Movie Review: “Avengers: Infinity War”

***** out of 5
149 minutes
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, language and some crude references
Marvel Studios

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

*Links to the previous MCU films can be found after the review excluding Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk as I was not reviewing at the time.

Ten years, 18 films, and it all comes down to this… Well, half at least. Avengers: Infinity War is a celebration and culmination of the last decade. Combining an entire universe — it is called the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a reason — of comicbook superheroes and spanning years of anticipation, can Earth’s mightiest heroes stand up to the hype? Unsurprisingly, the answer is yes. Infinity War delivers across all fronts with spectacular action, huge laughs, and an aching heart. But the Russo brothers (Joe and Anthony) send phase three out with a spectacular bang.

Picking up after Thor: Ragnarok with Thanos (Josh Brolin) taking over Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) ship of Asgardian castaways, we find a battle of wits as Thanos threatens to kill Thor in order to get his giant hands on the Tessaract (the Space Stone) from Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Thanos plans to gather all six Infinity Stones — the rest being the Mind, Soul, Power, Time, and Reality Stones — in order to control the universe. He also plans to wipe out half of Earth, bringing together the Avengers, and a slew of help, to try to stop his evil doings.

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Spider-man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Captain America (Chris Evans), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), White Wolf (Sebastian Stan), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Shuri (Letitia Wright), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Vision (Paul Bettany), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Wong (Benedict Wong), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Ayo (Florence Kasumba), and Thor, must keep Thanos from bringing his brand of perfect balance to the galaxy, saving the universe’s existence in the process.

No movie could attempt the kind of epicness the Russo brothers manage to bring to the screen. With every film in the collective there’s another piece of the puzzle. And the end game is finally here. The cast can play these characters in their sleep — aside from Olsen’s disappearing accent — but never come across as bored. The camaraderie works wonders considering screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are handling so many characters from so many movies with so many different tones. It never feels as much like channel surfing as it could and also never feels like a greatest hits collection either. Every character is given something to do and no one goes to waste.

Is this a perfect movie? That would have been impossible. Things slow down toward the middle causing a moment or two of restlessness, but then it’s back to full throttle and hits the gas again. The 149 minute runtime flies by. The cliffhanger ending will make your jaw drop making the most hardcore MCU fans ask, “Is this real life?” This is the Marvel movie that’s going to be dissected and analyzed for the next year while we wait out for the second half — filming is already completed and we don’t even have a title yet! You’ll find no spoilers here, only the biggest jerks would commit that crime. But, no one is going to leave Avengers: Infinity War without a smile on their face, a tear in their eye, and distress on their minds.

Make sure to stay through the end credits for a single stinger. Anyone needing to make a restroom run during the credits is safe to do so. Also make sure to see it in IMAX, it was filmed with IMAX cameras and unfortunately, our press screening was framed at 2.39:1 in a scope ratio causing a lot of the image to go missing. It’s a huge movie that demands to be seen on a huge screen.

Black Panther
Thor: Ragnarok
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Doctor Strange
Captain America: Civil War
Ant-Man
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Guardians of the Galaxy
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Thor: The Dark World
Iron Man 3
Marvel's The Avengers
Captain America: The First Avenger
Thor
Iron Man 2

Movie Review: “Super Troopers 2”

**** out of 5
100 minutes
Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, drug material and some graphic nudity
Fox Searchlight

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

Broken Lizard may not be a household name, but their movies are cult favorites. They struck comedy gold when Super Troopers finally made it to theaters back in 2002. And the laughs continued with Club Dread (their best movie) and Beerfest (their funniest). But Broken Lizard Industries went severely awry when Jay Chandrasekhar handed the reins over to Kevin Heffernan for The Slammin’ Salmon (their worst).

So, after a nine year theatrical hiatus, how does Super Troopers 2 stack up? Well, the best thing they did was give control back to Chandrasekhar.

Our favorite Vermont highway patrolmen — Thorny (Chandrasekhar), Farva (Heffernan), Mac (Steve Lemme), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), Foster (Paul Soter), and Captain O’Hagan (Brian Cox) — are back! After being fired years ago involving the death of Fred Savage, it’s time to bring the gang together again. Turns out, the Canadian/Vermont border isn’t where everyone thought it was, and now, the boys are sent to patrol the new American property. But not if a trio of Canadian mounties — Podien (Hayes MacArthur), Bellefuille (Tyler Labine), and Archambault (Will Sasso) — and Mayor Guy LeFranc (Rob Lowe) have anything to do with it.

