film reviews

they’re-golden:-fictional-band-from-k-pop-demon-hunters-tops-the-charts

They’re golden: Fictional band from K-Pop Demon Hunters tops the charts

animated film, culture, Entertainment, film reviews, films, K-Pop Demon Hunters, netflix, Reviews, streaming television / /

The fictional band Huntr/x, from K-Pop Demon Hunters, has a real-world hit with “Golden.”

Netflix has a summer megahit on its hands with its animated musical feature film, K-Pop Demon Hunters. Since its June release, the critically acclaimed film has won fans of all ages, fueled by a killer Korean pop soundtrack featuring one earworm after another. The biggest hit is “Golden,” which just hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. (The last time a fictional ensemble topped the charts was in 2022 with Encanto‘s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”)

K-Pop Demon Hunters is now Netflix’s most-watched animated film of all time, and that’s not just because of the infectious music. The Sony Animation team delivers bold visuals that evoke the look and feel of anime, the plot is briskly paced, and the script strikes a fine balance between humor and heart.

(Spoilers below.)

The film deftly lays out the central premise in the first few minutes. In ancient times, demons roamed the Earth freely and preyed upon human souls, until a trio of women—gifted singers and demon hunters—created a magical protective barrier with their voices known as the Honmoon, trapping the demons behind it. The Honmoon has been maintained ever since by subsequent musical trios/demon hunters from each generation. The dream is that one day, the Honmoon will become so strong it will turn “golden” and seal away the demons forever.

Naturally the demons, led by their king Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), don’t want that to happen, but the latest incarnation of demon hunters—a K-Pop band called Huntr/x—is close to accomplishing the Golden Honmoon. Rumi (Arden Cho) is the lead singer, Mira (May Hong) is the group’s dancer/choreographer, and American-born Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) is the rapper and lyricist. But Rumi harbors a secret: her father was a demon, and she is marked by the telltale purple “patterns,” which she keeps hidden from her bandmates.

Hoping to destroy the Honmoon once and for all, Gwi-Ma sends five of his demons to form a K-pop boy band, the Saja Boys, led by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop). Their popularity soon rivals that of Huntr/x and threatens the Honmoon—just as Rumi’s patterns spread to her throat and weaken her singing voice.

How it’s done, done, done

Mira, Rumi, and Zoey take a timeout from fighting demons to carb-load with ramen. Netflix

That’s a big problem because their new hit single, “Golden” (performed by South Korean singer/songwriter Ejae), spans an impressive three-octave range, eventually hitting an A-5  on the chorus—a high note usually reserved for classically trained operatic sopranos. (Ejae’s performance on this song has impressed a lot of YouTube vocal coaches.) And the first live global performance of “Golden” is supposed to be the event that ushers in the Golden Honmoon. It’s a soaring, impeccably constructed “I Want” tune typical of Disney princesses.

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Review: Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best film version so far

culture, film reviews, marvel studios, mcu, MCU Phase Six, The Fantastic Four: First Steps / /

Shakman wanted a very 1960s aesthetic for his reboot, citing Kubrick films from that era as inspiration, right down to his choice of camera lenses. And the film definitely delivers on that score. The Four’s penthouse headquarters is pure midcentury modern, with Reed’s lab divided into three rooms differentiated by bright primary colors. Then there’s all that retrofuture technology: Johnny Storm records mysterious signals from space onto golden record platters and plays them on an old-school turntable, for example, and the team’s Fantasticar is straight out of sci-fi’s Golden Age.

And you couldn’t ask for a better main cast: Pascal, Kirby, Moss-Bachrach, and Quinn all have great chemistry and effectively convey the affectionate family dynamic that comprises the central theme of the film. That’s essential, particularly since we’ve mostly skipped the origin story; the characters are familiar, but this incarnation is not. They banter, they bicker, they have heart-to-hearts, and the inevitable tensions in Reed and Sue’s marriage that a new baby brings—occurring just as the Earth faces annihilation—feel entirely believable.

And then there are the cons, which boil down to a weak, predictable plot that jerks from one scene to the next with tenuous coherence and, shall we say, less than stellar dialogue. The actors deserved better, particularly Kirby, whose Sue Storm gives an inane rallying “speech” to the people of New York as Galactus approaches that makes no sense whatsoever. (The St. Crispin’s Day speech it is not.)

