Deadpool Reviews, Fully-Loaded!

DEADPOOL REVIEWS, FULLY-LOADED! 

DEADPOOL: 

A VULGAR, VIOLENT, AND MEAN-SPIRITED MARVEL COMICS MOVIE IN THE BEST WAYS!

By Nico Beland 

Movie Review: **** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX AND MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth, Deadpool

 

Where do I start with this movie? After last year’s colossally disappointing Fantastic Four movie, 20^th Century Fox gives one more shot at adapting a popular Marvel Comics superhero into a movie. In an age where the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers films seem to be the big superhero moneymakers, sometimes you want something a little different in your comic book entertainment that doesn't have the Mickey Mouse ears on it and while there's been plenty of superhero movies for adults before this, very few of them were as well-regarded or successful as more family-friendly, PG-13 comic book movies we get now. 

            So, seeing how they “Supposedly” used Deadpool before in the 2009 X-Men prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Ryan Reynolds (National Lampoon's Van Wilder, The Proposal, Green Lantern) portraying the character, 20^th Century Fox decided to give Deadpool his own movie with Reynolds reprising the role. And wow, talk about the complete opposite of the X-Men Origins Deadpool, this Deadpool is cocky, arrogant, violent, egocentric, vulgar, fourth-wall breaking, always cracking one-liners, should I keep going? To put it simply, I loved every minute of this film and might even be among my favorite comic book movies. 

            Parents and guardians of young children, I know a lot of you like to take your kids to see comic book movies but HEAR THESE WORDS COMING OUT OF MY GODDAMN MOUTH! Do Not, I repeat DO NOT take your kids to see this one (Actually, take the kids to this one, everyone should see this movie)! That’s right, this is the first R-rated Marvel movie since 2008’s Punisher: War Zone and the first R-rated X-Men movie for good reasons. 

            Unlike the child-friendly X-Men or Fantastic 4 movies, Deadpool makes gritty and darkly comical superhero entertainment popular again, it’s bloody, foul-mouthed, filled with lots of sex jokes, and of course those Fucking F-Bombs. On top of all that, it also has a strong story, surprisingly lovable characters, and even a few heartfelt moments woven into the ultra-violence and comedy. 

            The film follows Wade Wilson (Reynolds), who spends his time as a hired mercenary protecting teenage girls from stalkers. He soon meets the sexy, Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin-Firefly, Stargate SG-1,Gotham) and the two of them get together and have sex every Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays nobody really cares about. 

They’re just living an awesome life, until they discover that Wade has a supposedly incurable cancer, so they try to make the best of what he has left. In comes The Recruiter (Jed Rees-The X-Files, Hawkeye, Galaxy Quest) of the secret Weapon X program enlists Wade into the program to possibly cure his cancer and make him not just better, but better than better. 

So, after countless considerations and chats with his bartender friend, Weasel (T.J. Miller-How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Big Hero 6), Wade decides to go through the experiment being handled by Francis Freeman (Ed Skrein-Game of Thrones, The Transporter: Refueled) to remove his cancer and apparently become a superhero. At least that’s what The Recruiter tells Wade, but after the mutation serum is injected into Wade and several days of being tortured by Angel Dust (Gina Carano-Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, Extraction) to activate the mutation, Wade transforms into a hideous freak of nature that resembles Freddy Krueger’s face fucking a topographical map of Utah and an avocado having sex with an older, more disgusting avocado, as quoted by Miller. 

Wade suits up and becomes the foul-mouthed superhero, Deadpool, armed with ninja swords, firepower, a bad mouth, and constant fourth wall breaks to hunt down the bastards that deformed his face and possibly his sex life. On a quest for vengeance against Francis, Deadpool teams up with X-Men mutants, Colossus (Stefan Kapicic-24, The Brothers Bloom, Big Miracle) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), a superfast mutant who makes Sonic the Hedgehog look like a snail, to slaughter the bad guys and hopefully get back together with Vanessa. 

Overall, Deadpool knows exactly what it wants to be, a different type of superhero movie that doesn’t rely on any of the traditional comic book movie clichés and delivers a fun, energetic movie that’s worth multiple viewings, at least that’s what I got out of it. 

The movie did not disappoint, especially for a February comic book movie release, because this is usually the time where mediocre or just plain bad comic book movies are released. Remember the Ben Affleck Daredevil movie or the Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider movies? Yeah, those came out around this time, but fortunately for us, Deadpool shoots those motherfuckers down and gives us a thoroughly enjoyable February comic book movie release that doesn't fall victim to its predecessors' trappings. 

I'll admit it is a little strange to see the R-rated Deadpool take place in the more PG-13 X-Men universe especially with how different the tones are. The X-Men movies are more serious and tackles heavy themes like prejudice and here we have Deadpool slicing bad guys up and making wise cracks in the same universe. 

I don't know what else to say, I had such a great time with Deadpool and it gave me exactly what I wanted to see in a film based on this character. If you’re a fan of over-the-top action doused in blood and other adult-oriented comic book movies like The Crow, Sin City, Watchmen, or Kick-Ass, you’ll definitely enjoy this film, I loved it and I look forward to more viewings of it in the future. 

See it or I’ll cut your fucking head off, stab your friends with swords and make a kabob out of them! 

 

Take it away Pool!

 

DEADPOOL 2:

RYAN REYNOLDS KEEPS THE LAUGHS AND GORE COMING IN SUPER FUN SEQUEL!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX AND MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

(From left to right) Domino, Deadpool, and Cable showing the Avengers how it’s done in Deadpool 2

 

The Merc with a Mouth from Marvel Comics returns in the highly anticipated sequel to the 2016 blockbuster hit that breathed new life into the R-rated superhero movie genre, Deadpool. The film broke numerous box-office records upon its release, earned positive reviews from critics (Becoming the first February superhero movie release to do so…as far as I know), unintentionally became the highest-grossing X-Men movie of all time, and saved the superhero movie career of Ryan Reynolds (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, The Proposal, The Hitman’s Bodyguard). 

