Flash Movie Review: Wish
I WAS CONVINCED AT A VERY early age that my wishes would come true if I could blow out all the birthday candles on my cake with one big breath. One of my earliest memories was wishing for a tool set. After making my wish and successfully blowing out all the candles, when the time came to open my presents one of them was a brightly colored tool set. The tools were each a different color and were stored in a red toolbox, each one clipped into its own storage compartment. I was so excited about getting them and the realization that every year, whatever I wished for, would come true. I still remember the first time I used my set of tools; I decided to take the doorknob off from the front door. The funny thing though, is I had no idea what I was going to do with it; however, I thought it would be a good project to work on. When I tried to unscrew the screws with my screwdriver, I had a hard time because the screws did not want to move, forcing the head of my screwdriver to bend. So, I went to where my parents kept their toolbox and took a screwdriver from it to help me. Now I was getting somewhere with the doorplate around the handle; except when I removed the last screw and the plate did not move, I got scared for some reason and put back all the screws. FROM THAT EARLY START FROM CHILDHOOD, I eventually learned not all wishes come true immediately. I was disappointed but got used to it, though I never gave up hope. My wish choices changed depending on my age and what was taking place around the time I was making a wish. I went from toys and books to clothes and music; then, went to gift cards and home accessories and good health. Throughout the years, even when it was not my birthday, I made wishes. I think they are a wonderful option to throw into the world and see if they take root, receive nourishment, and possibly return as one’s reality. I love the fantasy of wishing for $50 million dollars and then fantasizing about what I would do with that much money. Unless I win the lottery, I know my chances are slim; however, by stating that wish I noticed I started changing my shopping habits by cutting back to increase my savings. It may be baby steps, but one never knows how a wish could come to fruition. A perfect example of what can happen is on display in this animated, musical, adventure comedy movie. YOUNG ASHA’S, VOICED BY ARIANA DeBOSE (West Side Story, The Prom) wish must have been truly powerful because it brought down to her kingdom the star she wished upon, who decided to help make her wish come true. With Chris Pine (Star Trek franchise, Don’t Worry Darling) voicing King Magnifico, Alan Tudyk (A Knight’s Tale, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story) voicing Valentino, Angelique Cabral (Friends with Benefits, Life in Pieces-TV) voicing Amaya and Victor Garber (Titanic, Family Law-TV) voicing Sabino; it appeared to be that Disney wanted this film to be the centerpiece for the past 100 years of Disney’s classic films. There was so much thought and effort put into reminding us of their past treasured films that this movie suffered. The musical numbers were not memorable or provided one song that would become a classic; however, the animation was wonderful. The story was weak to start with and as the writers kept throwing as much as they could into the script, I was quickly bored by it all. The villain did not hold a candle to the classic villains from the early pictures. I will say the actors did a great job voicing the characters, but the one thing that stood out to me was listening to the music during the touching film credits that included recreated images of the classic characters that came out of Disney studios. It was a sad reminder that this movie did not live up to those wonderful old, animated films. There was one extra scene during the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Marvels
THROUGH THE YEARS, I HAVE BUMPED into individuals that I had no contact with for decades. Sometimes, it has happened in such random places. For example, on a trip to Greece I was standing in line to catch a tram from a destination spot and bumped into a childhood friend back from elementary school days, which was many years ago. He and his wife were standing in front of me, and I recognized his face. We agreed to meet up for drinks and had a good time reminiscing about our school years together. The time we spent together was fun, but upon returning to the states we went on with our separate lives. Our time together became a fun add-on to my vacation stories. I believe the long duration of time melted the bond we had with each other back then. If I were to venture a guess, I think a lot of it would have to do with our vastly different experiences in high school. He was more of a gentle jock type, who excelled in physical activities. In my book, that gives the student a pass from any type of abuse or ridicule, unlike me. I was not proficient in most sports activities and being overweight made me an easy target. So, I learned how to withdraw from most high school events and social gatherings. JUST BY COINCIDENCE, I RECENTLY RAN into two friends at a social function, who I had not seen for many years. I noticed the warm feelings that flooded through me as we sat and chatted, having been close friends back then. It was as if time had not passed by us all these years, because we found ourselves in a joyful, sweet rhythm of talking and sharing our life’s journeys with each other. For