Yee_Reviews

*although not "totally" necessary it would be wise to watch the 1st film before this and even get a refresher as some character roles are from 1st and not really recapped

Good: Affleck/Bernthal's chemistry together with the team-up. Decent action. Some fun/comedy moments to be had

Bad: Introduction/Pacing/Writing

Overall: Movie starts off rough and confusing with not much of an introduction. As a movie that came out 9 years ago, it would have been wise to add some writing to recap some past events or character roles. Granted movie is set a few years after the 1st.

The movie is almost a copy/paste of the first one in terms of pattern/pacing/action just replacing Anna Kendrick's character with Bernthal

It has all the beats of the first, but with it comes some confusion/messy writing when going over details.

Mainly consisting of some nods to Afflecks accounting and condition/skills, a team-up with another person as they carry out a mission, and a big production action scene to end off the movie

If you're a fan of the 1st, you should probably give this a watch, but overall nothing new and exciting. Best element is the comradery between Affleck/Bernthal

Flat 3/5.

Good: Average acting performance by Josh Hartnett but can't really shine with a poorly written script

Bad: The movie with its cringe/stale dialogue drags on for way too long as it never quite delivers a great punch or satisfying ending

Overall: This "serial killer thriller" doesn't have the smart witty parlor tricks and falls flat. You aren't able to see Cooper do too many cool things throughout the concert or else his daughter would literally be saying "You're weird dad or you're acting strange" The film could have honestly been rated PG if they didn't say one "F Bomb." The more intriguing aspect would have been to go into more depth of "The Profilier" or background on this serial killer.

The film is not much different than what you would find say on a news channel about a serial killer.

I was intrigued/sort of excited to see the film based on the trailer and even went on opening night. Overall M Night films have been on the decline recently with "Old" and "Knock at the Cabin" as well has his daughters recent movie "The Watchers" performed poorly. I think M Night has been using his early fame/name for trailers and promotion for something like "The Watchers" or in this film exposure for his other daughter Saleka Shyamalan who stars and performs a concert for songs she personally wrote, which are not that great.

*PS near the end of the film Cooper takes off his shirt for "practically" no reason.....

1/5 I honestly can't find any redeeming factors of this movie except that it looks adequate and Hartnett isn't the "worst"

Good: The production is good and its well-shot. Decent performances by Samira played by Lupita Nyong'o and Eric played by Joseph Quinn, although there isn't much substance for their roles/personality.

Bad: The story is lackluster and leaves much to be desired after being the 3rd one in the universe. The mission is to literally help Samira get some pizza in NYC.... The extra/side characters make dumb decisions to provide action (e.g. Literally days after the aliens arrive and rules are set that you have to be quiet, you still have people shouting lost people's names and another random scene of a guy crawling under a car screaming "help me" like Samira can do anything for him). A number of jump scares just to satisfy the "general audience." There is a reoccurring cat character of Samira's that pops up here and there and even has its own (cat stuck in a tree scenario). For some people with pets, I guess it's cute/comedic relief but personally found it annoying and flabbergasted how a cat has survived the whole time without "meowing" or making any noise.

Overall: As a fan of the first two films and excited for this one. The film was a letdown in the fact that it doesn't add much to the universe, it is plagued by tropes and boring storytelling. The main characters do a fine job but lack the personality. Furiosa in Furiosa is a character with little lines but has more grit/survival over these characters. Overall, the movie seems to be a cash grab with a franchise name and a new director/writer who doesn't have much of a track record. It's time to hang up the flag on this franchise unless maybe they can add new elements and John Krasinski comes back.

2/5.