Naturally a sequel was in the works, which had a lot to live up to after the huge success of the first film. I was both excited to see Reynolds portray Wade Wilson/Deadpool again and to see some humorously over-the-top manslaughter, but also worried that it would be much of the same with little variety. 

Well, the studio that killed Wolverine (Yeah, little spoiler from Logan), the comic book company that killed almost everyone (I’ll stop now!), and Tim Miller, the director of the first film passing over the directing task to David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde) managed to deliver a very enjoyable follow-up with Deadpool 2. It delivers all the gory, over-the-top, 4^th wall breaking goodness that the first film offered and introduces some new characters without it ever feeling like a retread of the first movie though there are a few familiar jokes put in, but they put a new spin to them. 

After a successful two years of working as the mercenary, Deadpool, Wade Wilson finds himself being roped into becoming an X-Men trainee by Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić-Larin izbor, The Brothers Bloom, Big Miracle) in hopes of turning him from a vulgar, wise-cracking, killing machine (You know, everything that made him cool) to a real hero (And by that I mean a spandex wearing tool, what’s next, are you gonna give Deadpool a fucking shield or something?). Unfortunately, Wade’s first day as a trainee doesn’t quite go over well as he must protect a mysterious young mutant named Russell/Firefist (Julian Dennison-Paper Planes, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) from the time-traveling mutant soldier, Thanos, er, I mean Cable (Josh Brolin-True Grit (2010), Men in Black 3, Marvel Cinematic Universe) (Fuck, it’s so confusing when he’s in 2 big superhero movies this summer!) who is out to eliminate him for murdering his family. 

To even stand a chance against Cable, Wade must put together a team (and I ain’t talking about those Avengers douchebags!) of people with extraordinary gifts…and the ability to hold a franchise. I am of course talking…about the X-Force consisting of luck manipulating, Domino (Zazie Beetz-Atlanta, Easy, Wolves), brain scrambling, Bedlam (Terry Crews-Starsky & Hutch, The Boondocks, Sorry to Bother You), alien from Mojoworld (I would make a Powerpuff Girls joke there but…I don’t want to!), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan-NCIS: Los Angeles, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Iron Fist), acidic vomit spitting, Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård-The Divergent Series: Allegiant, Atomic Blonde, It), The Invisible…Vanisher (Brad Pitt-Fight Club, Inglourious Basterds, Moneyball), and...some guy named Peter (Rob Delaney-The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest, Key & Peele, Catastrophe), and with the help of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand-First Girl I Loved, Tragedy Girls, The Exorcist (TV series)) Deadpool will be ready to face Cable and give him a good T-bag though maybe Cable might not be as bad as he initially thought as Wade attempts to rehabilitate Russell so he doesn't have to be killed...or some shit like that! 

The film also stars Morena Baccarin (Firefly, Gotham, Stargate SG-1, V) as Vanessa, T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley, How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2, Big Hero 6) as Weasel, singer, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, Other Space, Ghostbusters (2016)) as Dopinder, Shiori Kutsuna (Unforgiven (2013), Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, The Outsider) as Yukio, and Reynolds as the voice of the Juggernaut, bitch! 

Overall, Deadpool 2, like its predecessor is a zany, fast-paced, and outrageous departure from the traditional superhero movie genre, while still maintaining some of the genre’s elements that make comic book movies popular in the first place. Luckily the flashy superhero movie tropes don’t overshadow the gory and relentlessly violent action and irreverent humor that Deadpool is known for, and you certainly get plenty of that in the sequel (After all, some of the best family films start with murders). 

Even with all the violence and insanity going on, Deadpool still remains a likable character, despite his comedically over-the-top and at times annoying antics and attitude. He enjoys what he does but he’s never made out to be a bad guy and he has moments of humanity and heart especially with him trying to set Russell on a better path, though not quite as much as someone like Iron Man or Thor. 

The humor is…I mean, come on, it’s Deadpool of course it hits in all the right places, literally from the opening credits parodying the James Bond franchise set to a Celine Dion song to the mid-credits sequences I was laughing and having a great time all the way through. Sadly, there is no Ferris Bueller ending this time around, so don’t bother waiting for the credits to end here except for the Omen-inspired Holy Shitballs operatic Juggernaut theme that plays at the very end. 

I'm not sure if I'd say Deadpool 2 is better than the first movie, but I will say it’s as good as its predecessor. I felt the first one had more of an impact because it was new and superhero movies for adults were sort of losing popularity so it was refreshing to see an R-rated comic book movie that ended up being a huge critical and commercial success. 

Deadpool 2 is a return to feel-good superhero movies after Avengers: Infinity War depressed us all to death a few weeks prior. If you loved the first one (Like I did), then you’re sure to enjoy the sequel just as much…but make sure you don’t bring the kids with you, just saying (Bring them!). 

 

ONCE UPON A DEADPOOL:

PG-13 RE-EDIT OF DEADPOOL 2 IS SURPRISINGLY FUNNY!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

20^TH CENTURY FOX AND MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

Deadpool and Fred Savage bringing some family-friendly superhero magic this holiday in Once Upon a Deadpool

 

The Merc with a Mouth loses his hysterically foul mouth as well as his over-the-top violent edge in the superhero movie event for the entire family, Once Upon a Deadpool (and that’s not at all a joke). The film is actually a re-edited version of Deadpool 2 with zero “F’s” to give, no gore, and brand-new footage shot featuring former child actor, Fred Savage (The Princess Bride, The Wizard, The Wonder Years) as himself. 

            Obviously, Deadpool and PG-13 should never be in the same sentence and had this been a completely original movie, it would have crashed and burned. Most of the fun of Deadpool comes from the fact that it is R rated and intended for mature audiences, with extreme violence, raunchy humor, and a gleefully profane parody of superhero conventions, so I was very concerned about this re-release, would it still have sparks of Deadpool’s cynical edge or would he be eating shawarma with Mickey and the Avengers?

