Godzilla VS Kong review

GODZILLA VS KONG: 

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MONSTER MASH DELIVERS THE GOODS! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

It’s “God” against “King” in Godzilla VS Kong

 

            Two of the most iconic monsters in pop-culture history duke it out in Godzilla VS Kong, the latest film in the Legendary MonsterVerse that began with Godzilla (2014) and was followed up by Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, ultimately culminating in this highly anticipated showdown. This wouldn’t be the first time Godzilla and King Kong fought each other as there was already a film made by Toho released in 1962 called King Kong VS Godzilla, which was actually the first time both monsters appeared in color. 

            Anyway, there was a lot of hype for this movie ever since it was first announced sometime after the release of Godzilla (2014) and especially after the stinger at the end of Kong: Skull Island revealing that it was set in the exact same universe as the recent Godzilla film. Unlike something like the Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC Extended Universe where they have several different movies to establish all these characters before the big crossover events, this one only needed a few movies to set up its cinematic universe, a couple of Godzilla films and a Kong film, and that’s it. 

            I’ve already reviewed all of these movies before, but I’ll give my quick thoughts on them before we dive into this film. The 2014 Godzilla I think is a very well-made movie overall and a huge improvement over the first attempt to adapt Godzilla for American audiences (The 1998 Godzilla film from TriStar directed by Roland Emmerich) despite the lack of Godzilla screen-time, heavy focus on bland human characters, and monsters fighting in the dark resulting in them being very difficult to see, Kong: Skull Island is a cheesy fun time even though it’s not the best interpretation of King Kong specifically, the design of Kong looks more like a cartoon especially when compared to Andy Serkis’ incredible motion-capture version from the 2005 Peter Jackson film, but most of the human characters are very memorable, has a great soundtrack, and the monster fights are enjoyable to watch, and Godzilla: King of the Monstersis a lot closer to what a Godzilla film should be like compared to the 2014 film with a lot more action and fan favorites like Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah, but most of the fighting took place at night in the rain, at least you could see the monsters a lot easier in this one though. 

            So, does Godzilla VS Kong deliver the epic monster brawl that fans have been waiting for since 2014? YES!

            This is a very fun movie that doesn’t take itself seriously nor does it even attempt to tell a groundbreaking story or focus on character development. It’s just two of the most iconic movie monsters of all time pounding, biting, and blasting each other from beginning to end in a glorious fan service-filled slobber knocker, for a movie like this it’s for the best. 

            The film follows Kong being monitored by Monarch on Skull Island and has befriended a young girl named Jia (Newcomer, Kaylee Hottle) who understands and communicates with him via sign language. Kong and his protectors, Jia, her adoptive mother Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall-The Prestige, Frost/Nixon, Iron Man 3), and Dr. Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård-True Blood, Melancholia, The Legend of Tarzan) embark on a journey to find Kong’s true home, but they ultimately cross paths with a mysteriously enraged Godzilla who has been causing waves of destruction across the globe, causing the two Titans to clash (No pun intended!). 

            However, it turns out their fight is only the beginning of a mystery that lies deep within the Earth’s core as well as a hidden agenda of a shady organization known as Apex discovered by Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown-Stranger Things, Enola Holmes) that’s plotting something big and I mean, VERY big. 

            The film also stars Brian Tyree Henry-Widows, If Beale Street Could Talk, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) as Bernie Hayes, Shun Oguri (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa) in his first Hollywood production as Ren Serizawa, Eiza González-Baby Driver, Alita: Battle Angel, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw) as Maya Simmons, Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool 2, The Christmas Chronicles 2) as Josh Valentine, Lance Reddick (The Wire, John Wick trilogy, Bosch) as Monarch Director Guillermin, Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy, Super 8) reprising his role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters as Dr. Mark Russell, and Demián Bichir-A Better Life, The Hateful Eight, Alien: Covenant) as Walter Simmons. 

            Overall, Godzilla VS Kong is a “Not Summer” blockbuster that delivers the goods and something that should be witnessed on the big screen (IMAX preferably!). I know this also got an HBO Max release but come on, put in the extra effort to go to a movie theater and watch this chaotic but glorious monster brawl the way it was intended, it’s more than worth it. 

            The plot is very standard, cookie-cutter storytelling that we’ve seen a million times before in other monster movies. A lot of it is predictable in the story department, but who goes to a movie like this for plot anyway? 

