Category Archives: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Flash Movie Review: Lisa Frankenstein
A GOOD PORTION OF THE INDIVIDUALS I dated; I did not like it at first. I cannot explain it. Upon either meeting or getting introduced to them, I got a negative reaction to them. One person I met at a house party. They were slightly tipsy while they tried telling these crazy stories about various members of their family. At the end of the evening, they did not have a ride home and the host asked if I would please get them home safely. I was hesitant because I did not want them to get sick in my car and I also felt we had nothing in common, so the ride home would be uncomfortable with us either sitting in silence or me listening to their family drama. As it turned out, they must have sobered up quick or had been putting on an act for most of the evening because we had a friendly conversation. There was more to them than I imagined; they came from a troubled home, learning to use humor to mask their pain. For a first-time conversation, it was not your usual small talk kind about the weather or sports teams. We each talked about growing up with a colorful extended family, and by the time I pulled up in front of their place, we made plans to see one another again. It turned out to be a fun and caring relationship. ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP I HAD STARTED WITH us meeting at a charity event. We were guests in a large ballroom of a downtown hotel, both looking over the items on display for the silent auction. They were standing next to me and made a satirical comment about one of the items; I chuckled and agreed with them. From there we continued making our way together, commenting and joking about the assorted items and guessing what they would go for during the auction. Throughout the evening, we always managed to be near one another. At the close of the evening, we exchanged phone numbers and wished each other well. The following week I got a call and was invited to a party they were hosting. After having a pleasant evening with them at the charity event, their party was something completely different. I found them to be obnoxious as they relished pushing people’s buttons. Granted some of the things coming out of their mouth were quite funny, but the difference I was seeing was drastically different from our last meeting. I was turned off by it. However, after the party they were persistent in their reaching out to me. I discovered who they were when guests were around was so different from when they were by themselves; I could not get over it. As a few weeks went by, they were able to change my opinion and I found myself becoming attracted to them. My relationship with them was like being on a roller coaster and that is why I could understand the main character in this comedy, horror romance. A TEENAGER STRUGGLING TO FIT INTO a new school, meets someone who might understand her, except for the fact he is dead. With Kathryn Newton (Freaky, Ben is Back) as Lisa, Liza Soberano (Everyday I Love You, Forevermore-TV) as Taffy, Jenna Davis (Stay at Home, Treehouse Detectives-TV) as Lori, Trina LaFargue (Five Feet Apart, My Perfect Wedding) as Tricia and Paola Andino (Sno Babies, Every Witch Way-TV) as Misty; I enjoyed the idea for this story. It had a retro vibe to it, like films from the 1980s. Kathryn did an excellent job with her character, and I enjoyed the rest of the cast as well. The beginning started out slow for me and it took awhile before I felt the story starting to come together. There was a small layer of sharp humor that I felt could have been expanded on and the directing needed to be stronger. I did appreciate the way female empowerment, loss and love were managed; but I felt the script could have been so much stronger, delivering a complete knockout of a story. I took a chance on this film and though I did not love it, I found it okay.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Inside Out 2
SOMETHING WAS GROWING ON MY FACE. A look in the mirror did not help me see it, but I could feel it if I pressed the skin in the middle of my forehead. I did not have to wait long before it made its presence known on my face; I had a pimple. Not wanting to go into details because I was so traumatized at an early age, let me just say it looked like a snow-capped mountain surrounded by a red colored moat. I was horrified, right smack in the middle of my forehead. Every day I had to go to school with this mark on my face, I was anxious throughout the day, worried about what anyone would say about it, let alone the snide comments. It was not like it was the only thing going on at the time. There was the issue about my voice cracking and the fact that I was one of the first boys to suddenly grow facial hair. Though, I thought it would be cool if I could get a five o’clock shadow on my face. What I was not expecting was that growing hair on my body meant I needed to use deodorant. There were so many changes going on with me, I was a walking bundle of nerves. AS THE TIME PASSED AND MY beard developed further, another cruel trick was in store for me. Not only did I have to deal with teenage acne, but the hair growing over the lower half of my face was coming in thick, coarse, and curly that would spiral around and go back into my face, causing these red welts to pop up all over my neck. I tried shaving the hairs as soon as I could see them, but there were so many, coming in so fast, that there was no way I could keep up. It was decided I should go to a skin doctor