            I’m happy to say Once Upon a Deadpool manages to embrace its PG-13 rating and has fun with it in classic Deadpool fashion, but it’s far from being a replacement for its much superior R-rated predecessors. It’s an interesting experiment but not how I would want viewers under 17 to be introduced to the character.

            The film follows Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds-National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) as he kidnaps former child star, Fred Savage, recreates the bedroom set from The Princess Bride, and tells him the story of a family-friendly version of Deadpool 2 against his will. You know what? Because I’m a lazy fudge, I’ll just go ahead and slap on the plot synopsis from my original Deadpool 2 review except comedically censored for the PG-13 audience! 

            Anyway, after a successful two years of working as the mercenary, Deadpool, Wade Wilson finds himself being roped into becoming an X-Men trainee by Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić-Larin izbor, The Brothers Bloom, Big Miracle) in hopes of turning him from a vulgar, wise-cracking, killing machine (You know, everything that made him cool) to a real hero (And by that I mean a spandex wearing idiot, what’s next, are you gonna give Deadpool a frickin' shield or something?). Unfortunately, Wade’s first day as a trainee doesn’t quite go over well as he must protect a mysterious young mutant named Russell/Firefist (Julian Dennison-Paper Planes, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) from the time-traveling mutant soldier, Thanos er, I mean Cable (Josh Brolin-True Grit (2010), Men in Black 3, Marvel Cinematic Universe) who is out to eliminate him for murdering his family. 

            To even stand a chance against Cable, Wade must put together a team (and I ain’t talking about those Avengers folks!) of people with extraordinary gifts…and the ability to hold a franchise. I am of course talking…about the X-Force consisting of luck manipulating, Domino (Zazie Beetz-Atlanta, Easy, Wolves), brain scrambling, Bedlam (Terry Crews-Starsky & Hutch, The Boondocks, Sorry to Bother You), alien from Mojoworld (I would make a Powerpuff Girls joke there but…I don’t want to!), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan-NCIS: Los Angeles, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Iron Fist), acidic vomit spitting, Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård-The Divergent Series: Allegiant, Atomic Blonde, It), The Invisible…Vanisher (Brad Pitt-Fight Club, Inglourious Basterds, Moneyball), and...some guy named Peter (Rob Delaney-The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest, Key & Peele, Catastrophe), and with the help of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand-First Girl I Loved, Tragedy Girls, The Exorcist (TV series)) Deadpool will be ready to face Cable and give him a good butt kicking though maybe Cable might not be as bad as he initially thought as Wade attempts to rehabilitate Russell so he doesn't have to be killed...or some crap like that! 

.            The film also stars Morena Baccarin (Firefly, Gotham, Stargate SG-1, V) as Vanessa, T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley, How to Train Your Dragon, Big Hero 6) as Weasel, singer, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, Other Space, Ghostbusters (2016)) as Dopinder, Shiori Kutsuna (Unforgiven (2013), Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, The Outsider) as Yukio, and Reynolds as the voice of the Juggernaut, female dog! 

            Overall, Once Upon a Deadpool is funny for those who have seen the previous two Deadpool movies and are able to run along with the joke. It’s intentionally played safe and some of the profanity replacements do get a few good laughs, but other times they don’t quite land, which is why I consider this more as an interesting experiment rather than a movie you rush out to see in the theater.

            In my opinion, the highlights are the homages to The Princess Bride with Deadpool telling the story to a grown Fred Savage in bed. These scenes lead to some of the best jokes in the entire film with a bizarre but surprisingly amusing team-up. 

            When it’s just edited scenes from Deadpool 2, they range from being funny to almost like you’re watching a butchered version of it on cable TV (and I’m sure nobody else has ever made a joke about cable TV and Cable). I probably would be more onboard with the idea if it was something like a special version of the movie for its Blu-Ray release, kind of like the Unrated Super Duper Cut of the movie rather than something I need to buy a ticket to see. 

            Imagine if they re-edited South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut to a PG-13 and re-released it in theaters. You had to purchase a ticket to watch an edited version of South Park in a movie theater when you can get that exact same result on TV for free, and it probably won’t be as funny.

 

            If you’re really curious to see how a PG-13 version of Deadpool would play out, then I’d say Once Upon a Deadpool is worth at least a viewing. However, if you’re looking to introduce the character to people under 17, I guarantee you’ll have a much better time just showing them the original R-rated movies or sneak-watch them when your parents aren't around.

 

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: 

FUCK DARK PHOENIX, THIS IS THE SENDOFF TO FOX’S MARVEL MOVIES WE DESERVE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

MARVEL STUDIOS

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine

 

Everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, relentlessly violent, and 4^th wall breaking superhero is back and so is the mutant with adamantium claws who got impaled by a fucking tree in Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and third installment of the Deadpool trilogy. If you read my reviews for the previous films, you know I loved the hell out of the Deadpool movies with the first film from 2016 being such a damn good introduction to the character as someone who had never read his comics prior to the movie. 

I love the attitude, humor, graphic violence, and most importantly the character himself and Ryan Reynolds’ performance who pretty much made the movie. Despite his relentless methods of taking out bad guys and his reliance on irreverent humor, I found Deadpool to be an endearing character and does have his share of heartfelt moments especially with Morena Baccarin’s Vanessa who are absolutely adorable together even with Wade’s fucked up looking face. 

             The 2018 sequel, Deadpool 2 is also an enjoyable time though it didn’t quite have the same impact on me as the first, but I always have a blast whenever I put it on. The violence and humor are still great as well as the introductions of fan-favorite characters like Domino, Cable, and Peter (Peter is an essential part of this franchise staying afloat!), and the chemistry between Deadpool and this troubled mutant kid he befriends is very strong. 

            Now, we have the third installment directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum trilogy, Real Steel, Free Guy) with Ryan Reynolds (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, The Proposal, Free Guy) reprising his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and this time he’s bringing along Hugh Jackman (The Prestige, Prisoners, Eddie the Eagle) in his first appearance as Wolverine since 2017’s Logan and they’re now invading the MCU. Well, I have to say Deadpool & Wolverine is the best MCU movie I’ve seen since Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 and helped bring back my excitement for the franchise after a slew of goods, duds, and what the fuck was MODOK? 

