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D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
Interesting movie, underrated for its time !
As for every underrated box office bomb of its time, Daryl was simply misunderstood.
The Plot is clever, talking about the evolution of a VERY specific being: an "inverted" child android ( a positronic brain interfaced with an organic human body ) learning at an exponential rate ( complex method seen once, method assimilated seconds later ).
It's a sci-fi dramatic comedy where the dramatic part is handling the case of orphan children who try to integrate new families and the sci-fi part reach the ASIMOV level and let your imagination wander ( Where the heck did they get the technology for Daryl ? What would happen if they dare develop an evil counterpart ? ). The visual part is pretty good, the pace is just at the good speed for you to not get annoyed and the acting is pretty good.
Don't be fooled by the reviews. It's a good 7 to 7.5 movie I recommend, especially if your kids are learning about Sci-fi and robotic elements.
M3GAN (2022)
Far better than people dare to say. Do NOT hesitate !
I'm pretty surprised of the note of M3gan, as I was with the rating of Wall-E, which is for me criminally considered as some kind of masterpiece.
This title deserves a solid 8. M3gan is not your average sci-fi horror movie. It's far deeper than the look of the main character which is an A. I named M3gan ( Model 3 Generative Android ).
M3gan is 70% about mother-daughter relationship, 20% about Sci-fi and 10% about horror. All of these mix very well. Visually great, the body language of the actors are stellar, especially concerning the main character.
This is very frightening if you know a little about body language. This is also very interesting when you start to understand that the creation, M3gan, surpassed the creators far beyond what they could have expected or ever could have imagined. It may not be as iconic as Terminator, but the level of the script deserve to be saluted.
The only thing M3Gan is lacking is a great soundtrack. I truly expect it's going to be corrected for the sequel, unfortunately programmed for 2025.
Prey (2022)
If there is a Prey, I saw no Predator
Well, here we go again.
4 years after the unwanted parody by Shane Black, the 20th decided to develop a prequel to the Predator franchise. So ? Masterpiece or Pipipiece ?
So, first, let's try to recall what a "Predator" movie is about. It's about heat, gruesome deaths, defiant taunting and better: It's about an E. T race that is trying to stay honorable while practicing "sport" hunting on other sentient civilizations.
Only the gruesome deaths passed the line with this one ( and they are less stylish and subtle than in the first 2 movies ). Heat ? Where ? The movie never succeed to ignite the feeling of a difficult roasting environment like a Central American jungle or the drug-dealers infested streets of L. A.
Defiant taunting ? Never. I don't get the behavior of the Predator of this movie. While the former predators like City Hunter push most of the time their victims to hunt or at least to participate, the "Prey" iteration is just slashing or pursuing for sometimes no valid reasons ( The trophies ? Where are they ? )...to the point it becomes annoying.
Honor ? Killing when there is absolutely no danger and without subsequent warnings is not in their behavior, isn't it ? To all this, let's add the numerous plot holes ( characters that come from nowhere without any reason for example ), an irritating Predator unwanted redesign and an ending that will make some of the best fans of the movies angry ( Adolini, my gosh...) and you get one of the worst movie of the franchise after "The Predator".
Well. I don't know if I want to see a 6th movie coming. Maybe they should rest with a reboot of AVP ? Closely following the Anderson version that is far to be that bad as some pretend ? In conclusion, watch it without any great expectations and you'll be fine. I did. I'm better.
Army of the Dead (2021)
2h30 of Boredom. 2h30 of your life you'll never get back if you decide to watch this crap.
I can't. I just can't understand how some people had the guts to give a 10/10 rating for this movie. Maybe the quarantine messed up their mind so harshly they are ready to accept any movie thrown at their face as masterpieces now.
So. Let's start by the story. Snyder has balls. Big ones. But not in the good sense of the term. He has the balls to not even try to hide he takes the viewers for being dumb and gullible. The story is full of incoherence and unexplained plot holes. Why ? For the sake of action scenes and ONLY for the sake of it ! One of the results ? This new Zombie Universe is VERY badly crafted and horribly uninteresting, as Snyder didn't take the time to write correctly its rules, stakes and time constraints.
The Characters ? NO ONE. YES. No one is likable here. The humans ? Either you'll be completely indifferent to them, either you'll despise them ( especially Bautista's daughter ). It deeply break the balance of the movie, making it unappealing, as you cannot relate to at least a single human character. The zombies ? Never once you really feel they are more "clever" and organized than typical ones.