for help. At my appointment, the doctor determined these reddish welts were flat warts and created a schedule where I would have to come in bi-monthly to have them burnt off. So now I had the joy of going to school with these dark red scabs on my neck where the doctor had used a cauterizing needle to burn off the warts. The only good thing and I mean only good thing was I was excused from PE swimming. This lasted a few months until I was told to switch to a straight razor and was able to get a closer shave. Imagine how I must have felt when in college the doctor I saw told me they were never warts, just in-grown hairs. I must tell you adolescence was tough which is why I could understand what the main character was going through in this animated, adventure comedy. WHEN A YOUNG GIRL BEGINS HER teenage years, she is hit with a whole new set of emotions that interfere with not only her ice hockey dreams, but with her life. With Amy Poehler (Wine Country, The House) voicing Joy, Maya Hawke (Do Revenge, Stranger Things-TV) voicing Anxiety, Kensington Tallman (Summer Camp, Home Sweet Rome!) voicing Riley, Liza Lapira (21, The Equalizer-TV) voicing Disgust and Tony Hale (Quiz Lady, Woman of the Hour) voicing Fear; this sequel lived up to the first movie. I thought the script was well done, doing a beautiful job of conveying the angst teenagers go through in a touching and comical way, as the cast certainly did their part in making that happen. The animation was just like the previous film, very imaginative, and I thought the pacing kept things moving along nicely. This was a fun movie watching experience, in a crowded theater, that brought back memories for me. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Migration
MY DESIRE FOR TRAVEL STARTED AT an incredibly early age. My first road trip took place when I was an infant in diapers. Once I became cognizant, there was something about seeing various places and different topography that I found exciting. That thrill only increased tenfold when I became aware of important landmarks and structures. Seeing the Empire State Building, either in print or on television/film, then seeing it in person was utterly magical to me. Or, having seen the Grand Canyon live for the first time was overwhelming; I wound up walking around it the entire day, unaware that I was burning my unprotected scalp until it was beet red. I still loved the experience of seeing the place in person. When I was a young boy, I used to write to each state’s commerce/tourism department, asking them to send me brochures and pamphlets about their state. I would keep all the literature in a storage box and periodically go through it repeatedly, feeding my desire to go and see the various places for myself. It did not matter how I would get to these various locations because I enjoyed all forms of travel: car, train and airplane. My dream, I may have mentioned, when I was a little kid was to see all fifty states. Though it took me decades to accomplish, I always get a sense of pride whenever I tell someone about my achievement. In my world, travel is in my top five favorite things to do. NOW I DO NOT WANT TO come across as being judgmental and I certainly understand the different circumstances people might have for not traveling, but I have always been perplexed by those who have the means but have no desire to leave their surroundings. To me, this lack of exposure isolates the person and can very easily askew their perceptions about other individuals and places. I know a married couple who rarely leave their neighborhood. We have tried to get them to meet us for a night in the city and they always refused because they have this false perception that no place is safe in the city. Sure, like any big metropolis, there are stories about robberies and shootings, but it is not like the entire city is one big war zone. I try to understand where they are coming from but have a tough time doing it. Without seeing for oneself, I feel a person’s fears have a false ring to them, a hollowness. One could read a book or watch a documentary, but until you see things for yourself, I do not think one can get the complete picture of diverse cultures, places, and societies. To me, this animated adventure comedy is a good example of what I am talking about. IT WOULD TAKE A LOT OF pleading and begging to get their overprotective father to take the family on a vacation. As far as he was concerned there was nothing worth leaving, the comforts of their quiet, safe home, even just for a vacation. With Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) voicing Mack, Elizabeth Banks (Call Jane, The Hunger Games franchise) voicing Pam, Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) voicing Kim, Danny DeVito (Haunted Mansion, The War of the Roses) voicing Uncle Dan and Carol Kane (The Princess Bride, Between the Temples) voicing Erin; I found this a fun, charming picture. The entire cast was well suited to bringing life to their characters. Plus, the script helped because it had some fun slick humor that both kids and adults would enjoy. There was nothing quite new or fresh about the story, yet with the wonderful colorful animation, I still found myself enjoying and watching the story. I also resonated with the story’s message and was left with a comforting feeling after the film was over.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Watchers