            Sometime after the events of Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has hung up the red suit and given up being the masked mercenary Deadpool. Wade now works as a used car salesman alongside his friend and former X-Force member Peter (Rob Delaney-Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Bombshell, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One) after breaking up with his girlfriend, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin-Firefly, Stargate SG-1, Gotham). 

            But Wade is soon taken by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) under command by Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen-Pride & Prejudice, Frost/Nixon, Anna Karenina) who offers Wade a chance to become a hero in the Sacred Universe (In other words, the Avengers universe) at the cost of his own world. Tempting offer, but Mr. Paradox is gonna have to fuck off as Wade suits up as Deadpool once again and travels the multiverse to find the one thing that could save his world, or person…or mutant fuck it! That being Logan/Wolverine (Jackman) or rather a Wolverine from a different universe because the Wolverine from his universe (The Fox X-Men universe) was killed at the end of Logan. 

            Wolverine reluctantly decides to help Deadpool save his universe while also learning how to be a hero to Wade’s universe after letting down his own. However, a threat comes in the form of Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin-The Crown, My Policeman, Nosferatu) who commands the mysterious realm known as the Void with a plot to destroy all universes and Deadpool, Wolverine (and a few others) must suit up and kick some ass to save not just Wade’s world but the entire multiverse. 

            The film also stars Leslie Uggams (Roots, All My Children, American Fiction) reprising her role as Blind Al, Aaron Stanford (The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Nikita, 12 Monkeys) reprising his role from X2: X-Men United and X-Men 3: The Last Stand as John Allerdyce/Pyro, Karan Soni (Safety Not Guaranteed, Ghostbusters (2016), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) reprising his role as Dopinder, Brianna Hildebrand (First Girl I Loved, Trinkets, Runt) reprising her role as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapičić (Big Miracle, Better Call Saul, The Last Voyage of the Demeter) reprising his role as the voice of Colossus. 

            Overall, Deadpool & Wolverine is a blood-drenched good time throughout and a long overdue return to great MCU films. Who would have thought all it took for Disney to make an awesome Marvel movie again was an R rating and two characters that weren’t originally from that universe? But I’ll gladly take that over Quantumania and Love and Fucking Thunder any day! 

            What really makes the movie work is the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, they are so much fun to watch and listen to together whether they’re bantering, kicking ass (Sometimes kicking each other’s asses), or just simply talking about each other’s problems and failures. It’s a perfect team-up and a large part of that is the charm of Reynolds and Jackman whether comedic or serious. 

            Big surprise, the movie is also quite funny and not in that bullshit MCU Comedy way with jabs at the MCU, 20^th Century Fox’s Marvel movies, Disney, etc., the funniest opening to a Marvel movie since Chris Pratt dancing in the cave in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and they somehow managed to work in a Will Smith slap joke involving Canada (Which is hilarious for me because I saw the trailer for this in front of the newest Bad Boys movie this year). 

            The action is a lot of fun and retains the gore of the previous Deadpool films and Logan and it’s just awesome to see Deadpool and Wolverine come up with creative ways to take enemies down together. From a great action sequence during the opening credits (That are sadly not self-aware like the earlier films) to a phenomenal scene with Deadpool and Logan fighting each other inside a car. 

            There’s also a lot of fan-service with a ton of characters from various universes appearing and references to other Marvel and superhero movies. I won’t be giving any away, but I was delighted by the familiar faces that showed up including one portrayed by an actor who would eventually be in the MCU. 

            Deadpool & Wolverine is the film the MCU desperately needed and a satisfying sendoff to Fox’s Marvel movies. If you enjoyed the previous Deadpools, you’ll have a blast with this one, grab your red mask, sharpen your claws, and LFG…and by that I mean Let’s Fucking Go! 

 

Watchmen: Chapter 1 review

WATCHMEN: CHAPTER I: 

ANIMATED DC FILM BRINGS THE PAGES OF THE ICONIC GRAPHIC NOVEL TO LIFE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

WARNER BROS. ANIMATION AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen: Chapter 1

 

            The Watchmen are back in Watchmen: Chapter 1, the first part of a new animated film adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ groundbreaking graphic novel, Watchmen. The original comic miniseries that was published between 1986 and 1987 was truly ahead of its time as it portrayed superheroes in a very different light compared to heroes like Superman or Batman by putting them in a grungy, Cold War environment where vigilantes are outlawed and ridiculed by the general public and having them deal with morally complex and extremely adult dilemmas. 

            It is also one of the best comics ever written with interesting characters, bold themes that weren’t explored much in comics at the time, and a thoroughly engaging story, I even enjoyed the 2009 Watchmen film adaptation from Zack Snyder. Sure, it’s not a perfect movie and the graphic novel is infinitely better, but I still stand by it’s a solid and mostly faithful adaptation of the source material, plus the release of the movie got me interested in checking out the original comic in the first place. 

            There’s no denying the legacy of the Watchmen comic as not only did it spawn the 2009 live-action movie, but also an animated tie-in short segment based on the Tales of the Black Freighter storyline, an animated motion comic also released around the same time as the movie, the prequel and sequel comics Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock, a live-action miniseries on HBO serving as a sequel to the comic (Was that show any good?), and now a 2-part animated movie adaptation of the comic. I was curious to see how this animated version of the story would play out and if it would have more of the depth from the comic that the 2009 film lacked.

            I’ll admit it’s hard to compare this to the previous film version since Watchmen: Chapter 1 is not a complete package and is only the first half of a larger story and if you’ve read the comic or seen the Zack Snyder movie it doesn’t really do anything different with its narrative. But in terms of capturing the feel and spirit of the pages of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ comic then Watchmen: Chapter 1 delivers.

