Free Guy - Movie Review - More fun from Ryan Reynolds

Apologies in advance for how brief this review is going to be, but I don't have much time on my hands, and I don't think I've ever had less to say about a film, so I'm not going to try and pad this out to a normal review length and just say all that I think needs saying, which is very little.

In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds plays a guy named Guy who is a non-player character in an open-world video game called Free City. But, after falling for a girl who has a personal vendetta against the game, Guy's entire way of living and view of reality as he knows it will change. 

I wasn't expecting much from Free Guy, just an enjoyable two hours with some laughs and cool visuals. And, yeah, that's basically what I got. Ryan Reynolds continues to be such an almost effortlessly funny talent in this film, as he has to do very little to get a laugh out of the audience, which is great. The rest of the cast was good too, with Taika Waititi, who plays the creator of the game in the film, being the other notable standout - he's also a naturally funny presence. The video game world in the film is also very well realised, with some really interesting visuals that give it the right feel and make it fun to watch, and also some really funny riffs on certain conventions of video games. There's a running gag throughout the film that I thought was consistently hilarious, and that's Ryan Reynolds' character being completely desensitised to crazy occurances such as explosions, vehicles crashing, people being shot / run over (including himself), and so on. The film does also make an attempt to have some substance beneath everything as it does do a decent job exploring the idea of discovering your reality isn't what it seems and raising the age-old question of what the point of existence is, which isn't anything new or noteworthy but still nice to see. 

Much like many other releases at the moment, Free Guy isn't anything remarkable. It's yet another film that I enjoyed while it was on, but will probably not be thinking about much again or rushing back to see. That's really the main drawback with it - the fact that it doesn't have much to offer beyond just being an entertaining time while it's on. Still, there is plenty to enjoy in Free Guy from the performances, to the visuals, to the humour, so I think it's definitely a solid watch and something anyone can enjoy at least a little bit. 

I'm going to give Free Guy a 7.0/10

Jungle Cruise - Movie Review - Another fun outing with The Rock in the jungle

I wanted to see this movie a lot sooner, but because I was away on holiday for a week as well as various other reasons, I ended up not being able to. But, I've seen it now, so talk about it I shall. 

There was nothing about Jungle Cruise, from what I could see, that signalled to me that I wouldn't enjoy it. I've never been to any of the Disneyland parks so I have no connection to the ride that the film is based on, but everything from a conceptual standpoint seemed all set. It's a good old-fashioned adventure in an exotic location, and it stars a bunch of actors I like - Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Jack Whitehall to name a few. So, yeah, it basically seemed like a movie I'd undeniably have a good time with. Obviously, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but something that'd be lots of fun for sure. 

In the film, an ambitious scientist named Lily Houghton and her brother MacGregor team up with a cynical skipper named Frank Wolff on a journey through the Amazon to find the mythical tree of life. However, they are up against several antagonists including a German prince and a group of cursed Conquistadors.

As I expected, Jungle Cruise is a ton of fun. It thrives off of the fact that its premise is extremely simple and straightforward and serves as purely a vessel for some fun antics with these characters in this location. 

The characters are all very enjoyable, and mostly because of some really entertaining performances. Dwayne Johnson is of course the main star of the film, and he continues to prove that he is just such a likeable, charming, and generally delightful screen presence. He's always really funny and keeps the film consistently engaging. Emily Blunt is also terrific as usual, further proving herself to be one of the most versatile talents working today and having a great dynamic with DJ - the combination of his charisma and her dry-wit make the two of them a wonderful pair. Jack Whitehall is also really good in the film; he's one of my favourite comedians and I think it's great to see him in a role like this because he pulls off the posh, cowardly act rather perfectly. I hope he gets more screen roles in the future as I really enjoyed him here. Everyone else, most notably Jesse Plemmons and Paul Giamatti are also solid, with these two in particular doing their very best at chewing the scenery as much as possible and being really fun in the process. 

But, beyond that, a lot of the other aspects of the film are well executed. The action scenes are the main highlights of the film, and they're always exciting, if a bit too reliant on very noticeable CGI at times, with some really good editing to help keep a fast pace and maintain a strong energy, especially in the opening sequence. The score is also more than serviceable, elevating these scenes even further. Of course, the production design and costumes are all top-notch as well, so Jungle Cruise does have a fair amount going for it beyond its story and characters.

As you'd probably expect, this isn't a perfect movie by any means. A lot of the exposition in the film is quite clunky in terms of how it is delivered, and the pacing isn’t particularly good as some parts drag a little and the film overall is longer than it needs to be. Also, like many Dwayne Johnson vehicles, it has an air of disposability about it; with how throwaway and generic certain aspects of the film are, it does feel a bit like something you'll see, enjoy as it plays out, but won't really think about much beyond that. However, I wouldn't really hold this against the film too much as it was entirely all that I was expecting of it. Still, it would be nice to see a film that makes a long-lasting impact even if it didn't have to. 

The best comparison I can make is that Jungle Cruise is very similar to the recent Jumanji sequels - not least because of DJ, the setting, and the genre, but also because of what they bring to the table. I like those movies; I saw them in the cinema when they came out and have rewatched them once or twice, but there isn't much more on offer. This is in the same sort of league. You can tell it's based on a theme park ride because it does share a lot of the characteristics of one, in that it's a jolly good time while you're on it, and thrills it offers are thrilling as they occur, but once you're done, that's kind of where it ends. But, to be honest, I don't see an awful lot wrong with an enjoyable yet unremarkable film, because if I had a good time while watching it, that's more than enough. 