me, one of the added joys seeing each other was how our memories, which had been dormant for so long, easily rose into our conversations as we relived some of the great times we had together. I have a question for you: have you ever encountered a fond person from your past and discovered you had been missing something in your current life? Well, that is how I felt about my time spent with these two friends. As a result, we exchanged our contact information and planned to get together again. Making those plans was so much fun as the three of us were sending texts back and forth about how great it was to see each other and hoped we could get together real soon. As it turned out we did, and our friendship picked up from where we left it. It is that type of long-lost connection that I found charming in this action, adventure fantasy film. HAVING CARRIED THE HEAVY BURDEN FROM the outcome of her past experiences with the Kree, Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson (Short Term 12, Just Mercy), finds herself entangled with two other individuals, one of them is from her past, who will all need to work together to save the universe. With Teyonah Parris (Dear White People, If Beale Street Could Talk) as Monica Rambean, Iman Vellani (Avengers franchise, Ms. Marvel-TV) as Kamala Khan, Samuel L. Jackson (The Kill Room, The Protégé) as Nick Fury and Zawe Ashton (Nocturnal Animals, Velvet Buzzsaw) as Dar-Benn; for a product of the Marvel universe, this movie was a disappointment. I enjoyed the connection between the three main stars, especially Iman’s character. The fight scenes had a fun element, and the CGI effects were good; however, the script was a scattered mess. At times, I found several scenes filled with slapstick humor that then morphed into dramatic, sorrowful scenes. The excitement and thrills of past Marvel films did not appear in this picture. And as I have said before, if the villain is truly not menacing then the story will never succeed. For all the money spent on this, what a shame. There was only one (what a shock) extra scene during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Strays
ONE OF THE PERKS OF BEING on social media is seeing photos of people’s pets. This would also include the wildlife photos individuals post online. Being an animal lover, I enjoy seeing the variety of pets people have in their household. There is one individual who does a daily post of their dog, who has the most expressive face. When the dog’s owner puts a caption describing the dog’s mood, I would absolutely believe it based on the dog’s face. What really gets me is how the dog looks like he is posing. I do not think any artistic or editing abilities were used to create the photo, they simply are random shots of their day together. This is not the only pet posts that get to me; there are hundreds posted from other individuals. Though some people like to dress up their pets in human clothing, where some produce funny results at the animal’s expense, I per se am not one who wants to dress up my pet. It is the pet photos where they do not need anything to look like they are talking to us, just a cock of the head or expression on its face that completes the “look” for me. IN THE PAST, I HAVE MENTIONED a special dog from my past. This dog seemed to understand what I was saying all the time, except when I wanted him to go lie down, so I could work in the kitchen without constantly tripping over him as he followed me around. He had an uncanny way of knowing what mood I was in, reacting to it in an appropriate way like a friend or family member would do. If my mood was down, he would simply come up alongside and lean into me. Or sometimes, he would wrap his front paws around my arm or neck, like giving a hug, if he was able to reach it. If I was in a good/happy mood, he would want to play or interact with me more than usual. One of my favorite things to do was to look at him and ask if he would like a “doggie massage.” As soon as he heard those two words, he would run up to me, plop down onto his side and wait for me to give him body rubs. It was the funniest thing. With my experiences being around animals, I believe they really can understand or at least sense us; however, in all my encounters I have never come across dogs like the ones in this adventure comedy. GROWING UP BELIEVING HIS OWNER LOVED him, a dog discovers the truth after being dropped off and stranded in a different town, far away from his home. With Will Ferrell (Blades of Glory, Downhill) voicing Reggie, Jamie Foxx (They Cloned Tyrone, Day Shift) voicing Bug, Isla Fisher (The Beach Bum, Wedding Crashers) voicing Maggie, Randall Park (Totally Killer, Young Rock-TV) voicing Hunter and Will Forte (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth-TV) as Doug; this movie is absolutely not meant for children. It is crude, rude and at times funny. I thought the idea for the story was interesting and surprisingly touching. It just seemed as if the humor got old after a while from all the trash talk and curse words being thrown about. If one can stomach all of this, the special effects are terrific. The dogs looked as if they were really talking and acting out the story. There were a few times I laughed out loud, but for the most part I either chuckled or groaned. I will say, after seeing this film I feel like I will pay closer attention to the dogs I encounter in my life. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Five Nights at Freddy’s
ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES OF amusement parks was me vomiting into a trash container. I remember the park because the ride I got sick on was one of those haunted, fun house attractions. There was a huge head that looked like an evil genie perched above the entryway, with its eyes moving from side to side as if scanning the park for its next victims. It was a family outing with a group of relatives and for the younger ones, which included me, this was our first time attending the amusement park. When I walked into the fun house, it was nearly pitch-black inside. There were objects that glowed and appeared to be floating in the air. At certain turns a mechanical figure would spring out to scare onlookers who were walking by. Being so young, I did jump and get scared multiple times; but, with my relatives nearby I never got to the point of being crying scared. I remember we came to a juncture where we had to go through a door that had cobwebs on it. Once we were through, we heard the door lock. We continued walking until we found ourselves in a dark space where the walls were formed into a full circle. As we gently walked into it, the continuous wall started to turn. In other words, it was like walking into a barrel that started rolling down a hill, but this rolling device stayed in one place. I could not keep my balance, constantly falling. As the pictures on the walls rolled by, I started to feel nauseous. Miraculously the spinning stopped, and a hidden door opened into the sunlight. I staggered out and made it to the trash container in time before my stomach decided to evacuate all its contents. ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WOULD have been my last time at an amusement park; but because of my earlier enjoyment of rides and carnival foods, I ventured to other amusement parks and learned what attractions were more agreeable with me and my body. I was a sucker for the games of chance, convinced I could win a stuffed animal easily. There was the shooting gallery where water guns were used to hit a target that would inflate a balloon. The first balloon to pop would be the winner. I never won that game. I also failed at the ring toss on top of a glass bottle and the pseudo basketball hoop game. I believe it was after a couple of years that I finally won one of those games; throwing a ball to knock off from their shelves, three hairy troll dolls. Out of the prizes offered, I chose a small, stuffed purple monkey. I felt so proud of myself. It was a good thing I did not have the knowledge then to add up how much it cost my family to pay for all the tries I took to finally win that small stuffed animal. There were so many different amusement parks I used to attend and gratefully not one of them was like the one in this mystery, horror thriller. DESPERATE TO EARN MONEY TO KEEP his daughter, a down on his luck father takes a nighttime security guard job at an abandoned amusement park. What he would experience would be worse than any of the rides. With Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise, The Long Home) as Mike, Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, For All Mankind-TV) as Abby, Elizabeth Lail (Countdown, Ordinary Joe-TV) as Vanessa, Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo franchise, The Descendants) as Steve Raglan and Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Blindspot-TV) as Aunt Jane; this movie based on a video game was lost on me. Maybe if one was familiar with the game, the movie would make better sense; I found it simply odd and dull. I enjoyed Josh’s and Mary’s performances, but the script was a jumble of things that were never fully explained. As the movie was nearing its end, I thought the story was weird and made little sense. It might be best to take your money and use it to spend a day at an amusement park. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Quiz Lady
I HAVE A FRIEND, WHO I HAVE told numerous times, he should be a contestant on a musical game show. His knowledge of musical artists and songs is amazing; though, I should preface it by saying his command of music is limited to pop culture. Think Billboard, Top 40 type of music. He can tell you where a song ranked on the Billboard charts and for what year. When we are driving together in a car, he can name the song playing on the radio within the first couple of notes. Rarely has he ever been wrong when the radio announcer names the song after it has played. What is more fun to witness are the times he enters the music trivia contests that are held periodically at various clubs around the city. Sometimes he plays solo, but at others he has a childhood friend join him to form a formidable team. His friend is as good as him, so together they have won more times than not. I asked him once how it is that he knows so much about music, and he said it was due to his mother. She was always playing records in the house when he was growing up. At an early age, he could easily name songs from the Supremes, Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and the Kinks. I think he missed his calling and should have entered one of those reality music-based television shows. GROWING UP, I USED TO WATCH several game shows: some in reruns and others current. Jeopardy was one of my favorites, but only after I was in high school. Another one was Hollywood Squares, where the different squares of a Tick Tack Toe grid had different celebrities who would either give a truthful answer or a fake