Film Reviews by Matt Quill
The Creator
Awe-Inspiring Sci-Fi
The Story
After a nuclear bomb is detonated in Los Angeles, America bans all A.I. Asia holds firm and refuses to ban A.I. resulting in a war between the continents.
Thoughts
With all the uproar in the world about A.I. and its potential, it’s almost as if The Creator arrived right on time. A clever Science Fiction tale set against the backdrop of war. This latest venture marks Rogue One director Gareth Edwards first feature since 2016. Having been away from our screens for seven years, has Edwards’ return to cinema been worth the wait?
If you’ve seen any of Edwards’s previous features (Rogue One, Godzilla, Monsters) then you’ll know he’s a master of capturing scale as well as producing some truly breath-taking shots. So it’s no surprise that The Creator is no exception. The East Asian backdrop provides for some jaw-dropping visuals that are second to none. It’s a film that truly shines on the big screen with grand spectacle and stunning cinematography that the cinema can only capture.
The story is centred on Joshua (Washington) who’s tasked with capturing a super A.I. that Asia has been developing to end the war. Along the way, the narrative takes many twists and turns, but it’s a film that is focused on the conflict of war and its ramifications, as it is with delivering the Sci-Fi action and spectacle that you’d hope.
A feat which is mostly pulled off thanks to the strong performances and impressive special effects.
Still, I’d be lying if I said the film is without flaws. One notable one is the pacing, flowing rather smoothly one moment, before hitting a few speed bumps before finding its rhythm again. There’s also an odd tonal jump midway which pulls the focus and feels a bit out of place.
In a Nutshell
In a world littered with reboots and sequels, The Creator stands tall as a great original piece of science fiction, backed up by some truly astounding visuals.
SAW X
One man’s trap is another man’s treasure
The Story
A desperate John (Tobin Bell) travels to Mexico to receive a promised miracle treatment for his cancer, only to find out the whole process is a lie. Leading him to enact his form of justice on the con artists who misled him.
Thoughts
Horror franchises seem to be like never-ending plagues that strike gold once and continue to exist whilst getting worse and worse with each new iteration. Enter Saw X the 10th instalment in the SAW franchise and 19 years since we were all introduced to the original movie. Hoping to break the previous sequels’ run of bad luck Saw X features as a stopgap between the original Saw and Saw II meaning it’s essentially a straight sequel, but just how well does this latest iteration fare?
Saw X flips the script in the way it chooses to focus on John Kramer (Tobin Bell) and how he is coping with his cancer. It’s a way that humanises the twisted Jigsaw killer but also helps you sympathise with him and his actions when his vengeful wicked traps are set in place by him.
Although for me the build-up of Kramer’s cancer story to being conned and planning his revenge was engrossing, some people may feel short-changed by the story choice as it trades off instant kills and gore for a stronger story and emotional tale. It’s a SAW film first and foremost and when the traps are in full swing, it’s twisted and gruesome, but really you’ll be waiting for half the movie to get there, minus an early-on glimpse. I can’t say any traps stand out as soon to be iconic, but they’re all pretty gruesome and had us reeling from the screen in terror.
In a Nutshell
Surprisingly emotional and featuring a stronger story, SAW X’s choice to be a more personal story of struggle and revenge pays off with an exciting horror flick that keeps you engaged and still delivers the SAW trap goodness you’d hoped.
The Marvels
Two’s a crowd. Three’s a joy.
The Story
Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Ms. Marvel (Vellani) discover that their powers have become intertwined. Meanwhile, a new threat named Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) surfaces from Captain Marvel’s past.
Thoughts
It’s fair to say the MCU has been feeling a little lacklustre in recent years. Following the release of Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel projects seem to have fallen a bit to the wayside, whether that be post-Thanos fatigue or just feeling a bit meh, despite the rare hits in between (thank you, Guardians and Shang Chi). Enter Marvel’s 33rd feature film, a sequel to 2018’s Captain Marvel, but does this sequel deliver a much-needed win? Or is it just another mediocre time?
If you’ve seen the marketing for The Marvels, you’ll likely have seen the tagline: Higher. Further. Faster.
Thankfully, that tagline is bang on the money. The Marvels takes everything further than its original with a snappier pace, bigger laughs and grander action scenes, that are just as enticing as they are inventive. The cast works well together, but it’s the addition of Kamala (Iman Vellani) who absolutely steals the show, bringing with her such innocence and comedic timing, that she truly feels like the MCU’s freshest addition since Spider-Man made his debut in Captain America: Civil War.
Unfortunately, as with most MCU projects, Dar-Benn falls a bit to the wayside as the film focuses more on the Marvels forming a team than making her an imposing threat. However, I wouldn’t worry about that too much as the Marvels are truly the stars of the show, and they work wonderfully bouncing off each other.
The film is a straight-action comedy affair and at times the film goes full force into the bizarre, delivering some truly inventive laughs, though some may not be for everyone, most notably the Disneyfied planet (You’ll know what I mean when you see it).
In A Nutshell
The Marvels is a showcase about what made many of us fall in love with Marvel in the first place. It may not of course correct all the recent mishaps, but you can’t deny the movie is a hell of a good time.
