Haunted Mansion review

HAUNTED MANSION: 

STAR-STUDDED CAST BREATHES LIFE INTO GENERIC SPOOK-FEST! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** ½ out of 4

DISNEY

Danny DeVito in Disney’s Haunted Mansion

 

            A group of people find themselves in a creepy old mansion filled with ghosts in Haunted Mansion, the new film based on the Disneyland attraction of the same name and second adaptation of the ride after the 2003 movie starring Eddie Murphy. The 2003 film version of The Haunted Mansion was desperately trying to recapture the success of Pirates of the Caribbean (Which came out earlier that year) but fell extremely flat on just about every level. 

            Now, we have this new film based on the ride with Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair) helming it and featuring an all-star cast which I was open to when I first heard it was being made. The Eddie Murphy movie was awful, but the Haunted Mansion attraction has tons of imaginative characters and ideas that could potentially make for an enjoyable feature film. 

            So, I got my ticket and sat down to watch the movie and I can say that this new film version of the Haunted Mansion is…okay. It’s way better than the Eddie Murphy film by comparison and there are a lot of aspects about it to appreciate, but it still doesn’t quite live up to the full potential of its concept. 

            The film follows a widowed mother named Gabbie (Rosario Dawson-Men in Black II, Sin City 1 and 2, Clerks II) and her son Travis (Newcomer, Chase W. Dillon) moving into an old mansion in hopes of starting a new life. When they discover the mansion is haunted and inhabited by ghosts, they assemble a motley crew of spiritual experts consisting of astrophysicist Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield-Selma, Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), psychic Harriet (Tiffany Haddish-Girls Trip, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), priest Father Kent (Owen Wilson-Zoolander 1 and 2, Starsky & Hutch, Loki), and college historian Professor Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito-Batman Returns, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jumanji: The Next Level) to rid their home of these paranormal entities including the most powerful and terrifying of them all, The Hatbox Ghost (voiced by Jared Leto-Dallas Buyers Club, DC Extended Universe, Blade Runner 2049). 

            The film also stars Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Freaky Friday (2003), Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Madame Leota. 

            Overall, Haunted Mansion can’t quite recapture the magic of the ride that inspired it, but it should serve as a decent enough spooky family night. It does fall into the same problem as the Eddie Murphy version where it’s heavily focused on the people alive rather than the ghosts which isn’t as fun, but at least I was invested in the living characters in this one which is helped by the film’s spectacular cast. 

            LaKeith Stanfield is a massive improvement over Eddie Murphy as the leading man, instead of a usually talented comedian desperately trying to deliver laughs we have a washed-up and depressed tour guide and astrophysicist grieving over the death of his wife. He does a great job selling this somewhat smart-ass personality, but never to the point where he becomes unlikable and the flashbacks of his and his wife are the emotional highlight of the film. 

            Tiffany Haddish is also a standout as this eccentric psychic who communicates with the ghosts. The humor is rather hit-or-miss, but I found many of Haddish’s moments and line deliveries to be genuinely funny. 

            The rest of the characters don’t quite leave as big an impact as Stanfield, but for the most part they’re quite likable and fun to watch. Nobody gives a bad performance despite being given rather middling material to work with, the cast does an admirable job breathing life into the film. 

            While I wasn’t really getting wrapped up in the story all that much, I was marveling at the truly spectacular production design. The film is drenched in beautifully gothic atmosphere that’s bursting with creative ghost designs that retain the cartoony nature of the source material, fun creepy visuals, and phenomenal camera work and editing reminiscent of a classic haunted house film, ironically when the movie takes place in this house filled with dead spirits that’s when it comes alive. 

            The scenes that take place in the mansion is when the film is at its best, unfortunately it takes a dive when it turns into a McGuffin hunt outside the mansion. It’s the least interesting and most dragged-out part of this 2-hour movie that could have easily been trimmed down or just taken out entirely. 