one to the contestant’s query. There were some shows where I could get the answer before the contestant had time to figure it out. It crossed my mind a couple of times that maybe I should apply to one of the game shows, but by the end of the telecast I realized I could not compete with the competition. Nonetheless, I got much enjoyment out of watching these shows. Sure, there were some that were informative, where I learned at least one new thing every time I watched the show. However, there were other shows I watched that focused more on silly situations to generate audience laughter. The one that comes to mind is The Newlywed Game. It is funny, when I was younger, I watched several game shows but now, there are not too many I care to watch. I just do not find them interesting; however, if the game show in this comedy was on the air, I would certainly tune in to it. ANNE YUM, PLAYED BY AWKWAFINA (THE FAREWELL, Crazy Rich Asians), never missed an episode of her favorite television game show. Little did she know that the things she learned would help her and her estranged sister one day. With Sandra Oh (Under the Tuscan Sun, Grey’s Anatomy-TV) as Jenny Yum, Will Ferrell (Anchorman franchise, Barbie) as Terry McTeer, Holland Taylor (The Practice-TV, The Wedding Date) as Francine and Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom, Saving Mr. Banks) as Ron Heacock; this movie’s saving grace was the cast. I thought there was real chemistry between Awkwafina and Sandra Oh. It was because of the cast that the predictable story was easier to watch. I found most comedic scenes only humorous, warranting a chuckle every now and then. A couple of times I did laugh aloud, but that was it. The story kept an even pace, though I thought the beginning was a bit slow. If the question, “did you enjoy the film,” was posed to me, my answer would have to be, “it was okay.”
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Entergalactic
ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF advice given to me was I need to love myself before someone can love me. Never having a great self-image of myself, it took a long time to find my way to accepting and loving myself. Prior to getting to that place, I went through a period where I had a series of multiple dates that each one did not last more than two or three months. Looking back, I can see one factor that did not work in my favor. By not feeling good about myself and/or where I was in life, I was not able to connect with others on a deeper level. I stayed very guarded, not willing or to be more precise, not able to express a sense of joy and wonder about life. Most of my first dates were more like an interview, with me as the interviewer. It was easier for me to hear about someone else’s issues and try to fix them than me working on myself. I especially enjoyed the challenge when a first-time date talked about their ex, which many people say is a red flag. It never bothered me unless it sounded like they missed and wanted to get back with them, which has happened to me. On some level, hearing about someone else’s troubles with a previous partner made me feel like I was not the only one suffering from a bad relationship. FROM MY EXPERIENCES, WHEN ASKED I have offered advice to my friends who are dealing with dating issues. I have one friend who has avoided looking at their recent past relationships that ended with sadness. It is as if they take all their feelings and emotions and put them in a box to be stored somewhere in the back of their brain. I remember when their previous relationship ended and one week later, they were out on a date. When they finally asked me for advice, I asked them if they saw a pattern taking place from each breakup. Maintaining a safe environment for them to finally open up about it, they discovered certain things they do in each relationship. Once that connection was made, they got into exploring more about themselves and I could not be happier that today they are in a loving relationship that turned into marriage. When things fall into places where one feels good about themselves, their career, their life, then they can really make connections with other human beings. And I am not only talking about connecting on a love relationship, but with friends and family, the world opens for them to spread and share that love. I saw it in this animated, musical romantic comedy. AFTER GETTING HIRED BY A POPULAR publishing company and moving into a dream apartment, a graffiti artist finds himself balancing the aspects of his new life. He can also forget about the girlfriend who dumped him…or could he? With Kid Cudi (Need for Speed, X) voicing Jabari, Jessica Williams (Fantastic Beasts franchise, Booksmart) voicing Meadow, Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming, White Men Can’t Jump) voicing Carmen, musical artist Ty Dolla Sign voicing Ky and Timothee Chalamet (Dune, Call Me by Your Name) voicing Jimmy; I found this film exciting. The reason is because it took a generic rom-com scenario and injected it with a new, creative flair that made viewing and listening to it so enjoyable. I thought the animation was excellent, to the point where one could almost see the characters as living, breathing human beings. The musical soundtrack fit the story perfectly and I liked the way the songs were introduced during it. Even when scenes were predictable, it did not matter to me because of the way the movie told the story. This was a confident and well-done production all around.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Exorcist: Believer
ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR me to witness is a sick animal or sick baby/child. I still remember watching a relative of mine carrying their sick dog down three flights of stairs so that it could relieve itself on the grass outside. The poor dog tried to remain standing but fell over every time he tried to raise his leg. It was so sad to see, and I was only seeing it this one time; my poor relative was experiencing it multiple times a day. I gave my relative credit for managing the situation, but I did wonder about the quality of the dog’s life. The dog reminded me of this other dog I met at a small hotel I was staying at on vacation. The owner of the hotel had this small black dog that looked like Toto from The Wizard of Oz. Except, the poor thing lost its sight and hearing. I was sitting in the lobby, waiting for my ride, watching this little dog rely on its sense of smell to navigate around the open space. However, that sense did not help with some objects in the way like leg chairs and walls. I watched as the dog bumped into a table leg, a wall and a floor lamp. Luckily, it was not running; instead, it was carefully and tentatively moving its way forward. THE OTHER THING THAT IS HARD for me to see is an ill child or worse, a sick baby. I knew these parents who had their baby in the hospital’s ICU for four to five months. The poor baby was hooked up to a variety of machines via tubes and wires. I kid you not; it looked like a scene out of a horror film. To make matters worse, the only way one could see the baby was through a glass window. I wondered if this would influence the baby as it grows up, the lack of human touch besides the kind that was sticking it with needles and probes. It was such an awful situation; the parents looked like walking zombies because they took turns spending the entire night with the baby, just so the baby could hear a soothing voice without experiencing something painful happening to it. I honestly do not know how those two parents did it, but they did. I have said this before; children come into this world with a pure clean slate. They have no prejudices, no hatred, no negativity. Many of them learn these traits from their parents. To see a child unable to take care of itself, having to suffer for something out of their control is just as sad to me as a child being taught how to hate. This is why I had a tough time watching what happened to the kids in this reboot of the horror franchise. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AFTER TWO neighborhood girls went missing. Gone for three days, the two girls returned with no memory of what happened to them. It would be soon after when the parents realize something indeed had happened to their young daughters. With Leslie Odom Jr (Hamilton, One Night in Miami) as Victor Fielding, Tracey Graves (Sebastian, Super Turnt) as Sorenne Fielding, Lidya Jewett (Hidden Figures, Good Girls-TV) as Angela Fielding, Danny McCarthy (Stronger, Prison Break-TV) as Stuart and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale-TV, Hereditary) as Ann; this horror film had a good start for the story. It was suspenseful as it mixed the past and present together, encompassed in excellent filmed scenes. However, as the story neared its halfway point, everything started to break down. I lost interest because the suspense was gone, and the horror scenes were not frightening. I felt the script was just rehashing previous scenes from the franchise, including using similar music from the original film. By the end of this movie, I felt bad for the cast getting stuck in such a non-scary mess.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Girl in the Picture
I KNEW IN THE FIRST CLASS of the new session; something was wrong with a participant. It was a yoga class, and this teenager came in with, who I assumed was her mother. The mother threw herself into the poses. She struggled with some of them and had to stop and sit down on her mat to catch her breath from time to time. Through it, I used non-verbal ques of encouragement to keep her engaged. The daughter on the other hand rarely made any eye contact with me. I immediately felt something was wrong. With any of the poses that required bending at the waist or placing hands on the floor, she would start the pose then get out of it to keep tugging down her oversized T-shirt as if she was trying to cover herself up. Or she would come out of a pose to brush her long hair off her face. It crossed my mind to get a rubber band from the front desk, so she could put her hair in a ponytail. I did not know how to handle the situation; it was obvious the teenager was uncomfortable and appeared defeated even before she attempted any pose. I have mentioned before that I do not believe there are any accidents; there is a reason for everything and sure enough after a few weeks the mother came up to me after class. Her daughter was not with her. As we talked about the poses, I asked if her daughter was getting comfortable with the poses. Surprisingly, the mother said she was not sure and asked me why I was asking. I felt this was the opening I needed. KNOWING THE OUTCOME, I CAN CONFIDENTLY say that night changed things for the teenager. From my conversation with her mother, the mother went to talk to the daughter’s school counselor. Without divulging personal information, it was determined the girl was getting bullied