A horror movie that got a bit of hype this year (Though not as much as “Weapons”) was Michael Shanks feature film directorial debut “Together”. Written and directed by Shanks (Not the Stargate actor btw), but designed as a vehicle for husband and wife actors Dave Franco and Alison Brie. This is a loud and proud body horror, with the trailer being pretty clear with the viewers where the movie is headed. The two leads are joined by Damon Herriman as the only other cast member of note. Cinematography is by Germain McMicking and music by Cornel Wilczek.
Millie Wilson (Brie) and Tim Brassington (Franco) move to the countryside so that Millie can take up a job teaching elementary school English. This is tough on Tim, who is dealing with the recent passing of his parents, can’t drive and is trying to pursue a career as a musician. Despite his issues, he loves Millie and their bond is strong. It’s about to get a lot stronger though. After going on a hike around the nearby forest the pair fall into a cave during a rainstorm and are forced to stay there for the night. They wake, to find their legs stuck together by something, but are able to separate them. Over the next few days though the pair are inexplicably drawn to each other and find their bodies fusing together. They desperately try and stay apart, while figuring out what is happening.
Chemistry
This is certainly an interesting film. The big negative here is that it really doesn’t do that much more than what you already see in the trailer. The basic premise is basically, this thing is happening to this couple. Eventually they get a little info on it, but it doesn’t really add anything. There were no extra layers beyond what I already knew going in. This is two lovers, being forced physically together in a body horror film. That’s it. It’s also worth noting there is still (At the time of writing) a law suit alleging this film is a rip off of the 2023 film “Better Half”. The script for which was apparently pitched to Brie and Franco in 2020, but they declined. It’s hard to know the truth, but this kind of thing happens all the time in Hollywood.
The big positive of this film is the two stars. Brie and Franco are married in real life (And have been since 2017) so unsurprisingly, they have great chemistry together. You do truly get the impression they are in love and this is what makes the film really work. The body horror stuff isn’t really that shocking if you’ve watched much Cronenberg. The plot is also minimal and feels linear. On top of this, movie has a tiny cast and so puts all the weight on the two leads. Fortunately between the chemistry and the fact they are both good actors, it makes the movie work. Brie especially shines here. There’s also some solid cinematography and direction from Germain McMicking and Michael Shanks respectively.
Two Become One
One surprising thing is this is really a bit of a black comedy. It’s not like there is a lot of humour here, but it is present. Most specifically in one situational bit and a one line joke about diazepam. That joke made me laugh but it was in the middle of one of the most intense scenes of the film, so not really where I was expecting to be laughing. Honestly, not sure how I feel about that one. I’m swaying towards it being a demonstration of the characters chemistry and okay. That said, using the Spice Girls “Two Become One” song, felt a little too goofy for the film. Interestingly two out of three of these elements are key parts of the “Better Half” lawsuit, and that film is more of a comedy.
Overall this is a pretty good body horror. It’s not something I’m likely to want to re-watch. It’s not likely to become a cult classic or get Oscar nominations (Like “The Substance” did last year). But if you like body horror or romantic horror it’s worth watching. If you like both then I definitely recommend it. I’m giving this a solid 6/10. It would be higher, but I don’t feel like I got much more from the movie than I did the trailer. This is the execution of a basic idea and not much else. If the trailer got your interest, give it a watch. But don’t expect to be blown away.
I am only doing this for completeness. This episode was equal parts stupid, disappointing and predictable. This was about as bad as it could possibly have been. There were perhaps three bits that may chart a path to a marginal redemption, but if it does it will be too little, too late. The main thing I’ve learned personally from doing these reviews is exactly why I favour movies to TV and why I really don’t want to do any TV reviews again. At least not for still running shows. Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson from “LOST”. I like stories, not ideas randomly thrown at a wall to see what sticks and then badly collected up and put in the bin.
I think what makes a TV series work is the characters. Since you may not get a complete story and if you do it may take years, you need to have good characters. LOST at least did have that and still bitterly disappointed. So when a show doesn’t have good characters, what chance does it have? Well, Alien: Earth is a good example of that. Since the previous episode sabotaged both Kirsh and Morrow, the only interesting character was Eyeball Squid. By the end of this episode I barely cared about that creature either. So let’s get onto the failings of this episode and show in general. There are definitely spoilers here.
The Show Gets Dumber
This show is definitely set in the Idiocracy universe. Weyland-Yutani decided to send in Morrow with a small team first before attacking in force. That’s fine. Morrow cuts off the islands communication (Not shown in the previous episode) meaning no one can report the attack. Then it gets stupid.Morrow follows up his sabotage with a direct front assault into a heavily armed and protected base with just two soldiers supporting him. These soldiers have vanished by this episode, because of course they did. Why even do that if your boss is about to send over multiple drop ships full of troops? But to make it worse they have a really long delay between the stealth assault and the main attack. The only reason is because they needed the plot to happen.
After his ridiculous plan for three man frontal assault failed, Morrow has now abandoned his mission and just wants to kill everyone. When coming face to face with Slightly, instead of using his family for leverage with a clever buff (Or legit threat), he meekly apologizes. Naturally he is easily taken out. Meanwhile Kirsh is reduced to a nothing character. No motivations, no plans, his role apparently over. Outside his fight with Morrow, Kirsh had nothing to do this episode. The head of security, Eins is still completely useless and is revealed as an android about 5 seconds before Wendy gains the new magic power of shutting down androids. Lame.
Wasn’t This Meant to be an Alien Show?
The Aliens or “Xenomorph’s” as the show likes to call them are no longer scary. But they are sometimes threatening. Basically in this show if the plot needs them to be really easy to take down, they are. But if Wendy is using her magic super powers of controlling them suddenly a lone one can take down entire squads of heavily armed marines without breaking a sweat. It’s not just the weird looking one born from a tadpole eating a lung (I could rant about that too). The new alien born from the regular lifecycle appears to be under control too. These creatures are now 100% loyal to their android mistress. Apparently their drive to capture and reproduce has been entirely replaced by being Wendy’s pet. Utterly ridiculous.
We don’t even get to see most of the alien action either. I think this episode literally spent more time with mouth closeups on Wendy making her clicking sounds than actually showing the Aliens kill things. Remember, this whole show exists because of these creatures. The franchise isn’t called “Android”, it’s called “Alien”. To be fair a good few entries in the franchise revolve around rogue androids, but that wasn’t the focus. Here it is and the “Xenomorph’s” are almost entire redundant. So much for Ripley’s warning of “If even one of those things gets down here….”.
Because The Plot Needed to Happen
The plant pod creature finally kills someone. But it’s totally random and clearly just put in there for the sake of saying it finally did something. What it did was the most generic thing it could do. So this is your average monstrous man-eating plant. Nothing special, at least not in this universe. The insects and flies have nothing to do at all here. You’d think with rogue androids everywhere maybe letting the flies out may be a tactic. But no one thinks of that. Indeed outside the hybrids, no one thinks of anything. Not a single person has a single idea. Cavalier, Kirsh and Eins all know Wendy can hack things and control Aliens and yet don’t take a single step to counter that or prepare for it. They don’t appear to have any kind of plan at all.
Basically this episode is everyone else sitting around and waiting for sociopath Wendy to kill them, imprison them and take over the facility. Cavalier is mostly just interested in putting Eyeball squid on Joe (The most predictable part of this episode). However rather than sticking around to watch, he decides he needs to go and give a monologue to the hybrids. He knows Wendy’s powers, but decides one guard should be fine. Side note here, not only did they do nothing about Wendy, even knowing their abilities. They also repaired out of control psycho Nibs and imprisoned previously loyal Curly. Basically making sure a team of super beings were at maximum strength and could easily escape.
Any Hope For Redemption?
So those three bits that I mentioned at the start. First of all one of the hybrid androids, Smee, actually seems to have a conscience. Not enough to do much about it, but it’s clear he is at least a little uncomfortable with how psychotic everyone else seems to be. Then there is the brother, Joe, who despite calling saving the lives of his friends from psychotic Nibs “A mistake”, is obviously uncomfortable. Then there is Wendy’s comments to Cavalier where it really seemed like she was talking about herself, not Cavalier. Coupled with her comment about “Ruling” at the end and it seems the show may actually consider her a villain. But it’s still not clear. Was the episode title the cliché of “Humans are the real monsters” or did it mean these hybrids?
