Beckett (2021) Review

It seems like this film has been watched plenty over the last few days on Netflix so I watched Beckett and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a man trapped in Greece on the run for his life. 

Main Character

John David Washington has been really busy lately and he plays the lead role here and he is very good in the role. He is really the only character in the film and you follow him all the way through this mad journey and his performance is easily the best part of this mess. It is a very physical performance and he just feels like your normal guy and he is the one you feel sympathy for. 

Supporting Characters

As I said Washington is the star here and the only real character in the film despite there being some stellar talent on show here. Alicia Vikander, Boyd Holdbrook & Vicky Krieps are in this film and all of them are fine and decent as you would expect but it just feels at the same time that they are wasted. These are some great performers and they are all basically cameos who Washington comes across and that is a let down. 

Story 

The story is an absolute shambles, I still am not sure why Washington's character was on the run. The film overcomplicates every aspect of the story and I checked out after 10 mins, it struggles to engage and make you care about anything other then David Washington's strong performance. The film also has a pretty insulting ending that makes you wonder why you even bothered. 

Script

The script is also weak, this is a boring miserable script that doesn't connect you with what exactly is going on. Whoever, wrote it clearly wanted to make this really complex thriller but it just fails miserably at it. 

Style 

The style of the film is also just a bit slow, I think this is meant to be a thriller but it doesn't have much that is thrilling about it. There are some action scenes but they don't make sense, this is an average guy who somehow turns into Batman and manages to beat people up in creative ways and it just doesn't add up. The film just isn't paced well and takes way too long to get going and doesn't keep you hooked throughout. 

Overall

Overall, Beckett is a bad movie. It has a strong lead performance and not much else and I just don't see who it appeals to so I would give it a skip. 

Rating - 3/10

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Trailer Review

So after months and months of rumours, speculation and excitement we finally have the first trailer for the upcoming blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home and there is plenty to look at and examine from it and here is my review for it. 

Continues straight where the last film finished. 

It has felt like a long time since Spider-Man: Far From Home finished but at the end of the film Mysterio revealed that Peter Parker was Spider-Man to the entire world and it is clear that him and the people associated with him are going to be deeply affected by it and possibly even in trouble for it. 

Spider-Man goes to Doctor Strange for help

It has been reported for a while that Benedict Cumberbatch would return as Doctor Strange for this film and we see here that Peter goes to him to try and get him to reverse the affects of people knowing he is Spider-Man. Obviously, things go wrong but it is interesting to see that this is going to be more then a cameo for Cumberbatch and that he will be heavily involved in this film probably setting up his sequel that is coming out soon. 

Will introduce Multiverse to film fans

The spell goes wrong and Strange brings up how it introduces the Multiverse. It is funny he says we know little about it but if you watched Loki then I feel like you know plenty. This leads to the endless possibilities of characters and is clearly setting up massive things on the way. 

Electro arrives 

It has been confirmed that Jaime Foxx is reprising his role of Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and there is a brief shot of his lighting here. But the lightning is yellow and not Blue which pretty much confirms to me that this will be a new take on the character and hopefully allow Foxx to give a much better performance this time around. 

The Green Goblin arrives too 

Then onto the next villain reveal and that is through a Pumpkin Bomb and a cackling laugh. It very much seems like this is Willem Dafoe reprising his role from the original trilogy and that can only be a great thing. Hopefully, they have updated his costume and give him a huge role not just in this film but the future of The MCU. 

Alfred Molina is back as Doc Ock 

The one villain that we actually see in the flesh is Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius from Spider-Man 2. He seems to still be a clear villain and knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. It is curious that he seems to appear on the same road as The Green Goblin so could they be working together? or is this just a really unfortunate road to be on? There is also the question whether he is even speaking to Tom Holland's Spider-Man in this scene. 

There is no Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield

I mean, I wasn't expecting this but there is no Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield and I am fine with that. After this trailer I am certain they will reprise there roles as Spider-Man for the film and I really hope that Marvel wait till the film to show us that reveal. 

Overall

Overall, this trailer was fantastic and really got me hyped for the film and seeing these characters return. I'm just hoping that with everything going on with the returning characters, Multiverse and Doctor Strange that Tom Holland and his cast aren't left in the background and are still given plenty to do.  

Free Guy (2021) Review

This has been the most popular film in the world right now and today I found the time to watch Free Guy and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a NPC inside a video game slowly gain sentience. 