Shenanigans is the name of the game for any Broken Lizard movie and Super Troopers 2 does not disappoint. I’m sure there will be some who will be let down that this is the best they’ve come up with after 17 years — the plot is exactly the same, just with more Canada jokes, eh — but damn if this isn’t hilarious from start from finish. The whole cast slips right back into their roles, helping to ensure maximum hilarity. Cox even gets to be funnier this time around.

Does everything work? It’s a comedy, so of course not. But there are huge laughs and plenty of chuckles. You’re bound to leave with at least a smile on your face. Both Canada and America get blasted with Broken Lizard’s patented slapstick/wordplay, and while it could never be perfect, it also never feels like it should have been straight to video. The boys still have every bit of charm and with Chandrasekhar back at the helm, the time for more Broken Lizard films is meow.

Movie Review: “Rampage”

** out of 5
107 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief language, and crude gestures
Warner Bros. Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

When a movie is based on an ’80s video game and stars The Rock, you expect it to be big, dumb, fun. Unfortunately, all we get out of director Brad Peyton’s (San Andreas) Rampage is just big and dumb. Being a child of the ’80s, I was super excited to see my favorite Midway Games’ humanoid monsters wreaking havoc with Dwayne Johnson leading the human brigade to stop them. Rampage is another shining example — the other Pacific Rim Uprising — of how horribly things go awry when you spend too much time on characters before getting to the goods.

After the explosion of space station Athena1, Project: Rampage proves it works by infecting a grey wolf named Ralph, a crocodile named Lizzie, and primatologist Davis Okoye’s (Johnson) beloved albino gorilla friend George, with a mutagenic serum. Now, the three animals are growing bigger, and more aggressive, and only Davis — along with Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) — can stop the genetically edited creatures from destroying the world. Militant Burke (Joe Manganiello) fails to take down Ralph. This is much to the chagrin of Claire and Brett Wyden (Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy), the brother/sister responsible for Project: Rampage’s “success.”

I was pretty pumped to witness the monster carnage unfold while Johnson went along for the ride quipping one-liners. What I didn’t expect was a film filled with cartoon villains — Lacy is usually very likable but shows off his worst acting here. And a gorilla fist pumps, flips the bird, and throws sexually explicit sign language around. It feels like Peyton has fallen prey to the Michael Bay School of Directing, right alongside Pacific Rim Uprising’s Steven S. DeKnight. It took four writers (Ryan Engle, Ryan J. Condal, Adam Sztykiel, and somehow Carlton Cuse) to cobble together something that resembles a storyline. But the actors — especially Johnson — look super exhausted being constantly overshadowed by the CGI.

At least one silver lining helps it stand above PRU in that it doesn’t take 80 minutes to get to the rampage. By the finale it sinks into the same trappings where they believe more is better. Less doesn’t always have to be more, but it helps to care one iota about at least one character in a movie filled with giant creatures smashing buildings. Usually Johnson is more than enough to be that character, but when even he looks like he’s about to fall asleep from Peyton’s slow as molasses pacing, you’ve got bigger problems. Rampage is strictly made for today’s gamers where everything needs to be fast and shiny. Fans of the original can save their quarters and move along to something else.

Movie Review: ‘A Quiet Place’

***** out of 5
90 minutes
Rated PG-13 for terror and some bloody images
Paramount Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

Horror classics are few and far between. When they do happen, they take us by surprise. With A Quiet Place, director/star/co-writer John Krasinski — yes, Jim from The Office — delivers an unrelenting thrill ride. Showing exactly what one can do with so little, A Quiet Place sets out to scare the pants off audiences and succeeds brilliantly. Co-starring alongside wife Emily Blunt for the first time, Krasinski and company have made the year’s first great horror film and it’s gonna be tough for anyone else to outscare this one.

The Abbotts are not having the best 383 days. Dealing with a creature invasion is bad enough, but they still have yet to move on after their youngest, Beau (Cade Woodward), is killed. Secluded in a silent world — the creatures hunt by sound — Lee (Krasinski), wife Evelyn (Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds), and Marcus (Noah Jupe) have to make sure they don’t fall prey. Lee spends his time trying to make hearing aids for Regan (who is deaf), while everyone else helps soundproof a panic room. Before long, the creatures come calling as the Abbotts are plunged into a fight for their lives like never before.

