Top 10 Worst Films of 2022
1. Firestarter
2. Morbius
3. The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild
4. Pinocchio
5. Jurassic World: Dominion
6. Amsterdam
7. Don’t Worry Darling
8. Halloween Ends
9. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
10. Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Runner-Up: Thor: Love and Thunder
Top 11 2022 Guilty Pleasures
1. Babylon
2. Bullet Train
3. Disenchanted
4. Empire of Light
5. Ticket to Paradise
6. Moonfall
7. Hocus Pocus 2
8. Hotel Transylvania: Transformania
9. Black Adam
10. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
11. Uncharted
Top 20 Best Films of 2022
1. The Fabelmans
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
4. The Banshees of Inisherin
5. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
6. The Menu
7. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
8. Top Gun: Maverick
9. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
10. Tár
11. The Northman
12. The Whale
13. The Woman King
14. Barbarian
15. See How They Run
16. Turning Red
17. Prey
18. X
19. The Outfit
20. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Honorable Mentions: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, The Bad Guys, Belle (English Dub), The Batman, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Smile, Avatar: The Way of Water, Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe, Violent Night, Clerks III, Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, One Piece Film: Red, Pearl, The Black Phone, The Bob’s Burgers Movie, Jackass Forever, Dragonball Super: Super Hero, Elvis, Scream, Orphan: First Kill, Nope, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Bros, The Lost City, Blue’s Big City Adventure, Strange World, Triangle of Sadness, Dog, Moonage Daydream, Beast, Three Thousand Years of Longing, DC League of Super-Pets, Crimes of the Future, Ambulance, Death on the Nile, Lightyear, Hollywood Stargirl, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Polar Bear, Men, A Man Called Otto
2022 MINI-REVIEW COMPILATION:
By Nico Beland
THE ICE AGE ADVENTURES OF BUCK WILD:
Movie Review: * out of 4
The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild continues the franchise's downward slope with another bland, unfunny, often annoying, and all-around pointless entry that has no purpose in existing, and only the very young will find any sort of enjoyment out of it!
The film features the voices of Simon Pegg (Cornetto trilogy, Star Trek franchise, Paul), Vincent Tong (Iron Man: Armored Adventures, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Ratchet & Clank), Utkarsh Ambudkar (Blindspotting, Free Guy, Tick, Tick…Boom!), Justina Machado (Jane the Virgin, Six Feet Under, Scoob!), Skyler Stone (Con, Raising Hope, Clipped), and Dominique Jennings (Sunset Beach, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn).
DOG:
Movie Review: *** out of 4
Dog balances out its silly animal hijinks with a lot of heart and a surprising amount of effective, hard-hitting drama as an example of a canine-themed film done right, and it houses one of co-director and star, Channing Tatum's best and most personal performances in his career!
The film stars Channing Tatum (21/22 Jump Street, Magic Mike 1 and 2, The Lost City), Jane Adams (Wonder Boys, Orange County, Little Children), Kevin Nash (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, Magic Mike 1 and 2, John Wick), Q’orianka Kilcher (The New World, Yellowstone, Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Ethan Suplee (American History X, My Name is Earl, The Wolf of Wall Street), Emmy Raver-Lampman (Hamilton, The Umbrella Academy, Central Park), Nicole LaLiberte (How To Make it in America, Dexter, Twin Peaks: The Return), Ronnie Gene Blevins (Joe, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), and Bill Burr (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian, The King of Staten Island).
HOLLYWOOD STARGIRL:
Movie Review: *** out of 4
Thanks to an engaging story, hummable songs, and a talented cast, Hollywood Stargirl sings and dances beyond its predecessor with a thoughtful love letter to filmmaking!
The film stars Grace VanderWaal reprising her role from the first film as the titular character, Tyrel Jackson Williams (Lab Rats, Pants on Fire, Brockmire), Judy Greer (Adaptation, Jurassic World, Ant-Man 1 and 2), Judd Hirsch (Independence Day 1 and 2, A Beautiful Mind, Uncut Gems), and Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction, Gattaca, Kill Bill), the film is directed by the first film’s director, Julia Hart (Miss Stevens, Fast Color, I’m Your Woman).