            The film is set in an alternate 1985 where masked vigilantes are outlawed by a society no longer enchanted by superheroes due to the Keene Act of 1977 and follows a group of former superheroes who reassemble after one of their own, the sociopathic and bad-tempered Edward Blake/The Comedian (voiced by Rick D. Wasserman-The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Batman: The Killing Joke, Constantine: City of Demons) was murdered. The heroes consisting of Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II (voiced by Matthew Rhys-Brothers & Sisters, The Americans, The Owl House), Laurie Juspeczyk/Silk Spectre II (voiced by Katee Sackhoff-Battlestar Galactica, Robot Chicken, The Mandalorian), the last of the outlawed vigilantes Rorschach (voiced by Titus Welliver-Sons of Anarchy, The Town, Argo), a super-being with godlike powers known as Dr. Manhattan (voiced by Michael Cerveris-Fringe, Treme, Ant-Man and the Wasp), and retired superhero turned business tycoon Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (voiced by Troy Baker-Marvel Animated Universe, DC Animated Universe, The Legend of Vox Machina) band together to investigate The Comedian’s murder only to discover an elaborate and deadly conspiracy that they are all connected to. 

            The film also features the voices of Adrienne Barbeau (Escape from New York, Swamp Thing, Argo) as Sally Jupiter/Silk Spectre, Corey Burton (The Transformers, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond) as Captain Metropolis, Geoff Pierson (24, Dexter, Young Justice) as Hollis Mason/Nite Owl, Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animatorfranchise, Star Trek franchise, Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham) as Edgar Jacobi/Moloch, John Marshall Jones (Con Air, Smart Guy, Bosch) as Hooded Justice, Yuri Lowenthal (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Spider-Man (Insomniac video games)) as Wally Weaver, and Kari Wahlgren (Ben 10, Wolverine and the X-Men, Rick and Morty) as Janey Slater. 

            Overall, Watchmen: Chapter 1 probably won’t win over those not already familiar with the source material, but for those who love the original comic and/or even the Zack Snyder movie are sure to appreciate the film’s faithfulness and how it visually captures the comic’s panels (Though the Snyder film also did that pretty effectively as well). It’s honestly an easy movie to recommend to someone “Are you a fan of the Watchmen comic and/or movie and want to see it adapted in animation form? Then, go watch it!”, it doesn’t try to be anything more than that which isn’t a strike against it. 

            I think this adaptation of Watchmen really benefits from it being split into two parts because it allows certain aspects of the comic that were either removed or trimmed down in the 2009 movie because of time to be expanded upon such as the Tales of the Black Freighter segments that beautifully depict the panels from the comic set to narration and more philosophical themes and deeper character development compared to Snyder’s version. Hard to say right now since Chapter 1 is the only release out at the moment so hopefully when Chapter 2 gets made and released it’ll continue to flesh out more details and lore that the Snyder film glossed over. 

            I’m torn on the animation (The film is CG animated) because on one hand it captures the look and feel of the comic very faithfully, but the characters’ animation and movements seem like they just came out of the 2003 Spider-Man animated series and look very awkward at times. Maybe had the film gone for more of a Spider-Verse-style or traditionally animated like other DC animated features, I think it would have looked a lot better and fit the style of the comics but as is it took a while for me to get used to the animation. 

            Watchmen: Chapter 1 is a solid animated adaptation of one of the most game-changing and influential comic books of all time. I may enjoy the 2009 movie version and am a lot more nostalgic towards it, but I’ll go ahead and say this one has a better understanding of the source material thanks to it being a 2-part movie and thus allowing more time to flesh out details from the comic. 

            If you’re a fan of the comic and/or even the Zack Snyder movie, you’ll definitely want to check out this animated movie version of one of the best comics ever made. 

The Crow review

THE CROW: 

THIS “CROW” UPDATE IS IRONICALLY DEADER THAN ERIC DRAVEN HIMSELF! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: * ½ out of 4

LIONSGATE

Bill Skarsgård in The Crow

 

            Much like the Eric Draven character, the Crow franchise has been resurrected in this new reboot of The Crow based on James O’Barr’s comic book series of the same name. I should make this clear, I have never read the comic the film is based on though I have seen the 1994 movie adaptation starring the late Brandon Lee many times which is freaking awesome. 

            One of the all-time greatest comic book movies? No, but the 1994 Crow has a neat visual style reminiscent of Tim Burton’s Batman, Brandon Lee is phenomenal in the titular role, and it’s just a fun, kickass superhero movie that spilled blood on the ground before Blade and Deadpool hit the scene and couldn’t be replicated as evidenced in the Crow sequels that came after. 

            After a disappointing theatrical sequel with 1996’s The Crow: City of Angels (Also, one of the worst comic book movies I’ve ever seen!) and two equally subpar direct-to-DVD sequels, The Crow: Salvation and The Crow: Wicked Prayer from 2000 and 2005, director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman, Ghost in the Shell (2017)) has accepted the challenge of bringing this dead franchise back to life with his take on The Crow. The news definitely caught the internet by storm with many people being outraged over its announcement long before it even gained traction (The project was originally announced back in 2017 under Sony Pictures) and deeming it as an insult against Lee’s legacy. 

            I was somewhat open to it when Bill Skarsgård (It: Chapters 1 and 2, John Wick: Chapter 4, Boy Kills World) was announced to portray Eric Draven/The Crow in the movie. He probably wouldn’t have lived up to Brandon Lee from the original film, but I was optimistic that he could bring his own unique spin to it…then the trailer came out and I sank and the film itself didn’t help. 

            The 2024 version of The Crow is the kind of bad movie that makes you feel absolutely goddamn nothing while you’re watching it and very much fails to live up to the 1994 film in just about every way while also failing as a standalone movie. I honestly wish this was a giant dumpster fire like Madame Web or the 2015 Fantastic Four because at least I would have felt something during my viewing. 

            The film follows Eric (Skarsgård), a man who endured a troubled childhood and resides at an institution for troubled youth. There he meets and befriends a young woman named Shelly (FKA Twigs-Honey Boy) and the two of them fall in love after escaping from the institution. 