The big problem is that this is something that impacts the entire show and I’m not inclined to wait around another three slow, tedious seasons of stupidity to find out. I actively dislike every single character in this show and possibly despise Wendy. A text book Mary Sue whose powers (Not shared with the other hybrids) have no explanation or apparent limit and who everyone seems to love or favour for no reason. That includes the other hybrids, Kirsch, Cavalier, the Xenomorphs, and her brother (Who accepted her as his sister too easily). I still think Eyeball squid is destined for Cavalier, but they may take years to pull the trigger on that and I’ve already stopped caring. If Cavalier was so smart, he’d have built in a kill switch to his hybrids, but no, he’s an idiot and so who cares what his fate is.
Final Verdict
So there we have it. A show that had a lot of potential early on. Clearly had a lot spent on it but totally blew it in regards to plot and characters. There’s still no justification for this being a prequel, but we are at the stage with it where that doesn’t matter. The show itself is bad regardless of where in the Alien timeline it is set. Everyone has their limit to how much stupidity from characters and plots they can forgive for their escapist entertainment. I know some people felt the show crossed that right out the door, some are perhaps still okay. But for me episode 7 crossed the line and this episode fell right off the cliff. Every character in this show is an idiot. When someone is on top, it’s not because they are clever, but because everyone else is dumb.
By far the worst element of this show was always the hybrids and they have ended up the only part of the show that actually matters. Not the Aliens, not the corporations and not any of the human characters. The new creatures had potential but were really just kill cameos that went nowhere. The world building in the first few episodes was good, but then the show shrank down to the island setting and the world building stopped. Literally everything in this show has ended in disappointment and yet the show keeps going. We didn’t get a single answer to any of our questions. So I am done. It’ll likely be two years before this show returns, but I have no intention of watching it. Episode Rating 3/10
Final Series rating: 4/10 – Not worth it. However, episode 5 is probably worth watching for most fans of the franchise. It’s pretty much a stand alone tribute to “Alien”. Not as good mind, so it’s not a must see or anything, but it remains the highlight of this disappointing show.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 10.
Back to movie reviews for me and I’m very glad October is around the corner. I need 31 horror film reviews to purge this mess from my memory. See you soon!
Well, I wasn’t going to do single episode reviews for this show, but here we are. This one is going to be a bit of a rant because this show just jumped the shark. To be fair, it jumped the shark in episode two but I was willing to give it another chance. Now it’s playing pat-a-cake with Cthulhu. I’m not sure if this episode was as terrible as it felt or if it was just the straw the broke the camels back. There is only so much stupid I can deal with and I regularly watch B-Movie horror films. Last October I reviewed “Bad CGI Gator”. I can handle stupid. But there has to be limits. This is the dumbest episode of the series so far and one of the most disappointing. Of course we get some “Xenomorph” kills and a chest burst scene so some people will give it a pass I’m sure.
The Idiot Olympics
This episode killed off my interest in two out of three of the characters I previously found worth watching. Morrow is now just an idiot. Kirsh meanwhile lost all his mystery and it turns out he just manages situations by letting them get as out of control and have as high a body count as possible and then wrap it up at the last possible moment. That’s not a good management style! He may be the dumbest character of all. He’s only a step ahead of Morrow because he has access to the android hybrids sensory information and Morrow is too stupid to realize this. If you’ve been following, you’ll know the third of those characters and now the only one I’m interested in is the eyeball squid. This is where I’m at now with this show.
It’s easy to forget that Kirsh is actually meant to be the head scientist, not security chief. So why does he seem to be in charge of managing the security of the island, even down to being able to let these situations get wildly out of control so he can pull a trap that relies on Morrow being a complete tool. The actual security chief seems to be completely out of the loop of everything that actually involves security. Instead it seems to be running human resources. And that was one other character I was warming to. Nope, another idiot. Still, Morrow takes the cake for stupidity. His plan involved hoping a chestburster didn’t burst, having no plan to recover it if it did and then just marching straight in through the front door of the facility with only two troops supporting him, directly into an obvious kill zone.
My Pet Alien
Sadly, the stupidity doesn’t end there. All the hybrid androids are so incredibly stupid that I want to see them get wiped out. Especially Wendy, who is a complete sociopath. Now though, she’s a sociopath with the magic power of controlling “Xenomorphs” and despite my past speculation, the reason for this ability seems to be “Because we thought it’d be cool”. It isn’t. It takes the agency from the aliens themselves, making them pointless. That they can even be controlled, especially by some random android with the mind of a child, ruins them. They made a conscious decision to move the iconic aliens from “Scary” to “Cute”. That sums up this series really. You don’t need to fear the Aliens, you need to fear Wendy and Nibs.
In the previous episode the “Clever” people in charge decided that wiping Nibs memory of her psychotic breakdown would make everything okay. They didn’t bother to tell any of the other kids. They didn’t think that huge multi-day gap in her memory would be noticed (Including not know who Joe is, or the where the aliens came from). Nibs is clearly psychotic, but Wendy decided of all the kids she was the one that needed to be in the outside world She didn’t even look for Slightly and Smee. But then, Wendy is just as bad as Nibs. She happily releases her pet “Xenomorph” to kill innocent lab workers so that she can later use it to kill anyone else in her path. This is not a “Good” character.
The Hierarchy of Intelligence
Our one remaining good guy, the damp behind the ears Joe finally develops a character trait beyond protecting his “Sister”. But it’s nothing deeper than a basic regard for human life. This was enough to put him at odds with his sister however. Joe finally stands up to her blood lust and she acts with shock and revulsion, like he is the villain. This brings me to one of the make or break questions of the show. Do the show runners realize Wendy is a villain? We won’t find out until the final episode and honestly I’m not sure which way it’ll go. We may also find out if there is any believable reason for her magic powers. I’m guessing no to that one.
The one character left that is interesting is eyeball squid. It’s painfully obvious Kavalier wants to put the squid on Joe. I still think he’s destined to get it himself. That is a scene I am looking forward to in the finale. Kavalier is also an idiot, but that’s his character arc. He is destined to be a victim of his own hubris and that is fine. Right now the smartest character on this show is Eyeball Squid, followed by the various bug aliens, then probably the plant pod, who is still do contribute anything. The “Xenomorph’s” come in last among the creatures, but still ahead of the humans. I am starting to wonder if this show is actually set in the Idiocracy universe.
The Downward Spiral
Before I get to my verdict, were there any positives? The pace in this episode was good. Quite a lot happened (Even if most of it was stupid). As I mentioned, Joe finally got some character development. We did get “Xenomorph” action That’s it, but the action wasn’t great. For the third episode in a row they casually called the aliens “Xenomorphs”. There’s no getting around it, they’ve canonized a fan misinterpretation of a line from Aliens. They also started to refer to Synthetics as “Synths”, which isn’t a canon violation or anything, but does make the dialogue sound more like “Fallout” than “Aliens” (Where they said “Synthetic” or “Android”). Oh and there continues to be no reason for this show to be prequel.
So what’s the verdict? Well you can tell from the ranting that I was not a fan of this one. I know some people don’t mind a plot that requires total stupidity from everyone involved for it to work. I also know most people don’t really care about how the show impacts the larger franchise. That kind of thing is only important to those nerdy enough to re-watch an entire franchise. That’s me. I’m nerdy enough. So I want every entry in a franchise to be complementary and not contrary. I’m giving this episode a 4/10 and reducing the series rating to a 5/10. Recommendation rescinded! The show has one last chance to win me over. Can it do it?
Well after three more episodes I think it is time to update my review. That said, the jury is still out on this one. I’ve never come across a series I find so much to both love and hate about at once. That’s not to say it’s all extreme one way or the other, there is a lot of “Meh” to go about too. It is frankly all over the place. So let’s go over the Good, the bad and the Meh first and then’ll I’ll give you a score per episode.