In some video games, you have "zombie classes", so you can feel some kind of organization and strategies inside their group: The "Tank" zombie is very bulky and there for breaking doors, while the "Scout" is thin, patrolling or serving as first expandable defense, for example. Here ? NOTHING. You have the Alpha male, the Alpha Female, and the cool useless Zombie Tiger, basta. What is the point of telling us they are clever and organized if they never show it IN ACTION ? Another proof of the overall laziness of the script.
The ambiance ? Snyder horribly tries to mix Sci-Fi with horror and adventure. And fails. The horror never delivers tension, The sci-fi part is so badly written you won't care ( Robot Zombies ? Time Travel Possibilities ? WTH ? ), and the adventure part is flat and boring. It's painfully indigestible.
Well. Snyder is a visual director, they say. So, he saved at least the visuals, didn't he ? BIG FLAT NO. The CGI looks directly taken from PS3 cutscenes, the action scenes sport nothing visually memorable and you have all these badly cut and unfocused shots, "à la Snyder".
Last but not least, the soundtrack. Bravo, Snyder. You are the VERY first director that made me hate "Zombie" from the Cranberries, a CLASSIC I actually really like. I really consider it as an achievement.
To Sum Up: This movie is crap. Don't waste two hours ( and more ) of your life like I did. If you want to watch a good Zombies movie, watch Zombieland again if you REALLY want to waste time.
WALL·E (2008)
Wall-E is an overrated movie that DOES NOT deserve a 10/10.
When I started Wall-E, with all the "10/10" reviews, I was expecting a great animation movie, even more: I was expecting a masterpiece, a true classic. Really.
Before I go on, let's define what a true classic is. A true classic has at least 4 of these characteristics:
1. The story is really compelling, interesting and enough logical to not make you too suspicious or ask too many questions.
2. The characters are interesting, have true goals and are clearly empathetic or antipathetic ( You either genuinely root for them or hate them ).
3. The ambiance and depicted universe are so great you don't feel the clock is ticking.
4. The visual is truly polished or even totally outstanding and has astonishing moments.
5. The music is memorable. You can actually recall the main theme in your head without effort or at least one of the soundtrack ( Example: If I say Steve Jablonsky, Transformers 1 ? )
"Terminator 2" respects all of these criteria. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", to cite a movie in the 3D animation register, has 4 of them. Wall-E has none, yes, none of them, yet, people dare give the film the highest possible note, surely blinded by their feelings.
Concerning the story, Wall-E is riddled with problems and from the first minutes of the film. Yes, I know, very few animation movies are made to be a realistic or logical plot wise, but some issues are so blatant they succeed to throw you out of the ambiance ( As a basic example: VHS cassettes have a 25 years lifetime AT BEST. There is NO way Wall-E could be able to read one after this period ). Some plot elements are so illogical they go against BASIC survival instincts.
Concerning the characters, Wall-E is somewhat interesting at the beginning but becomes immediately irritating when he decides to completely give up on its main goal as soon as EVE appears, because the main theme of the movie is...blind LOVE, duh ! Worse, you cannot hate Auto, the A.I of the space ship which is supposed to be evil, because it's actually right, and you cannot root for the captain, because his decisions are eventually pretty stupid and entirely based on his feelings, not his brain.
The ambiance is also average. You can feel they tried to pass a lot of propaganda messages about love ( of course ) and especially the future of humanity and how we would evolve if we lived in a world where nearly everything was automated. The issue is that it stays superficial and it's sometimes becomes so parody you finish to be...thrown out of the universe Pixar tries to put you in. Some parts are annoyingly longer than they should be ( When EVE is sent to be fixed or when she is outside the spaceship with Wall-E ). To finish, the humor falls flat. A LOT.
The visual also has issues. Some are claiming this is the best Pixar ever made on a visual POV. Let's agree to disagree. I bet they should watch "Ratatouille" again, released a year before, where Pixar actually cared about the humans models, which here, are pretty simplistic. I could also compare with "Happy Feet" released in 2006. Also, I don't get why we got to see real human figures in the movie. This mix is fortunately not always used but when it is the case, again, it throws you out of the ambiance. Concerning the rest, the movie is pretty OK but sports NOTHING visually outstanding.