Kirby also has the unenviable task of portraying Sue giving birth in space, a scene that is just plain laughable. One doesn’t expect strict verisimilitude concerning the messier parts of birth, although Reed does briefly mention the challenges posed by zero gravity/warp speed. But it’s far too sanitized here. And spare a thought for poor Sue having to kick off the lower part of her space suit to deliver Franklin in front of her brother and her husband’s best friend.

In the end, though, the film’s shortcomings don’t matter because it’s still a fun, entertaining superhero saga. I give it a solid B—a decent start to the MCU’s Phase Six. Just try not to think too hard about the plot, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.

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Review: Stellar cast makes Superman shine bright

culture, DCU, film reviews, James Gunn, Superman, Warner Bros. / /

I’ll be frank: I had mixed feelings, based solely on the trailers, about James Gunn’s Superman reboot. Sure, the casting seemed great, Gunn has a winning track record on superhero fare, and Krypto the dog stole the show every time he appeared. The trailers struck a nice balance between action, humor, and heart. Yet the film also seemed overpacked with super-character cameos, and it was hard to get any sense of the actual plot.

I’ve now seen the film, and those impressions were largely correct. But I’m happy to report that the positives far outweigh any negatives. Superman is a super-fun ride that unabashedly embraces its early comic book roots, naive optimism and all.

(Spoilers below, but no major reveals.)

Gunn has described his take as less of an origin story and more of a journey, with Superman (David Corenswet) struggling to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage and aristocratic origins with his small-town adoptive human family. In fact, Gunn wanted to avoid the origin story entirely, asserting (correctly, in my opinion) that it has already been depicted multiple times and there is no need to cover the same ground.

So the film opens in medias res, with Superman’s first defeat in battle against a metahuman dubbed the “Hammer of Boravia.” We see him fall into the snow, bloodied and battered, and whistle for Krypto. The plucky little superdog drags Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, where he is treated by a posse of robots. Then he heads out again for Round 2—only to once again be thrashed by his rival metahuman (codename: Ultraman) who, we learn, is being controlled by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) for mysterious and no doubt nefarious purposes.

Why is Ultraman attacking Metropolis? Because a few weeks before, Superman had foiled the Boravian army’s invasion of the neighboring country of Jarhanpur, avoiding pointless bloodshed but drawing criticism for interfering in a foreign war when he lacked any governmental authority to do so. Naturally, Luthor expertly manipulates the media coverage against Superman while trying to convince the Pentagon that Superman poses a major threat to national security. The idealistic and naively optimistic Superman walks right into the trap.

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Review: The John Wick franchise is alive and kicking with Ballerina

Ballerina, culture, Entertainment, film reviews, John Wick franchise, Lionsgate / /

Ballerina has all the eye-popping visuals, lavish sets, and spectacularly inventive stuntwork one would expect from a film set in the John Wick universe. It’s a more tightly plotted than recent entries in the franchise, and the globe-trotting locations make narrative sense; it’s not just an excuse for staging a spectacle (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that).

[WARNING: A couple of significant spoilers below. Do not proceed if you haven’t the seen the film.]

This was Lance Reddick’s final appearance as the concierge Charon. Lionsgate

As always, the fight choreography is perfection. Eve is smaller than most of the men she takes on, but that doesn’t make her any less deadly, particularly when she’s more than willing to fight dirty—and pretty skilled at making lethal weapons out of, say, a random pair of ice skates. A fight scene with dueling flame throwers is one for the ages. It’s a genuine shame that Ballerina‘s highly skilled stunt team isn’t eligible for the new Oscar category honoring stunt work.

I do have a couple of minor quibbles. While any appearance of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is always welcome, it’s not clear why the Ruska Roma would send him to take out Eve when she defies direct orders. This all occurs during the events of Parabellum, and we’ve already seen Wick “punch his ticket” with the Director to escape New York City with a contract on his head. Are we supposed to believe that he found time during all those Parabellum shootouts for a brief stopover in a remote alpine village to engage in a spot of target practice?