Everybody Loves Eyeball Squid
No, that’s not a new sitcom, though I would probably watch it. We’re starting with the good and top of that list is Eyeball Squid. By far the coolest of the new species introduced in this show and one that could probably have worked in it’s own movie. Probably not it’s own TV series, but I could definitely see (pun not intended) it working for a movie. The creature is mysterious, creepy as hell and totally original. Of course where there is mystery there is room for disappointment. But so far, so good. The other new aliens, while not interesting enough for their own movie are also positives. We finally saw the bug-fly things in action in episode 6 and so the only creature not to have done anything of note is the plant pod. I’m sure it’s time will come.
Timothy Olliphant and Babou Ceesay continue to be the stand out actors. In episode five we learn more information about Morrow (Ceesay), which humanizes him somewhat. He continues to be a solid antagonist though. Olliphant’s Kirsh also continues to play the stealth antagonist. His goals are still no clearer and mostly he just reminds me of Michael Fassbender’s “David” in Prometheus/Covenant. That is a rogue android with his own agenda and no real care for humanity. Of course he could end up to simply be part of a scheme of one corporation boss or another, but I think he is more likely rogue. Adrian Edmondson is doing quite well as a secondary antagonist too. Small role, but he plays it well. Vyvyan has come a long way since the Young Ones.
A Xenomorph May Be Involved
So, let’s talk about the negatives and with this series its biggest issue is the continued massive dump from orbit the show keeps doing on to Ellen Ripley and the movie “Aliens”. The first movie is a little more protected since all that matters for that one is that the crew (Ash aside) are oblivious to the creatures. In Aliens however a team of space marines take Ripley along as the “Expert” on these unknown creatures. They take her because she’s the only person that has encountered them before. The Marines have no knowledge of these creatures and are woefully unprepared for what they are walking in to. Many people prefer Aliens to the original movie (I love both, but generally prefer the first). It’s objectively one of the best sequels ever made.
In Aliens, Gorman says the word “Xenomorph” as a general way of saying “Alien species”. He was informing the marines that they may be facing an alien life form of some kind. He wasn’t saying this specific, well known species. Since this was a cool word and not one that you’d hear in other franchises, fans started to use it to refer to the creatures themselves. Some because they didn’t understand the scene, others just for convenience (Since “Alien” doesn’t really narrow down what you are talking about). But now, in Alien: Earth they have twice deliberately used the word “Xenomorph” to refer to this specific species. It’s bad enough that it reveals a strange familiarity with them, but it also totally recontextualizes that scene in Aliens.
Why Is This A Prequel?
The problem goes beyond just the name, it also goes to the context. Ripley was meant to be the expert on these creatures and yet now thanks to this being a prequel her inclusions seems like a sick joke. Already Weyland-Yutani had a huge amount of information on the creatures. Now they even named it and when Gorman mentions the name in Aliens, he’s talking about a specific species and the space marines all seem to know exactly what he’s talking about. The series shows tactics and weapons designed to deal with the creatures and yet the marines head in spraying bullets in a way that was always destined to get them them covered in acid. Even if all the characters on this island die, Weyland-Yutani will still have their information. Man, space marines are morons.
So, why is this a prequel? So far I haven’t seen a single thing that means this show needed to be set before Alien. Almost all of these problems go away if it is a sequel instead of a prequel. Adopting the fan name for the creature is still dumb, but it doesn’t break past movies. If they introduced the black goo then at least it would make some sense as a prequel to Alien: Romulus, but then that shouldn’t have been a prequel either! Anyway, that aside my main complaint is how everyone is stupid. So much of this plot relies on stupidity to happen. It’s not a deal breaker for a horror series, but it is annoying.
Enough With The Peter Pan Stuff!
On to the Meh. I’m so very bored with the constant Peter Pan references. One of the characters themselves drew attention to how the analogy doesn’t even make sense in the first place since Kavalier is giving children adult bodies and expecting them to act like adults. This is the opposite to “Never growing up”. It’s something so dumb and obvious that the dumb characters in the show actually call it out. But it is relentless and it plays into another aspect of the show and that is it’s tendency to slow right down to a crawl for little to no benefit.
Another problem is I still don’t like either of the protagonists or really any of the characters at all. I appreciate Morrow and Kirsh, but they are antagonists, so I don’t actually like them. I don’t even appreciate Kavalier. To be fair some antagonists are there to make you want to see them get killed later on and I’m pretty sure the shoe fits here. But you are supposed to like the good guys. Joe has no agency outside of his sister and apparently little personality. Wendy meanwhile is that mixture of nativity and confidence that just makes you want to see them choke on their own hubris. It’s not endearing. The rest of the hybrid children are just as bad and this has been a constant since episode one.
Episode 4 – Do You See What Eye See
This was the episode that made Eyeball Squid everyone’s favourite. It didn’t even need to do a whole lot, but it was so well done it made the episode. The rest was a mixture of interesting and stupid. It did give me some theories about the hybrid androids having some kind of relationship with the black goo, but since that hasn’t been shown or talked about in this show (And is divisive with fans anyway), I’m probably way off. In the end the answer to how Wendy is communicating with the Aliens may just end up being “Because the plot needed that to happen”. We will see. This was a decent episode. 6/10
Episode 5 – A Prequel’s Prequel
I am already annoyed by the series being a prequel. So when I realized this episode was a prequel to that prequel, I wasn’t impressed. We get to see the events that lead to the ship crash on earth. We already know there will only be one survivor so the stakes here do not exist. Fortunately though the episode excelled in it’s execution. I mentioned in my previous review I was a big fan of the set design for the space ship and said it was a shame we didn’t see more of it. Here we did and it’s largely a stand alone Alien movie. Though one with a known outcome. The reason for holding this episode back was for one reveal about why the ship crashed. Barely seemed worth it, but the truth is this was the best episode yet. 7/10
Episode 6 – A Bad Day in the Lab
And then we are back to the main story and I can’t help but feel disappointed by it. This was another mostly slow episode that really hit us around the face with Peter Pan nonsense while very little happened. However, when it did happen it was pretty cool and went some way to redeeming the episode. We finally get to see the sixth alien species and it didn’t disappoint. Not as cool as Eyeball Squid, but who is? There was good here including a scene between Oliphant and Ceesay, but it wasn’t really enough for me to call this a good episode. 5.5/10
Conclusion – Marginal Improvement
So the good news is overall these three episodes have raised my average score (Slightly) and I am swaying more to the positive with the show. If this wasn’t a prequel I may even have been up to a 7/10 by now. However, the characters being idiots and the “Good” guys being unlikable would have held it from landing much higher. It is a prequel though and so it does still run a wrecking ball through the franchise. Still, the atmosphere is good, the creatures are fun and there is enough of interest here to have me speculating.
I’m also glad the obvious “Bloke in a suit” movement of the Alien in episode one and two hasn’t been repeated, so visually the show is improving too. If you haven’t watched the series yet, I think I can call it a cautious recommendation now. I’m raising the score to 6.5/10. Technically the average is only just over 6/10 but I feel a 6.5 is fair. We have two more episodes to go, so I’ll check in with you again when it is all over. A bad or good ending will make or break this series, so there is everything still to play for.
Following on from AI/Killer Doll horror M3GAN from 2022 comes the somewhat predictably named “M3GAN 2.0”. Written and directed once again by Gerard Johnstone (With Akela Cooper and James Wan assisting with the script), this movie takes the franchise in a radically different direction. This is a direction that put off many of the fans of the original, but may well have some justification behind it. Many horror franchises simply rinse and repeat the same movie again and again, here they decided to do something different. But did it work out? Well, not financially, but let’s look at if it does creatively.