SHE WAS TRYING TO CONVINCE ME that I would not even taste the vegetable, but I was not convinced. In the past, I have mentioned I am a texture and visual eater. Certain food textures, like aspic, can make me gag. Something like sauerkraut is a double whammy; I do not like the texture or how it looks, let alone the taste. I was seated at my friend’s dinner party when she came out with this casserole dish and proceeded to tell me about the ingredients, I would not notice in the side dish. I did not want to come across as being rude, since they made a point of announcing this in front of all the seated guests around the dining room table. When the serving plate was passed to me, I took the tiniest of helpings; no reason to let food go to waste when I was sure there were others who might enjoy it. Once all the food was placed on the table and the hosts were seated, we began to eat. When I finally took a bite of the vegetable casserole on my plate, I immediately did not like the taste of it. I could taste the disliked ingredient, but that was secondary to the all-around bad taste I was experiencing. There was such an odd blend of tastes; I could not figure out if it was due to the spices or the ingredients, because there were so many textures going on. The bottom line: it was nasty. I LOVED MY FRIEND, AND DO not get me wrong; I was appreciative of her dinner invitation. Having known her and her family for years, I understood her cooking was not something I cared for. It made sense to me because I thought her mother was an awful cook and baker. It was not a surprise for the mother to serve a cake for dessert that was rubbery with no flavor. One holiday, she came out with a turkey that was undercooked; it got to the point where I had to be extra cautious on what foods I would eat at their house. So, my friend not being a good cook was not a shock to me. It was never a big deal; I am aware that some people think some foods taste good, while others do not. With this in mind, I always know what to expect and from time to time I will eat something of hers that will surprise me because it was not too bad. It may not have been great, but it was easily edible. I had a similar mindset when I decided to see this film because I have not been a fan of the director’s father for a long time. GETTING STUCK IN A FOREST, A young artist finds herself trapped alongside three mysterious strangers in a structure that looks like a glass enclosed cage. There was a reason for it. With Dakota Fanning (The Secret Life of Bees, Man on Fire) as Mina, Georgina Campbell (Barbarian, Suspicion-TV) as Ciara, Olwen Fouere (The Northman, The Survivalist) as Madeline, relative newcomer Oliver Finnegan as Daniel and Alistair Brammer (Les Miserables, A Call to Spy) as John; this fantasy, horror mystery written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan had a wonderful look and soundtrack to the film’s story. The cast was good, and things started out interestingly enough, but after a while I felt the script fell into a rut, leaving me bored. It seemed as if this picture could have been her father’s film, where interesting vignettes were shown and then they either did not go anywhere relevant to the story or made no sense. As the story was closing in on the end, I felt nothing was working in this picture which left me disappointed and confused. There may be promise for this director/writer, but based on this first outing, things are not looking up. I may wind up with the same mindset going to see her future films; not expecting much but knowing I will somehow make it through to the end of the movie.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Night Swim
BEFORE I HAD ANY UNDERSTANDING ABOUT proper dieting, I tried a variety of ways to lose weight. During my elementary school years, I went on a daily lunch of clear chicken broth with a few oyster crackers. I lost a few pounds but did not give as much thought to my food intake for breakfast and dinner. Another diet I tried was eliminating bread, no more sandwiches or toast in the morning. All that happened was me being hungry and eating more ice cream instead. Because gym classes always caused me anxiety, I never thought about doing some type of exercise, except for a short period where I found a book that went through the exercise routines of the Canadian Mounties. I could not tell you where I got this book, but I tried doing the various exercises three times a week. It lasted for almost two months, but then again, the results were not dramatic, and I was looking for some serious weight loss. By the time I got to high school, my doctor put me on a pill to try and lose weight. I never knew what it was but some years later I found out the pills had a legal form of “speed.” My freshman year I remained skinny; however, when my days at school turned to the dark side during sophomore year, I put all the weight I had lost back on and then some. IT WAS NOT UNTIL YEARS LATER, when I went to an aerobics class with a friend, that I finally understood the way I needed to lose weight. Due to the dramatic weight loss, I achieved, I was always being asked for weight loss advice from members of my classes. I shared my simple philosophy: one must burn off more calories than they take in. The things I saw through my years of teaching went from dramatic to scary. There was a woman at one club who had gotten so skinny that her hair started to fall out and she stopped menstruating. Another member at one of the other clubs got into weight training, but never incorporated any form of aerobics. They simply got bigger and bigger, which meant their weight was increasing as well. There have been so many stories I have heard about the things people do to