            It’s no secret that Godzilla and Kong’s films don’t always have the best human characters and that applies to this film as well. While nobody in this film is “Bad” or anything, they just aren’t all that interesting aside from the deaf girl who communicates with Kong which is admittedly a very nice, charming friendship those two have, and Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison mostly because she’s giving 100% every time, she’s onscreen and that I consider her to be one of the best young actors working today, everyone else is just passable. 

            Now, let’s finally talk about the element of this movie that you’ve been waiting for…the monster battles and My God are they incredible!?! We have multiple fights between Godzilla and Kong throughout the film, they don’t cut away to the humans’ plot, and best of all, they do the ONE thing that was missing in Godzilla: King of the Monsters…they FOUGHT IN THE DAYTIME! Yes, Legendary finally got this right, the best Godzilla battles are the ones we can actually see! 

Granted, there are a couple of battles at night but most of them are during the day and they’re much better lit than in the previous films. Not to mention one in particular has a lot of neon everywhere that reminded me a lot of Pacific Rim. 

So yeah, I had a blast with Godzilla VS Kong, it gave me everything I wanted to see when it was announced, a consistently action packed and thrilling battle not only between Godzilla and King Kong but also another Godzilla fan favorite that was absent from the second movie (If you know your Godzilla movies or have already seen it then you know what I’m talking about!). It’s an adrenaline pumping and satisfying monster mash from start to finish. 

Nobody review

NOBODY:

BOB ODENKIRK TAKES AN UNEXPECTED TURN AS A BRUTAL ASS-KICKER IN THIS RIDICULOUSLY FUN ACTION FLICK! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Bob Odenkirk is a Nobody (Actually, not really!)

 

            What do you get when you put Falling Down, John Wick, Taken, and Hardcore Henry into a blender? You’d probably get something like Nobody, the new action film directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry), written by the screenwriter of all three John Wick movies Derek Kolstad, and produced by David Leitch (John Wick trilogy, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). 

            The film stars Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, The Post, Little Women (2019)) as probably the last person you’d expect to become an action hero, a seemingly average family man turned relentless ass-kicker after failing to stop a home invasion. I have to say, Bob Odenkirk absolutely and quite literally kills it in this film, and I had a very fun time coming along for the ride. 

             While the film never quite does anything new in the revenge-action genre and is often a clone of John Wick and Taken, Odenkirk’s performance alone as well as some exhilarating edge-or-your-seat action and very funny dialogue makes this bloody manhunt worth checking out. It’s a completely ridiculous, viscerally violent, and unapologetic action flick, but it has so much fun being one that you just can’t help but smile and enjoy the absurdity. 

            The film follows Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk), a seemingly ordinary man who lives a normal life and has a wife, two children, and an unremarkable job as an office worker. That all changes one night when burglars break into his house and Hutch fails to stop them resulting in his family somewhat drifting further away from him and people asking him why he didn’t try and stop the burglars. 

            The aftermath of the incident suddenly causes Hutch to set off his long-simmering rage and goes on a bloody warpath to get revenge (Especially after one of the burglars supposedly stolen his daughter’s kitty-cat bracelet…that’s very important to remember!). However, when one of his victims ends up being the younger brother of a ruthless Russian drug lord known as Yulian (Aleksei Serebryakov-Leviathan, McMafia), Hutch must do whatever it takes to protect his family from the notorious mob enforcer in a barrage of fistfights, gunfire, and bloodshed and show that he will never be underestimated as a nobody ever again. 

The film also stars Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, One Hour Photo, DC Extended Universe) as Hutch’s wife Becca, RZA (Kill Bill: Volumes 1 and 2, American Gangster, The Man with the Iron Fists) as Hutch’s half-brother Harry, Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) as Hutch’s father David, Gage Munroe (Immortals, I Declare War, The Shack) as Hutch’s son Blake, Michael Ironside (Top Gun, Total Recall, Terminator: Salvation) as Eddie Williams, Colin Salmon (James Bond franchise, Resident Evil franchise, Krypton) as The Barber, J.P. Manoux (Aaron Stone, Phil of the Future, Scooby-Doo (2002)) as Darren, Aleksandr Pal (Rag Union, The Icebreaker, Raid) as Yulian’s younger brother Teddy, and Sergey Shnurov (I Am Losing Weight) as Valentin. 