As a whole, Jungle Cruise is very much a case of what you see is what you get - it's another frothy romp with Dwayne Johnson featuring some highly enjoyable set pieces and strong performances. Nothing to write home about for sure, but undeniably something I had a good time with and would happily revisit at some point. If it doesn't seem like the sort of thing you'd get a kick out of, I wouldn't bother as it's unlikely it'll win you over. But, if it sounds fun to you, then I'd say you ought to give it a go. 

I'm going to give Jungle Cruise a 7.5/10

The Suicide Squad - Movie Review - James Gunn saves the squad

Suicide Squad is a film that is revered extremely negatively by both critics and audiences. As for me, because I'm not fully up to speed with the DC Extended Universe, I hadn't seen it until very recently. I'm rather indifferent about it overall; I certainly don't share the animosity that many people have towards it, but I also don't really think it is all that good. Nevertheless, with a new take on this group, this time around with a definite article in the title, I went to a packed cinema to give it a go after hearing some very good things. 

The plot involves a group of criminal misfits being sent to a remote island on a mission to destroy evidence regarding a dangerous experiment, in exchange for reduced prison sentences and for other personal reasons.

As many others have said, this movie is wildly entertaining; and I think the reason for this  is down to a few things, most of which hinge on the perfection that is James Gunn as the writer / director.

First of all, he's successfully handled obscure and ridiculous characters on the big screen before. What many people best know Gunn for is his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films, where he was able to bring a group of peculiar and, for many people including myself, obscure characters to the screen rather wonderfully. The Suicide Squad, based on what I've seen from the movies, is an equally bonkers set of characters. If there's one person you needed to successfully bring to life a guy that throws deadly polka dots, a girl that controls rats, and a giant, talking, humanoid shark, I'd definitely go with the same person that did so for a talking raccoon and a talking tree. As a result, all the characters in this movie are all really well realised. But, is that enough?

Well, another reason why Gunn was an excellent choice is because he's funny. If there's one thing Suicide Squad was lacking, it was good humour. It felt like it was definitely going for humour a lot of the time, yet even with usually funny actors like Will Smith, I hardly laughed throughout the entirety of its two-hour runtime. I knew this movie was doing a much better job in the comedy department when the first ten minutes alone were funnier and more enjoyable overall than anything in the previous film. It doesn't feel like it's taking itself as seriously by comparison, which feels tonally very in line with these wacky characters.

On top of all this, the way he helms the action scenes is completely fitting. As I'm only familiar with Gunn's work with the Guardians films, I was unaware that he definitely has a knack for crafting such beautifully brutal action. The Suicide Squad's action scenes are fairly standard modern superhero movie antics but with extreme amounts of blood and gore, in a sort of Tarantino way. And, honestly, I'm all for it. I'm sometimes a little squeamish but I do find a twisted enjoyment in a film that has no limits in just how violent and graphic it can get, so I hugely enjoyed what this film had on offer because it is an absolute bloodbath. But not only that, this also helps to give the action more flare and make it more distinct, which is another area where the last Suicide Squad movie was lacking; the action was so plain, while this film's definitely isn't.

The performances help to really elevate the movie into being as enjoyable as it is. Margot Robbie, who was by far the best thing in the first movie, is even better here, as not only is she written better and funnier, but it felt as if the filmmakers gave her manaiacal behaviour more time to shine, and it's so hard to resist. Idris Elba does a great job as well; he functions as kind of the straight man in the group, constantly commenting on just how absurd everything is, which is perfect coming from him. John Cena is also a stand-out - he's definitely becoming a favourite actor of mine as, much like fellow wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson, he's just such a likeable, funny, and charismatic presence, which was very apparent here. Everyone else in the cast was solid too, not least Sylvester Stallone, who provides the voice of King Shark - the giant, talking, humanoid shark with the mannerisms of Hulk, which was just as fun as you can imagine.

As far as negatives go, there aren't an awful lot. I suppose there's not an awful lot of thematic brilliance to take away from the movie, but I don't really think that's a necessity for a film of this nature. There are also some choices made regarding certain characters that I wasn't such a fan of, but that'd require me to go into spoilers so I'll elaborate later on. Other than that, there really isn't much to critique.

Overall, The Suicide Squad was great fun. An extremely entertaining and delightfully bloody action spectacle with some top-notch comedy and terrific acting. I wouldn't say it's anything amazing, but it's a blast for sure. It obviously blows the original Suicide Squad out of the water, as if that needed saying, so definitely give it a go if you were disappointed by that film, because this should absolutely win you over.

I'm going to give The Suicide Sqaud an 8.0/10

I'm now going to briefly discuss my issues with the film that require me to go into spoiler territory, so if you have not seen the movie and don't want anything ruined, don't read the following. SPOILER ALERT!

So, my biggest issue with this film is that I didn't like the way they handled Peacemaker, the character played by John Cena. In the film, he turns against the group for reasons related to his own personal ideologies as well as the objective of the mission, and is soon killed off by Bloodsport, Idris Elba's character. 

While this is a justifiable choice in the landscape of the movie, as Peacemaker was set up as kind of arrogant and poses as a contrast to Bloodsport, I don't think it was particularly satisfying. I feel like it would've been better to see these two overcome their petty differences and defeat the enemy together. Even if what did happen was in line with his character, I feel like it could've been easily altered. Basically, the bottom line is I was really enjoyed John Cena in the movie and loved the dynamic between him and Idris Elba, and was annoyed that it didn't go on for longer. 

I guess I should stop complaining and just appreciate the fact that the filmmakers actually managed to make John Cena visible. That can't have been easy to do.