POLAR BEAR:
Movie Review: *** out of 4
Beautifully filmed, heartfelt, and intense, when necessary, Polar Bear adds another well-made documentary to the Disneynature catalog while also telling a sweet and thought-provoking story about family!
The film is narrated by Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich, Capote, Get Out).
TAR:
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
Tár is a bit of a slow burn, but Cate Blanchett's electrifying performance is more than enough to keep you invested in this fascinating character study about fame, success, and the inharmonious side that comes with it!
The film stars Cate Blanchett (Carol, Thor: Ragnarok, Nightmare Alley), Noémie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Nina Hoss (Gold, A Most Wanted Man, Homeland), Julian Glover (Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, For Your Eyes Only, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), Allan Corduner (Yentl, Topsy-Turvy, De-Lovely), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Kingsman 1 and 2, Shazam!), and Sydney Lemmon (Helstrom, Succession, Fear the Walking Dead), and is directed by Todd Field (In the Bedroom, Little Children).
THE OUTFIT:
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
With a bold and suspenseful story that keeps you on your toes and an incredible performance by Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies, Dunkirk, The Trial of Chicago 7), The Outfit is tailor-made for those seeking entertainment outside of flashy Hollywood fare!
The film also stars Johnny Flynn (Lovesick, Genius, Emma (2020)), Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some!!, The Politician, Zombieland: Double Tap), Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner trilogy, Bumblebee, Love and Monsters), Simon Russell Beale (Hamlet (1996), Into the Woods, Dunkirk), and Nikki Amuka-Bird (Jupiter Ascending, A Private War, The Personal History of David Copperfield), and is written and directed by Graham Moore (The Imitation Game).
X:
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
A fun and brilliantly crafted throwback to 70s slasher films elevated by a stellar dual-performance by Mia Goth (Nymphomaniac, Emma (2020), Pearl), X has all the makings for a modern horror classic!
The film also stars Jenna Ortega (Jane the Virgin, Scream (2022), Wednesday), Brittany Snow (American Dreams, Hairspray (2007), Pitch Perfect trilogy), Kid Cudi (Don’t Look Up), Martin Henderson (The Ring, Grey’s Anatomy, Virgin River), and Owen Campbell (As You Are, Super Dark Times, The Americans), and is directed by Ti West (Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, In a Valley of Violence, Pearl).
EMPIRE OF LIGHT:
Movie Review: *** out of 4
Empire of Light isn't among the best films directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall/Spectre, 1917), but its impressive production design and stellar performances by Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Father, The Mitchells VS the Machines), Michael Ward (The A List, Blue Story, The Old Guard), and Colin Firth (Love Actually, The King’s Speech, Kingsman 1 and 2) more than make up for its thin narrative!
The film also stars Toby Jones (Amazing Grace, Frost/Nixon, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Tom Brooke (The Boat That Rocked, Sherlock, Preacher), Tanya Moodie (The Clinic, A Discovery of Witches, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), Crystal Clarke (Ordeal by Innocence, Sanditon, Star Wars: The Force Awakens/The Last Jedi), Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult, Eye in the Sky, Cyrano), Sara Stewart (Sugar Rush, Batman Begins, The Road to Guantanamo), Ron Cook (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz), and Justin Edwards (Black Mirror, Love & Friendship, The Man Who Invented Christmas.
THE WHALE:
BRENDAN FRASER GIVES THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME IN DARREN ARONOFSKY’S LATEST DRAMA!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
Brendan Fraser in The Whale
Brendan Fraser (George of the Jungle, The Mummy trilogy, Doom Patrol) puts on a fat suit and gives the best damn performance of his career in The Whale, the latest film from Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan) based on the play of the same name by Samuel D. Hunter who is also the screenwriter of the film. I’ve enjoyed Brendan Fraser is several films before, but I’ll admit I hadn’t seen him in anything great.
Don’t get me wrong, George of the Jungle and The Mummy are a lot of fun and very entertaining and I even like him in more obscure films like Looney Tunes: Back in Action. However, I wouldn’t call any of these masterpieces or must-see films and while he’s no stranger to dramatic roles, the films themselves have mostly been good at best.