feel better about themselves. One person did liposuction, but it left her misshapen and half of her stomach remained numb from the procedure. I tried my best to guide members if they asked me, but only by telling them what I did to lose weight. One of the main characters had the right idea about working out in their pool to feel better, but things did not end up the way he had hoped in this horror thriller. THEIR NEW HOUSE HAD EVERYTHING THE family wanted; but had something else that they did not want. With Wyatt Russell (Overlord, Everybody Wants Some!!) as Ray Waller, Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Bad Samaritan) as Eve Waller, Amelie Hoeferle (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) as Izzy Waller, Gavin Warren (The Man in the White Van, A Hard Problem) as Elliot Waller and Jodi Long (The Tale, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Lucy Summers; this film missed an opportunity to create a scary thriller. Instead, all it offered was a poor excuse for a horror movie. Though the actors tried their best, the script was dull and unimaginative. I felt the scenes were clips from other horror films except with poorer special effects. There were a few scenes that sparked hope inside of me, but sadly the script did not veer off its mundane, average story. It would be best if one passed up on this mess of a picture.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Garfield Movie
WE ALL MET IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, some as far back as kindergarten. All through school we remained friends and continued so into high school, despite drifting off into our different comfort zones. Though I rarely saw them through high school and not at all during my college years, I was always fond of them. One of those friends taught me how to cut crepe paper with scissors. It was because I was the only lefthanded student in my kindergarten class. When the teacher was teaching us, I could not hold the scissors like the rest of the kids sitting at my table. She was sitting next to me and carefully showed me how to use the scissors a separate way where I could then cut the paper. This is how we met and remained friends; she was always one of the sweetest girls in school; I never forgot her act of kindness, even after all these decades. Another friend had an Irish Wolfhound dog that was huge. The dog could nearly look at you at eye level, he was that tall. All of us were excited when our friend told us her dog was going to be in a dog food commercial. Being so big, he was a fast runner, just like his owner, my friend. I always believed my friend was one of the smartest kids in class, so I assumed she figured out how to make her dog a star. YEARS LATER AT A CLASS REUNION, the four of us met up and had a wonderful evening reminiscing about our youth. The biggest shock for me was hearing what everyone wound up doing in life. From our experiences in childhood, I was left with impressions of who these friends were; however, hearing what they did in their adult life surprised me. One friend became a historian on stolen art, collaborating on movies and shows that focused on artwork stolen during World War II. The woman who taught me how to use scissors is a playwright who has a new show debuting at a famous theater festival. The last friend from our small group, who had the big dog, received her doctorate, and became a professor at a university. She had recently retired to take a new position setting up a doctorial program in her field of expertise at another university. I could not believe how these three individuals, became such successful and I might add powerful women in their industry. I am glad I knew them then and now because it makes their lives appear richer to me. I was hoping to get a similar sense with this animated, adventure comedy about one of my favorite cartoon characters. SURPRISED BY HIS UNEXPECTED REUNION WITH his long-lost father, Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt (The Tomorrow War, The Kid), leaves the comfort of his home to help his dad in one last heist. With Samuel L. Jackson (The Kill Room, Damaged) voicing Vic, Hannah Waddingham (The Fall Guy, Ted Lasso-TV) voicing Jinx, Ving Rhames (The Locksmith, Con Man) as Otto and Nicholas Hoult (Renfield, The Current War) voicing Jon; this movie did not offer much insight or newness to Garfield’s story. I did not care for the script because it portrayed a toned-down version of Garfield, we all remember from the comic strip and Bill Murray film. Younger children will enjoy this picture better than the older ones and adults. I did like the style of animation, though. It would have helped if the writers had the older version of Garfield in their minds when they chose to write the script. There were times I was bored, especially when the upcoming action was obvious to the viewer. In a way, I felt I was seeing a different version of the satirical, lazy, smart aleck Garfield I enjoyed seeing these past years.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