            But when Eric and Shelly are murdered by men sent by a demonic crime lord known as Roeg (Danny Huston-21 Grams, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Wonder Woman), Eric is mysteriously resurrected with the inability to die and takes his vengeance against the men who murdered his lover as the vigilante, The Crow. 

            The film also stars Josette Simon (Blake’s 7, Wonder Woman, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) as Sophia, Laura Birn (A Walk Among the Tombstones) as Marian, Sami Bouajila (The Siege, Days of Glory, Outside the Law) as Kronos, and Jordan Bolger (Peaky Blinders, The Book of Boba Fett, The Woman King) as Chance. 

            Overall, this new update on The Crow is a dreary, shallow, and surprisingly dull re-imagining of such an awesome character that fails both as a reboot and as a standalone superhero movie. I’m assuming the film is trying to be like Batman Begins or Iron Man where it explores the events leading up to him becoming The Crow and do like a hero’s journey sort of thing. 

            I guess I would have been fine with that since the 1994 Crow already starts with him established, but the problem with that is Batman Begins and Iron Man had far better character development especially with its protagonists thus making you more invested in their journey. Here, I don’t give a shit about Eric, Shelly, or Stock Villain Played by Typecast Villain Actor because the film is horribly paced with it constantly jumping back and forth between characters and doesn’t give them enough time to be fleshed out or in some cases have almost zero chemistry which is sadly the case between Eric and Shelly in the movie. 

            The original Crow movie is a perfect example of less is more because sure, Eric’s romance with Shelly is mostly shown in flashbacks but you felt a connection with them through those small scenes thus making their tragic demise all the more effective because of how well-executed (No pun intended) those moments are. Eric and Shelly here just feel like stock lover characters that could be reused for completely different movies and their romance (Which should be the emotional core of the film) drags for the first 20 minutes and is nowhere near as engaging as the film probably hoped despite being portrayed by decent actors. 

            Despite the lackluster material, Bill Skarsgård is clearly trying to make his performance work and to his credit he is perfectly fine even if he looks like Jared Leto’s Joker from Suicide Squad and the script is garbage. I wasn’t really going in trying to compare him unfairly to Brandon Lee from the original and had the film been better I think he could have been a decent Crow. 

            The movie doesn’t even have a unique style to it with a lot of scenes feeling like they’re ripped out of The Dark Knight trilogy (specifically with the aerial shots of the city) which is something I’d rather be watching instead of this. Other times it looks like the 2003 Daredevil, the 1997 Spawn movie, or Blade with nothing new or visually interesting onscreen and where The Crow: City of Angels is such an ugly, murky film to watch this one is incredibly bland and unremarkable in terms of its look. 

            The action is nice and gory though with a lot of creative kills after Eric finally becomes The Crow like 40-something minutes into the film (Yeah, it’s one of those superhero origin stories except done terribly), but it’s sort of like the 2019 Hellboy reboot where these sequences probably would have been really cool in a much better movie. But as they stand, they’re occasionally fun moments sprinkled into a dreary slog of a superhero movie. 

            The Crow (2024) is one of the most pointless and soulless superhero reboots I’ve seen in a long time because it pales in comparison to the original and it doesn’t do anything new or unique with its story and characters. Just stick with the 1994 Crow and if you really want R-rated comic book entertainment on the big screen, go see Deadpool & Wolverine again because that movie has a much better understanding of character development and engaging storytelling; it’s also far more entertaining so just pretend this new Crow doesn’t exist (or continue to). 

Blink Twice review

BLINK TWICE: 

ZOË KRAVITZ MAKES A KILLER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH A CHARMING YET CREEPY CHANNING TATUM GUIDING THE WAY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

MGM

Channing Tatum in Blink Twice

 

            Zoë Kravitz (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Batman) unleashes her crazy side in the psychological thriller film, Blink Twice which is also her directorial debut. I was looking forward to this movie though it wasn’t a super anticipated movie of mine this year like Dune: Part Two, Furiosa, or Deadpool & Wolverine, but I was certainly intrigued by the film especially after seeing the trailer numerous times in theaters and I had to know what was going to happen in this chaotic-looking movie. 

            Coming out of it and at the start this review, I’m still trying to rack my head around what I just experienced. This might have even dethroned Cuckoo as the craziest film I watched this year which is saying a lot because Cuckoo was insane as fuck. 

            The film follows Frida (Naomie Ackie-Master of None, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, I Wanna Dance with Somebody), a woman who is invited by billionaire tech mogul, Slater King (Channing Tatum AKA The Gambit-Magic Mike trilogy, Fly Me to the Moon, Deadpool & Wolverine) to join him and his friends at a private island for a vacation. But when a series of horrific and mysterious events start occurring, Frida begins to question her reality and will have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

            The film also stars Alia Shawkat (Ruby Sparks, Green Room, 20^th Century Women) as Jess, Christian Slater (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Interview with the Vampire, Bobby) as Vic, Simon Rex (Scary Movie 3-5, Superhero Movie, Red Rocket) as Cody, Adria Arjona (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Andor, Hit Man) as Sarah, Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense, Pay it Forward, A.I. Artificial Intelligence) as Tom, Levon Hawke (Wildcat, The Crowded Room) as Lucas, Geena Davis (Beetlejuice, Thelma & Louise, Stuart Little 1 and 2) as Stacy, Kyle MacLachlan (Dune, The Flintstones, Inside Out 1 and 2) as Rich, and Saul Williams (Slam, K-PAX, Today) as Emcee. 

            Overall, Blink Twice is a chaotic and wildly entertaining trip that’s definitely worth taking and a bold directorial debut for Zoë Kravitz. It’s also a worthy addition to a category of films I like to call “Fuck the Wealthy” in the same boat as Ready or Not, Triangle of Sadness, Get Out, and The Menu where it revolves around rich and powerful people doing horrible and frightening things and getting their comeuppance by the end. 