But then, The Whale comes along which was hyped up as Fraser’s big comeback after taking some time away from the spotlight aside from appearing in smaller projects and a role on the DC television series, Doom Patrol. Given all the buzz the film had gotten both online and at film festivals, does The Whale deserve all that praise or is it an overhyped Oscar-season movie? Definitely not the latter!
The Whale is a very divisive movie and those who see it will have different experiences and opinions on it. For me, I thought it was a fascinating and downright heartbreaking film elevated by the stellar performances by the cast (Not just from Fraser, though he is the highlight).
The film follows Charlie (Fraser), a morbidly obese and reclusive English teacher who is on the brink of death due to his health and is cared for by his nurse friend Liz (Hong Chau-Inherent Vice, Homecoming, The Menu). When his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink-Chuck (2016), Stranger Things, Fear Street trilogy) comes by, Charlie attempts to reconnect with her for one last chance at redemption.
The film also stars Ty Simpkins (Insidious 1 and 2, Iron Man 3, Jurassic World) as religious Christian missionary Thomas and Samantha Morton (In America, Longford, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) as Charlie’s ex-wife and Ellie’s mother Mary.
Overall, The Whale is the best Darren Aronofsky film I’ve seen since Black Swan, and I know I’m probably a minority on that statement. It isn’t for everyone, and I can see people being turned off by its depressing subject matter and portrayal of obesity.
What I got out of it was a poignant and captivating story about a father desperately trying to reconnect with his family, something Aronofsky previously explored in The Wrestler except replace Mickey Rourke’s The Ram with a 600-lbs. Brendan Fraser. Let’s finally talk about that, Fraser is absolutely fantastic in this movie and the #1 reason to go see it.
This is a very against-type performance for Fraser especially if you know him best from George of the Jungle or as Rick O’Connell from The Mummy. Seeing him portray a washed-up shlub complete with a 600-lbs. fat suit and impressive makeup work on him is mesmerizing and he puts so much passion and empathy into his performance in every frame.
You can tell Fraser’s performance as Charlie is very personal to him and easily his most human and vulnerable role. Literally from the very beginning, Fraser’s Charlie is an incredibly sympathetic character who retains this positive attitude even during hard times and sees the best in everyone even when they don’t see it themselves and none of that is better exemplified than when he’s interacting with his daughter, through his character, you feel the kindness of his personality as well as the tragedy of his current situation.
Where Fraser’s Charlie is kind and sympathetic, his daughter Ellie is bitter and cold to the point where supporting characters will call her evil. While many of her motives don’t always make sense, the troubled teen architype does work, and I like the little arc she goes through where she learns an important lesson about honesty from her father and even manages to help him and other supporting characters out without them even knowing it.
Other standout roles include Hong Chau as Charlie’s best friend and nurse Liz who has very likable chemistry with Fraser and works in a few funny lines in-between the drama. Ty Simpkins could have easily been a nothing character but even he has some great bits with the rest of the cast and is given an interesting backstory and for the few scenes Samantha Morton is in as Charlie’s ex-wife she gives an equally empathetic performance in a short amount of time and yet makes a huge impression.
The Whale is a poignant, riveting, and eye-opening experience elevated by the stellar performances of its cast and spectacular craftsmanship from Darren Aronofsky. It won’t win everyone over, but I can assure you this film will lead to long, engaging discussions amongst those who see it whether they like it or not.
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH:
SEQUEL TO SHREK SPIN-OFF BREATHES LIFE BACK INTO THIS ONCE-DORMANT FRANCHISE!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4
Death, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, and Perrito in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The adorable but ferocious cat fugitive/hero is back in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the latest installment of DreamWorks’ Shrek franchise and follow-up to 2011’s Puss in Boots. The Puss in Boots character originally made his debut in 2004’s Shrek 2 and has since become a huge fan-favorite in the series to the point where he got his own spin-off movie in 2011.
I really enjoy the Shrek movies (Well, half of them!), the 2001 original and its sequel are often considered as some of the greatest animated films of all time. With their clever twists on the fairy tale formula, jabs at Disney, humor that caters to both children and adults, all sorts of memorable characters, and the first film helped establish DreamWorks as a strong competitor against Disney.