            Haunted Mansion is a perfectly serviceable horror-comedy for kids and families that has some laughs, spooks, and impressive production design even if it’s short on engaging storytelling (Aside from certain elements of it). It’s no Pirates of the Caribbean, but it is better than some of Disney’s other attempts at turning their theme park rides into movies. 

The Venture Bros. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart review (800TH POST!)

THE VENTURE BROS. RADIANT IS THE BLOOD OF THE BABOON HEART: 

A WORTHY SENDOFF TO FAN-FAVORITE ADULT SWIM SERIES! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

ADULT SWIM/CARTOON NETWORK

Hank Venture, Dr. “Rusty” Venture, Brock Samson, Dean Venture, 21, Mantilla, The Monarch, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Jefferson Twilight, and Dr. Orpheus in The Venture Bros. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart

 

            Team Venture (and The Monarch too!) are back in The Venture Bros. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, the second in Adult Swim’s line of direct-to-video films based on their shows after 2022’s Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm and movie finale to the fan-favorite animated series, The Venture Bros. created by Jackson Publick (Chris McCulloch) and Doc Hammer. I really enjoy the Venture Bros. series though I wouldn’t call myself an expert on it (Actually, I watched the entire fifth-seventh seasons in their entireties for the first time in the days leading up to this review). 

            It didn’t quite have the same impact on me as other Adult Swim shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, or Rick and Morty, but I found the series to be genuinely hilarious with tons of memorable characters, outrageous villains, and a surprisingly engaging story that gets more interesting as the series goes along. It’s no wonder why it became such a beloved series on Adult Swim and a cult classic, to put it simply The Venture Bros. walked so Rick and Morty could run. 

            The series ran from 2003 until 2018 with an unresolved cliffhanger ending in the final episode…until now! That’s where the Venture Bros. movie comes in, released twenty years since the broadcast of the first episode and will finally tie up seven seasons worth of loose ends and bring closure to a truly excellent series…and it delivers! 

            This is a very funny movie that ends the series on a satisfying note and if you’re a Venture Bros. purist, you are going to have a great time catching all the references and callbacks. I can’t say it works entirely as a standalone film as it does require knowledge and an understanding of the series and its lore so if you’re already familiar with Venture Bros.you’re all set. 

            The film is set after the events of The Saphrax Protocol (The last episode of season 7) where Hank Venture (voiced by Chris McCulloch) has left his family and began his quest to find his real mother with Venture bodyguard, Brock Samson (voiced by Patrick Warburton-Seinfeld, Family Guy, Kim Possible) leading a manhunt to find Hank. Meanwhile, Dr. “Rusty” Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak-The Boxtrolls, Review, Difficult People) is preparing to unveil Venture Industries’ new flagship production, the H.E.L.P.eR Pod, an Alexa-based device that resembles the family’s robot butler, H.E.L.P.eR that could either bankrupt Venture Industries or elevate them to new heights. 

            Dean Venture (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Your Name) teams up with family friend, neighbor, and powerful necromancer Dr. Orpheus (voiced by Steven Rattazzi-Indecent) to search for his brother after feeling guilty about having an affair with Hank’s girlfriend. The butterfly-themed supervillain The Monarch (Also voiced by McCulloch) and Henchman 21 (voiced by Doc Hammer) search for answers about The Monarch’s possible relationship to Rusty and a mysterious woman from their pasts known as Mantilla (voiced by Nina Arianda-Goliath, Stan & Ollie, Richard Jewell) threatens to bring their world crashing down on them. 