            Overall, Nobody is a bloody fun time that doesn’t take itself seriously and basks in the pure absurdity and chaos of its premise similar to the first John Wick movie. However, unlike that movie where after John Wick’s dog gets shot and he’s already a perfect killing machine, Odenkirk in this has a bit of a rough start before fully utilizing his particular set of skills, which adds some humanity and vulnerability to this action hero. 

            The film is often very funny and that’s mostly thanks to the brilliant casting of Bob Odenkirk who is absolutely phenomenal in this movie. It’s a very entertaining and funny performance by him and he gets a lot of laughs either from his dialogue or the ridiculous situations he winds up in and manages to kick serious ass whenever possible, and I’d love to see him go toe-to-toe with John Wick and Charlize Theron from Atomic Blonde as well as see him in more action films like this. 

            The action sequences are a lot of fun to watch with some of the highlights being a bloody fistfight on a bus, an exhilarating car chase with Odenkirk and the mobsters, and a flat-out ridiculous shootout in a factory with booby traps, explosives, bullets, and blood practically painting the walls of said factory. Not quite at the John Wick level of awesome but pretty close and I had a blast watching them. 

            If I had to point out an issue with this film, it would have to be that the villain is rather weak and forgettable. It’s just a generic Russian mob boss who’s out to get Odenkirk for killing his brother and he became the antagonist of this film basically by complete accident due to one of Odenkirk’s actions, I would have preferred a little more development outside of an atom bomb of coincidences landing on Odenkirk during his hunt for blood, but it ultimately led to an awesome climax so I can’t fault it too much. 

            If you’re looking for some good over-the-top action in a gleefully chaotic film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, then Nobody might have just what you’re looking for. It works not only as a dumb, fun action movie, but also one that had a lot of thought put into it as well. 

            Never underestimate a “Nobody” and enjoy this wild ride. 

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run review (600TH POST!)

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN: 

THIRD FILM BASED ON LONG-RUNNING NICKELODEON SERIES DOESN’T DO MUCH NEW, BUT IT’S A RELATIVELY SMOOTH AND NOSTALGIC ROAD TRIP! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

PARAMOUNT ANIMATION AND NICKELODEON MOVIES

SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star are off on another epic adventure in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

 

            Everyone’s favorite happy-go-lucky, undersea sponge is back on the big screen (sort of) for thirds in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, the third film based on the long-running Nickelodeon animated series, SpongeBob Squarepants after 2004’s The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie and 2015’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. If you read my review of Sponge Out of Water, then you know that I was a big SpongeBob fan growing up and would quite frequently watch new episodes and reruns of the series, owned several DVDs and merchandise, saw the previous two movies in theaters, and very recently had the opportunity to meet voice actors for SpongeBob and Squidward, Tom Kenny and Rodger Bumpass at a Comic Con. 

            Sadly, in recent years SpongeBob has fallen into the same traps as The Simpsons and Family Guy where it’s been on the air for so long (Dating all the way back to 1999) that it pretty much lost its creative spark, new episodes aren’t nearly as funny or clever as those early seasons, and they miss what series creator Stephen Hillenburg originally intended. Yeah, this was pretty much when I stopped watching SpongeBob, I still enjoy the first three seasons and some of season 4 and I went and saw Sponge Out of Water when it came out and had a good time, but I have no interest in watching any of the recent episodes…now, another movie on the other hand that’s another story. 

            After the success of the previous two SpongeBob movies, it only figures that a third film would be made making SpongeBob Squarepants the second Nickelodeon series to have a film trilogy, the first being Rugrats. Anyway, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, directed by series developer and former writer Tim Hill (Action League Now, Muppets from Space, Alvin and the Chipmunks) is a very interesting film in the series as it’s the first to be entirely computer-animated and it retcons the origins of the characters from the show to serve as a foundation for the upcoming CGI SpongeBob spin-off/prequel show on Paramount+, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Early Years. 

            So, how does Sponge on the Run hold up when compared to its predecessors? Eh, it’s definitely the weakest of the three SpongeBob movies that often retreads plots from other SpongeBob episodes and movies, but it still has enough of that charm, zany energy, and silly, surreal humor that the original show is best known for. 