However, the franchise started to take a dive following the release of Shrek 2 with 2007’s Shrek the Third and 2010’s Shrek Forever After (AKA Shrek: The Final Chapter…supposedly!) being the series’ weaker entries that had their moments but sadly couldn’t quite recapture the magic of their predecessors. But then after the ogre’s run had ended, his feline companion started to breathe new life into the series in 2011 with the first Puss in Boots movie, which was a solid return to form for the Shrek franchise after so many ups and downs.
Which brings us to the sequel with Joel Crawford (The Croods: A New Age) replacing Chris Miller as director that was marketed as “The Logan of Puss in Boots”…it is not! Don’t get me wrong, there are dramatic moments in it with the plot revolving around Puss being on his last life, but at its core it’s still a fun, upbeat adventure with talking cats and dogs and weird takes on beloved fairy tale characters.
While I don’t think Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is quite on the same level of quality as the first two Shrekmovies, this is a brilliant continuation of the Puss in Boots legacy that even outshines its predecessor…just like a certain other sequel in this franchise. I was pleasantly surprised at how invested I was in the story and characters while also digging the film’s more stylized animation style compared to previous Shrek movies.
The film follows Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas-Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids franchise) discovering that he had wasted eight of his nine lives and is now down to his last life despite him constantly reassuring everyone that “The legend will never die!”. But when Puss begins to accept the reality that he’ll die if he wastes his last life, he learns about a magic Wishing Star that fell from the sky and embarks on a quest to find it and hopefully restore his eight lives.
However, with the ruthless crime family Goldilocks (voiced by Florence Pugh-Fighting with My Family, Little Women (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe) and the Three Bears consisting of Mama Bear (voiced by Olivia Colman-The Favourite, The Mitchells VS the Machines, Empire of Light), Papa Bear (voiced by Ray Winstone-The Departed, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hugo), and Baby Bear (voiced by Samson Kayo-Dolittle, The Bubble) and the corrupt businessman “Big” Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney-Saturday Night Live, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers) also on the hunt to find the Wishing Star as well as a mysterious black-hooded wolf who calls himself Death (voiced by Wagner Moura-Elysium, Wasp Network, The Gray Man) hot on his trail, this forces Puss to reunite with his old flame Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek-Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Eternals) and a dog disguised as a cat that he befriended at an old cat lady’s house named Perrito (voiced by Harvey Guillén-What We Do in the Shadows) as they race against time to find the Wishing Star while outsmarting these wicked forces.
Overall, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish expands upon the lore of the titular character as well as the entire Shrekuniverse with a stylish, funny, and action-packed animated feature that also has a surprisingly thought-provoking story. Basically, this is what Shrek 2 was to the original film for the first Puss in Boots where the sequel isn’t just as enjoyable as its predecessor but surpasses it on every level.
I knew this movie was working for me when after Puss realizes he’s down to his last life following an extremely funny montage of his previous deaths and the film lets the idea of being dangerously close to death and the tragedy of the situation sink in. The fact that this fun-loving and suave swashbuckler who was practically immortal only has one life left adds a level of urgency to the plot and vulnerability to the character thus ironically making him a lot more relatable and human by comparison…despite being a cat.
You really feel sorry for Puss in this movie and want to see him succeed in his mission to find the Wishing Star, but as it goes on he starts to question whether to go through with getting his eight lives back or embracing the life he has left and living it to its fullest. This is a very deep and mature message to teach children and why I think this movie is so brilliant, because it doesn’t cop out at the last minute with a forced happy ending and the message the film offers will make kids think about how they would want to spend their lives.
Puss aside, the characters are very engaging and quite funny when necessary, Kitty is still the feisty love interest who may or may not have her own agendas and has entertaining chemistry with Puss. “Big” Jack Horner is incredibly funny as this fairy tale version of Elon Musk or some other corrupt businessman and the gags involving a Jiminy Cricket-inspired character acting as his conscious are some of the funniest jokes in the film, and while Goldilocks and the Three Bears as criminals could be seen as a slight rehash of Jack and Jill from the first movie, they get some good laughs (Including a Wicker Man reference!) and even go through an arc as the film goes on.
