valhebatsss

Hostage is a wasted opportunity. Despite an intriguing real-life story, the film delivers lifeless characters, slow pacing, and almost no real tension. While it starts with some promise, it quickly becomes repetitive, weighed down by a weak script, awkward one-liners, and shallow, testosterone-driven characters. The acting and dialogue are laughably bad, the camera work uninspired, and the American overdub robs it of any grit the original language might have had. Instead of capturing the intensity of the true events, it feels dull, overlong, and painfully flat. You're better off watching a documentary - this one has zero rewatch value.

Overhyped and underwhelming, Materialists tries to be deep but ends up feeling hollow. Dakota Johnson delivers a flat performance with little emotional range, and even Pedro fails to bring much spark. Marketed as a rom-com, it leans too heavily on her work life while neglecting the personal moments that could have built real connection. The plot pushes a romance with her ex that feels neither believable nor worth rooting for almost like giving up growth for nothing. Visually and thematically, it misses the mark, leaving an ending that feels empty rather than moving. Honestly, the trailer was better than the movie.

Compared to recent Marvel releases, this feels like a throwback to the simpler early days of the franchise. I went in with low expectations but left feeling more excited about Marvel's future. It's not a bad movie. It's perfectly watchable and has plenty of enjoyable moments, but it's also not great. Despite stunning visuals and epic, larger-than-life shots from start to finish, something about it still feels just "meh." That's why I'm surprised to see it getting so much over-the-top praise, almost as if it's the MCU's grand return.