            The film also features the voices of Hammer reprising his voices roles as The Monarch’s wife and supervillain Guild councilwoman Dr. Mrs. the Monarch (AKA Dr. Girlfriend), Dr. Venture’s assistant Billy Quizboy, Hank’s friend Dermott, OSI. (Office of Secret Intelligence) agent Shoreleave, Guild member Red Mantle, and dispatched Guild agent Ward, McCulloch reprising his voice roles as Venture bodyguard Sgt. Hatred, albino computer scientist Pete White, General Hunter Gathers, H.E.L.P.eR, Colonel Gentleman, The Action Man, The Pirate Captain, Guild member Dragoon, and Jonny Quest villain Dr. Z, Urbaniak reprising his role as Revenge Society member and supervillain Phantom Limb, Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, DC Animated Universe, SpongeBob Squarepants) reprising his role as Red Death, John Hodgman (The Daily Show, Coraline, Pitch Perfect 2) reprising his role as OSI agent Snoopy, Hal Lublin (Becker, Dead Leaves, Mighty Magiswords) as Clayton, Jane Lynch (A Mighty Wind, Glee, Wreck-It Ralph 1 and 2) as Bobbi St. Simone, Charles Parnell (All My Children, The Last Ship, Top Gun: Maverick) reprising his role as vampire hunter Jefferson Twilight, Jay Pharoah (Saturday Night Live, Top Five, The Mitchells VS the Machines) as Nuno Blood, J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man franchise, Whiplash, Gravity Falls) reprising his role as Ben, and Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Chowder, The Ghost and Molly McGee) reprising his role as The Alchemist. 

            Overall, The Venture Bros. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart is a very enjoyable movie and loving sendoff to one of the most beloved Adult Swim shows of all time. While I enjoyed Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm and thought it was a fun watch, the Venture Bros. movie has a much stronger storyline that I was invested in and often didn’t know where it was going. 

            It does resolve all the plot elements and theories established on the series (Who Dean and Hank’s mom is and The Monarch’s relationship to Dr. Venture), but knowing Adult Swim, the film also plays with people’s expectations and resolves them…with shocking twists. This is also a very convoluted narrative (Especially in an 84-minute runtime) with a lot of events happening across many different characters, but it never feels overstuffed and is paced well that you can follow it just fine. 

            The film is packed with Venture Bros. references all throughout whether it’s character appearances, photos on walls showing events from the series, or a phenomenal sequence where Hank reminisces about his life at Venture Industries before running away when he returns to the ruins of his old home, it’s a well-animated and edited scene full of Venture Bros. nostalgia. 

            Speaking of Hank, I also found it very clever that alternate versions of himself talk to him in his mind over the course of the film and guide him on his journey. The scenes with Hank talking to his alternate selves were both fascinating and funny, almost like the M. Night Shyamalan movie, Split if it was told from the perspective of James McAvoy. 

            There is a lot to talk about with this film, but it would require me to go into spoiler territory, so I’ll just leave it at The Venture Bros. Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart is a worthy conclusion to the series and just a fun Venture Bros. movie. Could have used more Dr. Henry Killinger and Henchman 24’s ghost though. 

Oppenheimer review

OPPENHEIMER: 

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN CRAFTS A POWERFUL AND HAUNTING REMINDER OF THE IMPACTS OF WAR AND DESTRUCTION! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

 

            Writer-director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy, Interstellar, Dunkirk) goes back to war in his new film Oppenheimer, a biopic based on the real-life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer AKA The Father of the Atomic Bomb. This marks Nolan’s first film to earn an R rating since 2002’s Insomnia and the first without any involvement from Warner Bros. since 2000’s Memento due to controversy surrounding the release of his last film, Tenet during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

            I love Christopher Nolan and think he’s a phenomenal filmmaker who really cares about both his craftsmanship and the art of cinema. He shoots all his movies on actual film, utilizes practical effects over CGI, and in Oppenheimer’s case not a single use of CGI is in the entire film which is astounding. 

            I was hyped for this movie as soon as I first saw the teaser trailer last year in front of Jordan Peele’s Nope and Nolan had already proven himself to be a brilliant war filmmaker with 2017’s Dunkirk which I claimed was his best film since The Dark Knight. So, I had very little doubt that this wouldn’t be a riveting cinematic experience and boy, Oppenheimer delivers. 

            This is a powerful and completely captivating 3-hour epic that makes the bold decision of not just being about the creation of the bomb, but rather the man who made it. And yes, it stands among Christopher Nolan’s best work. 

