It’s an “Aliens” movie. If you watched “Twisters” and were wishing it was a xenomorph picking off unexpecting morons instead of mother nature teaching lessons in humility, then this is the blockbuster for you!
What this one lacks in originality and overall storytelling it more than makes up for in cinematography and ambiance. Holy shit is it beautiful. There’s not a single frame of this one that’s not a veritable work of art. It’s what keeps you invested even as the narrative wanders down the familiar old path of “oh no… they did the thing and are going to die now…”
It’s not often you get to experience the culmination of 25-30 years of storytelling and wish fulfillment with 500 of your closest friends in an IMAX theater. This one truly turned out to be Fox-Marvel’s “Endgame.” Not only did Reynolds manage to stick the landing and close out one of the greatest superhero trilogies on the highest of notes, but also managed to shoehorn in every cameo and magical moment we didn’t even know we needed. A comic book movie that can cause guttural laughter and move me to tears is something of beauty. A work of cinematic art. Those ripping on the film are doing so because they’re not bought into the bit. Which is fair. It’s a weird world to enter. But if you’re willing to take off your thinking cap and let the Merc with a mouth work his magic for two and a half hours… you’re going to be hard pressed to find a more entertaining film this year. If we’re talking comic book movies, this is honestly the first one since “Avengers: Endgame” to not tarnish the brand.
*Stay through the credits for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I didn’t expect such care to be taken, but I’ll be damned if this wasn’t the most “respectful of the legacy” film in AGES in Marvel. Well done!
An hour and forty minutes (that feels like two and a half) of my life that I will never get back…
Runescape level graphics, straight up lazy writing, uninspired performances, culminating in a hot mess of a movie. There was a reason I was the only one in the theater to see this one. If I didn’t have AMC A-List I would have felt even more ripped off.
Pretty much exactly what I expected… which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I feel like I forgot how good of an actor Dennis Quaid is. John Voight as a Russian spy was an interesting choice, but Quaid turns out to be a perfect pick.
What I was afraid was going to fall into the trap of being pure “Boomer Bait” in the first half actually lets some punches fly in the second half. I figured they would shy away from the skeletons in the closet of one of the more conflicting legacies in American politics, but they actually went there. From calling in the National Guard as Governor, to losing his jelly beans (Alzheimer’s) likely before departing the White House, to running guns and destabilizing Central America, South America, and the Middle East in just 2 terms… I figured “Narcos” and “Sicario” were going to be the only projects willing to admit we created our own enemies for the last 50 years trying to “fix” things.
The framing device of an old Russian recounting his life’s work was a weird choice, but fades more into the background as things take off, and you’re left with a mildly entertaining, albeit long biopic.
I’m not going to lie… I was worried about this one. The original “Twister” was lightning in a bottle. In the midst of the late 90’s renaissance of insane action films (The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, etc.) , it was the perfect concoction of chaos. Yet, here we are…
Glen Powell can really do no wrong at this point. There’s a genuine likeability factor at play that’s hard to fake. The combination of Zac Efron’s looks and Tom Cruise’s love of the cinema and both of their dedication to the craft of filmmaking. He’s at the height of his powers here, and is so damn perfect in this role. Daisy Edgar-Jones as the co-headliner was a surprisingly powerful pick. In the first act, I had my doubts, as the story takes a bit to get going and for the characters to fully open up. But when they do, both Powell and Edgar-Jones are the only ones you can see playing these parts by the time the credits roll. Their chemistry is just the right amounts of mutual respect and mutual sass. They’re a reincarnation of the couple we all fell in love with in Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. The bridge between the second and third act is a gear I didn’t think either of them had as performers, and brough a weight and depth to the film I did not expect.
Thank God they included a “Suck Zone” reference. It wouldn’t have been a Twister film without it and would have been an enormous slight to the legendary Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Personally, I could have done without the Faster Horses level of bro country in the soundtrack, but that was small potatoes overall. The beauty and the sheer scale of this film is meant to be seen on the largest screen with the loudest sound system possible. Summer spectacle at its finest! Bravo!
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 