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Road House (2024)
An interesting reboot!
Full disclosure...I am a huge fan of the original Road House. Saw it in my teens and have loved it ever since. Saw the trailer and was hooked and has been a firm favourite, up there for me with other 80s action classics such as Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Commando, Action Jackson etc.
Being honest...the original isn't a "great" film but it is great fun. Swayze brilliant as Dalton and a crazy plot and brilliant supporting cast make it so much fun.
The reboot is definitely interesting...Gyllenhaal makes for an interesting update on Dalton for sure but lacks the cool edginess of Swayze. I don't think his motivation is as clear as it should be and is never in that much peril. But he is always interesting as slightly odd characters and they could have brought through his "bad" side a bit more.
Could have been improved for me by not doing the weird CG fight additions (just looks blurry and odd like a videogame cut scene) and having some conflict or history between Dalton and Connor McGregor's wild character...that they fought before, or have some personal business that makes them wary of each other, could have added to the peril if Dalton was scared/threatened by him maybe?
Think the location change worked ok but did make me think of the little-seen Road House 2 as that was set in a similar place I think. The young bad guy was a bit rubbish too and could have been killed off earlier in the film to give the older bad guys motivation to get revenge.
Finally - I would have cast Sydney Sweeney as the doctor/love interest to rival Kelly Lynch in the original...but that's just me! :-)
Overall I thought it was ok.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Give 'em hell, new Indiana Jones film!
Well I am torn by "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" having watched it on opening night in the UK.
Overall I had a good time watching it, but it is an incredibly flawed film with lots of issues, but as a passionate Indiana Jones fan it is definitely worth watching in the cinema and I am keen to see it again.
First point - it is too long! Why on earth does it need to be over 2 and a half hours?! Cutting it down by 30/40 minutes could have made it SO much better and really help with some of the issues.
The WW2 opening has its moments but is far too long and some of the effects don't hold up. The de-aged Indy works well in some scenes but is overdone. The (very funny) Red Letter Media review points out that the voice doesn't convince and they seem to have made Blade Runner-era Harrison Ford when The Fugitive/Air Force One-era HF would have made much more sense. Think it would have worked so much better if it had been just a 5mins intro or even a flashback scene as it just goes on and on and looks more fake as it goes on. I get why they did it though.
When the actual plot kicks in, the New York action scene is decent (horse chase reminded me of True Lies in a good way) but then the whole middle section is just very repetitive without any standout action/chase scenes and feels a bit like Uncharted/National Treasure "go here, do that, baddies catch up, go somewhere else etc"....in a bad way. Too many characters, Fleabag is ok in small doses, kid is annoying and rubbish, Banderas wasted, nice to see Sallah, that bit is quite nice.
But then....the last 30 mins is truly mental and worth seeing....don't want too many spoilers but it takes it in an amazing direction. Loved it and just made me think they could have been more daring and a brutal edit and a director with a better eye for action/pacing/gags could have made it loads better.
I also don't really care how much it cost or how much Disney spend/lose on it. A new Indiana Jones film on the big screen is special. Harrison Ford is great as Indy as always.
Must admit a full CG WW2 Indy that works like the TinTin film would probably been better for me.
Enjoy!