            The film is set during World War II and follows J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy-Red Eye, The Dark Knight trilogy, Peaky Blinders), a physicist tasked to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project under the order of Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon-Bourne franchise, The Departed, Air). Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing the atomic bomb which comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world’s first nuclear explosion thus changing the course of history forever. 

            The film also stars Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau, Edge of Tomorrow, A Quiet Place 1 and 2) as Oppenheimer’s wife Katherine “Kitty”, Robert Downey Jr. (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sherlock Holmes 1 and 2) as Lewis Strauss, and Florence Pugh (Little Women (2019), Black Widow, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) as Jean Tatlock. 

            Overall, Oppenheimer is an extraordinary cinematic achievement not just on a technical aspect, but on a storytelling one as well that demands to be seen on the largest screen possible with the best sound. This could have easily just been about the creation of the bomb, but what I love about it is that it is not the main focus of the story (It is an element of it, but that’s not what the entire film is about), the focus is always on the titular man himself, Oppenheimer, the events leading up to the bomb, the impact, and the aftermath which is a lot more compelling and fascinating than how the bomb was developed. 

            I was captivated by Oppenheimer’s character and a lot of that is because of Cillian Murphy’s incredible performance. This might be, hands-down the best I’ve ever seen Cillian Murphy in any film and what I especially love about his performance is that unlike some other Christopher Nolan protagonists, Murphy portrays his character like a real human being. 

            It helps that Murphy looks eerily similar to the real-life Oppenheimer and the resemblance between the two is surreal and not once did I feel like I was watching an actor play a real person, it’s a similar feeling I had when Daniel Day-Lewis portrayed Lincoln. Murphy is fully committed and gives a very endearing performance as a man who wanted to help the world and ended up making things worse, his emotions are flawlessly conveyed both vocally and through his spectacular eyes, I would be so angry if this man doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for this. 

            There is only one other force in this movie just as powerful as Cillian Murphy and I don’t mean the bomb. I am, of course talking about Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss who is almost unrecognizable as this despicable naval officer and philanthropist like if Tony Stark never had a heart, it’s great to see Downey play an antagonist role again and the film has some of the best acting you’ll ever see from him whenever he’s onscreen. 

            The film is filled with a star-studded cast who make the best of their screen-time, Matt Damon is also excellent as the general who recruits Oppenheimer for the project and Emily Blunt gives a stellar performance as Oppenheimer’s wife that only lasts for a short amount of time. Others like Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, and Jason Clarke to name a few don’t have much time in the spotlight, but every one of them makes an impression with what they have and if I spend all this time listing and describing them all, this review is going to be longer than the actual movie. 

            Like any other Nolan film, the visual effects, production design, musical score, sound editing (and editing I general), and camera work are incredible and lead to phenomenal scenes that will stick with you long after the film ends. One of my favorite scenes is towards the end after the nuclear bomb goes on when Oppenheimer walks into a room filled with a crowd of people and if you’ve seen the movie, you already know what I’m talking about, but if you haven’t it’s one of the most brilliantly edited and haunting scenes, I had ever seen in any film that’s made even better on the IMAX screen. 

            Oppenheimer not only is the best IMAX/theater experience I had so far this year and not only is it one of Christopher Nolan’s best films, but it has dethroned Barbie in a day as the second-best film I’ve seen in 2023. It’s an incredible experience with a powerful story, captivating characters, and a 3-hour runtime that does not feel like 3 hours, I was invested, exhilarated, and on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. 

            Whether you’re seeing it in IMAX, 70mm, 35mm, Barbenheimer double-feature with Barbie, or just a normal theater, this is something that must be seen on a large screen and ONLY on a large screen. If you are watching this on streaming or on DVD then you are doing cinema wrong. 