Synopsis
Allison Williams and Violet McGraw return to their roles as mother Gemma and daughter Cady. Now a couple of years after the events of the first film Gemma has become an anti-AI activist and has pivoted her robotics research into human controlled exo-frame technology. However, unbeknownst to her an AI partially based on her prototype is still active and working for the government. The AI mysteriously goes rogue and begins hunting down anyone involved in it’s creation. It turns out the end goal of this AI is to unleash a sentient AI that evolved from a photocopier in 1984 (Yes, the year Terminator came out). That AI has been quietly evolving in isolation since the 80’s and would be unstoppable should it be released.
Gemma and Cady become caught up in this as potential targets for the governments rogue assassin AI. But they have a surprising ally on their side, the still surviving M3GAN that was able to upload her program to the internet before her destruction and has been quietly trying to protect the family. This AI claims to no longer be a threat to humanity, but Gemma naturally does not trust her. However if they are to have any chance against these new AI’s Gemma will need to build M3GAN a new body. As the factions eventually cross paths, secrets are revealed, enemies uncovered and relationships changed.
Sequel Swerve
So the first thing to note here is that this is definitely not a horror film anymore. Taking a path very similar to the Terminator franchise, the antagonist of the first film has changed sides and we move firmly into action territory. M3GAN though was a horror comedy and not just a straight horror, so this is now an action comedy. I was a fan of the original movie and as such was initially skeptical about the change. I can absolutely see why people wouldn’t like that shift, but I have to say – It does work. The movie is not what I expected, but the humour from the first movie shifts seamlessly into the sequel and while the movie no longer wants to scare us, it does entertain.
Some very successful franchises have shifted more into action with the sequel, including Alien and of course Terminator. Neither of those had a strong comedy element though. Terminator 2 did have humour to a few scenes, but it was character comedy, not comedy built into the concept. This was a big risk and it didn’t pay off financially. However, the character of M3GAN is entertaining in her own right. She doesn’t need to be murdering people to be enjoyable to watch. They also managed to find a bit of variety to the action, so it’s not just android vs android throwing each other threw walls.
A Love Letter To Skynet
This movie is also a bit of a parody of and love letter to Terminator (1984) and of course it’s sequel. It wears this proudly on it’s sleeve. Even choosing the year 1984 for the year that the apocalyptic super-AI was created. Much like with Arnold’s Terminator in T2, M3GAN has to deal with cops while not being allowed to kill any of them. Most obviously though is the relationship between the two human leads and the android. Starting out from a position of distrust and fear and ending up recognizing the humanity in the artificial being. The ending even had certain parodies to Terminator 2. No surprise though, this isn’t as good as either of those Terminator movies, but it is fun.
Fun is definitely the focus. However, the movie does ask a few questions about the dangers of AI and the morality of it’s use. These don’t exactly add depth, but they do grant an amount of verisimilitude to the universe. We have seen this basic premise before and these days killer AI movies are commonplace. I can’t say though, that there are any other movies tackling this debate with the same sense of flare or humour. It makes what on paper is not very original feel refreshingly new. So the question is, was the shift in tone a good move? I have no doubt staying with horror would have made them more money. From a creative perspective, rinse and repeat rarely leads to anything but a gradual slow decline.
Conclusion
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is hard to say if everyone that liked the original will still be on board with the shift away from horror. I suspect not. A lot of the genre shift sequels of the past have gained their own fans almost separate from the fans of the original. Aliens and Terminator 2 are often regarded as superior to the original by fans that are more in to action than horror. But those were both high profile movies with a big name director and major stars. They were able to win over an audience more directly. M3GAN 2.0 however seems to have been entirely reliant on convincing it’s horror fans to accept the shift away from horror.
The movie history books will probably label this shift as a mistake. I think though, creatively at least, it was the right thing to do. Most importantly, this is a fun movie with a lot to offer. Solid action, solid acting, solid comedy, emotions, philosophy and not entirely forgetting it’s roots, a little bit of gore. The only problem it has is you do really need to have seen the first movie. So you do need to like horror, but also not mind shifting out of it. Maybe that’s asking too much, but for me this was a strong 6.5/10.
While I don’t normally review TV shows, I simply have too much to say about the new Disney Plus Alien franchise show from Noah Hawley, to just let it slide. So this will be a discussion and review of the firsts three episodes. I may do an update after episodes 4-6 have landed. This will have spoilers, but nothing major (Because there isn’t really anything major to spoil yet).
Alien: Earth is the tenth and latest live action entry in the Aliens franchise (Including the two Predator crossover movies). This is a franchise that really doesn’t feel like it’s on it’s tenth entry, but it’s worth noting that SIX of these entries are prequels. Five entries are set before the original Alien movie and one is set in between that and it’s sequel, Aliens. To be fair, two are the Predator crossovers and those are very much in a different continuity (Especially since Xenomorphs shouldn’t exist before the events of Prometheus). However we still have four prequels and the issue that the franchise hasn’t actually moved forward in time since “Alien Resurrection” in 1997. Ridley Scott’s prequels at least had a reason to be prequels.
Synopsis
So following on from the mild box office success and equally mild viewer disappointment of “Alien:Romulus” (Set between Alien and Aliens), we have another prequel. This time set before any of the main series films, including the original. Technically this TV show is the follow up to Alien: Covenant (Set 16 years after the events in that film). The story begins with a Weyland-Yutani space ship crashing down to Earth after the dangerous alien lifeforms it was transporting for study break out of containment and cause havoc. The vessel crashes into a territory controlled by a rival corporation, immediately causing a conflict.
The rival corporation, “Prodigy” (A bit of an on-the-nose name for a new corporation created by a child prodigy), seems to be primarily interested in creating androids with human consciousness. Their technology limits them to working with children and so they take terminally ill children and effectively grant them immortality by giving them adult android bodies. Sticking with the painfully on-the-nose theme, their research center is called “Neverland” and the first child transferred to an android is named “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler). Of course the story of Peter Pan was about children not wanting to become adults, while here the children are forced into adulthood early and for all eternity. But no doubt they thought they were being clever with the reference.
The Global Mega Corporations
It’s worth noting the Weyland-Yutani Corporation has a very minimal presence in this story despite it being their space craft. The focus is far more on the new Prodigy corporation invented for this show. This of course gives the writers a chance to explore new ideas without impacting canon too much. However it must be noted, it does still impact canon and they would have had far more freedom had they simply not made this a prequel. So while the movies focus on Weyland-Yutani’s story, the awkwardly named “New” corporation will now have a retrospective presence throughout the first four Alien films and Romulus.
It’s also worth noting that the exposition thrown in to the opening scene is an major lore change for the Aliens universe. Previously while corporations were obviously powerful and dangerous in this universe, the Earth wasn’t ruled by “The five mega-corporations”. This is a new (Somewhat generic) Dystopian addition to the lore of the universe and it does significantly re-frame the previous movies. Now the blue collar crew of the Nostromo were never just regular working people, they were people oppressed by a mega corporation that routinely sacrificed human life for the corporate good. In that regard the actions of their android Ash are no longer surprising in any way.
Aesthetics
Exposition dump and lore change aside, the opening scene of the first episode is actually a high point. The scene displays the effort that has gone into set design and wardrobe. This pairs off well with a soundtrack clearly inspired by the original Alien. This was a very good start even if I found the exposition a bit too obviously. I also noticed the “One of everything” diversity in the casting, this is present throughout the show. Not a deal breaker for sure, but even in the future it seems unlikely every group of people will have an exact balance of gender and ethnicity. Overall the opening was good up until the point the Xenomorph appeared. The problem here was it really moved like a human being and looked non-organic.
Now I am fairly certain this is a CGI alien, so the movement must come from the motion capture and it’s odd how they must have gone to a lot of effort to have the Alien totally fail to move in an alien like manner. Why even do motion capture for such a creature? The fact that when you see the Alien up close it looks like it’s made of rubber and the end result if you have a CGI Xenomorph that looks like a dude in a rubber suit. Not good. He brute forces his way around the place like Jason Voorheese. It is rare in this show (So far) that the Alien actually acts like the Alien monsters we know.
