Geekofriendly

The love that Ryan Reynolds has for Deadpool and just about EVERY other character from the MCU is practically visible from the moon. You can't help but admire the guy for bringing this ensemble together (if you've seen the movie, YOU know).

Both fights between the two main heroes are bloody fun and the final multiverse-ignighted fight on the street with that one cool track shot that just wouldn't end ... oh man, that's just stuff of legends. Not to mention the cameos. Just perfection, chef's kiss.

What I didn't get so much is an emotional involvement with the story. The expose scenes raced by in a blink and you'll miss it sort of way. So much was going on ALL THE TIME that I stopped caring about the why and the how. Despite seeing "Loki" I found the TVA plotline far too elaborate to comprehend in the first view. Which is all both a compliment to the movie's highly economic editors as well as a complaint that the TVA plotline just doesn't make sense to every geek over 40.

The soundtrack was the weakest part of the movie. For some reason most of the song drops made me cringe, but not in a good way.

That, and Ryan Reynolds breaking the 4th wall every 5 minutes. It was overused and it consequently got old. But they man is charming as all heck and I can't blame him for trying so, SO hard to please us, the fans. In fact, it's commendable. And he pulled ALL the stops he could get his creative hands on. And he gave Wolverine one last movie to slay. HARD! Kudos!

Like with "Top Gun: Maverick", some witchcraftery was undoubtedly used to shift a thin, generic story into considerably more poignant, refreshing, even warranted territory.

I loved "The Fall Guy" for what it is! A fun, feel-good blockbuster that knows exactly what it wants to accomplish...and does so in tremendous style that feels as peak Hollywood as a movie can get.

Also, it's a much-needed and endearing homage to stunt performers and the tremendous(ly overlooked) value they bring.

The movie doesn't miss a beat, it looks gorgeous (the production value is top notch), Gosling's as charming as ever, and the ending felt so deserved and satisfactory that it brought a big grin on my face.

What more could I possibly want 😁

I'm not a fan of Gal Gadot. I started watching this movie ironically, as a joke to see how far I'd get before calling it quits.

• The somewhat OK opening action scene, ruined by lazy CGI effects - CHECK!

• Gal Gadot's wooden, but passable one-note acting. Still there. - CHECK!

• Boring generic plotline that I don't really care about, but it's there to keep the movie going. - CHECK!

• A laughable Hollywood version of how AI just works so one guy in a dark room can manage ALL the information on people, control buildings and electronic devices, and have adjustable real-time success rate statistics at the tip of his fingers. - WHATEVER!

Let's be clear, this is without a doubt the most generous 7 I've ever given. BUT

• "Heart of Stone" had more than one genuine surprise (my brain did turn off BUT the movie jolted it back to life a couple of times)
• The script intentionally avoided 80% of boring cliches, which is a truly welcome accomplishment on its own. They managed to keep the unnecessary cringe at a minimum.

• The movie is confident, but avoids becoming annoyingly cocky
• And (apart from some noticeable CGI early on) the explosions and the action felt incredibly visceral and made me go "how'd they do that".

All of which reminded me of decently made thrillers from back in the 80's. You know, a time before AI took control over the world and made us watch silly Netflix movies.