Barbie review

BARBIE: 

YOU WILL WANT TO LIVE IN BARBIELAND AFTER SEEING GRETA GERWIG’S FILM BASED ON ICONIC DOLL! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in Barbie

 

            Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, DC Extended Universe, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) goes from Harley Quinn to real-life Barbie doll in Barbie, the new film from Greta Gerwig (Nights and Weekends, Lady Bird, Little Women (2019)) based on the Mattel toy line of the same name. I should make this clear, I did not grow up with Barbie nor was I the target demographic.

I was a boy who was into superheroes, video games, anime, etc. so I wasn’t exactly interested in Barbie dolls or any girl-targeted toys as a child, gender neutral franchises like The Powerpuff Girls and Kim Possible don’t count. Yeah, this was before Bronies and Equesticles were invented! 

Clearly, I’m the right person to talk about Barbie: The Movie which was hyped up like crazy thanks to an ingenious marketing campaign. From a teaser trailer inspired by the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey that even opens the film up in the beginning to countless cross-promotions and advertisements, not to mention the internet-exploding trend of Barbenheimer where you do a double-feature of this and the new Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer (Which we’ll get to next time), you can tell people regardless of gender and interests were excited for it. 

I was intrigued when the film was first announced with Greta Gerwig as the director and that Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines, La La Land) were cast as Barbie and Ken. What followed was me getting more and more onboard for it with every trailer that came out and thought it could pretty much be the Barbieequivalent of The Lego Movie which sounded fun and could have a lot of potential in terms of social satire and satirizing the brand itself. 

After seeing it, I can’t believe I’m saying this but…I love the Hell out of this movie! This is a wildly funny, remarkably clever film that pays tribute to the brand while also acknowledging its more controversial aspects as well as providing thought-provoking social commentary. In the same year that gave us Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, the two best movies I’ve seen so far have been Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and this which is insane to say. 

The film follows Barbie (Robbie) living in the magical land known as Barbieland (A Barbie Girl living in a Barbie World if you will) enjoying her perfect, pink-filled life. She drives in her pink convertible, goes to the beach, parties all night with other Barbies, and of course hanging out with her boyfriend, Ken (Gosling), everything a Barbie could want. 

But when Barbie mysteriously starts having an existential crisis, she and Ken leave Barbieland and enter the real world to find out the truth. Along the way, they have run-ins with the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell-Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Blades of Glory, Step Brothers), a Mattel employee named Gloria (America Ferrera-The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 and 2, Ugly Betty, How to Train Your Dragon trilogy) and her daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt-Stuck in the Middle, In the Heights, 65) who get roped into helping Barbie on her quest, and a rising conflict that could result in the end of Barbieland as we know it. 

The film also stars Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad, Juno) as Allan, Rhea Perlman (Canadian Bacon, Matilda, The Sessions) as Ruth, Helen Mirren (Excalibur, The Queen, RED 1 and 2) as the Narrator, Jamie Demetriou (Paddington 2, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Cruella) as the CFO of Mattel, Connor Swindells (Emma (2020), Sex Education, SAS: Rogue Heroes) as Aaron Dinkins, Emerald Fennell (Albert Nobbs, Anna Karenina, The Danish Girl) as Midge, Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters (2016), The Spy Who Dumped Me) as Barbie, Issa Rae (Insecure, Little, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) as Barbie, Hari Nef (Mapplethorpe, Assassination Nation, 1Up) as Barbie, Alexandra Shipp (Straight Outta Compton, X-Men franchise, Tick, Tick… Boom!) as Barbie, Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Eiffel, Death on the Nile) as Barbie, Sharon Rooney (Brief Encounters, Two Doors Down, Dumbo (2019)) as Barbie, Ana Cruz Kayne (Little Women (2019), Jerry & Marge Go Large, Painkiller) as Barbie, Dua Lipa as Barbie, Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton, Seize Them!) as Barbie, Ritu Arya (Doctors, Humans, Polite Society) as Barbie, Marisa Abela (Industry, COBRA, Back to Black) as Barbie, Kingsley Ben-Adir (Vera, Peaky Blinders, One Night in Miami…) as Ken, Simu Liu (Kim’s Confidence, Blood and Water, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Ken, Scott Evans (Confessions of a Shopaholic, Grace and Frankie, Almost Love) as Ken, Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education, Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans, Doctor Who) as Ken, Rob Brydon (The Trip franchise, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Early Man) as Sugar Daddy Ken, and John Cena (The Marine, Bumblebee, The Suicide Squad/Peacemaker) as Kenmaid. 