The wolf version of Death might be the most terrifying DreamWorks villain ever, from his menacing appearance to his large hook weapons, and just his overall unsettling presence whenever he appears. I could easily see little kids being terrified by this villain so be careful parents, I’m 29 and I was intimidated by him.
The animation is also a visual marvel where it abandons the more realistic animation from the Shrek movies in favor a more stylized, comic book look that’s reminiscent to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s art style. Often during the action sequences, the character movements will have this choppy frame-rate much like in Spider-Verse with a lot of flashy effects and colors and I think it compliments Puss in Boots’ adventurous tone quite nicely.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish successfully recaptures the magic of the Shrek franchise’s glory days with a gorgeously animated, fun, and bold adventure that both kids and adults will love. I came in expecting a good sequel to a good movie, but I got a great sequel instead.
BABYLON:
DAMIEN CHAZELLE’S ENAGAGING ALBEIT OVERSTUFFED TRIBUTE TO 1920s CINEMA!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4
Li Jun Li, Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jovan Adepo, and Jean Smart in Babylon
Writer-director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land, First Man) brings to the screen what La La Landwould look like from the perspective of a cocaine-addicted movie star in his new film, Babylon. I loved Chazelle’s work over the years with Whiplash and La La Land being among some of the best films I’ve seen in their respective years and First Man was an incredible biopic on Neil Armstrong both on a visual and emotional level.
Naturally, I was excited to see this movie when it was announced and upon seeing it for myself I can easily say that this is the cinematic equivalent of pure chaos. The film begins with a prolonged scene involving elephant feces almost immediately followed by a man getting pissed on by a woman, add in some drug-filled orgies, and a lot of uncalled for deaths (I’m not kidding!) and you got yourself one wild way to spend 3 hours during the holidays.
While I don’t think it’s on par with Chazelle’s previous directing efforts and I do have some issues with it (Mainly the runtime and some plot points in the final act), I was engrossed in the story and invested in the characters from start to finish. It is definitely a divisive movie and will lead to several interesting conversations among moviegoers regardless of what they think of it, very much like 2019’s Joker the more I think about it.
Set in 1920s Hollywood, the film chronicles a series of events during the groundbreaking transition from silent films to the sound-era of cinema. However, as exciting as this new form of filmmaking is, the transition from silent to talkies has affected a lot of people in the industry, most notably silent film star and flamboyant party host Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglourious Basterds, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), aspiring actress Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie-The Wolf of Wall Street, DC Extended Universe, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), and film assistant Manny Torres (Diego Calva-The Inmate, Unstoppable, Narcos: Mexico).
Through wild orgy parties that are blown out of proportions, behind-the-scenes drama that’s somehow more intense and crazier than the films being made, drug abuse, problematic filmmaking practices like blackface, and run-ins with a ruthless crime boss known as James McKay (Tobey Maguire-Spider-Man trilogy, Seabiscuit, The Great Gatsby(2013)), these people will witness the darker and more twisted half of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s technicolor dream from La La Land.
The film also stars Jean Smart (Frasier, Fargo, Legion) as Elinor St. John, Jovan Adepo (Fences, Jack Ryan, Watchmen) as Sidney Palmer, Li Jun Li (Quantico, The Exorcist, Ricki and the Flash) as Lady Fay Zhu, Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks!, Brick, The Revenant) as George Munn, Max Minghella (The Social Network, The Ides of March, The Handmaid’s Tale) as Irving Thalberg, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Snake Eyes) as Colleen Moore, Katherine Waterston (Robot & Frank, Steve Jobs, Logan Lucky) as Estelle Conrad, Olivia Wilde (House, Tron: Legacy, Booksmart) as Ina Conrad, Flea as Bob Levine, Jeff Garlin (Arrested Development, Wall-E, Safety Not Guaranteed) as Don Wallach, P.J. Byrne (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Legend of Korra, Bombshell) as Max, Rory Scovel (Dilation, I Feel Pretty, The Eric Andre Show) as The Count, Eric Roberts (King of the Gypsies, The Dark Knight, Inherent Vice) as Robert LaRoy, Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live, Search Party, Father of the Bride(2022)) as Marion Davies, Phoebe Tonkin (H2O: Just Add Water, Tomorrow, When the War Began, The Vampire Diaries) as Jane Thornton, Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Saved!, First Man) as Officer Elwood, Pat Skipper (The X-Files, That 70s Show, Bones) as William Randolph Hearst, and Ethan Suplee (American History X, The Wolf of Wall Street, Clerks 2 and 3) as Wilson.
