genuinely heart-pounding stakes and characters the audience is invested in. The threats span across multiple realities yet some of the internal conflicts have relatable roots, such as applying to college. Tom Holland’s character’s arc takes mature directions but he’s supported by a great ensemble too. Zendaya and especially Jacob Batalon are hilarious as Peter’s girlfriend and best friend, respectively. The three play off each other wonderfully and are a terrific anchor for the trilogy. Benedict Cumberbatch is great as the no-nonsense Doctor Strange and Marisa Tomei has her most substantial role yet as Aunt May. Actors also return from previous Spidey franchises, including Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina from the Raimi films starring Tobey Maguire, and Jamie Foxx as Electro from the Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield. Dafoe is especially a scene stealer as Green Goblin, reprising the role after nearly 20 years, and the return of Doctor Octopus makes for a great action scene as well. The story, action, and execution up themselves and there are plenty of exciting moments that necessitate a theatrical viewing with an audience. There’s also plenty of surprises, so make sure to be careful with spoilers before seeing this one. There are a few iffy moments in terms of CGI and green screen but they’re redeemed by cool character designs and suits, as well as great fantastical visuals including the Mirror Dimension from Doctor Strange. The movie emotionally builds on its predecessors in a rewarding way while promising great potential for the multiverse in future MCU projects. It’s the most rewarding MCU project of 2021 and arguably the best live-action Spider-Man film to date. It could’ve easily felt like a retread of the conceptually similar animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but it’s the characters that Marvel has worked so hard to build that makes a movie like this work so well that it feels like the event of the year. This will be a delightful time for superhero and Spidey fans, even if it’s not always thematically a home run, by the end there are positive messages and emotional weight that feel earned through the execution and cast. As always, stay for two post-credits scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat.

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