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Reviews1.7K
eddie_baggins's rating
Hammering the big final railway sleeper like nail into the coffin that is filled with all the horrible 2024 big-budgeted releases that have ensured this cinematic year is one of the most unholy of the modern era, Sony's reported final Marvel spin-off outing, an era that has given movie fans some truly horrific movie watching experiences, ends on a sour note with soon to be box office bomb Kraven the Hunter.
An oft-delayed product that now finally arrives into cinemas around the globe before the busy holiday period with what appears to be zero interest and a resigned feeling of defeat from its studio, there was still some odd flicker of hope that this solo outing for one of Marvel's most beloved cult figures would somehow be OK as surely renowned director J. C. Chandor and stars such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe would ensure at least a modest amount of entertainment value was there for the taking in this two hour outing.
These hopes for things being OK are quickly dashed around 10 minutes into proceedings.
A generic by the numbers origin story/tiresome anti-hero goes up against a barely established "big bad" plot line makes Kraven's task to be entertaining or surprising a monumental one with hopes laying purely on the shoulders of Chandor somehow managing to instil the same magic he found in breakout debut Margin Call or his crime classic A Most Violent Year, Taylor-Johnson finally getting to breakout in another lead role after a few lean years or Kraven's uncompromisingly bloodthirsty action raising the pulse levels but none of these facets come to fruition in this sad and sorry excuse for a feature film.
Drab, unloved, cold and cumbersome, Kraven is all of the unfortunate things that have infiltrated the Sony/Marvel collaborations over recent time with Chandor's film feeling like it shares much in common with misfires that were Morbius and Madame Web.
From terrible PS2 like CGI segments, a wooden script that would make an amateurish screen-writing workshop participant blush and a sense of second hand embarrassment watching talented actors lower their colours in such an affair, from Crowe's comical accent, Fred Hechinger's Tony Bennett impressions or Alessandro Nivola's snarling like an animal, Kraven is filled with laughable acting moments, Kraven is misfiring on all cylinders and reeks of a film that was abandoned in the care department long before it reached its eventual release date.
You have to give Sony credit in some ways, to monumentally get it wrong so consistently in the Marvel space is some sought of feat.
To think they have managed to wrong so many well-liked characters and worlds across recent memory is hard to come to terms with, it makes one wonder how it was all allowed to go so bad with Kraven somewhat enjoyable as a train wreck watch similar to its kin Morbius and Madame Web but at the same time a film hard to watch as you witness talented artists lower their colours on a money laundering scheme of the lowest order.
Final Say -
Working best as a film to enjoy as an unexpected comedy full of quotable one-liners, terrible storytelling and embarrassed actors, Kraven the Hunter couldn't fight the good fight to become more than was hoped it could be, becoming exactly the dumpster fire many (including its studio) expected it to be.
1 hardy tarot card out of 5.
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
An oft-delayed product that now finally arrives into cinemas around the globe before the busy holiday period with what appears to be zero interest and a resigned feeling of defeat from its studio, there was still some odd flicker of hope that this solo outing for one of Marvel's most beloved cult figures would somehow be OK as surely renowned director J. C. Chandor and stars such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe would ensure at least a modest amount of entertainment value was there for the taking in this two hour outing.
These hopes for things being OK are quickly dashed around 10 minutes into proceedings.
A generic by the numbers origin story/tiresome anti-hero goes up against a barely established "big bad" plot line makes Kraven's task to be entertaining or surprising a monumental one with hopes laying purely on the shoulders of Chandor somehow managing to instil the same magic he found in breakout debut Margin Call or his crime classic A Most Violent Year, Taylor-Johnson finally getting to breakout in another lead role after a few lean years or Kraven's uncompromisingly bloodthirsty action raising the pulse levels but none of these facets come to fruition in this sad and sorry excuse for a feature film.
Drab, unloved, cold and cumbersome, Kraven is all of the unfortunate things that have infiltrated the Sony/Marvel collaborations over recent time with Chandor's film feeling like it shares much in common with misfires that were Morbius and Madame Web.