Main Character

Ryan Reynolds plays Guy and he does a good job in the role, yes it is a role we have seen him do plenty of times now but it fits him well and fits the film we are watching. Guy is a really likeable character, and you really feel sorry for him as his world truly gets turned upside down. It's a typical Ryan Reynolds character and for this it is a fun character. 

Supporting Characters

Jodie Comer is mostly known for her stint on Killing Eve, but it is really nice seeing her given a big role in a Hollywood film and she excels in the film. She basically plays two roles, her character in the game and her real life person and she is effective in both and both are very different. She is great in the action scenes and she has good chemistry with Reynolds. The rest of the cast are pretty good too, Taika Waititi plays the bad guy and it takes a while for him to show up but when he does he is pretty funny and as over the top cheesy bad guys go he does a good job. Lil Rel Howery plays Buddy who is Guy's best friend and I did like their friendship and how it develops during the film. Joe Keery plays Jodie Comer's partner and he is decent too but doesn't really stand out in this role as a whole because the real world stuff isn't as interesting as the stuff happening in the game world. 

Story  

The story in the game world is really fun to watch, especially for people that play video games as it really feels geared towards that community which I am a part of. Seeing this one NPC gain awareness and everything that goes along with it is really entertaining and allows for some fun interactions. But there is no doubt that the real life story falls a bit flat and probably has too much screen time which does drag it along a bit. 

Script 

The film is funny and has a surprising amount of heart. It doesn't really have the laugh out loud moment but has enough laughs in it to keep you amused and entertained. Then when the drama has to hit it does it effectively and tells you that there is a bit more depth to Free Guy. 

Style

The film looks great, the CGI flows very nicely and a video game world actually feels like a video game world which is so crucial to a film like this. The action is fun and exciting for sure, but there isn't really enough of it. The film drags in terms of its pacing, and feels like this could have been an even better film if the runtime was cut a little bit. 

Overall

Overall, Free Guy is one of the surprises of 2021 and a really enjoyable film. I think video game fans are gonna really enjoy this film but others will get a good kick out of it too. 

Rating - 8/10

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 1 (2021) Review 

Yes I watched the finale of The Bad Batch on Friday but I have had a busy few days so haven't had a chance to review it but now is the time and here is my review for the first season of The Bad Batch. The premise of the show experiences the journey of Clone Force 99 as they try to find their place in the new Galactic Empire. 

Main Character

The Bad Batch has a large cast but clearly the main two characters are that of Hunter and Omega. Hunter is really established as the leader of the group and it is really interesting to see his progression from when we met him in The Clone Wars to this show. Omega is a character introduced and she is the new presence amongst the group and she is a really fun addition to the crew and there is so much intrigue towards her and why exactly she is involved with the team. 

Supporting Characters

Credit has to go to Dee Bradley Baker who has to voice all of The Bad Batch and other clones that appear and that must be a mammoth job for him. Onto Crosshair, he is easily the best part of the show and I loved how his character contrasted with the rest of the the team and how it really gave an insight into the mindset from The Republic into The Empire. Tech, Wrecker and Echo are all back from The Clone Wars and they are all fun, they aren't as complete characters as the others but they fit in well amongst the team and it is fun to watch them together. There are also some really fun cameos on the show which I won't spoil, with the timeline of the show it allows the chance to bridge the gap between the events of Clone Wars and Rebels. 

Story 

The story starts off really strong and does a good job in showing how the galaxy and the main characters have to deal with the transition from The Galactic Republic to The Galactic Empire. Like the characters of Hunter, Omega and Crosshair are given fantastic development throughout the show but others are bit neglected especially when there is so much time. That is the main issue, there are way too many filler episodes which do very little for the plot, this has always been an issue with the animated Star Wars shows but this is a big issue here, with a pretty lacklustre finale topping it all off. 

Script

The script is okay, it does well with some of the drama and the humour building a decent family bond between the members of the Bad Batch. But sometimes it does get stuck in between both of these ideas and doesn't quite hit the quality that something like the final season of The Clone Wars did. 

Style 

The show looks great, the animation is at its strongest here and the action flows incredibly well with some really great set pieces. Though there is one clear problem which is the pacing of the show, this could have been a fantastic 10 episode season but there is 16 episodes and that is a huge issue with way too many filler episodes that when you watch weekly becomes a real slog. 

Overall

Overall, The Bad Batch is a good first season of the show. The animation has never been better and there are interesting bits of lore added but there are just way too many episodes and hopefully they do a shortened second season. 

Rating - 7/10