The other quibble is more of a missed opportunity. One of the Chancellor’s minions is an assassin named Lena (Catalina Sandino Moreno), who turns out to be Eve’s long-lost sister. But their reunion is short-lived. Once the Chancellor realizes Lena will balk at killing her own sister, he gives the order to take them both out, and Lena dies protecting Eve. I understand that John Wick movies are about the violence, but giving this character and her connection to Eve a bit more time to develop would have given Ballerina a bit of emotional depth. Lena deserved to be more than momentary cannon fodder. On the whole, however, Ballerina is an immensely entertaining and action-packed addition to the franchise.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is now playing in theaters. The finale leaves things open for a sequel, and I think de Armas (and Eve) deserve the chance to continue their story. Here’s hoping.

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Review: Thunderbolts* is a refreshing return to peak Marvel form

culture, Entertainment, film, film reviews, marvel studios, MCU Phase Five / /

It looks like Marvel has another critical and box office hit on its hands—and deservedly so—with Thunderbolts*, a follow-up of sorts to 2021’s Black Widow and the final film in the MCU’s Phase Five.

Yes, the asterisk is part of the title. Yes, I found that choice inexplicable when it was first announced. And yes, having seen the film, the asterisk makes perfect sense now as a well-timed joke. I won’t spill the beans because that would spoil the fun. Instead, I’ll simply say that Thunderbolts* is a refreshing return to peak Marvel form: well-paced, witty, and action-packed with enough heart to ensure you care about the characters.

(Some spoilers below.)

It’s basically the MCU’s version of The Suicide Squad (2021) with less over-the-top R-rated violence. In fact, that film’s director, James Gunn, was originally attached to direct Thunderbolts* but bowed out because he felt the projects were just too similar. Yet the PG-13 film definitely boasts that irreverent Gunn sensibility, with a vibe on par with the director’s delightful Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Thunderbolts* might not reach the spectacular box office heights of last year’s R-rated Deadpool and Wolverine, but so far I’m optimistic about the MCU’s future.

Black Widow introduced us to Natasha Romanoff’s (Scarlett Johansson) backstory as a child recruited for training as an elite assassin, along with her adoptive sister (and equally lethal assassin) Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). Thunderbolts* finds Yelena working as a hired mercenary for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), but she’s still grieving the loss of Natasha, and her heart just isn’t in.

Yelena’s existential ennui leads her to seek out her adoptive father, Alexei/Red Guardian (David Harbour), the Russian super soldier counterpart to Captain America. He’s not doing much better, working as a limo driver and living off takeout, and tells Yelena that Natasha found the secret to fulfillment: be a superhero.

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Review: Mickey 17’s dark comedic antics make for a wild cinematic ride

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Mickey settles into his expendable role on the four-year journey, dying and being reprinted several times, and even finds love with security agent Nasha (Naomi Ackie). The mission finally reaches Niflheim, and he’s soon on Version 17—thanks to being used to detect a deadly airborne virus, with multiple versions dying in the quest to develop a vaccine. As the colonists explore this cold new world, Mickey 17 falls into a deep fissure inhabited by native life forms that resemble macroscale tardigrades, dubbed “creepers.” Timo leaves Mickey for dead,  assuming they’ll just eat him, but the creepers (who seem to share a hive mind) instead save Mickey’s life, returning him to the surface.

Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) failed to read the fine print when he signed up as an “expendable.” Warner Bros.

When Mickey gets back to his quarters, he finds his replacement, Mickey 18, is already there. The problem goes beyond Nasha’s opportunistic desire for an awkward threesome with the two Mickeys. Multiples are simply not allowed. The controversial reprinting technology isn’t even legal on Earth and was only allowed on the colonization mission with the understanding that any multiples would be killed immediately and their consciousness backup wiped—i.e., a permanent death.

A tale of two Mickeys

It’s Pattinson’s impressive dual performance as Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 that anchors the film. They might be clones with identical physical traits and memories, but we learn there are subtle differences in all the printings. Mickey 17 is more laid-back, meekly suffering abuse in the name of progress, while Mickey 18 is more rebellious and frankly has some anger issues. Pattinson adopted two different accents to differentiate between the two. Mickey and Nasha’s love story is the movie’s heart; she loves him in all his incarnations, through death after death. The scene where she dons a hazmat suit to hold Mickey 14—or is it 15?—in his isolation chamber as he dies (yet again) from the airborne virus is among the film’s most touching.

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