GENUINELY, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A curious person. I always felt one gets to really know someone from the journey they took to get to their present time. Their past, at least to me, reveals so much more than hearing them talk about their thoughts on current affairs or their favorite pastimes. Because of my interest, there have been times I wondered if I was annoying the person by asking them so many questions. I never wanted it to feel like an interrogation; I simply want to know who they really are behind the surface. I met a man who was his state’s spelling bee champion for several years in a row. He was accepted at some of the top schools in the country like MIT and Princeton. At his job, he oversaw a staff of 1,100 employees and was ranked in the top ten positions of his company. Listening to him, I assumed that he had to come from a stable family, who had the means to get him a good education that gave him all the opportunities he mentioned to me. I could not have been more wrong. It turned out he was from a broken home; his mother having been married and divorced a few times. At one point, things were so bad that he and his mom had to live in their car for several months because they had nowhere else to go. I was stunned. I HEARD SUCH A VARIETY OF back stories from individuals; some of them worthy of being immortalized in a movie. There was the owner of a popular restaurant in the city, who very few people knew he, as a young boy, was in a concentration camp. He chose the restaurant business because he never wanted anyone to experience the starvation he had during the war. There was the woman who was a single mother, raising two daughters, who never wanted her children to not have a roof over their heads, so she devoted most of her extra savings for the purchasing of apartment buildings. By the time her oldest daughter was out of college, she had nearly a dozen different properties that were all generating income. I do not want to come across like a braggart, but there have been people who found my journey to teaching fitness an interesting tale. Being overweight for most of my young life and flunking gym class twice in high school, I came up with an exercise and diet program I could follow without feeling I was missing something. During my weight loss, I ventured out to an aerobics class with a friend and fell in love with it. From there I started subbing classes, while working on getting certified. Afterwards, I wound up teaching at several locations and had a long career in the fitness industry. There is something about hearing a person’s back story that makes their life shine brighter in my mind. I never thought I needed to know the back story to the movie character Furiosa, but I was fascinated with it in this prequel to the film franchise. HAVING BEEN ABDUCTED FROM HER HOMELAND by a powerful warlord, a young girl learns how to take care of herself so that one day she can keep her promise of returning home. Her journey would be a perilous one. With Anya Taylor-Joy (The New Mutants, The Menu) as Furiosa, Chris Hemsworth (Extraction franchise, Men in Black: International) as Dementus, Tom Burke (The Souvenir, The Wonder) as Praetorian Jack, Alyla Browne (Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Secret Kingdom) as Young Furiosa and Lachy Hulme (Killer Elite, The Matrix Revolutions) as Immortan Joe; this action, science fiction adventure was all about the fight and chase scenes, and I will have to say they were spectacular. The intensity, the movements and the creativity blended to create some amazing scenes. On top of that, Anya was riveting in her role. Without much dialog, it was easy to understand what she felt and her reactions. I, however, thought the script was too long and did not have the fire that the previous movie had on display. For the most part, this picture was one action scene after another with a small amount of groundwork to set up the scenes. If a viewer does not care about the life of Furiosa, they might not have a strong interest in this movie, especially if not interested in seeing violence and blood.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: If
I DID NOT HAVE AN IMAGINARY friend growing up, unless you count my special stuffed animals. My first was a monkey that was handed down to me from generations before. When I had him, his name was Zippy, he got a new set of red overalls, but there was nothing to be done about his missing finger. Everywhere I went I had Zippy by my side; we were inseparable. Though he was a good listener, he never solved any of my questions; however, he was such a good companion who never woke me up at night when we slept together. He also was never jealous because I had received other stuffed animals who after time wound up sleeping with Zippy and me. When I look back at this time, I guess I can say these animals were my first friends. One other thing I distinctly remember is I never introduced or let other kids play with my stuffed animals. You could say I was very possessive of them. Where I never carried them out of the house, I had a neighbor friend down the street from us who brought his imaginary friend with him whenever we were outside playing. The only time where it was challenging having his imaginary friend play with us was during a game of tag; otherwise, my friend usually kept his friend always by his side. THE STRONG CONNECTION I HAD TO my stuffed animals gave me the opportunity to explore and appreciate more the things around me. Many a time I would have Zippy with me when I saw something new and exciting outside my bedroom window or even on the television. Sharing that moment together, I believe, solidified my sense of wonder with the world. I do not know if I was braver because of him, but I do know I enjoyed sharing new experiences. That sense of wonder has stayed with me for all these past decades. Visiting the only palace on US soil and discovering it was the first place in the United States, four years ahead of the White House, to have electric lighting; or visiting a butterfly