Avengers Disintegate! And some other movies
I really need to update my blog more, and with all the big summer movies coming out now it's only going to get worse. So here's a quick roundup of the movies I've seen over the last month.
Rampage - you'd think a movie based on the classic monsters knocking down buildings arcade game would be dumb and lots of fun. And it is, in parts. But it also takes itself too seriously for the premise. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and the underused Joe Manganiello are the standouts in the cast, and some of the mayhem is enjoyable. But for the most part it's your typical generic Dwayne Johnson blockbuster.
Isle of Dogs - I don't know if this technically counts as fantasy, though the premise of dogs being sent to an island because of disease is pretty outlandish. Wes Anderson's visual imagination is as delightful as ever and the cast is great. The stereotyping of Japanese culture in parts is disappointing, though.
Avengers: Infinity War - this is the big one. 67 Marvel characters get thrown at the screen in an epic of showdowns and one-liners that actually works pretty damn well. It doesn't beat the joyful simplicity of the first Avengers (which seems positively quaint now with its mere six-person team) but trumps Age of Ultron for one simple reason - it has genuine stakes. Thanos (superbly motion-captured and voice by Josh Brolin) is a real threat, and the deaths come early and often. The CGI truly is stunning, with Thanos and his henchmen never feeling out of place in scenes. Yes, it's a little messy in parts, and some core Avengers (such as Captain America and Black Widow) are given short shrift to focus to the newbies. But this is superb setup for Part 2 next year and has one of the ballsiest endings of a major blockbuster.
A Quiet Place - John Krsinski directs and stars in this superb horror movie with a killer premise. Emily Blunt also gives a powerful performance as the mother of a family living in world where creatures kill you as soon as you make a sound. I've never been so afraid to crunch loudly on popcorn during a movie.
Deadpool 2 - if you liked the first one you'll enjoy this more of the same sequel. The throw everything at the wall and see what sticks approach results in some big laughs and a few duds. The highlight is definitely the arrival, and rapid departure, of the X-Force team. I was disappointed that T.J. Miller wasn't replaced by Christopher Plummer, but at least they mention him in a quick sight gag. Good, dirty fun.
Rampage - you'd think a movie based on the classic monsters knocking down buildings arcade game would be dumb and lots of fun. And it is, in parts. But it also takes itself too seriously for the premise. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and the underused Joe Manganiello are the standouts in the cast, and some of the mayhem is enjoyable. But for the most part it's your typical generic Dwayne Johnson blockbuster.
Isle of Dogs - I don't know if this technically counts as fantasy, though the premise of dogs being sent to an island because of disease is pretty outlandish. Wes Anderson's visual imagination is as delightful as ever and the cast is great. The stereotyping of Japanese culture in parts is disappointing, though.
Avengers: Infinity War - this is the big one. 67 Marvel characters get thrown at the screen in an epic of showdowns and one-liners that actually works pretty damn well. It doesn't beat the joyful simplicity of the first Avengers (which seems positively quaint now with its mere six-person team) but trumps Age of Ultron for one simple reason - it has genuine stakes. Thanos (superbly motion-captured and voice by Josh Brolin) is a real threat, and the deaths come early and often. The CGI truly is stunning, with Thanos and his henchmen never feeling out of place in scenes. Yes, it's a little messy in parts, and some core Avengers (such as Captain America and Black Widow) are given short shrift to focus to the newbies. But this is superb setup for Part 2 next year and has one of the ballsiest endings of a major blockbuster.
A Quiet Place - John Krsinski directs and stars in this superb horror movie with a killer premise. Emily Blunt also gives a powerful performance as the mother of a family living in world where creatures kill you as soon as you make a sound. I've never been so afraid to crunch loudly on popcorn during a movie.
Deadpool 2 - if you liked the first one you'll enjoy this more of the same sequel. The throw everything at the wall and see what sticks approach results in some big laughs and a few duds. The highlight is definitely the arrival, and rapid departure, of the X-Force team. I was disappointed that T.J. Miller wasn't replaced by Christopher Plummer, but at least they mention him in a quick sight gag. Good, dirty fun.
posted by A.S. McDermott at 11:35 PM
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