Wingzzz

Holy S**T! This movie has been getting so much love and hype lately and deservedly so. Director Takashi Yamazaki and company tell an epic, emotional and deeply human story within this modern-day monster blockbuster.

I'm not the biggest fan of Kaiju films because they typically lack a gripping narrative and really only offer thrills via the occasional monster scene. This film, however, has a fantastic human story that is relatively simple but gripping and moving nonetheless. I don't share these people's culture, language or post-WW2 trauma but I resonated with them far more than Millie Bobby Brown.

This film nails its interpretation of Godzilla, going back to the more fearsome foe rather than an anti-hero. Honestly Godzilla was terrifying in this film and was just pure evil incarnate. This is an impressive film on a technical level with inspired camera work, impressive visuals and a FANTASTIC score and sound design. I'm so impressed that this film was made on a modest $15 million budget and I can't recommend it enough.

Also I can't remember the last time a movie brought a tear to my eye not because of an emotional beat but because I was so awe-inspired by what I was seeing on the screen. 🦎

This game is fantastic. It takes the foundation of the first game and really builds upon it. Improving on gameplay variety, customization, side content, etc. I also found the overall story in this game to be much better and more gripping then it's predecessor. The story is emotional, awe-inspiring, darker and overall just really strong. From a 'video-game' standpoint there's so much to love with overall fun, exhilarating and challenging gameplay with plenty to do. From a 'Star Wars' perspective this is a welcome addition that has awesome lore, immersive worlds and super memorable cameos from iconic characters.

I could easily see myself giving this a 10/10 but the game just unfortunately struggles performance wise. The frame drops on performance mode on my ps5 were jarring and not on par with other next-gen games that run dang near flawlessly like God of War: Ragnarok, for example. Also, there is an entire bounty hunter mechanic that gives you access to 18 additional boss fights and my game is bugged out resulting in me not even being able to partake in that entire part of the game.

I want to start by saying that if you have seen any of the John Wick films and DIDN'T like them then odds are you're not going to like this one either. I only say that because this movie is even longer and has even more action than it's predecessors, and I'm sure that doesn't appeal to some. However if you dig these films, oh boy you're in for a treat.

I will say that in the story/plot department, this movie is certainly a bit thin and the narrative comes through in slightly inconsistent waves, but don't get me wrong there is some really good 'stuff' here in the story. Admittedly, I'm a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to writing/ story in media, but when it comes to John Wick 4 I just don't even care. The magic that Chad Stahelski, Keanu Reeves, etc., were able to create is more than enough to satisfy

In this film the ante has been upped. The fights are even bigger and better, full of moments that had me awe-inspired. The cinematography is exquisite, creative and engaging. The costume design/set design was beautiful. The sound design/audio is great. The powerful ensemble cast is amazing. There are a ton of newcomers in this movie and they all have their time to shine but oh man did Donnie Yen steal the show for me. I love his character 'Caine' and would love to see more of him in some capacity in the future. As always Hollywood's humble hero, Mr. Reeves, does outstanding and should inspire us all to be healthy and get in the gym!

The people behind this franchise deserve so much credit and admiration in my opinion. They have revolutionized the action genre in western media, bringing incredibly refined fight choreography/cinematography that will hopefully challenge other filmmakers to answer the call and meet the John Wick standard. Hopefully the days of over edited, nausea inducing shaky cam are far behind us.