Creatures and Characters
What does add some welcome variety to the show though is the presence of additional aliens and for me, while their CGI effects are also somewhat lacking, they are the most interesting aspect of this show. Outside of the Engineers and proto-xenomorphs, we haven’t seen other alien lifeforms in the Aliens series. It’s also not something that is likely to damage canon . I especially liked the Eyeball Squid thing that pops up in episode two. It’s worth noting though none of these creatures are very much sidelined in the story. By the third episode it seems their role may even be totally done with for the series now. If that is the case, that would be a waste.
Character wise I am only really interested in Timothy Olyphant android scientist and Babou Ceesay cyborg (And sole agent for Weyland-Yutani). I don’t find the human children in android bodies at all interesting, nor do I care about Wendy and her still human brother Joseph. Those two are meant to be the shows protagonists but they have very little chemistry or conflict (With Joe accepting Wendy as his sister very quickly). They are both fairly bland characters with little in the way of agency outside of Wendy’s desire to reunite with and protect her brother. I find the whole idea of having android’s with human consciousness as your primary focus a bad idea as it essentially turns this into superheroes vs Aliens.
Superheroes Vs Aliens
The biggest problem with the show is there are no real stakes. As a result there is little to actually generate fear or tension. The show has to entirely rely on the atmosphere it can generate with the aesthetic because they neutered the story. As a prequel, we know this isn’t the end for The Earth. Indeed we know that it had so little impact that Ripley and friends had no knowledge of the incident. This leaves the show caught between plot holes and being too neatly wrapped up. Neither is good. But add to that how most of the people now facing the Aliens are superhuman android hybrids and we have very little actual threat at all. This reduces tension and fear. Last but not least, I simply don’t care about these characters. All I have left is enjoying the aesthetics.
The first episode featured most of the good material so far. I was dazzled by the set design. The hybrid android stuff dragged the pace and the episode felt generally slow, but it was a solid start. The Xenomorph was a bit strange, but at least we got to see it. The second episode was a step down. Directing became sloppy and the Alien continued to look and act wrong. A couple of good scenes avoided total disaster, but overall it was disappointing. Episode three improved marginally and we actually got a lot of character development. But it also had a Xenomorph dealt with far too easily and totally off screen. The creature is still moving like a guy doing motion capture. Most annoyingly though, just as it was looking like things were going to really kick off, instead they hit a reset button and slowed things down again.
Conclusion
It’s now clear these first three episodes are effectively a prologue. Which means the pace is very unlikely to pick up. Alien: Earth is a mixed bag. They have definitely got some things right, but they got a lot wrong too. The pacing is a big issue, but somewhat expected as a TV series. A larger problem is the decision to make this a prequel. “Alien Resurrection”, which is still the last Alien film continuity-wise, ended with a ship with Aliens on crashing to Earth. This series could have been a direct follow up to that with only minimal changes. Instead they made it a prequel and that seems to add nothing of value while making almost every creative event in the show a canon violation, many of which will be deal breakers for fans.
The one thing I can never accept is when a new franchise entry does something that diminishes the original and most loved films. Those original franchise entries that everything else is built on top of. This show appears to do that. But we won’t really know how bad until it is over. For now it is just above the line where I am willing to stick with it. The set design is great. The world building is interesting, though often feels like a different science fiction series and not Alien (It’s very Cyberpunk). That world building also becomes a negative when it messes with canon. By episode three the characters are actually starting to develop some personality, though I can’t say I like them just yet.
Ratings and Recommendation
In my view if you are a more casual fan, you may well enjoy this show. Providing you don’t mind the slow pace. If you are a big Aliens fan though, you may want to hold off for a bit until the series is all available. Then we can assess just how badly it violates canon and if the Xenomorphs finally start acting more like the cunning, stealthy monsters they are. My ratings for the episodes so far:
Episode One – 6.5/10 – Mostly good due to the aesthetics, but some questionable effects, plot choices and pace. Episode Two – 5.5/10 – Sloppy Seconds, still slow, but getting goofy in places too. Cool eyeball squid though. Lots of gore. Episode Three – 6/10 – Disappointing fight between android and Alien concluding off screen. The show is getting even slower, but at least the characters are showing some personality.
Series Average = 6/10 – Slow and inconsistent with major canon issues. However excellent set designs and aesthetics and a plot that I am at least curious to see where it goes will keep me watching… for now.
Hollywood rarely does original these days and comedy reboots are becoming increasingly common. So it was only a matter of time before someone tried to reboot “The Naked Gun” (1988). I hear you saying “Reboot the naked Gun? Surely you can’t be serious?” and to which I say “That gag doesn’t work in text form very well”. Anyway, filling the shoes of Leslie Neilson in the movie franchise that made him a household name is not an easy task. Initially I wasn’t even going to watch this. I just couldn’t see anyone making a reboot movie that was even a touch on the original. On top of this, the 2020’s is not a decade that has been very kind to comedy. My hopes were rock bottom. Then I saw the trailer and it was actually funny. I decided it was worth a shot.
So stepping into those shoes is veteran Actor Liam Neeson. Not because he has the same initials, but because he’s a serious actor that has shown he can do comedy with a relatively straight face. The casting makes sense. Neeson though is very hit and miss with his movies. He’s not someone that can make an underwhelming script shine. Every now and then though he drops a gem. He is joined by Pamela Anderson, continuing her comeback story. Another casting choice that makes sense for a reboot. This is not a remake though, nor is it a true sequel. It’s a reboot that is set in the same universe as the original. Neeson is playing Frank Drebin’s son (Frank Drebin jr). Given his age, this only really makes sense if he was from a past relation before the original film. Not that these things matter in a comedy like this.
The New Version
The movie is directed by former Saturday Night Live writer Akiva Schaffer. I’m not familiar with his work but he’s had some success. Seth MacFarlane is the lead producer and was responsible for taking the Naked Gun series from David Zucker who had been making his own pitch for a continuation. Zucker’s version would have featured a younger son who wouldn’t be a cop, but would inadvertently get caught up in a spy story. MacFarlane was more after a straight reboot as he’s been a very vocal fan of Zucker’s comedy style for many years. Family Guy has endless “Airplane!” references. MacFarlane is not scripting this however. Instead Schaffer is joined by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.
Our story opens with the bank raid from the trailer. Drebin heroically foils the robber but is unaware that the real target was a safety deposit box. It’s contents, an electron device labeled “P.L.O.T. Device” has already been removed from the bank before Drebin’s heroics. His next case sees him investigating the death of a Software Engineer and introduces him to the engineers sister Beth (Anderson). The two cases end up related and Frank finds himself trying to stop a megalomaniac from causing a type of Armageddon. Through all this, Frank is trying to find his own place in the world and make his deceased father proud.
But Is It Funny?
So, is this movie funny and how does it compare to the original? First, yes the movie is funny. It’s not a classic. Many of the jokes don’t land. A couple are dragged out beyond their welcome and become boring. Many of the better jokes were spoiled by the trailers. But there are some jokes that land and for a modern comedy it has a pretty solid laugh per minute ratio. However, The Naked Gun movies are some of the funniest ever made. No so much the third, though it is fine. But the first two have an insane laughs per minute ratio, probably only beaten by the comedy masterpiece that is “Airplane!” (1980). After viewing this relaunch I went home and watched the original. Seven minutes in I realized I’d already laughed more than I did for the entire of the 2025 movie. Not good.
The funniest scene in the movie is partially spoiled by the trailer and appears to be a knock off of an Austin Powers joke. That didn’t stop me laughing at it. There is also a a great scene in a nightclub that was obviously inspired by “Airplane!” and I’m okay with that little nod. There’s a few good car jokes thrown in too and a recurring coffee gag. All of which had me laugh. That may seem like a lot of praise but if I made a list like this for the original Naked Gun It’d take me a year to complete. The originally had some lesser jokes, but none fell flat. There is a lot here that had me roll my eyes. The worst joke here is an overly drawn out gag that I can only described as a misplaced Family Guy cutaway. I was bored.