Overall, Barbie is a very well-crafted film that goes places you normally wouldn’t expect a Barbie film to go, and the result is something extremely fun for everyone and surprisingly thought-provoking. I was laughing constantly, and I also found myself getting invested in its themes of patriarchy which actually plays a huge part in the story. 

            I love it when Barbie and Ken first come to the real world and discover that it’s mostly run by men in contrast to the female dominated Barbieland which leads to Ken learning about patriarchy. I also thought the Kens in Barbieland pretty much being treated like women in the real world is a very clever allegory for sexism and leads to some great social commentary. 

            Margot Robbie is a perfect “Stereotypical” Barbie and not just because she already looks like a live-action Barbie. Robbie brings so much energy and charisma to her character whenever she’s onscreen and turns this doll who’s often ridiculed as a one-dimensional bimbo into a fully fleshed-out character with human emotions and story arcs she goes through, I’ve never cared for a Barbie doll before until this movie. 

            Ryan Gosling is also a standout as Ken who is an absolute riot in the film with Gosling delivering some of the best jokes in the movie and has great comedic timing. Like Robbie’s Barbie, Gosling also expands upon the Ken character past the dim-witted, good-looking hunk into honestly, a very interesting character over the course of the film. 

            The production design is stunning and definitely warrants the big screen to be fully immersed in Barbie’s world. From the overabundance of pink colors to the structural designs of the buildings and attention to detail, you can tell the people working on it not only did their research, but also enjoyed doing their research, this deserves a Best Production Design Oscar, just saying. 

            I had a great time with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, on the surface it seems like it would have been what Mamma Mia! was for The Dark Knight (As the fluffy alternative). However, this manages to be much smarter and more entertaining than you would think and a worthy chick flick competitor for the new Christopher Nolan movie out the same weekend. 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One review

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE: 

EXTREMELY FUN SEVENTH “MISSION” BALANCES ITS ADRENALINE-PUMPED ACTION WITH A BOLD, THOUGHT-PROVOKING STORYLINE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Esai Morales, and Vanessa Kirby in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

 

            Tom Cruise (Top Gun 1 and 2, Minority Report, Edge of Tomorrow) is back as Ethan Hunt for the seventh time in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the latest installment of the Mission: Impossible film series loosely based off the television series of the same name. This marks the first film in the series not to involve J.J. Abrams since 2000’s Mission: Impossible 2 though Rogue Nation and Fallout director, Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun, Jack Reacher) is back in the chair. 

            I’ve enjoyed the Mission: Impossible movies despite not having seen much of the original TV series, I think they’re very well-crafted and exhilarating action films that has a lot of tension, exciting scenes, and a charismatic Tom Cruise at the center of it. However, while I liked Mission: Impossible 1-3, even I’ll admit the series never fully got great until 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol which was a no hold barred adrenaline rush with some of the best action and stunts in the entire series and an equally memorable supporting cast including Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner…it was also incredible in IMAX. 

            Pretty much, whenever I decide to go back to the Mission: Impossible films, it’s almost always Ghost Protocol,Rogue Nation, or Fallout because the later installments take the franchise’s formula and elevates it to the next level with each new entry. Naturally, I was excited for Dead Reckoning Part One, the first two-part sequel in the series with Part Two being released later next year. 

            And just like Ghost Protocol-Fallout, I had an absolute blast with this movie and was constantly on the edge of my seat throughout the entire film. However, this time around the film manages to balance its high-octane action and stunts with a surprisingly relevant storyline regarding artificial intelligence (That’s not a joke, BTW). 