From terrible PS2 like CGI segments, a wooden script that would make an amateurish screen-writing workshop participant blush and a sense of second hand embarrassment watching talented actors lower their colours in such an affair, from Crowe's comical accent, Fred Hechinger's Tony Bennett impressions or Alessandro Nivola's snarling like an animal, Kraven is filled with laughable acting moments, Kraven is misfiring on all cylinders and reeks of a film that was abandoned in the care department long before it reached its eventual release date.
You have to give Sony credit in some ways, to monumentally get it wrong so consistently in the Marvel space is some sought of feat.
To think they have managed to wrong so many well-liked characters and worlds across recent memory is hard to come to terms with, it makes one wonder how it was all allowed to go so bad with Kraven somewhat enjoyable as a train wreck watch similar to its kin Morbius and Madame Web but at the same time a film hard to watch as you witness talented artists lower their colours on a money laundering scheme of the lowest order.
Final Say -
Working best as a film to enjoy as an unexpected comedy full of quotable one-liners, terrible storytelling and embarrassed actors, Kraven the Hunter couldn't fight the good fight to become more than was hoped it could be, becoming exactly the dumpster fire many (including its studio) expected it to be.
1 hardy tarot card out of 5.
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
A streaming exclusive release that comes from the wheelhouse of M. Night Shyamalan (here acting as one of the films producers), Caddo Lake is for all intents and purposes a family drama mixed with a missing person mystery but as is the case with anything that has the Shyamalan name attached to it, directors Logan George and Celine Hand ensure this neat little mind-bender is a loaded offering sure to appease a wide array of viewers.
A film that is best ventured into as blind as possible and with as little foresight into happenings as possible, George and Hand explore the interweaving lives of Dylan O'Brien's Paris, Eliza Scanlen's Ellie and Caroline Falk's Anna when Anna goes missing and the central trio and their extended families get drawn closer together and further down a rabbit hole that lays at the very heart of their home town of Caddo Lake.
Overcoming a relatively ho-hum start that seemingly sets up Lake for a 100 minutes of dramatic family affair back and forwards, George and Hand's film starts to veer into far more interesting territory around the half-way mark that while familiar to anyone that's watched similar films still feels fresh and exciting in a lot of ways, creating material that is sure to be debated by keen viewers both in the short and long terms.
There's certainly some limitations to what's achieved here, with Lake often feeling like the type of product that is at times hamstrung by its budget constraints and having every piece of its narrative puzzle come together cohesively but for a low-budget offering of this ilk there's enough smarts and surprises in store to overcome a lot of it's shortfalls even if overall the film isn't quite able to transcend into masterful must-see territory.
Around all the edgy narrative and ducking and weaving that occurs throughout, there are two softly spoken but impressive turns from O'Brien and Australian export Scanlen who both are able to subtly bring Paris and Ellie respectively to life in memorable ways, ensuring that in Lake's many character driven moments there's a lot to enjoy with one suspecting based off this effort that George and Held will be a sought after commodity with actors keen to work with them to achieve similar results.
Final Say -
Overcoming it's various missteps and constraints to create a unique and intriguing final offering, Caddo Lake is an above average streaming release that is one of the better things M. Night Shyamalan has attached his name too in recent years.
3 necklaces out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
A film that is best ventured into as blind as possible and with as little foresight into happenings as possible, George and Hand explore the interweaving lives of Dylan O'Brien's Paris, Eliza Scanlen's Ellie and Caroline Falk's Anna when Anna goes missing and the central trio and their extended families get drawn closer together and further down a rabbit hole that lays at the very heart of their home town of Caddo Lake.
Overcoming a relatively ho-hum start that seemingly sets up Lake for a 100 minutes of dramatic family affair back and forwards, George and Hand's film starts to veer into far more interesting territory around the half-way mark that while familiar to anyone that's watched similar films still feels fresh and exciting in a lot of ways, creating material that is sure to be debated by keen viewers both in the short and long terms.
There's certainly some limitations to what's achieved here, with Lake often feeling like the type of product that is at times hamstrung by its budget constraints and having every piece of its narrative puzzle come together cohesively but for a low-budget offering of this ilk there's enough smarts and surprises in store to overcome a lot of it's shortfalls even if overall the film isn't quite able to transcend into masterful must-see territory.