Overall, if La La Land was the colorful, sugar-coated technicolor musical then Babylon is its estranged grungy, drug-addicted cousin and I’m still trying to comprehend the fact that both films were directed by the same person. The difference really is night and day between the two films and while La La Land remains the superior film, this is one of the most insane cinematic experiences you’ll ever have.
I’ve already mentioned the crazy party scenes, but then you’ll get to moments where several silent films are being shot all at once with costumed people in the background, chases, fights, one of the sets catching on fire, and cast and crew members dying. Honestly, the sequences involving filmmaking are among my favorites in the entire movie, especially this sweeping camera shot that goes through all the different silent movie sets.
I also found myself getting invested in the characters and their dilemmas, even if they’re a bunch of privileged and stuck-up Hollywood people. They’re given a sense of humanity and you do feel legit sad when one of them dies or just simply going through hard times.
The acting is excellent, Pitt is once again a stand-out as this struggling silent movie star, Diego Calva is very sympathetic as a film assistant who is also Margot Robbie’s character’s love interest, and Tobey Maguire in a bit role brings his A-game with one of his most terrifying and against-type performances in his career. It’s Margot Robbie who steals the show as Nellie, she is fantastic in this movie and finds a perfect middle-ground between being troubled and relatable to outrageous.
For the most part, I was engrossed in the story, but I will admit I do have some issues with it that do keep the movie from being great to me. The narrative feels very jumbled together as if Chazelle had a bunch of ideas for different movies and decided to combine them all into one overstuffed spectacle, I’ll give this movie credit that it certainly wasn’t dull, some side characters disappear as the story progresses, and some crucial conflicts are left unresolved in the end, if the film had more breathing room and time to follow through with the resolution, I think it could have been the bizarro La La Land.
I also felt this movie didn’t need to be 3 hours long, for the first 2 hours I thought this was one of the best films I’ve seen all year, but once the last hour started, it lost some of its momentum from earlier and de-evolved from a great film to a good but overstuffed film.
Despite its flaws, I was entertained by Babylon, it may not be one of Damien Chazelle’s best, but if you’re looking for a 3-hour spectacle that doesn’t involve blue aliens or 3D glasses, this isn’t a bad one to check out. Not a glowing review, but it’s good enough.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER:
SEQUEL IS MORE OF THE SAME NARRATIVE WISE, BUT A VISUALLY STUNNING CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: *** out of 4
Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri in Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron (Aliens, Terminator 1 and 2, Titanic) returns to the world of Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water, the long-awaited sequel to his 2009 record-breaking smash hit, Avatar. The first film was a massive game-changer that revolutionized CGI motion-capture and 3D technology during the big 3D boom of the late 2000s-early 2010s and influenced other films like How to Train Your Dragon, Hugo, Life of Pi, and Gravity.
I really enjoyed the first Avatar when I saw it in IMAX 3D back in 2009 and for a period of time I declared it my favorite movie (A bit of a stretch I know, but hey I was 16 at the time!). Today, I still think the film is very entertaining and visually dazzling, but the plot is very derivative of other stories with a similar message.
Now, we have the sequel released 13 years after the first film with Cameron once again returning as director and many of the cast members reprising their roles (With one portraying a new role). The film had been in development since 2010 shortly after the release of the first movie with Cameron developing the technology necessary to film underwater performance capture scenes which led the film to be delayed numerous times.
It honestly felt like it was cursed to be the sequel that would never see the light of day, but here we are today. So, does Avatar: The Way of Water live up to the hype and was it worth the 13-year wait? Yes, yes it was!
Does it rival Cameron’s other sequels like Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day? No, but I thought this is a worthy continuation of the story that further expands upon the world of Pandora while breaking new grounds in technology and filmmaking like its predecessor.