A Quiet Place  is thrilling, exciting, scary, terrifying, and emotional. Krasinski — and co-writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck — takes a barebones idea and crafts a stunning horror achievement we don’t see the likes of very often. There’s no big twists to worry about, but there are huge scares. Krasinski leaves you breathless with an amazing climax that ends exactly where it should. Filled with fantastic acting, impeccable direction, and breathtaking set pieces, by the time it’s over you’ll wonder when you last took a breath. A Quiet Place exceeds the hype as a new horror classic has been born.

Movie Review: “Ready Player One”

***** out of 5
140 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence, bloody images, some suggestive material, partial nudity and language
Warner Bros. Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

It may sound like hyperbole, but Steven Spielberg was born to direct Ready Player One. If Spielberg and Amblin hadn’t dominated the ’80s, Ready Player One wouldn’t exist. I haven’t read Ernest Cline’s novel yet, but as co-writer, Cline — along with Spielberg and co-writer Zak Penn — explodes the novel onto the big screen in the biggest way possible. If I could get away with a one word review it would be: “Spielbergasm.” Marvel may think they’ve cornered the market on Easter Eggs, but Ready Player One is one giant Easter Egg. Fittingly being released Easter weekend, this movie demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible (cough IMAX cough). The addition of 3D just makes the film even more immersive.

It’s 2045, and Wade Watts/Parzival (Tye Sheridan) lives in “The Stacks” of Columbus, Ohio with his aunt and the only escape from the world is through the OASIS: a virtual world where anyone can be anything they want and be anything they want. It all comes up for grabs after the death of its co-creator Halliday/Anorak (Mark Rylance). Promising fortune and glory, and full control of the OASIS, the whole world sets out to conquer “Anorak’s Quest” to hunt down Halliday’s deeply planted Easter Eggs. Calling upon some help from his friends — Art3mis/Samantha (Olivia Cooke), Aech/Helen (Lena Waithe), Sho (Philip Zhao), and Daito (Win Morisaki), aka the “High Five” — they set out to save the OASIS from the evil clutches of Innovative Online Industries (IOI) CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn). Sorrento unleashes I-R0k (T.J. Miller), F’nale Zandor (Hannah John-Kamen) and his debt-indentured Sixers to stop them.

Ready Player One is pure entertainment. From start to finish there’s no lag time. Spielberg, Cline, Penn, and their army of visual effects artists ensure you are never bored with your mind constantly titillated. It’s almost too much to handle at times. Thankfully, Spielberg knows how to control the chaos and pumps the brakes often enough to let you catch up. Then it’s off to the races again. The cast are having the time of their lives — Cooke, Mendelsohn, and Waithe are standouts — and Spielberg is working in hyper drive. And it shows with fun oozing from every frame. A midpoint sequence in particular showcases Spielberg’s love for OASIS.

There’s been some mention that Ready Player One looks down on pop culture fans, but this is a celebration of the last 30-plus years. Hilarious, heartfelt, surprising, jaw-dropping, action-packed, exhaustively nostalgic. Ready Player One is the true spectacle we rarely get at the movies anymore and it’s no surprise Spielberg was the one to deliver. Even Alan Silvestri’s score is pure ’80s goodness. I have yet to read the novel, but having finally seen the film, I can hardly wait. I’ve heard the two split in very different directions, but Cline is already working on a sequel to the book. I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear about a sequel to the movie as well. I can’t wait to see what adventure they take us on next!

Movie Review: “Pacific Rim Uprising”

* out of 5
115 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language

Universal Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

It’s been five years since Guillermo del Toro gave America Pacific Rim — the Kaiju/Jaeger medicine we didn’t know we were missing. Ever since, a sequel has been in the works off and on with Del Toro teasing his direction again. In the meantime, Legendary has moved from Warner Bros. to Universal and del Toro has gone on to win some long overdue Oscars.

Del Toro and company put a lot of faith in co-writer/director Steven S. DeKnight — of Spartacus and Daredevil notoriety — but it’s clear after having suffered through Pacific Rim: Uprising that only Del Toro knows what makes the world he and Travis Beacham built in the first film. All we want is robots punching monsters. And it takes 80 minutes to even get to a single Kaiju. That right there may tell you all you need when it comes to deciding whether to spend your money on this overdue, and undercooked, turkey of a sequel.