            It’s basically another one of those movies but with a more psychological approach which is especially unique for these types of films. I like how it keeps a lot of what’s really happening a mystery to the point where even the characters themselves are just as clueless as we, the audience. 

            Is something truly wrong with this place or is Frida having some kind of mental breakdown? I guess it is pretty obvious that something sinister is happening, but I love how it builds up the suspense and that it isn’t always crystal clear. 

            This movie is also home to quite possibly the best Channing Tatum performance ever and I mean that with all seriousness. He is freaking amazing in the film and does a stellar job going back and forth between being incredibly charming and genuinely creepy often in the same scenes; plus, an enjoyably hammy performance in the final act. 

            Naomie Ackie is also a huge standout in the film as Frida though she isn’t quite a scene-stealer like Tatum is here. She is essentially the outsider who notices things are really off in this island and goes to investigate what’s really going on, but she plays the part very well and does a great job as the audience’s surrogate into this island of insanity. 

            The production design is both appealing and foreboding at the same time with lots of reds being used for Slater’s mansion as if the walls are literally bleeding and a yellow snake standing out as it slithers through the brightly colored grass. Almost like a vibrant dreamlike world that’s slowly transforming into a nightmare and looks incredible on the big screen. 

            I guess a minor issue with the movie is that it loses control in its last act and isn’t quite as interesting as the earlier acts. I wouldn’t call it bad, but we’ve already seen and figured out what was really going on and now it’s starting to overstay its welcome a little, still it gave us that incredibly hammy and over-the-top Tatum moment that I dare not give away. 

            Blink Twice is definitely a movie that’ll have a much bigger impact if you come in somewhat blind or if the only knowledge you have is the trailer because it will get some amazing reactions out of you as you’re watching it. This is a crazy, fearless, and above all entertaining psychological thriller and an exciting first directing effort for Zoë Kravitz that will hopefully lead to more films directed by her in the future, Blink Twice if this turns out to be a complete lie. 

Alien: Romulus review

ALIEN: ROMULUS: 

FEDE ÁLVAREZ BRINGS ONE OF THE BEST ALIEN FILMS IN A LONG TIME! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

20^TH CENTURY STUDIOS

The Xenomorph is back in Alien: Romulus

 

            The aliens have returned to cause more terror in Alien: Romulus, the latest installment of the Alien franchise dating all the way back to 1979 with the original Ridley Scott sci-fi/horror classic. Unlike previous entries in the Alien series, this isn’t a sequel to any of the films nor is it a prequel like Prometheus or Alien: Covenant, it’s a film set in-between the events of the 1979 Alien and 1986’s Aliens but doesn’t feature any of the characters or actors from the first two movies. 

            I guess it makes sense to do a film set in-between the two best entries of the series since trying to piece together the Alien continuity is so confusing it can make your head spin…and this is coming from someone who liked Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Best to keep things simple and offer a side story set somewhere in the middle of the first two films without worrying too much about continuity. 

            I was interested when I first saw the trailer and heard that Fede Álvarez (Evil Dead (2013), Don’t Breathe, The Girl in the Spider’s Web) was attached to direct with the original film’s director, Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Gladiator 1 and 2, The Martian) as a producer. Sure, none of the films released after Aliens could live up to the ones that started it all (As mentioned before, I like Prometheus and Covenant as well as the first Alien VS Predator despite them paling in comparison), but perhaps some fresh blood can rejuvenate the franchise…that is exactly what Alien: Romulus does and it succeeded. 

            Before anyone asks…No, this is not as amazing as Alien or Aliens and nothing will ever come close to matching the legacy of those films. But I will say, this is the best Alien movie since the original two and truly something that must be experienced in a theater with a large screen (I saw it in IMAX which was really neat). 

            The film follows a group of space colonizers living on a grungy mining planet with no sunlight consisting of an orphaned young woman named Rain (Cailee Spaeny-On the Basis of Sex, Priscilla, Civil War), her adoptive brother Andy (David Jonsson-Industry, Murder is Easy, Rye Lane) who is also a malfunctioning synthetic human reprogrammed by Rain’s father, her ex-boyfriend Tyler (Archie Renaux-Voyagers, Shadow and Bone, Morbius), his pregnant sister Kay (Isabela Merced-Transformers: The Last Knight, Instant Family, Madame Web), their cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn-The Batman, Tell Me Everything, Back to Black), and his girlfriend Navarro (Newcomer Aileen Wu) leaving their planet to visit a derelict spacecraft to salvage cryonic statis chambers so they can escape to Yvaga, a planet with improved living conditions. Upon reaching the spacecraft, they soon discover some terrifying experiments were happening onboard and horrific alien creatures have been let loose with only one intention, kill. 

            What started off as a simple salvaging mission quickly turns into a bloody fight for survival as they soon come face to face with the most terrifying creature in the universe, the Xenomorphs. 

            The film also stars Daniel Betts (Fury, Allied, Sex Education) as Rook, an android aboard the spacecraft with the likeness of Ian Holmes’ Ash from the original 1979 film. 

            Overall, Alien: Romulus probably won’t reach cultural significance like Ridley Scott’s Alien or James Cameron’s Aliens, but it’s a solid midquel to two of the greatest sci-fi/horror films of all time with tons of suspenseful scenes and love for both movies in terms of the production design, details, and references (The latter has varying results). 

I do wish the characters were more fleshed out though especially compared to the Nostromo crew from Alienand the Marines from Aliens because aside from Cailee Spaeny’s Rain and David Jonsson’s Andy (Who is amazing in the role, by the way!), the rest of the group is either there, being obnoxious dicks, or just there to get killed by the aliens right away despite the actors giving decent performances. They aren’t Aliens VS Predator: Requiem bad in terms of human protagonists but compared to the first two Alien movies and even Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the characters in those had likable and/or memorable personalities and dynamics that made audiences grow attached to them whereas here, it’s mostly just the main woman and her robot brother and both of them do have a strong dynamic together that makes the film work. 

