Movie Reviews
Sasha Garcia, ‘22
October 2018
Reminder: Of course, these are my interpretations of the movies, and you don’t have to agree with them. Everything here is subjective to opinion.
The Nun
The Nun: A film based upon the demon-like creature in “The Conjuring: 2”. It’s the latest addition to “The Conjuring” series. With this demon being such an iconic character, people have good reason to be excited for this movie. However, although people had such high hopes, this movie wasn’t up to par with everyone else’s standards. “The Nun” quickly morphed into a clichéd horror film, dotted with predictable jumpscares throughout the movie. The demon that the movie’s based upon isn’t even that prominent in the film, and the plot lacks “leg-room”, in the sense that the storyline of the movie isn’t very flexible, and isn’t open to much opportunity. Point being: It’s not scary.
Rating: 6.7/10
The Predator
“The Predator” is the fourth movie in the, you guessed it, sci-fi action “Predator” film series. Almost everyone knows Arnold Schwarzenegger's legendary line “GET TO THE CHOPPER!”, from the first movie. Likewise, the second was memorable. However, the 2010 installment, “Predators”, wasn’t as thrilling. Movie-watchers were overjoyed once they found out that a new “Predator” movie was to be released, as it was not only a continuation of the series, but was also directed by one of the co-stars from the first movie. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as people hoped it to be. The main cast’s chemistry together, at first, seems promising. Then the film transitions, and it becomes more of a comedy - on purpose. What was once an action packed sci-fi film about alien hunters and trained marines duking it out, turned into a lackluster comedy. Although the plot seemed, at the least, interesting, the movie lacks suspense and originality. “The Predator” is essentially a wacky action-comedy.
Rating: 7/10
Venom
Ever since Venom’s debut in Spider-Man 3 in 2007, audiences have been dying to get a better representation of one of Marvel’s best anti-villains. When the Venom trailer released, that seemed like that’s what people were going to get: A Venom solo-movie describing the origins of the character. However, the initial trailer left people asking: “How well will Venom do without spider-man?” Well, the answer is: pretty OK. The movie starts off too fast-paced, and within minutes, you already see Eddie Brock, played by actor Tom Hardy, transition from being a promising reporter to being a bum on the streets. The acting, despite having a slightly-better-than-OK cast, was below par. It seemed dry, and too “scripted”. The main antagonist, played by Riz Ahmed, could’ve been portrayed way better - he seemed more like a “greedy and manipulative entrepreneur” rather than a “villainous” character. The actual character, Venom, on the other hand, wasn’t actually portrayed in that bad of a light. His commentary to Eddie is appreciated, as it provides some slight comic relief throughout the movie. When he takes form, he doesn’t look half-bad. On the other hand, his first couple of fight scenes were decent, but after that, the fights get pretty sloppy. Venom would’ve had a lot more potential if it was a rated-R movie - it would’ve shown the brutality of the symbiote. This movie’s not the best, but it’s entertaining nonetheless.
Rating: 7/10
First Man
“First Man” Stars Ryan Gostling as Neil Armstrong, better known as the first man on the moon. The premise of the movie shows Armstrong’s home and family life, along with the social, emotional, and literal difficulties of the moon mission. Unlike traditional “space-exploration” films, “First Man” focuses more on Armstrong’s relationships with his kids and family. I actually enjoyed the acting, and the special approach on Neil Armstrong is definitely appreciated. The camera work’s great - the shaky camera throughout the film makes you feel like you’re actually there with Armstrong. The special effects were fantastic, and the sound FX really immersed the audience within the movie. Although, I do feel like Gostling’s status quo as an actor clashed with Neil Armstrong’s character. Gostling felt too stoic in the movie, and I feel like it would’ve been better if he’d been a bit more emotional, especially considering that most of the movie was fixated on his family. Despite that, it was a good movie, overall.
Rating: 8/10
Upcoming Movies:
Halloween
Bohemian Rhapsody
Creed II
Robin Hood