Liam and Pamela
But what about the actors? Liam Neeson is actually quite good at comedy and he was a good choice to attempt to fill Leslie Neilson’s boots. The problem is, those shoes cannot be filled. It’s like trying to replace Peter Sellers in “The Pink Panther” franchise. It is doomed to fail. They’ve actually failed twice already with replacing Sellers and now Eddie Murphy is going to try (And no doubt fail). If anything replacing Neilson is an even more impossible task. The man had a unique gift of being able to deliver virtually any form of comedy as if he is in the most serious of dramatic movies. Neeson meanwhile overplays it. Where Leslie’s comedy felt almost accidental, Liam’s feels like an intentional parody. On the other hand Pamela Anderson is every bit as good as Priscilla Presley and I really hope she does more comedy. She nailed it.
The rest of the cast is pretty much inconsequential. It’s not the actors fault, they just aren’t given anything to work with. The new Nordberg doesn’t even have a part beyond the OJ Simpson joke that was in all the trailers. The new Ed is just goofy and sort of hangs around with little to do but drink coffee. The villain, played by Danny Huston about as generic villain as you can get. He’s certainly no Ricardo Montalban (His counterpart from the original). I couldn’t help but notice that the entire villainous plot is ripped off of “Kingsman”. It wouldn’t have been so bad had they actually done a parody of the infamous church scene. Sadly original is the last thing anyone would describe this film as.
Conclusion
Criticism aside though, did I enjoy the film? Mildly. I think ultimately this was a bad idea. Some actors can’t be replaced, Leslie Neilson is one. There’s also only so many jokes you can make about an old maverick ass kicking cop. David Zucker pitched a very different Naked Gun sequel that involved taking the film in a different direction. I really wish we’d gotten that film instead. But it is what it is. The good news is that a lot of the comedy here is the kind of thing that many thought you could no longer get away with. While that is good, if we are going to get a resurgence in the genre, it needs to also find some originality. I’m not sure that will happen. Instead we’ll get another “Scary Movie” film, “Space Balls 2”, and a third attempt at a “Pink Panther” reboot.
As for this movie. It is worth watching. It is funny. But it’s no classic. Frankly, this is not worth a trip to the cinema. But catch it when it is on streaming for a spot of nostalgia and a few good laughs. If you find you enjoy it, stay for the credits as there are jokes in them and a post credit scene. Best I can give this is a 6/10. Mild recommendation.
The moment has finally come for James Gunn’s relaunch of the shared DC cinematic universe. Starting like the previous incarnation with the introduction of Superman. Unlike Snyder’s version and unlike the MCU, this isn’t starting with a world that doesn’t know superheroes. Marvel built up slowly from Iron Man, bringing in heroes one by one. In later years they’ve retconned heroes to have been around longer and begun to flood their world with them. It’s easy to forget how slow they started. Snyder’s DCEU however started with a world new to superheroes, but post “Man of Steel” it rushed them in with a determination to reach an “Avengers” level pay off as fast as possible. That method failed. Gunn however decided to start with a world well aware of meta-humans. The big names will still get their introductions though and Superman, the most powerful hero, is still a game changer.
A lot is riding on this movie. We are in an era of superhero fatigue. In 2006 when “Superman Returns” came out, you could be sure to hit near the half billion mark with a superhero movie, without much concern. By the time “Man of Steel” came around that was close to a billion. But times have changed. The superhero frenzy, mostly driven by Marvel, peaked with End Game and then fell off a cliff. Covid impacted things too, making movie goers fussier about what they pay to see in theatres. The quality declined with superhero movies and TV shows and yet their numbers continued to grow. The market was saturated and the audience got bored of it all. The DCEU failed and attempts to course correct failed worse. There is only room for one more shot at a DC cinematic universe and this is it.
A New Era
Enter James Gunn, departing Marvel after a somewhat rocky relationship. Unfortunately, Zack Snyder’s fan base wasn’t going to take this lying down. They’ve gone out of their way to cast doubt on this new venture. Hard to say if it has caused real damage. It has however earned them the reputation of most toxic fanbase on the internet (Few fandoms genuinely deserve the “Toxic” label, this is one). Gunn has not helped sell the movie either, making too much of the promotion about himself, instead of focusing on the charismatic appeal of David Corensweat. The trailers also gave the wrong impression on a lot of aspects of the movie that the Snyder Bro’s took advantage of. Still, it wasn’t all bad. Most people went in thinking the movie could go either way and the pressure was definitely on.
Gunn decided to write and direct this movie personally instead of give this huge responsibility to another party. Whether he’ll be as hands on with the DCU in future remains to be seen. But here it made sense. Even if some were concerned that Gunn would make it too comedic. Long time Gunn collaborators Henry Braham and John Murphy take on cinematography and compositional duties respectively. Murphy shares credits with David Fleming and it has to be noted a good part of the music is a reworking of John Williams “Superman March”. Sensible choice given how well recognised that theme is. David Corenswet takes on the cape as Superman/Clark Kent. Rachel Brosnahan becomes the latest in a long tine of actresses to play Lois Lane. Last but not least, Nicholas Hoult steps into the roll of Lex Luthor, previously played by Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg and of course Gene Hackman.
Up Up And Away!
After a brief summary of events prior to the movie (Metahumans being common, Superman’s arrival on Earth and revealing himself to the public), we are launched right into the action. Superman has stopped a military incursion of what appears to be an Eastern European nation into a third world country. As a result a previously unknown hero from that country has launched an attack on Metropolis with the intent of fighting Superman. Shockingly, Kal-El is having his ass kicked. Don’t worry, this will all make sense in time. After a brief rescue by a badly behaved Krypto the super-dog, and rejuvination in his fortress of solitude Superman returns to the fray. This isn’t his only battle. The controversy of his decision to intervene in other countries affairs has given him a political backlash along with a growing one one on social media.
Of course the megalomaniac Lex Luthor is behind this. The evil genius is working two simultaneous plans, the most significant one being the destruction of Superman. Lex wants to destroy him both in name and in person. As a private contractor he offers the US government with the means to incinerate the man of steel, he just needs the excuse to do it. This is where we get into spoiler territory, so all I will say is that the story is simple, but the world is complicated. It’s a personal journey for Clark, pushed by Luthor’s obsession, but this is more than a head to head. Superman isn’t alone in this world, other “metahumans” also exist. These include a Green Lantern (Guy Gardner, played by Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and “Metamorpho” (Anthony Carrigan).
Best Since 1978?
First off, the casting here is superb. There are some strange decisions, such as Nathan Fillion’s bowl cut, but as far as the personalities on screen and the characters they are portraying goes they did a great job. David Corenswet, above all else is the best Superman we’ve seen since Christopher Reeve. He truly embodies the character on and off screen. This is a more emotional Superman than some may like, but given the personal journey he goes on it would diminish the story to make him too stoic. The important thing is that he holds back where he needs to, is always representing the best of humanity, doesn’t want to kill and wants to bring out the best in others. He gives you that sense of hope and when he shows emotion it is for good reason and helps to humanize him.
Luthor will be a bit more divisive. You are meant to dislike the villains, but some are so good as characters it’s hard to avoid romanticizing them. Here, Lex is a vile, nasty man with no redeemable characteristics. Personally, I find it refreshing. Why should every villain have to be “misunderstood” or even “Think they are the hero”? This Luthor iswell aware of who and what he is and embraces it. Some won’t like that. Hoult is a good actor and does the role justice, second only to Gene Hackman. Great work. Lois Lane is a real stand out too. The last two cinematic versions of the character fell so wide of the mark it was embarrassing. Brosnahan is the best in the role since Teri Hatcher’s TV series run (And Hatcher had most of the focus of that series).
The New DCU
It doesn’t stop there though. It is worth mentioning Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio). Neither have a large amount of screen time but both play a pivotal roll. Teschmacher of course was a character invented by Richard Donner for his movie, she since found her way into the comics and is a welcome return to the screen. Olsen, while a slightly different take to the comics, fits perfectly into this new world and is instantly recognizable as Jimmy. Perry White is race swapped (Nothing new, Laurence Fishburne played the character for Synder), but Wendell Pierce gets the character across with almost no screen time, so job done. The Justice Gang are the highlight of the supporting cast however. Hawkgirl is a little bit “Just there”, but Guy Gardner and Mr Terrific are a joy to watch whenever they are on screen.