Around all the edgy narrative and ducking and weaving that occurs throughout, there are two softly spoken but impressive turns from O'Brien and Australian export Scanlen who both are able to subtly bring Paris and Ellie respectively to life in memorable ways, ensuring that in Lake's many character driven moments there's a lot to enjoy with one suspecting based off this effort that George and Held will be a sought after commodity with actors keen to work with them to achieve similar results.
Final Say -
Overcoming it's various missteps and constraints to create a unique and intriguing final offering, Caddo Lake is an above average streaming release that is one of the better things M. Night Shyamalan has attached his name too in recent years.
3 necklaces out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
The film that's caused Apple to do a rethink of its commitment to launch its original products into a wide release cinema run, with the upcoming George Clooney and Brad Pitt starring Wolfs the first victim of that strategy after a planned cinema takeover was scrapped, Fly Me to the Moon isn't what you'd call an "horrifically bad" movie per se but it's an incredibly bland one that never feels like the sum of its parts when weighed up against its talented cast and crew and substantial production budget.
Gifted $100 million dollars of Apple's seemingly endless pool of money that will likely be tightened on future products after the likes of this, Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon all under-performed from expectations, director Greg Berlanti and his audience favourite leads Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum certainly make Moon look the part and as usual famed cinematographer Dariusz Wolski ensures this is a visually appeasing offering that is unable to find its heart and soul anywhere else.
Dragging along at over two hours in length, Moon never finds its feet as an historical dramatization, a romance or a comedy, with none of those various elements allowed to shine through Berlanti's feature that feels as though it's been designed as more of a progression of scenes, not a cohesive whole that is going to amount to anything more than a very minor distraction.
With some more focus and reachable goals Moon might just have been one of 2024's feel-good hits but you can sense the struggle with itself throughout as Johansson and Tatum try to not much avail as marketing guru Kelly Jones and stoic NASA launch director Cole Davis respectively as the two actors and characters act around the impending launch of Apollo 11 and try to navigate their own wants and desires surrounded by such a momentous moment in human history.
With little in the way of memorable jokes, a pedestrian approach to an uninvolving budding romance and a bereft void of of dramatic tension, Moon was always going to face an uphill battle to convince audiences to get excited about it and after a lacklustre $40 million dollar run at the global box office, there's little hope to suggest this stale and lifeless product is going to take off in the home viewing space.
Final Say -
There's no wonder Apple is second guessing themselves if this is what $100+ million dollars is getting them with Fly Me to the Moon a lacking offering that does little in the way of justifying its price-tag or existence.
2 black cats out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
Gifted $100 million dollars of Apple's seemingly endless pool of money that will likely be tightened on future products after the likes of this, Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon all under-performed from expectations, director Greg Berlanti and his audience favourite leads Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum certainly make Moon look the part and as usual famed cinematographer Dariusz Wolski ensures this is a visually appeasing offering that is unable to find its heart and soul anywhere else.
Dragging along at over two hours in length, Moon never finds its feet as an historical dramatization, a romance or a comedy, with none of those various elements allowed to shine through Berlanti's feature that feels as though it's been designed as more of a progression of scenes, not a cohesive whole that is going to amount to anything more than a very minor distraction.
With some more focus and reachable goals Moon might just have been one of 2024's feel-good hits but you can sense the struggle with itself throughout as Johansson and Tatum try to not much avail as marketing guru Kelly Jones and stoic NASA launch director Cole Davis respectively as the two actors and characters act around the impending launch of Apollo 11 and try to navigate their own wants and desires surrounded by such a momentous moment in human history.
With little in the way of memorable jokes, a pedestrian approach to an uninvolving budding romance and a bereft void of of dramatic tension, Moon was always going to face an uphill battle to convince audiences to get excited about it and after a lacklustre $40 million dollar run at the global box office, there's little hope to suggest this stale and lifeless product is going to take off in the home viewing space.
Final Say -
There's no wonder Apple is second guessing themselves if this is what $100+ million dollars is getting them with Fly Me to the Moon a lacking offering that does little in the way of justifying its price-tag or existence.
2 black cats out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)