            The film follows IMF agent, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team, Luther (Ving Rhames-Pulp Fiction, Con Air,Entrapment) and Benji (Simon Pegg-Cornetto trilogy, Star Trek franchise, Paul) being tasked with obtaining a powerful new weapon, an artificial intelligence weapon known as the Entity that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. However, when Ethan loses part of the key to unlocking the Entity to professional thief, Grace (Hayley Atwell-The Duchess, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Christopher Robin) she reluctantly becomes his new ally in this daring, globe-traveling mission to keep the Entity out of the hands of a powerful terrorist known as Gabriel (Esai Morales-Fast Food Nation, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire, Titans).

            The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson (The Girl on the Train, Doctor Sleep, Dune: Parts 1 and 2) reprising her role as disavowed MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Napoleon) reprising her role as black-market arms dealer Alanna Mitsopolis, Pom Klementieff (Oldboy (2013), Ingrid Goes West, Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Paris, Henry Czerny (Clear and Present Danger, Ready or Not, Scream VI) reprising his role from the first Mission: Impossible as IMF and CIA director Eugene Kittridge, Shea Whigham (Silver Linings Playbook, The Wolf of Wall Street, Fast & Furious franchise) as Jasper Briggs, and Greg Tarzan Davis (Tales from the Hood 2, Grey’s Anatomy, Top Gun: Maverick) as Degas. 

            Overall, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One continues to elevate the franchise’s formula even further with thoroughly exciting results and a surprisingly relevant story to boot. Normally, I go see Mission: Impossible movies for the action, suspense, and Tom Cruise doing what he does best, but with this outing I found myself getting very invested in the narrative surrounding artificial intelligence which adds a layer of timeliness and intrigue on top of the adrenaline-pumped action. 

            It’s a silly action movie where Tom Cruise drives off a cliff on a motorcycle and runs through a train as it’s falling down said cliff, but it isn’t afraid to also be smart at the same time. Especially since how far ai has come in recent years with films like this, M3GAN, and the upcoming Gareth Edwards sci-fi film, The Creator (Which I saw the trailer for before this movie) providing bold social commentary on it.  

            As expected, the action sequences are spectacular, but not only do I think they’re incredible, they’re some of the best in the entire series with an exciting and somewhat comedic car chase sequence through Rome involving Tom Cruise driving an old tiny Fiat car to a phenomenal climax in a train that constantly builds on top of itself as it goes on and (almost) gives the Spider-Man and Doc Ock train fight from Spider-Man 2 a run for its money. 

            Tom Cruise is still as egotistically charismatic as ever, but he’s also given plenty of screen-time with Mission: Impossible newcomer, Hayley Atwell. I think she is a wonderful addition to the Mission: Impossible family as a beautiful woman who may or may not be trustworthy, the banter between her and Cruise is a lot of fun, and the two of them do have a likable chemistry together. 

            Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is a consistently exciting and at times intelligent summer blockbuster that honestly puts most of this year’s summer releases to shame. Here’s one that delivers the goods and never runs out of steam (No pun intended), like last year’s Top Gun: Maverick, it’s a summer blockbuster that reminds us exactly what the big screen was made for and I cannot wait for Part Two to hit theaters next year. 

Insidious: The Red Door review

INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR: 

MIDDLING FINAL CHAPTER HAS SOME SCARES BUT IS MORE OF THE SAME! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

SCREEN GEMS AND STAGE 6 FILMS

Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne, and Lin Shaye in Insidious: The Red Door

 

            The demonic entities of the Red Door have been unleashed (again) in Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth and final chapter of the Insidious film series dating all the way back to 2010. I actually revisited the first two films and watched the third and fourth installments for the first time throughout the week leading up to this review. 