You can see the love Fede Álvarez has for the original Alien in terms of how the film looks with sets featuring 70s-style computers, lighting that changes from yellow to red, cues from Jerry Goldsmith’s music score being featured, and yes, the use of practical effects on the aliens. In an age where most modern films would just use CGI for the aliens, Alvarez made sure to go the extra mile and shoot these aliens in front of the camera with costumes, animatronics, and puppetry and they look genuinely frightening whenever they’re onscreen. 

The CG effects are hit or miss with the Facehuggers acting more like the ones from the first Alien VS Predator rather than the first Alien movie and look pretty fake. But then you have this creative and suspenseful sequence with the characters avoiding CG acid blood in zero gravity that’s probably the most suspenseful scene in the film. 

For the first two acts, I thought this was the best Alien movie since the original two, but I will admit the third act gets pretty silly and starts to lose its momentum from earlier (There’s also this cringy nod to a famous line from Aliens here that just felt tacked on and forced). It will definitely be very divisive amongst audiences and Alien fans (Especially since it’s reminiscent of the last act of the immensely stupid, Alien: Resurrection), but I was still invested enough in what was happening and how the characters were going to get out of the situation. 

Despite a few shortcomings, I enjoyed the hell out of Alien: Romulus and will happily hail it as the best Alienfilm since Aliens. The first two acts are the strongest parts of the movie, but the film in general is worth seeking out in theaters to experience on a large screen with an audience, I might even go scream in space again sometime soon. 

It Ends with Us review

IT ENDS WITH US: 

BLAKE LIVELY ROMANTIC DRAMA IS EFFECTIVE BUT LIKELY POLARIZING! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4 

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Blake Lively in It Ends with Us

 

            Blake Lively (The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, A Simple Favor) and director and co-star Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin, Five Feet Apart, Clouds) bring the very first film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel to the screen in the new romantic drama, It Ends with Us. I should make this clear, I have not read the book this film is based on so I don’t know how faithful it is to the source material nor will I be able to compare the book to the movie. 

            Aside from seeing the trailer once in theaters, this movie kind of slipped my mind until its release date, but I chose to subject myself to Borderlands instead…sadly. Well, since I gave Ryan Reynolds a bunch of love this year with 3 going on 4 viewings of Deadpool & Wolverine in theaters plus a viewing of IF, I decided to give his wife some attention and I was somewhat curious about the movie despite not reading the book. 

            Coming out of it I have to say this movie is…alright! It isn’t a perfect movie and has its share of flaws, but its themes on relationships and abuse are very provocative and handled well and the performances by the cast are very strong. 

            The film follows Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood by moving to Boston to chase a lifelong dream of owning her own business. A chance meeting with a charming neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two start to fall in love, Lily begins to see different sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents’ relationship. 

            On top of that, Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (And yes, there were two movies out last weekend that featured a character named Atlas!) (Brandon Sklenar-Vice, Midway (2019), 1923) comes back into her life which turns her relationship with Ryle upside-down and must learn to rely on her strength to make an impossible choice for her future.

            The film also stars Jenny Slate (Bob’s Burgers, Venom, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) as Allysa, Hasan Minhaj (The Spy Who Dumped Me, No Hard Feelings, Tron: Ares) as Marshall, Amy Morton (8mm, Up in the Air, Bluebird) as Jenny Bloom, Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting 1 and 2, Dog Soldiers, Brave) as Andrew Bloom, Newcomer Isabela Ferrer as Young Lily, and Alex Neustaedter (Colony, A.X.L., American Rust) as Young Atlas. 

            Overall, It Ends with Us will likely be a very polarizing movie in terms of its melodrama and heavy themes it covers (Even I’m still not fully sure what I thought of the film entirely), but these are very important issues in a relationship to address and the film handles them well for the most part. I probably should have rewatched the trailer again prior to seeing it to have the right mindset for the movie because at first glance you’d probably expect it to be in the same boat as Anyone But You or Fly Me to the Moon, but it’s nothing like that at all. 

            This is less of a romance and more of a cautionary tale on abusive relationships and gaining the courage to act when it goes sour. Despite the film being rated PG-13, it gets intense and there are a fair amount of scenes revolving around the leads that are genuinely shocking. 

            Most of its subject matter is done well and is very effective, but admittedly there are times where it feels like you’re watching a big-budget soap opera in terms of how certain scenes are directed. To be fair, this is a very difficult story to sell to a mainstream audience (Unless it’s garbage like the Fifty Shades movies) so I understand the approach with how the film is presented. 

            Blake Lively is probably a more well-known star and likely the person who will get tickets sold for this, but I want to talk about Justin Baldoni first. I’m no expert on his acting credits and the only other directing effort from him I’ve seen was Clouds, but he does a great job as Ryle and shifting from charming and caring to creepy and violent while also being an interesting and fleshed-out character so he’s not just the abusive dick that Blake Lively needs to get away from and the resolution both characters have at the end is pretty refreshing for a film like this. 

            Blake Lively is always a pleasure to watch and here she’s pretty much the emotional anchor of the film as this woman with a rough past and is becoming the thing she vowed never to turn into, a victim of abuse. She plays the part extremely well and while it may not be as iconic to me as her manic performance from A Simple Favor (Which is easily my favorite role of hers), I can tell this performance had a lot of significance to her and that she wanted to deliver the best damn performance she could. 

            One aspect of the film I’m very split about is its usage of flashbacks that depict young Lily and young Atlas which to be fair are very important to the story and for setting up the love-triangle between the three characters. But there are times where the flashbacks halt the pacing of the film which might be because it’s based on a book and the screenwriter is trying to work in as much from the book as possible and certain book aspects don’t always translate well to the screen (Again, I haven’t read it so I don’t know). 

            It Ends with Us probably won’t be the game-changing movie about escaping abusive relationships as there are some issues with its pacing and plot structure, but the subject matter it explores is very thought-provoking and should be looked into even further in future works. The film itself is a mixed bag for me, but the performances and its handling of heavy themes outweigh a lot of the clichés and shortcomings.