Well, this year is certainly shaping up to be quite a year for movies. A lot of this has to do with films being pushed back as a consequence of the pandemic, and now we're finally catching up a little. Still, there's been some good stuff this year so far. I actually might feel like putting together a Top 5 article at the end, but we'll see. In any case, here's the last few I've been able to catch.
I admit I haven't been keeping the best track of the MCU as of late, but I knew I had to at least catch this one, as the Guardians movies are some of the more unique movies in the franchise. Despite its troubled production history (not helped by some garbage artificial internet drama), the movie retains much of what has made this particular cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe so fun and compelling by turning it all up to 11, with some mixed results.
The story pretty much jumpstarts right from when Adam Warlock shows up to capture Rocket Racoon at the direction of the High Priestess of the Sovereign. While the Guardians are able to fend him off, it triggers a kind of killswitch on Rocket's heart, causing the rest of the team to go on a quest of desperation to save their friend. However, it turns out that the Sovereign are working under the High Evolutionary, who was the one who experimented on Rocket in the first place, and who now wants him back as it seems that Rocket has an evolutionary key that our villain desperately wants.
As a result, the movie shifts back and forth between the team's heist-based hijinks and Rocket's tragic past, resulting in a lot of mood whiplash. While I don't mind if a movie tries to have both serious and comedic scenes, they switch back and forth with such intensity that it's hard to keep pace with the movie and what it wants to do. Another point that was a bit of a mixed bag is the music cues. While they are still there, they've gone with a few less iconic tracks, and the way director Gunn tries to weave them in feels a little forced at times, often relying on Rocket's own mp3 player as a kind of thematic transition device. Finally, for one more nitpick, Adam Warlock himself feels like an after-thought overall, and could have easily been left out of the movie altogether.
Still, much of what worked before is still here. The whole "let's go for broke and roll with it" attitude of the action scenes is really ramped up. And then, between all the crazy, over-the-top fight scenes, there are some solid character moments, as each character seems to get a bit of development across the movie itself, making the bittersweet ending really work when it gets there. (And there's a pretty fun cameo with Nathan Fillion in the middle that shouldn't work, but somehow he just makes it work because he just has that much dang charisma.) While I do think this is better than the second Guardians film, I don't know if it's quite as good as the first. Nevertheless, this is probably the best Marvel film they've done in a while, and if superhero fatigue has got you down, maybe give this one a shot anyway, as it has enough meat on the bone to feel like a solid conclusion of its own storyline outside of the MCU madness.
It seems Guy Ritchie wasn't the only one keen on making a movie based on the War in Afghanistan, and while it may be unfair to compare this movie to the Covenant (as it was incredible), even on its own, this one fails to hold together.
Gerard Butler plays a CIA operative named Tom Harris who, after successful job in dealing with one of Iran's nuclear facilities, is eager to get back home only to be derailed by one more job in Afghanistan. When this one goes side ways and he becomes the most wanted man in the country, he and his translator (who has an agenda of his own) have to work together to get to an extraction point while being hunted by more than a few factions.
As simplistic as this sounds, the movie finds a way to complicate things. The first hour or so works to show several characters with tangential connections to what's going on, and the movie fails to bring it all together in a coherent way. I spent most of this movie just plain confused, trying to keep track of all these different characters and their motivations, and debating whether or not any of them matter (not really, as it turns out). For some reason, the Pakistanis send an agent of their own (played by Ali Fazal) to hunt Tom and sell him to the highest bidder, and this agent gets significant screen time, especially when the action ramps up, that I couldn't help but wonder if they were trying to boost the actor and show his potential as an action hero or something.
Once the action does get going, it's not too bad. The second half of the film is essentially an extended car chase, as Tom and his friend make their way across the Afghani countryside. Unfortunately, it doesn't make the plot any cleaner, as the various factions slam together in awkward ways, resulting in a film where things just kinda keep happening without much explanation. It also doesn't help that the movie is trying to go for some deep themes about war and the War in Afghanistan in particular, but handles them in a very clunky and shallow manner. While it may have been well-shot and decently acted, movie really doesn't know what it wants to be. I don't know if it was a consequence of editing or just a lack of focus, but this one is really not worth your time.
Five years ago, Into the Spider-Verse was probably one the best things that came out in 2018. Now we get the long awaited sequel and it's just as amazing at as the first one. If you think the MCU is getting a little out-of-hand with all of its multi-verse shenanigans, this one blows the whole thing open and revels in it, and it's a blast!
Despite all the visual chaos going on, the movie keeps things focused on Miles Morales and his stakes. When trying to balance his superheroics with this school efforts gets him in trouble with his parents, Gwen shows up out of the blue, but she's being a little distant. However, this gives him an opportunity to get back into the Spider-Verse and learn about all the different Spider-People out there, only to discover that he wasn't exactly welcome. And in the middle of this is a villain named The Spot who is messing with the multiverse for his own reasons.
Once again, the animation is the star, as they blend all kinds of bizarre styles together (including some live-action cameos!), and yet it never feels too jarring or hard to follow. And there are tons of easter eggs and shout-outs all over the place! The story mostly holds together, and the action is clear and exciting, that I got so engrossed in what was going on that I forgot this was going to be just part one of a two-parter, so when the cliffhanger ending came, I was a little frustrated that I couldn't watch the next one right away.
Still, this is an excellent follow-up to a movie that was kind of lightning-in-a-bottle. If there is any drawback, it's that there are some downtime scenes involving family or teenage angst that drag a little too long. When you have something with this much momentum, these scenes can feel like a speedbump. However, that's a pretty minor nitpick in what is a very good movie that's succeeding in blending so many things together in a way that probably shouldn't work, but definitely does.
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