MB-reviewer185

I will start with saying that I have not read the book with the same title by author George R. R. Martin, so I am going to judge this as just a movie and knowing director Paul W. S Anderson did not really get me excited about this movie that much; I'm not much a fan of Paul W. S Anderson's films because they are either terrible or just entertainingly bad, like his Resident Evil films. The film In the Lost Lands (2025) was an entertainingly bad movie with ok performances, harmful effects, forgettable villains, bad editing, and obvious green/blue screen, with bad direction amongst some voice over that wasn't needed and things missing in the story involving the world building; I did see potential in this film being good, but it just turned into another dystopian action movie we have seen before, just not as good along with this just being forgettable once you finish watching it.

Both Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista give fine performances as the witch Gray Alys and the drifter Boyce, but I did not get too invested in their journey, I understood it and why they were doing it, but would have liked more to them then just witch who is hired for something and a drifter to help her on the journey; the chemistry that is supposed to be building between them on the journey was not completely believable and would have liked a bit more to their characters. What I did find interesting was that Gray Alys is seen as this symbol for a rebellion against the church and the queen, along with some things being kept hidden about Boyce till the end of the film, which was handled ok; everyone has straight forward motives and objectives, so it is at least easy to follow and understand.

The villain/villains include generic people like the queen who wants the power to turn into a werewolf and asks Gray Alys to go on the mission, and the patriarch trying to kill Gray Alys because of her symbol for a rebellion and to rule over the queen; they are just over the top and forgettable with nothing else to them that was interesting. The whole film uses blue/green screens for everything, so even the action sequences are entertaining and stupid looking when you see the actors running around on a fake background with sets and props making everything look fake; but the editing is bad in these action sequences with too many cuts or simply weird close-ups, but also that there are bad effects involving these monsters in the world and explosions in big scenes going around many locations with predictable plot progressions and nothing else.

The film In the Lost Lands (2025) was an entertainingly bad movie with ok performances, harmful effects, forgettable villains, bad editing, and obvious green/blue screen, with bad direction amongst some voice over that wasn't needed and things missing in the story involving the world building; if you are fans of the book, then you might like this depending on how accurate you want to be. This film was entertaining to watch with over-the-top action, but not good, so if you want just something overblown and something to not think about, then this film is good enough for it to be a guilty pleasure.

I have liked the past three Disney Channel movies Zombies (2018), Zombies 2 (2020), and the one from three years ago Zombies 3 (2022); I know these are essentially for kids, but I find them entertaining to watch along with there being good songs, like all four of Disney Channel's Descendants movies, so I'm going to be interested in a fourth installment in the Zombies series especially since it looks like the last movie in the series. Disney Channel's Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025) was like the other three movies in the series with there being good performances from the leads, entertaining over the top performances, action, and lines of dialogue, along with good songs and dance choreography; I know there are most likely not that many people who focus on the plot and the characters, but there are some good enough character development, with some new characters they have hinted at before.

The main leads Zed and Addison are still likable characters with Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly giving nice performances as them once again, and what I think are the best parts of the Zombies movies, and they go through some development with them not spending enough time with each other and their friends Willa the werewolf and Eliza another zombie; basically, them trying to not over work themselves, and spend time together is what the movie focuses on. The only other characters from the last three movies are Willa the werewolf and Eliza the other zombie who appear at random moments during big or intense scenes, though still good like the other movies, they don't do much except to come in to help with the Vampires and Daywalkers and for an occasional funny moment here or there, so there is nothing much to say about them as much as the others.

The idea for the Daywalkers and Vampires was interesting on how they do not like each other and how they survive with this blood fruit to survive and fight for it, along with some backstory on their kinds and stuff like that I found interesting for something like this; the new characters Victor the vampire and Nova the daywalker are likable and are trying to unite everyone with the help of Zed and Addison, along with the Vampires and Daywalkers having unique designs and entertaining enough uses of their abilities. The songs were well-done with them being catchy and nice to listen to like the other three movies and well-done choreography for the dance numbers with some good enough CGI effects of their abilities during some intense scenes; the issues involve some shaky editing in certain scenes, the usual over the top performances that can be entertaining, and some rushed moments amongst some moments we are missing.

Disney Channel's Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (2025) was like the other three movies in the series with there being good performances from the leads, entertaining over the top performances, action, and lines of dialogue, along with good songs and dance choreography; I know there are most likely not that many people who focus on the plot and the characters, but I find them entertaining and at least fun to watch. I liked this fourth and supposed last movie like I liked the other three movies, and I know it is not for everyone, and it focuses on kids for the Disney Channel demographic, but I like to watch these like the Descendants movies from time to time despite what people say about them.

I am keeping an open mind still on the MCU making good films, though in the year 2025 the film before this was Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and I only thought it was ok at best but not great, and despite being interested and a bit excited in seeing Thunderbolts* (2025) I kept my expectations at a reasonable level cause I didn't know what to expect; characters from past Marvel films and a premise that is basically Marvel's version of DC's Suicide Squad (2016). The MCU film Thunderbolts* (2025) is one of the better MCU films that has come out with it having great performances, fun action sequences, effective use of CG effects with the practical, a surprise villain, heavy themes, and a dark tone, along with the film being fun, emotional, and funny to watch; I honestly was surprised when this film started tackling grief and anxiety for each character and how it affected them in many ways either from past films or new flashbacks giving new information.

The whole group involving Yelena, Red Guardian, John Walker/U. S. Agent, Ghost, and Bucky were all great, with great performances by Florence Pugh as Yelena being just as good as her character in pas Marvel films and shows, along with David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, and returning Sebastian Stan all giving great performances; the reluctant team dynamic was great and they worked well together making them likable. I like how each one of them has a bad past in some way or is struggling some way, having to deal with any trauma they had and growing as characters, but also that they felt like real people going through all this; I liked how they tackled their grief and anxiety, and how they try to cope with it despite clearly having issues; how they show flashbacks and certain visions helped relate to them or sympathize with them has the film went on.

Without spoilers, I will say Lewis Pullman did an excellent job as Bob, the mysterious kind guy who shows up at random as shown in the trailer for the film, I liked how they used his character and how they gradually revealed more and more about him, who he is, and his past that may tie into everything overall, so when things go down by the third act, it is investing to watch him go through certain stuff; also, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was good as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the one setting things up from the start, she was made unlikable as an antagonist very well, but you were entertained by her performance. The action sequences were fun and nicely shot with cool camera work, cinematography, and stunts from the actors, along with there being uses practical effects with good looking CGI that blends well with everything; the film also had effective emotional and funny moments, along with topics on grief, loneliness, and depression that is shown and handled well for the plot and helps you connect with the characters.

The MCU film Thunderbolts* (2025) is one of the better MCU films that has come out with it having great performances, fun action sequences, effective use of CG effects with the practical, a surprise villain, heavy themes, and a dark tone, along with the film being fun, emotional, and funny to watch; honestly if you are still skeptical about the MCU being good again, just give this film a shot to see where it stands for you. This did feel like the older MCU films from back in the day when the universe was starting out, having a fun premise and enjoyable characters, with low stakes and nothing too crazy to make it over the top; this is one of the better MCU films that has come out recently, at least for 2025 compared to the last one, so I would recommend this to any Marvel fans or just anyone who is still on board with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.