Tag Archives: 2021

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

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If you haven’t yet seen The Mitchells vs. the Machines, you need to check it out on Netflix. In the past, I have always been critical of Netflix originals because they tend to be reskinning’s of other popular movies. NextGen, for example, is a beat-for-beat worse copy of Big Hero 6. I Was pleasantly surprised that this movie has a cute and unique story fit for the whole family. The Mitchells vs. the Machines is creative and quirky with a fun narrative.

The movie is about a Katie who feels like an outsider. She doesn’t fit in at school or with her family. Katie is an odd artsy girl and her dad doesn’t understand her process. As a result, they are often at odds. Katie gets accepted to an art school in California. She finally feels like she has found a place where she belongs, but drama with her family has made for an awkward goodbye. In the hopes of mending their relationship, her dad decides to take a road trip to California with the whole family. On their way to California, robots have begun to take over the world. Now it is up to the Mitchells to work together as a family and save the world. 

This story is cute. There are some preachy talking points about big tech, data privacy, and our dependence on wifi, but they aren’t overbearing. The main focus of this movie is the self-exploration that Katie and her family go through. Katie learns to appreciate where she comes from, and her bond with her family is strengthened. It is a great adventure full of laughter and excitement that is worth your time if you can spare two hours.

The best part of this movie is the animation. I love the different art styles and how they come together into one quirky narrative. Even if this is a story you might have seen elsewhere, it is unique enough to carry its own charm and claim a special place in your heart. 

If you need something fun to watch, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is your safest bet. Go watch it on Netflix today!

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: The King’s Man (2021)

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I am not a huge fan of the series. Each movie in this series seems to miss its mark somehow, leaving us with a mediocre franchise. Kingsmen: The Secret Service has some decent action but the villain and story are bad. Kingsmen: The Golden Circle had a great villain, but the story and action were lacking. The Kings Man was bad all around and shouldn’t have been made. I can only assume that Kingsman: The Blue Blood will continue this trend of disappointing its audience.

While I do believe that the alternate history angle is creative, its execution is another generic action movie with a history lesson full of misinformation. This movie tries desperately to create lore for an IP that already doesn’t have a good story. Instead of an action-packed thriller, you get a boring back story and family drama.

What is sad is that this movie has some cool moments, but they only lead to further disappointment. Whenever this movie builds any momentum, it only devolves into any generic action movie you shouldn’t waste your time on. There is a cool scene in this movie where Conrad goes over the trenches to retrieve some intel from a fallen solder somewhere in the middle. They encounter a group of German soldiers who are doing the same thing. They can’t shoot for fear that they will be fired upon so they all draw bats and axes and ready for quiet close-quarter combat. It is a very cool shot, and I appreciated the costumes, weapons, and the desolate field. The build-up to this scene is perfectly tense, but the fight starts and it’s boring. The camera shakes around, and everyone dies before you even know what is going on. It was such a waste of a cool shot, but the perfect summary for this movie.

The best part about this movie is Rasputin. He is such a great character, it is a shame that he is wasted in this movie. His character is unique and quirky, and his fight scene is creative and so much fun to watch. I only wish that the rest of this movie carried the same energy and creativity as this fight scene. It isn’t worth you sitting through the whole movie, however, so I will leave a link to the scene below.

You shouldn’t waste your time with this movie. It doesn’t add anything to the franchise, but you can watch it on HBO if you have time to waste and a subscription to burn through.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Reviews: Free Guy

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I watched Free Guy in theaters, and I enjoyed it. Rewatching it recently, however, I found that it has lost some of its initial intrigue. Although it wasn’t bad, I can feel it not aging well. Free Guy relies heavily on pop culture references. Movies that heavily rely on pop culture references never age well. In a few years, when gaming dialect changes and people have moved on to the next streaming platform, a lot of the jokes and scenes will not work. I don’t think this movie will become obsolete, there will be fans of this movie, but I don’t believe that this movie is timeless.

Now, I didn’t hate this movie this time around. Ryan Reynolds is still charming, the action is still fun, but the story just isn’t there for me. Free Guy is a knock-off to The Lego Movie, and honestly, I would rather watch that instead. The Lego Movie has a better narrative. The plot for Free Guy is fine, but it could be better. I think it takes too long on certain references and sappy romance plots when it should be gaming. It loses a lot of its momentum during the twitch leveling montage. The movie stops halfway through for meaningless commentary that adds little to the movie. I mean references appreciated, but it feels out of place, and the movie never really recovers. The movie just turns into every other Disney movie, a mad dash to save the world against the clock. 

This isn’t a bad movie. This is honestly a great attempt at a video game movie. The action and special effects are showing of what could be, if only the story was good enough to support it. At least it wasn’t the usual cringe-worthy attempt where clueless actors stumble over gaming jargon. Free Guy makes me hopeful that we will one day get the gaming movie we deserve. 

For those interested, This movie is available for streaming on Disney+.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Reviews: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

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Welcome to Racoon City has to be the worst movie in the series. Absolutely nothing happens in the first thirty minutes of this movie. There is no meaningful world-building, no character development, and zombies aren’t even cool. This whole experience is a giant slog towards a very cheesy and disappointing sequel bait.

Most of the run time is wasted on pointless family drama. I came to this movie to see some hot zombie action, but the zombies take a back seat to the main character’s poorly acted family issues. The zombies barely show up in this movie. When they do, they are these poorly designed abominations. What little action does exist is poorly executed and dull. I can’t stress enough how boring this movie is.

This is a generic action movie and not the origin story it claims to be. If you are a fan of the video games, prepare to stay disappointed. If you are a fan of the movie series, this is the worst one. This movie isn’t worth your time nor the $20 price tag.

Movie Reviews, movies

Super Hot (2021) Review

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Let me start by stating that this is not a good movie. The plot has too many holes for it to be sound. The acting is over the top and cheesy. The twist and the ending are predictable. That said, I loved this movie. This is one of those bad movies that are fun to watch.

What saves this movie for me are the main characters. The charisma and the chemistry they share are worth watching. I believed they were just a group of goofy friends who stumbled onto something dangerous. This movie should not be taken seriously. It embraces this fact. The silly tone that it embraces fosters the charm that I love.

This film is not for everyone. As I said, it does have a lot of problems. But if you do end up watching it, please don’t take it too seriously. Sit back and enjoy the wacky cartoonish ride.

If you have Amazon Prime, it is included in your membership. I’ve said it before; you can do a lot worse for free.