No one lets the side down here. If there is a weakness, it could perhaps be derived from the simple, yet dense plot. But the thing is, it works. It does what it needs to in both establishing the world and giving superman an arc. More importantly it is an origin for Superman, in a way. Here’s the thing, there’s always a debate on showing origins for superheroes. We’ve all seen the capsule arrive on Earth, we’ve all seen Batman’s parents killed, we’ve all seen Peter Parker get bitten by a spider. But the thing is, the important part of a superheroes origin is not what gave them powers, it is what drove them to be the people they are. Gunn avoided rehashing the Donner Superman movie, but he still spent this first movie establishing to the audience why Superman is who he is. That’s the real origin story.
Comic Book Action
The “Justice Gang”, don’t get an origin. But they are as fleshed out as they need to be for supporting roles. Over time they will no doubt be replaced by more established characters that do get the solo treatment. This is a new way to a shared universe (Compared to MCU’s and DCEU) and it seems to work. It adds, not so much a realism, but a very lived in feel to the universe. This isn’t a realistic world though, this is a comic book world and it follows comic book rules. No surprise for those that know Gunn’s movies. He has always embraced the sillier aspects of the comics and made it work. Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad are both evidence of this and it’s a refreshing approach. You will never get a superhero movie that feels ashamed to be a superhero movie under Gunn.
The action and cinematography follow suit. There is a lot of action, with a great deal of variety and heavy CGI. Giant monsters, buildings falling, tears in the fabric of the universe. All that fun stuff. If you hate CGI, this may be a turn off, but it’s done well. The comic book aesthetic helps here and really shows why this is a better approach than trying to make things dark and gritty. Each action scene has a purpose and tells it’s own story, none feel inserted just for the sake of it. The score is well done too, with regular references to John Williams theme from the 1978 movie. We get a blend of old and new and being a Gunn film, naturally a couple of songs in the mix too.
Back Down To Earth
There is one negative with the movie and this is spoiler territory so I won’t say too much on it. But, it involves a major change to Superman’s Kryptonian parents. In the film itself, things are left open ended due to how the information is revealed. However James Gunn has confirmed in interviews his intention and it is something that will be divisive with fans. What I will say about it though is within the story it serves a purpose and essential to Superman’s story arc. To me this wasn’t a deal breaker, but it is one story beat I did not like. During the epilogue we meet Supergirl, who will be the focus of the next DCU movie. We will likely find out more about Krypton, then so we can determine if this change is a mistake or just something different.
One thing I do note though with the story arc related to this plot twist. That is, Gunn has repeated Starlord’s story arc from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The truth is, this was better done in that movie and that does impact the final score. Overall though, this is one of the best superhero movies I’ve seen for a long time. Of course it still remains to be seen if this is too little too late, but it is as good a launching point for the DCU as you are likely to get. This is what a comic book movie should look like. More importantly though, David Corenswet has been universally praised and accepted as our new Superman and hats off to him, he nailed it. See this in theatres if you can! 7.5/10
These days it is never considered too late for a sequel. So it’s not a shock to see Danny Boyle and Alex Garland dig up their “28” franchise. Its been 23 years since the pair launched the series with “28 Days Later” in 2002. The first sequel “28 Weeks Later” came out in 2007. Boyle and Garland were largely uninvolved as they were busy filming “Sunshine” (2007). With an 18 year gap between sequels, they have opted to go straight for 28 years later and skip past the obvious “28 months” option. The thinking seems to be that after such a long period they can effectively give the series a solid reboot. Unsurprisingly everything you need to know about this world is explained in the movie. You don’t have to watch either of the previous movies.
Also returning alongside Boyle and Garland is cinematographer Anthony Dodd. Not returning however is composer John Murphy, who has been replaced by progressive Hip-Hop group “Young Fathers”. I’ve actually seen them live, supporting Massive Attack (Another group known to dabble in soundtracks). Unsurprisingly there are no returning characters (Though since this is a planned trilogy, rumour is there will be returns down the line). Instead this movie stars a young Alfie Williams as “Spike”, Jodie Corner as “Isla”, Spike’s mother and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as “Jamie”, Spike’s father. Support comes mostly from Raph Fiennes as the eccentric “Dr Ian Kelson” and Edvin Ryding as “Erik” a Swedish soldier.
Survival
28 years after the outbreak of the “Rage” virus a group of survives have built a community on a small island isolated from the mainland (Except at low tide). The rage virus turns humans into feral killers, but after such a long time the infected have begun to evolve somewhat. The most notable of these changes is the appearance of “Alpha’s”, far stronger monsters that are especially hard to kill. The Paris outbreak reported on in 28 Weeks Later appears to have been retconned. Instead the UK is the only place effected and as such has been placed in permanent quarantine. A naval blockade surrounds the country shooting down anyone attempting to flee. The survivors are truly alone.
Living on this island is Spike and his parents. His father Jamie is a scavenger, tasked with braving the mainland to find supplies. A dangerous job and Spike is set to follow in his father’s footsteps. Despite his young age, he is ready for his first foray out into the dangers of the mainland. Spike’s mother, Isla is suffering from a mysterious illness and appears to be on her deathbed. The island has no Doctor, so there is not much that can be done. After narrowly surviving his first trip outside, Spike discovers that there may be a doctor on the mainland that could potentially save his mother and so he sets out with her to find him, whatever the risk.
Three Unequal Parts
This is a movie of three distinct sections. The section is effectively an epilogue and lead in to the next movie. Fortunately that section is short because it doesn’t fit with the rest of the movie and is frankly… stupid. The entire tone shifts gratingly and we go from a dark, thoughtful apocalyptic movie to outright B-Movie action cheese and ridiculous parody in the blink of an eye. It’s a bit like if you watched “The Road” (2009) and then in the last five minutes it turned into “Turbo Kid” (2015). Two great movies, but their tone doesn’t mix well. I have no idea what Boyle and Garland were thinking, but I don’t have high hopes for the sequel.
Now, that out of the way it’s important to let you know the rest of the film is actually good. The other two main parts are Spike’s journey with his father and then his more personal one with his mother. The two journeys contrast nicely and in it’s own way the movie examines the very different roles of fatherhood and motherhood. The latter provides a far more emotional journey and is the highlight from an acting perspective. Both Alfie and Jodie are remarkably good in their very demanding roles. By contrast, the first half where Jamie is trying to train Spike is both a very solid father/son story and much more of what you would expect from a zombie movie.
Bones To Pick
Despite the emotional pay off of the second half of the movie, it does start to have issues with consistency. The tone starts to get a bit more silly with the introduction of a Swedish soldier, whose boat has sunk and is now stranded. It wasn’t a big issue, but given what was to come it probably was a warning sign. Another issue here is just how well and how quickly Spike went from panic and struggling to shoot straight when out with his dad to a confident mainland survivor. There is also one plot event that just felt… unlikely (But no spoilers). It’s not a deal breaker though and I still enjoyed this section. For most though I think the film will peak early.
One thing I definitely approve of here is that the zombies (I mean “Infected”) are not just a colourful background to post-apocalyptic humans being generally awful to each other. That is something that is so overdone in zombie stories (Largely thank to the endless stream of Walking Dead shows). The original 28 Days later had a fair bit of this itself, but was relatively well balanced. That’s not to say the film focuses on the infected, they are still somewhat of a backdrop but the story is a much more personal one. For me, a zombie film needs to have an element of tragedy to it and making the story smaller and more personal allows for that.
Conclusion
Despite the horrendous misstep at the end, this is still a good story with enjoyable action. The visuals are good (Zombie wangs aside, I could have done without those), the acting is superb and the pacing is decent. The zombie evolution reminds me of a cross between Romero’s “Land of the Dead” (2005) and a video game like “Left 4 Dead”. I’m not sure how much it really added to the story. The first half of the movie is a good 7/10, the second a 6.5/10 and the final 5 minutes a 4/10. Fortunately the story is effectively over before the epilogue so it doesn’t ruin it. I’m giving this a strong 6.5/10
Spring quite definitely here. I had a quiet month in April here on Screen-Wolf. I didn’t want to touch Snow white with a barge pole and Minecraft seemed more meme than movie. May is likely going to be quiet too. However, I’ve still got a few recent releases to look at. These are all pretty entertaining and just goes to show what you can find when you look under the surface. So let’s crack on with it!
