House of Gucci (2021) Review

So with Oscar season coming around the films that are expected to compete for the major awards are set to be released and House of Gucci has come out and I have watched it, so here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees the rise of an ambitious woman as she infiltrates The Gucci family and organisation. 

Main Character

Lady Gaga has been gaining rave reviews for her performance as Madame Gucci and she is really good here. She plays this aggressive person really well and you see just how manipulative she can become in order to get what she wants. She does have a presence on the screen and there is no denying that your eyes are drawn to her during the film. I am not sure this is the groundbreaking performance that I was expecting but there is no denying that she does a really good job and considering she was just a singer a few years ago it is very impressive. 

Supporting Characters

In terms of acting the star for me was Adam Driver playing her husband. This guy has so much range as an actor that he can go from the bad guy in a Star Wars film to a kind of calm and measured powerful man in this film. Their dynamic is really good and I think both of them do a really great job of building the dynamic in the film. Jared Leto looks almost unrecognisable in the film but has some pretty good lines. He sometimes comes across as a caricature but he manages to balance it just well enough to be a fun part of the film. Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons play senior members of the Gucci family and they are obviously very good, Pacino in particular has a strong presence in the film and is an intriguing aspect of the overall story.  Salma Hayek has a smaller role in the film and she also does a decent job though it is a slightly weird role that comes out of nowhere. 

Story 

The story is really interesting in seeing the rise of the Gucci brand and all of the moving parts that take place in a massive company like this. All the actors play their role well and the family dynamic with real trust issues taking place between the characters. But this isn't the story I was really expecting, it feels like a long build up to the really interesting stuff which we never get to see. It focuses on so many broad subjects that it seems to struggle to focus on the more engaging parts of the plot. 

Script

The script is good, there is drama, intrigue and bits of humour there. It never becomes confusing when it really could of with all the business jargon But I felt like it never hit the top in terms of the dialogue, its good but its not great and for a film that I expected huge things from that is a let down. 

Style 

The film looks fantastic, it feels really glamorise just like the lifestyle that these people and organisation had in real life. The choice of song and music really added to the feel of the film, and changed the dynamic compared to the scenery of the film. But the film is way too long, the runtime really holds the film back and I thought it could have done with a shorter runtime that really focused on the more interesting parts of the story. 

Overall   

Overall, House of Gucci is a good film. It falls short from being a film of the year contender but if you are interested in this story of the rise of a fashion empire then go and watch it. 

Rating - 7/10

Red Notice (2021) Review

Over the years Netflix has been getting bigger and bigger and Red Notice is the biggest film project that they have ever done and I have now watched it and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a police profiler have to work with a thief to clear his name. 

Main Character

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson plays the lead character and he is exactly what you would expect. He is charming and cracking one liners left right and centre as you would expect by Johnson as he is a pro at doing just this. But I just feel like this is expected by now and the actual character here is really dull, I know this isn't a film to be taken too seriously but I just need some more character depth or else this is just another Dwayne Johnson action film with no substance. 

Supporting Characters 

Ryan Reynolds plays the thief in the film and I kind of feel similar with is performance. He is entertaining as he pretty much is in everything with one liners a plenty and the two of them have some decent chemistry. His character is handled better but it still leaves quite a bit to be desired and the humour was the thing that was chosen instead. Gal Gadot plays the antagonist and she seems like she is having a lot of fun. It did feel like something different for her as an actress and it made her performance stand out more to me then the other two more prominent characters in the film. Ritu Arya from The Umbrella Academy plays an interpol agent and she is functional but I guess I wanted to see more of her and what really motivated her to the plot of the film.

Story  

The story of the film has some fun and exciting set pieces with decent chemistry between Johnson, Reynolds and Gadot with the situations that they are placed in. But the film is so generic that it makes the whole thing worse. If you have watched some films you have seen plenty of story elements from this film and then they throw in a twist that makes little sense just to try and spice up the story a bit more. 

Script

The script has some funny lines and interactions in it, which considering this is a film that sees Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds share the screen you would expect that. But the film is pretty illogical and the drama falls really flat that by the end I kind of wondered what was the entire point of it overall. 

Style 

The film does have some good action scenes, they are fun and have lots of great stunt work and action co-ordination in tact. But there is just something a bit off, the pacing is okay though I think even the style is quite generic and it hurts the overall feel of the film. 

Overall

Overall, Red Notice is an average film. Despite the A List cast and heavy financial backing it falls short and needed better writing and creative decisions being made. 

Rating - 5/10

Eternals (2021) Review

After what feels like forever, Marvel Studios newest characters The Eternals have come to the big screen and I have watched the film today and here is my review for it. The premise of the film documents the story of thousand year old powered individuals and their fight against their sworn enemies The Deviants. 

Main Character

Gemma Chan plays Sersi and she is the main character here and she is fine. Chan does an effective job in the role and she is just a decent character. She is by no means the best Marvel lead protagonist but considering this is a real ensemble cast she fits in very effectively. Richard Madden plays Ikaris and I thought he was great, it took me time to get on board with his character but he really starts to thrive as the film progresses and you learn more about him and his motivations makes him stand out from the rest of The Eternals. 

Supporting Characters

Angelina Jolie plays Thena and I thought she was effective here. She is basically the films Wonder Woman and thus has some good action scenes but she has an interesting character that is somewhat developed and obviously Jolie can pull this off well. Kumail Nanjiani and Brian Tyree Henry are more of the comic relief and they are really good at it and they are just fun additions to the cast. Lauren Ridloff is really good too and she is really important as the first deaf actress to play a superhero and it feels like an important moment here. Barry Keoghan as Druig is a really effective character, he plays it really well and I really liked the twists and turns that were given to his character. Salma Hayek & Kit Harrington are also good in their smaller roles here and I kind of wish we could have spent more time with Harrington in particular. 

Story 

The individual stories for each member of The Eternals are well done, Ikaris, Thena and Druig in particular have really good arcs and make them interesting characters. The whole romance dynamic between Ikaris and Sersi is also really well done too and made it a romance that I actually cared about in The MCU. It has nuance in its storytelling and the motivations of different groups and people is well handled and made me care. But this film has a few too many characters in it and it does slow down the story telling, I also thought the whole ending sequence was a bit lacklustre and fails to deliver completely on the epic levels it should have. 

Script

The script has some chuckle worthy moments and some complexity too it when it comes to a few of its characters. But it falls short of doing enough to really make you care about the overall situation, it seems so large scale but at times the dialogue is rigid and it digs its heels in, especially in the past scenes. 

Style 

The film looks brilliant. The CGI is breathtaking and the action scenes are fantastically made and flow incredibly well. The film is 2 and a half hours and it didn't feel too long for me and it felt like an appropriate length. But the pacing of the film gets let down due to its editing of the plot, it jumps all over time periods and it feels very choppy which did make the film feel disjointed with its feeling. 

Overall

Overall, Eternals is a good film. It has a hard job of introducing so many new characters and story elements to an established universe, it has issues but overall I saw this as a pretty positive experience. 

Overall - 7/10