            The film follows SpongeBob Squarepants (voiced by Tom Kenny-Rocko’s Modern Life, The Powerpuff Girls, Camp Lazlo) enjoying life, his job as a fry cook at The Krusty Krab, and of course his pet snail Gary. However, when Gary mysteriously goes missing, SpongeBob and his clueless but loyal best friend Patrick Star (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke-Dumb and Dumber: The Animated Series, Coach, How I Met Your Mother) and a robot built by their friend and land squirrel Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence-Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom) known as Otto (voiced by Awkwafina-Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Raya and the Last Dragon) go on a road trip to the Lost City of Atlantic City (Great name, I know!) to find him with Sandy and the rest of their friends, Squidward Tentacles (voiced by Rodger Bumpass-Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego, Invader Zim, The Kids from Room 402), Mr. Krabs (voiced by Clancy Brown-DC Animated Universe, Crash Bandicoot (video game series), Thor: Ragnarok), and Sheldon J. Plankton (voiced by Mr. Lawrence-Rocko’s Modern Life, Camp Lazlo, Mighty Magiswords) following close behind. 

            Along the way they encounter a talking tumbleweed named Sage (Keanu Reeves-The Matrix franchise, John Wick trilogy, Toy Story 4), an evil spirit known as El Diablo (Danny Trejo-Desperado/Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids franchise, Machete 1 and 2), and even a run-in with the great and powerful King Poseidon (voiced by Matt Berry-Moon, Christopher Robin, What We Do in the Shadows (TV series), who previously voiced the character Bubbles the Dolphin in Sponge Out of Water) on their quest to find Gary and bring him home to Bikini Bottom. 

            Overall, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run doesn’t quite live up to the earlier films in terms of plot, often feeling like a retread of SpongeBob stories we’ve already seen either on television or in the other movies, but there are enough laughs and heart to make for a relatively smooth and cozy trip with SpongeBob and friends despite paling in comparison to its predecessors. 

            It’s a perfectly serviceable animated film with appealing 3D animation that still retains the cartoony nature of the original show (Sort of like the SpongeBob equivalent of The Peanuts Movie’s animation style), but my biggest issue with it is how unoriginal the plot is. The story for this movie is literally rehashed from other episodes and movies. Gary goes missing and SpongeBob has to find him (Episode!), SpongeBob finds a lost underwater city (Episode!), SpongeBob and Patrick go on a road trip (First movie!), a king character who obsesses over his minor imperfections (Bald, Bald, Bald, Bald, MY EYES!), yes, Sponge Out of Water’s plot borrowed a lot of elements from previous episodes but at least it tried to be its own unique film, this almost felt like a bunch of SpongeBob moments from the show compiled together into a script without adding much that’s new or clever. 

            That’s just plot, the humor is…well, SpongeBob! It has a lot of surreal moments and visual gags as well as plenty of silly writing that’s being performed vocally by Kenny and Fagerbakke. Objectively, I consider the first two movies to be a lot funnier but I found myself laughing at many of the jokes here, most of the scenes involving Keanu Reeves as a talking tumbleweed in particular got huge laughs out of me, the boat driving robot voiced by Awkwafina is also very funny an entire saloon of Cowboy, Pirate, Zombies that are being controlled by Machete (Only in SpongeBob…and it is epic!), and watching and listening to SpongeBob and Patrick work off of one another is always a delight. 

            The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is a perfectly serviceable third SpongeBob film that has enough of the charm and goofy wit that made the original Nickelodeon show so enjoyable. If you got kids who want to see it or if you’re a longtime fan of the series, you’ll probably get some inoffensive and silly laughs. Decent but nothing special and personally, I’ll just stick to the first two movies and early episodes of the series. 

Raya and the Last Dragon review

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON: 

LATEST DISNEY ANIMATED FILM IS DESTINED TO BECOME AN INSTANT CLASSIC!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

DISNEY

Meet the newest butt-kicking Disney heroine in Raya and the Last Dragon

 

            A young girl embarks on a quest to find the last dragon and save her land in Raya and the Last Dragon, the latest animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios and the second Disney film to be released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access, the first being the Mulan remake. I’ll just say it, this is a far better movie to spend $30 on than the Mulan remake, where do I even start with this film? I love just about everything in this movie from the gorgeous animation and the colorful cast of characters to its phenomenal story and world building, it could even be quite possibly in my Top 5 Favorite Disney Films of All Time, that’s how much I love this film. 