sanctuary and discovering all different types of butterflies were moments that filled me with such wonder that I still remember them to this day, many years later. I hope I never lose that sense of wonder. Because of it, I succeeded in seeing all fifty US states, where I always found something that brought me a sense of wonder and excitement/joy. Having had experience with imaginary friends when I was incredibly young, there was no way I wanted to miss this animated dramatic comedy. HAVING ALREADY LOST ONE PARENT, WITH the other needing a major medical operation, a young girl must stay with her grandmother who lives in an apartment building in the city. Early on, the young girl discovers there are other residents that only she can see. With Cailey Fleming (Peppermint, Star Wars franchise) as Bea, Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool franchise, The Adam Project) as Cal, John Krasinski (A Quiet Place franchise, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan-TV) as Dad, Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter franchise, Killing Eve-TV) as Grandmother and Liza Colon-Zayas (The Bear-TV, Naked Singularity) as Janet; the idea for the story was great, but the script needed a couple of rewrites. With beautiful animation and an all star cast of voices, I was disappointed in the blandness of the script. For the first half of the film, I was bored. It really was a shame because I thought Cailey and Ryan did a wonderful job of acting. With a good dose of imagination and its touching story, this movie could have been better. I had to wonder if it was because John was both writer and director, besides his acting role that it was too much to manage, causing for a thin story line. Maybe because I still have such a keen sense of wonder, I was expecting more from this picture. There was a brief non-verbal scene honoring the late Louis Gossett Jr at the end of the closing credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
WHAT HE WAS TELLING US WAS something I had lived through as well. A friend was working at a place that treated everyone like one big family. The company was private, not affiliated with a large corporation. They were profitable, successful, and gave back to the community. He told us how the owners were hands on, meaning they were always stopping by to check on the store and employees. They wanted to make sure employees were comfortable with what they were doing and encouraged them to learn more about the business. There was a reason for this; they preferred to hire and promote from within. The friend had worked there for two years, and besides learning about the retail side of the business, he also was trained for the wholesale side. This meant he already had more opportunities available to him and he said he was not done. He already was established with several customers, who only wanted to deal with him whenever they came into the store. It is funny to me; when you hear someone praising their job, you remember it along with the details. I was happy for him and glad he found a niche in the employment world that suited him. IT WAS AROUND SIX OR EIGHT months later we happened to all get together again. This friend had a completely different story to tell this time about his job. The owners of the company had sold the business to a competitor. This new company’s focus was on profitability, so it was not long before changes started to take place. Our friend was unhappy with the changes. For example, they initiated a no absent work policy. If an employee had PTO, they could take a day off. However, if they did not and an employee, let us say, was out sick, they could only be out a total of three days a year, otherwise they would be terminated. He only had one day available to be out of the office for the next six months, which meant he sometimes would be sick at work. There were other changes, none that benefited any of the employees. I expressed my sympathy because I could relate to his situation. I worked at a place where things were going great and then someone new took over and made life at work unbearable. I have no issue with a company focusing on making profits; but in my experience, each time it happens there is always someone involved who becomes greedy and only thinks of themselves. I have seen this in companies, in politics, organizations and now I can see it in this action, science fiction adventure. THE APE WORLD EVOLVED INTO SOMETHING different from its past. A young ape, in search of his family, discovers what he was told may not have been entirely true. With Owen Teague (It franchise, You Hurt my Feelings) as Noa, Freya Allan (Gunpowder Milkshake, Baghead) as Mae, Kevin Durand (Abigail, I Am Number Four) as Proximus Caesar, Peter Macon (Shelter in Solitude, The Orville-TV) as Raka and Eka Darville (The Sapphires, Jessica Jones-TV) as Sylva; this latest installment in the long running franchise had wonderful cinematography and special effects. I enjoyed the actors’ work to become apes, but I did not care for Freya’s performance. It felt hollow to me; granted, it did not help that the first half of the film dragged to the point where I was hoping things would move along. Gratefully, they did in the last half. The action scenes were intense and there were a few standout moments that made up for the slow pace in the beginning of the movie. I believe this story will lay the groundwork for more films to come. My only hope is that it is a collaborative effort instead of one person controlling every aspect of the production.
3 stars
moviejoltz 