and picked on in school. I did not know to what degree, but from my own experience when I watched her, I knew something was going on for her to appear and act so withdrawn. Because she appeared okay being with her mother in class, my guess after that first yoga class was someone or a group of kids were abusing her. The mother worked with the school to root out the troublemakers and set things straight for the daughter to flourish. They remained in my class for approximately one year and the transformation in the daughter was remarkable. She took an interest in diet and exercise; she made better eye contact with people (me included), and she overall seemed happier. For those who have never been in a position of being abused/bullied, you might not recognize the symptoms. They can greatly vary, but you can see what it is like when you watch this true crime mystery. THE DEATH OF A YOUNG WOMAN and the kidnapping of her son starts an investigation that will require detectives to put pieces of clues together that have to be retrieved from years ago. The case being built will shock everyone who knew the young mother. Directed by Skye Borgman (Dead Asleep, Junk Dreams), this documentary was riveting. There were times I found myself doing shallow breathing because the story was so frightening. The story jumps back and forth in time and though I usually am not a fan of this technique, I found it enhanced the story and gave more life to the individuals. Some scenes had re-enactments mixed in with the archival and personal interview scenes. Listening to the testimonials only made the tragedy more real for me. All I can say about my experience watching this film is that I have always known there are evil people in this world. This story is proof, I am sad to say.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Creator
IF THE PERSON I WAS INTERACTING with on the telephone was an artificially enhanced intelligent receptionist, then I was not impressed or worried. When the phone call connected and she greeted me, listing the medical group’s name, I thought she was a live person. After asking for my name and date of birth, she asked how she could help me. I told her I wanted to make an appointment to see a particular doctor. She said she was putting me on hold to check on availability. After a couple of minutes, she came back on the line and said there were several patients in queue ahead of me making appointments; as soon as they were done, she could then offer me open dates. Before I could say anything, she was replaced with an automatic message that said if I remain on hold for ten minutes, I will be asked to leave a message and someone from the doctor’s office would call me back. I thought how strange this was since I had just talked to the receptionist. After a few minutes, the same scenario occurred. I tried to break in but there was no hesitation on the receptionist’s part. All she offered was an apology but went right back into her message. I wound up staying online for ten minutes and then a recorded message came on and told me to leave my information for someone to return my call. I cannot tell you how annoyed I was by this experience. NOW IF I THOUGHT THIS WAS going to become the standard procedure for all of us, I would say why bother with AI. However, ever since I saw the film The Matrix, I have wondered at times if we could ever get to a point where machines would be making all the decisions for mankind. If I am not mistaken, one of the more contentious disagreements in the talks with the actors’ union is the use of artificial intelligence to capture samples of an actor’s voice or face to generate content without paying the actors. I had to wonder if there would be a time where I might be watching a movie and none of the cast really had acted in it; everyone was computer generated. It is a scary thought for me. Wasn’t It last week when the news reported there would be a new Beatles’ song because AI pulled out the voice of John Lennon from an old recording and cleaned it up to the point it sounded as if he had just recorded the song with the other Beatles? So musical artists can be replaced just like actors?!?! Is it possible if AI goes unchecked, we could one day find ourselves in a world like the one depicted in this action, adventure drama? SET IN A TIME WHERE HUMANS found themselves at war with the forces of artificial intelligence, a former soldier is chosen to hunt down a new weapon that could end mankind, allowing machines to rule the planet. With John David Washington (Tenet, Malcolm & Marie) as Joshua, newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie, Emma Chan (Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians) as Maya, Allison Janney (Lou, The Hours) as Colonel Howell and Ken Watanabe (Godzilla franchise, Inception) as Harun; this story had a thought-provoking message wrapped in a visually, fascinating landscape that was filled with sensitive acting. I felt John David stood out while Madeleine Yuna Voyles was the show stealer; she was that good. However, my issue with this production was the script. It seemed as if the writers used several ideas from different films and tried to put a story together. Especially, the last third of the movie was a mishmash of lost opportunities. As I said earlier, the idea behind the story was both frightening and curious. One must wonder if human beings were even involved with the writing of this story.
2 ¾ stars
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