To complete, Wall-E has NO memorable soundtrack. At all. So ? Why all the 10/10 ? I guess...Feelings. Wall-E and Eve represent the perfect image of the "dream" couple a lot of people want real life to ship: The clunky adorable nerdy guy with a big heart the beautiful damsel falls in love with, because she finally saw all of his good sides with time. Well, for me, Wall-E is a criminally overrated movie not deserving more than 6/10. Pixar already released better flicks. Before and since. Next.
Eli (2019)
Enjoyable movie with a very interesting ending twist
I was really hooked by the Eli's trailer and I was waiting for this one. And it wasn't a disappointment.
Firstly, the plot is great ! It really leaves you to want more, trying to decode the mystery revolving around Eli, his illness, and the "clinic" where he is treated. And more importantly, it surprisingly manages to let you still wonder what the heck is going on until the ending twist, even when some keys elements are unveiled. Nicely done !
Secondly, the actors are OK in their roles. No outstanding performance, but there is no disturbing false note either. It's still a bit pity you won't feel that empathetic for Eli and/or his parents. Also, for the role she plays, you can feel it was a cakewalk for Sadie Sink coming from "Stranger Things". On this part, it could have been a little better.
The ambiance mixes supernatural and thriller with a bit of horror elements. And for once, some supernatural elements can be explained "logically" ! Kudos for that ! However, the movie is a bit slow paced and you'll have sometimes the feeling they tried to make it artificially longer.
To summarize, "Eli" is entertaining enough to enjoy the ride and has even enough material for a sequel. Give it a chance ! It deserves it.
Gemini Man (2019)
Not the best Will Smith movie, but a solid enjoyable flick overall
I was surprised the movie was given such poor ratings at IMDB.
It's clear: it's by no means the greatest movie Will Smith starred in, but it's far to be that average you may want to give it a 5, when worse movies ( like X-Men Apocalypse, which is a mess ) got better ratings.
The plot is far to be original and seems a bit rehearsed. And if it's true it is even sometimes predictable, especially at the end, it's far enough for the kind of movie Gemini Man is. It's mainly an action flick, not the next generation Memento.
First, all the characters introduced are pretty charismatic. Will Smith is really great portraying Brogan and his younger self. For Brogan, you can really feel the old tortured assassin tired of killing and for Junior, the intrepid and a bit reckless new one in the starting blocks. Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character Danny has a developed enough story to not stay the mere supporting sidekick quickly annoying or easily forgotten.
The visuals are great, and for once, you can appreciate the style of the CQCs, pretty raw here, but nicely choreographed. The FX is really neat and the de-aged Will Smith is not that bad, even if he seems to suffer the "mustache removal issue" of Superman in Justice League.
To sum up, Gemini Man is largely worth the ticket's price; surely not the movie of the year, but one with flaws forgivable enough to enjoy it in a theater.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
First 3/4 parts of the movie are tense, the last 1/4 is disappointing with an anticlimactic ending
Well, I wasn't really sure when I launched "In the Shadow of the Moon" on Netflix.
I was surprised by the quality of the movie...for roughly the first 90 minutes. The plot plays with time travel in a refreshing way, enough for you to wonder how they "designed" it here.
The suspense/mystery ambiance is tense and mesmerizing and it's been a long time since I have been captivated and really involved about a murder investigation in a movie, especially when this investigation contains interesting sci-fi elements.
The visuals are good and the action scenes won't impress you, but they are well done.
There are however two main issues difficult to forgive. The first one is about the characters. Boyd Holbrook, who plays the main protagonist Thomas Lockart, never makes his interpretation shine and sometimes even conveys...Dullness. You will have difficulties feeling empathy for Lockhart, especially when you are able to witness the struggle, problems and pressure the "Moon affair" puts on him. Michael C. Hall is O.K here but unfortunately shamefully underused. The main antagonist, interpreted by Cleopatra Coleman, don't have enough time/backstory that could really help you understand her character's motivations and especially, grasp her determination.
The second one is the last part of the movie. It seems all the budget was spent on the first 90 minutes, and you will be able to see all the aforementioned qualities decline towards the end of the film, as well as the mentioned issues increase to finally lead to an unsatisfying and anticlimactic conclusion. "In the Shadow of the Moon" ending scenes should have been filmed at the beginning of the production, not at the end, especially for this kind of sci-fi. The movie would have been cinema worthy like "Seven Sisters" if the conclusion had been polished.
"In the Shadow of the Moon" is a movie you will appreciate for its first moments but with the flaws I pointed, you won't want to watch it twice or thrice. Netflix can do better, we know it.