ethanbeard

Jordan Peele is back and he does not disappoint! Before you read this review, you should know that I am not a fan of horror films and I get scared very easily. I was a big fan of Get Out and although even the concept of seeing this new film terrified me, I just HAD to see what Peele had in store this time.

The cast was absolutely phenomenal. Lupita Nyong'o is the definite stand-out as she plays the protagonist, Adelaide, and the antagonist, Red. Her performances as both characters were convincing and moving; it's hard to take your eyes off her. Playing her husband, Gabe, is Winston Duke, who provides the funniest lines in the film and adds some much needed comedic relief when things start getting serious. The two children, Zora and Jason, played by Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex respectively, were also really great and were compelling as both their normal selves as well as their evil counterparts. Even the minor supporting roles were excellent.

While the film is scary at times, it often feels more like a thriller than a flat-out horror film. This is why, for me, the comedy stood out as a very strong point in this film. Unlike most horror films, Peele knows when to use comedy to lighten the mood and understands the appropriate situations for characters to take a breather and crack jokes. Again, Winston Duke is the highlight in this section, but each character gets their own moment of humour.

The cinematography was well done for the most part. There were times where the film felt like it was simply shot, and not thought out compositionally and aesthetically, however there were some excellent shots in this film and really great use of colour, especially towards the end of the film. Like I said earlier, the film was scary, but not terrifying like it was marketed. As someone who gets scared easily, this is a positive for me. For die-hard horror fans, this will likely be a negative aspect of the film as it only has a handful of instances of true gross-out horror. The film was very well paced and felt like it flowed naturally, however the film changes slightly in its third act and, in my opinion, makes the third act the weakest. The first act is very effective at setting up the characters and situations. The second act is the most enjoyable to watch as the film descends into pure chaos while the Wilson's fight their respective doubles. The third act, however, presents the final confrontation of Adelaide and Red and, while it is very enjoyable to watch (especially one scene in particular featuring ballet that is very well edited), this is when the film starts to explain its plot. One of my hopes for this film was that it would end with most of the mystery still unanswered, leaving fans to debate about its true nature for years to come. While this film will certainly spark conversations once it ends, the third act begins explaining what is really happening in the film and this is where many of the problems come in. I won't spoil the film here, but certain things feel over-explained and I wish there was more subtlety, whereas other things aren't given enough explanation and I was left confused. Honestly, had the ending been a little more subtle with its explanations and the horror be slightly more scary, this film would've been perfect.

Just like Get Out, the best thing about this film is its writing and directing. Peele is in full control of his craft in this film, and it shows. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat in anticipation due to its incredible writing (as well as a unique-if predictable-twist), and the directing leaves you feeling like you have been brought into Jordan Peele's nightmare. Everything in the film is so purposeful and thought out, it really feels like Peele's unaltered vision, which is something truly exciting to see.

All in all, Us is a fantastic film from beginning to end, though not without its flaws. I am certainly looking forward to seeing more from Peele, who has now cemented himself as one of the best directors working today.

I went into this film purposefully ignoring all the political backlash and agendas people have surrounding this movie. I just want to see an entertaining Marvel film. And, for the most part, that's what I got.

The first act of the film is pretty rough, if I'm being honest. This whole section takes place in outer space and different plants, and it is easily the weakest part of the film. Within the first 2 minutes, we visit 3 different locations and are introduced to at least 4 characters we've never met before. It felt very messy. While I was impressed by some of the unique shots throughout the film (especially in the first act), the majority of the film feels very bland in terms of its cinematographic style. This is especially apparent in an early fight scene at night on a dark planet where it was quite difficult to even see what was happening. This first section of the movie is also where Brie Larson was at her worst. Her acting is wooden and the lines she is given are pretty horrible. Thankfully, she gets better as the film goes on. Once Carol arrives on Earth, the film becomes WAY more enjoyable, and the pacing certainly picks up. The chemistry between Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson is phenomenal and they were very entertaining to watch. As well, the CGI de-aging technology they used for Fury and Coulson was very effective. While some of the action was edited strangely, a lot of it was fun to watch, especially a train/car chase scene early on in the second act. The Skrulls were interesting antagonists and were done very well. The makeup and design of them looked great, and Ben Mendelsohn as Talos was a definite highlight. In fact, the supporting cast in this film was surprisingly excellent. Jude Law as Yon-Rogg was very good, as well as Carol's friend Maria, played by Lashana Lynch. The only member of the supporting cat that was bad was Maria's daughter who, in her defence, was given some of the worst dialogue in the entire film. The use of a non-linear plot helped the film stand apart from other Marvel films, even if it didn't always feel completely utilized to its full potential. As well, Carol's cat, Goose, was entertaining, if a little overused. The 90s nostalgia certainly felt overdone to me. Between Radio Shack, Blockbuster Video, pagers, and floppy discs, it felt like the 90s was the punchline for every other joke. Speaking of which, many of the jokes just didn't work for me. They fell flat for the most part, except for two lines from Fury which genuinely made me laugh. When Carol shows off the full range of her powers, it's hard not to be impressed. She's so immensely powerful, it's a lot of fun to watch her fight enemies like they're nothing. One of the things that bothered me the most, and in fact pissed me off, was--and I won't outright say it since it's a spoiler--the reveal of how something that had been built up to for a while ended up happening. It was stupid and now it's canon. Finally, Brie Larson's performance was the thing I was most worried about going in. The trainers certainly did her no favours, but I'm happy to say I really enjoyed her as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. Of course, there were lines here and there that didn't work for me, and her performance in the first act leaves a lot to be desired, but her performance improves drastically as the film goes on, as does the writing for her character. By the end, I cared about Carol significantly more than I thought I would, and I'm excited to see her interact with the Avengers this April.

So, all in all, I enjoyed Captain Marvel. It's a flawed film (and certainly not one of Marvel's best), but it was fun and I was never bored. I don't ask too much more than that from these films.