Black Bag
“Black Bag” (2025) is the latest movie from director Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp. Soderbergh is what I would call a reliable mid-tier director. His movies are usually good, but not exceptional and while he has some misses he doesn’t have any major clangers to his name. Koepp meanwhile has credits to some exceptional movies along with a couple of clangers (The last two Indiana Jones movies). The pair have worked together previously on “Kimi” (2022) and “Presence” (2024). Soderbergh regular David Holmes provides the music and Soderbergh takes cinematography and editing duties (Under aliases). Michael Fassbender takes the lead role, with Cate Blanchette as primary support.
The plot involves a conspiracy within the British intelligence community. Lead by a directive to find a traitor that may have compromised a top secret project known Cerberus, George Woodhouse (Fassbender) is given a list of suspects and the task of determining who the traitor is. The big catch is that one of the suspects is his own wife Kathryn St. Jean (Blanchett), also a high ranking intelligence officer. As Woodhouse digs into the conspiracy he finds out that a more complex game may be being played. The game will test not just his skills in determining the truth but also test the strength of his relationship with his wife.
We’re Going to Play a Game
This is a pretty unique spy drama. There’s almost no action here, so don’t expect James Bond. This is all about the deception and about the characters. The first act largely plays out like a strangers in a room play as Woodhouse invites all the suspects around for a dinner party, where he cunningly stirs the pot encouraging conflict within the group. It’s a pretty good act in itself but it also gives us a great introduction to the characters and gets us straight in to the game of trying to figure out who the traitor is. Unfortunately when all is revealed at the end it’s not really something anyone would have likely guessed, but it still makes for an interesting first act.
After a purely character based first act, we move in to a far more plot based middle act which seems most of the actual events of the story play out before returning once again to a more contained final act. These two acts play out a lot like a murder mystery, with all the players returned the dinner table for a final “Game” where the murderer is revealed. By the end of the film they are literally a murderer too so it is basically a murder mystery within the setting of the British secret service. The spy stuff is all basically in the middle act, but it’s still very much a character based, dialogue heavy story.
Conclusion
Your millage will likely vary depending on expectations. If you want action you will be very disappointed. You may also be a little disappointed if you want a complex mystery with twists and turns, as it’s not really the mystery that makes this film. If however you like a group of interesting characters having conversations and playing psychological games with each other through conversation then you are on to a winner. That is the vast majority of the film. But it is also about how a husband and wife who’s careers are based on lies and deceit find a way to make their relationship work. So it’s a romance too. Personally, I enjoyed the film. This is a high 6.5/10 and a recommendation.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 6.5 out of 10.
Working Man
Working Man (2025), is the latest in what appears to be a growing partnership between director David Ayer and action star Jason Statham. The pair had a solid amount of success last year with The Beekeeper (2024) and clearly work well together. This is an adaptation of legendary comic book writer Chuck Dixon’s novel “Levon’s Trade”, the first of a series of novels following the character “Levon Cade” (Played here by Statham). Potentially, given the reasonable level of success Statham could return to this character several times over. Interestingly Sylverster Stalone is also involved in both this movies script and it’s production. Shawn White provides cinematography and Jared Michael Fry provides the music. Statham is supported by Arianna Rivas, Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Eve Mauro and Emmett J. Scanlan.
The story folllows Levon Cade is a former Royal Marine ex commando that specialized in counter-terrorism. Now retired from that life and working as a construction foreman, while fighting for custody of his daughter “Merry” (Isla Gie). When his bosses daughter, “Jenny” (Arianna Rivas), is kidnapped, Cade is asked to find her. The apparently random kidnapping leads him to the trail of a rogue son of a Russian Mob family. However tangling with the Russian Mafia is never simple and creates a situation that puts not just him at risk, but also his own daughter.
Hard Boiled Action
This is a movie that definitely feels like something based on a novel written by a comic book writer. I don’t mean that as a negative, it’s just that each character is a lot more colourful and over the top than you would expect in this kind of movie. But while the comic influences are there, the plot is more complicated than you would expect if it was a comic being adapted and not a novel. The movie feels like what you would get if you took Philip Marlowe, mixed with him Rambo and moved him to a modern day version of Batman’s Gotham. Given the involvement of not just Chuck Dixon, but also Sylvester Stallone this is pretty much what I would expect.
The question is, does it work? Well… Mostly. It has a lot of charm and feels relatively unique despite being a Jason Statham action movie. However, the plot seems to feel both more complicated than it needed to be and also a little rushed. It also suffers from what has become a standard Jason Statham issue. Namely, you never once feel he is actually in any danger. This was the same issue I had with The Beekeeper last year. Fortunately here there are still stakes thanks to situation of the daughter and that part of our story does keep you on edge. The action scenes themselves are pretty satisfying and there are plenty of them.
Conclusion
Ultimately this is an entertaining movie, but one that will likely be forgotten in the years to come. Lost in the vast sea of Statham action movies. Though a lot may depend on if Statham does revisit the character or not. Compared to the Beekeeper this is slightly weaker but I still had a good time with the movie and it is a recommendation. If you like action films you can’t go too far wrong with this. 6/10
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 6 out of 10.
Locked
Trapped is, excuse the pun, a vehicle for actor Bill Skarsgård, with the vast majority of the film taking place inside a car. Directed by James Gunn protégée David Yarovesky, and produced by Sam Raimi. Locked is an American remake of the Argentinian film “4×4” from 2019. Michael Dallatorre provides cinematography and the music is scored by Tim Williams. Bill Skarsgård is supported almost entirely by Anthony Hopkins. There are other actors, but there roles are tiny compared to Bill and Anthony, with the latter only on screen in the final act.
Eddie (Skarsgård) is struggling to make ends meet. He can’t even afford to have his van repaired so he can pick up his daughter. As a result he starts a run of petty thefts. This culminates in breaking in to an unlocked “Dolus Luxury SUV” to steal any valuables inside. After coming up empty though, he finds he cannot get out of the car and so he attempts to force his way out, even shooting at the windscreen. The car however is bulletproof and his shot ricochets and hits him in the leg. Bleeding and out of desperation he answers the call from “Answer Me” on the cars terminal. He is greeted by “William” (Hopkins), the owner of the car. William has decided to punish Eddie for his transgression. He is in the wrong place at the wrong time, but this is about to get very personal.
I’ve not seen the original movie, so can’t compare quality. However I have read the plot, so I know there are significant changes. The most significant is that Eddie, has very much had the Hollywood treatment to make him a sympathetic and redeemable character. In the Argentinian version, the thief “Ciro” has killed several people, usually during robberies. Eddie however is good at heart and while he is down on his luck and resorting to theft he is not a killer. In my view this makes the story a little less interesting, since there is no debate on if he deserves this kind of treatment. Instead William is portrayed as a touch psychotic and despite his trauma, very much in the wrong. It’s a shame to lose the gray morality.
What we do have going for the Hollywood version though are two very fine actors. Good job, because without that this kind of movie would collapse. A guy trapped in a car for an hour and a half could be quite tedious after all. Not here. The dialogue could perhaps be a little sharper but it’s fine. The run time helps too here as does the addition of a spot more action. Including a tense scene where William’s remote control of the car takes his abuse of Eddie to a whole new level. In places it is edge of the seat stuff.
Conclusion
This is a straight forward premise, well played out in a timely manner but lacking a lot of the morally grey arguments presented in the Argentinian original. It is however a compelling and relatively original 90 minute movie. As a vehicle for Skarsgård it won’t do his career any harm even if it doesn’t quite know where to park itself for much of the film, suffice to say your mileage may vary. Yes all those puns were intentional. I’ll get my hat. But before that I’m giving this a 6/10. See you next time!
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