It’s been 10 years since the first film and Jake “Son of Stacker” Pentecost (John Boyega) brings the audience up to speed. In the film’s present, Jake is chasing after a jaeger capacitor but is beat to the punch by the scrappy young Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny). Both wind up being taken into custody by the Pan Pacific Defense Corps (PPDC). Here, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) offers Jake the chance to escape jail time if he returns to the Shatterdome to train new recruits. Much to the chagrin of Nate Lambert (Scott “Real-Life Son of Clint” Eastwood), Jake, and Amara are off to training. Little do they know Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) is developing an army of drone jaegers to keep the world — and their pilots — safe. Everyone is convinced the Kaiju will return and they must be ready at all costs.

For anyone who felt Del Toro’s Pacific Rim was bloated, you ain’t seen nothing yet. DeKnight should be ashamed for breaking the cardinal rule when it comes to sequels: more. Unfortunately, the only thing there is more of in Uprising are humans. You could call the film Exposition & One Liners: The Movie and you wouldn’t know the difference. It doesn’t help that all of the side characters are completely disposable and those who’ve returned are extremely annoying. It says a lot to the power of Boyega and Spaeny, they’re not bad, and even better when playing off each other. But most of the movie is clichéd action film machismo overload. Yes, Uprising has transformed the franchise into Transformers: explosions, swirling camera moves, slo-mo shots of characters jumping mid-air, reckless abandonment for collateral damage, and unexplainable snowball fights. I wish I was kidding.

Pacific Rim was not a box office smash, but a $411 million box office against a $190 million budget is a fair return. I was a bit obsessed with the first film — owning almost every single action figure, the comic book, the film itself on Blu-ray, 3D, and 4K, along with way too many posters including a wall-sized variant. So it saddens me greatly to see the series already diminished into the love child of Transformers and Power Rangers.

The film isn’t a complete bust. At least it’s bad enough to offer more giggles than most comedies. I felt like Statler and Waldorf making fun of the shenanigans as the trainwreck continued. But that’s not why one pays for a ticket to Pacific Rim: Uprising. We want robots fighting monsters and on that count, it fails miserably.

Movie Review: “Tomb Raider”

**** out of 5
118 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and for some language
Warner Bros. Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

After what felt like an interminable two months — the only watchable films so far this year being Black Panther and Game Night — we’re finally getting some good releases. It may be surprising to hear glowing remarks when it comes to a reboot of the Tomb Raider series. It appears that a change of studio and star were just what the raider needed. Scrapping any connection to the Angelina Jolie films, this may not be a perfect action film. But it is a fantastic adventure from start to finish and sets the series up for a new generation, leaving you wanting more by the time the credits roll.

Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is a spunky, street smart food delivery girl who’s in debt at her favorite MMA club. After an incident with the police leaves her in need, her missing father’s assistant, Ana Miller (Kristin Scott Thomas), comes calling to try to get her to accept her inheritance. Instead, Lara discovers that her father Richard (Dominic West) was up to more than just boardroom meetings.

Turns out, Richard was on the hunt for Himiko, the mythical Queen of Yamatai who was thought to have power over life and death. Now, Lara is on her own quest to find her father, along with the help of Lu Ren (Daniel Wu), whose own father went missing helping Richard. But just wouldn’t you know it, they find themselves facing off against Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins), working for the mysterious Trinity who are trying to find Himiko’s tomb with ulterior motives.

No one expects Tomb Raider to be the smartest film, but it’s at least smart enough to get us from one action scene to the next. Director Roar Uthaug, and screenwriters Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, give us a worthy updated reboot film based on the Crystal Dynamics rebooted video game from 2013.

The best part is in the casting. Vikander is perfect as Lara, using her Oscar-winning acting chops to take Lara from naive and confused to complete badass by the end of the film. A character arc is not something you see in an action film these days. The rest of the cast work well too, even if it feels like Goggins should have been allowed to get a little crazier as the villain. Wu makes for a great sidekick with the role reversal working fantastic as the two play off each other very well.

Hopefully this Tomb Raider finds a bigger audience than the one that left the Jolie films wallowing after two outings because Warner Bros. has done the series proud and now that we’ve gotten the origin story out of the way again, I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.