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Go all the way with your dream, but on the way there don't forget who you are.

That's the message I'm taking away from the biographical film about the life of the legendary singer Robbie Williams.

First of all, I'll start by saying that this is one of the best films released in 2024. It's interesting, moving and captivating, and it managed to touch me in so many ways. It deals with love, the desire for everyone to love us, the chase after your dream, what happens when you get what you wanted, and how you cope with it.

I'll start with the "dream" part.

In the film Robbie Williams says a very interesting sentence: "They say your life freezes at the age you become famous. So I'm 15." I don't know why, but that sentence grabbed me. After all, we all have a dream, but not many people work from a young age to fulfill it, and out of them not many actually make it come true. From a very young age Robbie Williams wanted to be a famous singer, wanted everyone to love him, and the moment it started to happen, it dazzled him. Because not everyone knows how to handle success that comes all at once. If you sum up the "dream" part of the film and its approach to it - the film nails it.

The second half is the "love" part, whether in Robbie's relationships, his family, or his audience.

Robbie wants to be loved, first and foremost by the audience. It's important to him not to disappoint, to show outwardly how everything is shiny and perfect, and by doing so he actually represses his difficulties and buries them inside.

This is expressed in the film excellently. In the end we all want to be loved, but if that starts dictating how we act, the goal gets a little lost. Because if we're simply ourselves, in our behavior and our speech, then people will love us as we are. Robbie basically puts on masks by behaving differently and even changing his name (though not on his own initiative) from Robert to Robbie.

If we step away from the (really good) plot for a moment and look at the other professional aspects of the film, there's outstanding work here. First, the directing is truly impressive, the soundtrack is wonderful and full of Robbie's amazing songs, and the actors do a pretty good job as well. But what surprised me most about this film-and actually the reason I didn't see it in the cinema and waited for it to come to VOD - is the monkey. That monkey who is actually Robbie Williams, and everyone in the film treats him as Robbie and doesn't see him as a monkey. The decision to represent Robbie as a monkey is a very interesting one, but one that works. At first it looks a bit strange, but right after that you get used to the idea and at some point you even forget you're watching a monkey. From the very first scene I connected to his character, and for me that's a success for the filmmakers.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this film. It's a shame I didn't know about it earlier, and even though I didn't know Robbie Williams or his story before the film, I still managed to enjoy it and even cry from excitement at the end.

Something felt off in this movie, and that's a shame.

First of all, throughout the film I felt like I was watching something I had already seen. The plot is almost entirely identical to the original and classic Karate Kid from 1984, only without the heart that made that film so special.

There isn't enough explanation for why the characters act the way they do, except for the main character, Li.

I have no idea how they managed to do it, but even the character of Daniel LaRusso was poorly written: full of clichés and completely inconsistent with the personality we've come to know over three movies and six seasons of Cobra Kai.

Don't get me wrong, the movie isn't bad. I didn't suffer, and time passed quickly. But with just a little more effort and thought, it could've been so much better.

Bonus - the cameo was definitely surprising, enjoyable, and especially funny.

My final score for the movie: 7.5/10.

Marvel's Big Cinematic Event Is Finally Here!

The one that's supposed to lay the almost-final groundwork for Avengers: Doomsday, set to release in just over a year.

Let me start by saying that Fantastic Four: First Steps is a very high-quality film. It's not your typical Marvel movie. There aren't tons of action scenes, and the focus is more on the characters and the dynamics between them. We really get to know them on a deeper level. It somewhat resembles WandaVision, from the same director,who does a very good job here.

Most of the time, this approach works well, though sometimes you wish you could see more of the team in action, and that doesn't quite happen. That part was a bit disappointing. But the action scenes that are in the movie are executed perfectly. The tension, the pacing, the background music, the acting, everything is done really well.

The 1960s vibe is strongly felt, and it's no coincidence that Matt Shakman was chosen to direct. The acting is excellent, and the plot is relatively good, although at times it feels like they run out of story and just repeat the same scenes in different variations.

The surprise of the movie, for me, was Galactus, he looks amazing! Even better than I expected. Overall, the VFX are very impressive, and Marvel has clearly learned from past mistakes. Galactus is a particularly menacing villain, definitely a contender for the most threatening villain in the entire MCU.

In conclusion, this is a very good movie, though not a great one. I would have liked more action scenes, but in terms of world-building, character development, and anticipation, it has a bit of everything.

Oh, and the post-credits scene blew me out of my seat.