            The film is set in the fantasy world of Kumandra where humans and dragons lived in harmony 500 years ago, but that all changed when monsters known as the Druun came and threatened the land by turning everyone into stone. In order to stop the Druun and save humanity, the dragons sacrificed themselves. Now 500 years later, the monsters have returned, and a girl named Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran-CollegeHumor, Star Wars: The Last Jedi/The Rise of Skywalker, The Croods: A New Age) embarks on a journey to find the last dragon known as Sisu (voiced by Awkwafina-Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, Jumanji: The Next Level) to stop the Druun for good and save Kumandra. 

            Along the way, Raya encounters a 10-year-old shrimp restaurant owner whose restaurant is on a boat named Boun (voiced by newcomer Izaac Wang) and a toddler con-artist or “Con-Baby” known as Little Noi who accompany her and her pet pill bug/armadillo Tuk Tuk (voiced by Disney regular Alan Tudyk-Wreck-It Ralph/Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) on their adventure. However, Raya soon learns that it’s going to take more than dragon magic to save the world but also a lot of trust as well. 

            The film also features the voices of Gemma Chan (Doctor Who, Crazy Rich Asians, Captain Marvel) as Raya’s nemesis Namaari, Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Angel, The Good Doctor) as Raya’s father Chief Benja, Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, Sideways, Killing Eve) as Virana, and Benedict Wong (Marco Polo, The Martian, Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Tong. 

            Overall, Raya and the Last Dragon is a breathtaking and very well put together film whether you’re watching it in theaters or at home and destined to become an instant Disney classic alongside other recent hits like Frozen, Zootopia, and Moana. Given the fact that it’s Disney, of course the animation is absolutely gorgeous, and it looks even more incredible on the big screen and the main characters are extremely likable, but the real meat of this movie is the story and world building, and they do a phenomenal job with that. 

            The film starts off with this wonderful backstory that’s beautifully animated about the Kumandra world and what the dragons’ purposes are (Each dragon has a certain power or represents a specific element, like for example, a dragon can make and control rain). The backstory is kept short and simple without overstuffing it with exposition and mostly told visually and by doing so, we know everything we need to know about how this world works without ever getting lost. 

            While I was watching it, I kept thinking back to the 2016 Disney film Moana and how it broke through the Disney mold and became one of the most unique and different animated features in Disney’s catalog. This can often be considered as an extension to what Moana started to do except pushed even further. 

            Raya is probably the most unique animated Disney Princess film we’ve gotten so far for several reasons, it isn’t a musical and is more action-oriented compared to other Disney movies, there’s no love interest, and no villain (Not even a surprise villain!), just people with disagreements, that’s progression Disney! This could almost be considered game-changing for Disney as it probably relies on the traditional Disney formula the least out of their other fairy-tale or fantasy films, I’ll always enjoy Disney’s animated musicals but it’s always a breath of fresh air to see them use their animation skills on something different.  

            Plot wise, this is probably one of Disney’s best and boldest stories they’ve ever told (And that’s saying a lot, I know!). At times, it does rely on some Disney tropes whenever necessary and borrows from several different stories but is combined in a way that’s very clever and often quite effective in terms of both characters and story, and it has a strong moral on trust. 

            All the characters are extremely likable, Raya despite not being able to trust others so easily is very charming and engaging when she’s interacting with the dragon as well as her chemistry with these other characters who join her on her quest who are quite humorous like the 10-year-old ship captain and the con-baby, Sisu, an eccentric and really funny dragon is a ton of fun to watch and listen to (Not just because she’s voiced by Awkwafina) and she and Raya have a strong bond throughout the film. Even characters you would think are villains like Namaari, a warrior princess from a rivaling tribe despite having a rivalry with Raya is only trying to do what’s best for her tribe, everyone pretty much has the same goal in this film which is a lot more compelling than her being portrayed as a full-on villain which probably wouldn’t suit this movie that well. 

            The animation and artistry of this movie is amazing to the point where you could practically freeze any frame of this film and put it in an art museum. It’s easily one of Disney’s best-looking films where you’re no longer watching an animated feature, you are watching a living, breathing work of art. 

            I think I’ve gushed about this movie long enough; Raya and the Last Dragon is absolutely fantastic and follows in the footsteps of Frozen, Zootopia, and Moana as an instant classic with breathtaking animation, memorable characters, and bold storytelling. Given all the chaos that’s been going on in the world right now, I think we could all use some Disney magic and Raya delivers just that whether you’re watching it on the big screen or streaming it at home on Disney+, this is one dragon adventure not to be missed.