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington-Terminator: Salvation, Clash/Wrath of the Titans (2010-2012), The Debt) is now chief of the Omaticaya tribe and has raised a family with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña-Star Trek franchise, The Losers, Marvel Cinematic Universe). However, the Na’vi’s peace is short-lived as the “Sky People” return to Pandora along with a resurrected Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang-Tombstone, Don’t Breathe 1 and 2, The Girl on the Train) now in a Na’vi body to resume their colonization efforts. This causes Jake, Neytiri and their children Neteyam (Newcomer Jamie Flatters), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton-Goliath, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Dark Harvest), Tuk (Newcomer Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and their adopted teenage daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver-Alien franchise, Galaxy Quest, Paul who previously portrayed Grace in the first film) to relocate to Pandora’s eastern seaboard where they encounter a new tribe of Na’vi known as the Metkayina clan that specialize in underwater skills and bonds.
With Quaritch and the humans hot on their trail and destroying everything in their path, both tribes will need to work together in order to save their home.
The film also stars Kate Winslet (Titanic, Revolutionary Road, The Reader) as Ronal, Cliff Curtis (Training Day, Whale Rider, Live Free or Die Hard) as Tonowari, CCH Pounder (The X-Files, Face/Off, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)) reprising her role as Mo’at, Matt Gerald (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Escape Plan, Daredevil (Netflix)) reprising his role as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, Joel David Moore (Dodgeball, Art School Confidential, Bones) reprising his role as Dr. Norm Spellman, Dileep Rao (Drag Me to Hell, Inception) reprising his role as Dr. Max Patel, Giovanni Ribisi (Lost in Translation, Contraband, Ted 1 and 2) reprising his role as Parker Selfridge, Edie Falco (Oz, The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) as General Frances Ardmore, and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Men in Black 3, What We Do in the Shadows) as Dr. Ian Garvin.
Overall, Avatar: The Way of Water gives exactly what it advertises, a visually stunning follow-up to the highest-grossing film of all time and like its predecessor, a groundbreaking technical achievement in filmmaking. The film is a testament to just how far CGI has come since 2009 (And keep in mind I still think the first film looks incredible especially for its time), the CG characters are given more textures and details in their designs and the motion-capture technology itself has significantly improved over the years to the point where the realism of the Na’vi whenever they’re onscreen is so uncanny that they might even give Gollum a run for his money (Yeah, I just said that!).
I also enjoy how this film explores the world of Pandora more than the first movie, Pandora is such an imaginative and breathtaking environment with unique creatures, oddities, and plenty of room for expansion in future films. The first film has the forest setting while this one explores the aquatic environments of Pandora where the old characters meet a new tribe of Na’vi, learn how to bond with their underwater wildlife, and understand the new tribe’s ways, this is exactly what I wanted to see in an Avatar sequel, a continuation of the story that expands upon the world Cameron introduced to the world back in 2009.
The underwater sequences are absolutely beautiful especially on IMAX 3D and filled with eye-candy and otherworldly creatures leaping off the screen. Even just the way scenes are lit and filmed underwater looks incredible to the point where I want to dive into the screen and swim with these characters…honestly, the underwater environment in this makes Diet Atlantis from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever look like a pool of sludge by comparison.
Visuals aside, I like how the characters evolved since the last time we saw them, Jake Sully is more restrained and less arrogant and cocky than in the first film, Neytiri is a caring mother who isn’t afraid to fight to protect her family (It’s also great that even when she’s covered in either blue CGI motion-capture effects or green makeup, Zoe Saldaña always acts her ass off and gives easily the most emotional scenes in the film). Stephen Lang once again is a lot of fun as Quaritch and I appreciate how he kind of goes through an arc in the film that I’m assuming will be explored more in future sequels, and I found myself really invested in Kiri’s subplot where she’s trying to discover who she really is.
While the effects, characters, and world-building are excellent, the narrative is more of the same and hits a lot of similar beats as its predecessor. Humans return to the planet to start colonizing it again and the Na’vi have to stop them, while also learning the ways of a new tribe to aid them in battle, but what sets it apart from the first film is that it’s focused more on the family and not just on Jake Sully.
If you enjoyed the first Avatar, then you’ll probably enjoy Avatar: The Way of Water also. It offers more of what people loved about the first film times ten and you’ll definitely want to go out of your way to see it on IMAX 3D, I See You and will gladly see you again very soon.