            While none of the films really do much new with this kind of formula, I do enjoy the first Insidious and consider it a fun throwback to classic haunted house horror movies with familiar but effective scares, stellar camera work, and good performances from the cast. Most of the sequels are more of the same with little surprises though I did like 2015’s Insidious: Chapter 3 quite a bit, it had some decent scares, and I was invested in the teenage girl bound to a wheelchair trying to communicate with the ghost of her deceased mother, the best of the sequels in my opinion. 

            After the disappointment of 2018’s Insidious: The Last Key, the filmmakers decided to go back to the franchise’s roots and continue the storyline of the first two films with Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, The Conjuringfranchise, Aquaman who is also directing this outing), Rose Byrne (Damages, X-Men franchise, Neighbors 1 and 2), and Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3, Jurassic World, The Whale) reprising their roles from Insidious and 2013’s Insidious: Chapter 2. This wasn’t super high on my agenda, but I figured since I’ve never reviewed an Insidious movie before, why not watch all the movies and review the new film? 

            Now that I’ve seen it, I can say that Insidious: The Red Door is…better than The Last Key, but still a middling chapter in the series. It has some genuine scares and even some clever ideas being explored from time to time, but the basic narrative is more of what’s already been done in the other films. 

            Set nine years after the events of Insidious: Chapter 2, Josh Lambert (Wilson) is now divorced from his wife Renai (Byrne), his mother Lorraine has died, and his memories of being possessed in the Further have been repressed. When his now college-aged son Dalton (Simpkins) accidentally unleashes the Red Door’s demons back into his family’s lives, he along with his father must reenter the Further and face their family’s dark past and new terrors that lurk behind the door in hopes of putting these demons to rest for good. 

            The film also stars Hiam Abbas (Munich, Blade Runner 2049, Succession) as Professor Armagan, the film’s producer and Insidious 3 director Leigh Whannell (Upgrade, The Invisible Man (2020)) reprising his role as Specs, Angus Sampson (The Mule (2014), Mad Max: Fury Road, Mortal Kombat (2021)) reprising his role as Tucker, and Lin Shaye (Critters, Snakes on a Plane, Ouija 1 and 2) reprising her role as Elise. 

            Overall, Insidious: The Red Door has some inventive scares and creepy visuals, but…it’s just another Insidiousmovie that doesn’t need to exist. If you’ve seen the other movies, you know exactly what you’re going to get with this, a lot of cheap jump scares, creepy monsters lunging at the screen, and themes about venturing into the spirit world. 

            The plot also feels too overstuffed with Dalton getting attacked by demons at his college and uncovering the truth behind his coma from the first film and the second plotline revolving around Josh trying to reconnect with his ex-wife and relearning about the time he got possessed. Because the film is all about remembering events from the other movies, it doesn’t really expand upon the mythos or possibilities surrounding the Further or the Red Door and instead just recites details that we already know from the earlier films. 

            There are some inventive scares in the film with some of my favorites involving a drawing of the Red Door that Dalton drew in art class which ignites the plot as well as a very unique way of defeating the demons in the end related to said drawing. Also, some of the creepy visuals and camera shots are a lot of fun to look at as well so I can at least appreciate it on a technical aspect despite the weak narrative. 

            Most of the acting is decent but nothing spectacular Patrick Wilson is a fine leading man much like his role in the Conjuring movies though he’s more of a supporting character this time around, I didn’t like Ty Simpkins’ college Dalton at first and though he was too ungrateful but he got more likable as the film went on, and Sinclair Daniel is a standout as Dalton’s roommate Chris and gets some good laughs. Even when they have to say terrible lines like acknowledging “Cooties” twice or “What’s the worst that could happen?”, the cast is at least competent enough to work through it all. 

            Sadly, that’s about all I have to say about Insidious: The Red Door, it’s not a terrible movie nor is it the worst of the Insidious films, but it doesn’t offer much new nor does it elaborate or expand upon the mythos that was established 13 years ago. If you love all the other movies and just want to see how it ends, there’s no harm in going to it, but if you’re looking for a clever, terrifying, and genuinely engaging horror film, watch something else.