Benz Eye View: Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver

Pros:

1.) If I have to pick one or two good things about this movie, it does have great visuals and direction. From the costume/environmental designs to the cinematography, director Zack Snyder knows how to shoot a film for the most part. When he has a good shot that pairs with an action moment, he will show it off. Zack Snyder knows how to make killer visuals despite his huge writing flaws…

Cons:

1.) …Speaking of writing flaws, if you thought the first movie was bad, wait until you get to the second movie. I should have pointed this out in the first movie review, but the writing and the story are absolutely atrocious. From the world-building to the characters, not only are some of these plot points and parts of the world unoriginal, but the characters are easily the most forgettable people ever considering the failure to characterize them properly and gaping plot holes that will make you receive a migraine. I still do not understand why this galactic empire is interested in this one small farmland that produces grain when they could have tried other planets/worlds that could create the same thing. Not to mention the Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven plot line of a small group of village people fighting against a big group of criminals does not work when those small group of people are fighting a galactic army with tanks. There are bigger problems in the story and the writing like the characters, but I will focus on that in the last con.

2.) The action scenes are terrible, too. It is not because it is unclear to watch due to shaky cam or bad cinematography, it is because the audience can see the horrible action choreography (not helped by the slow-motion). There are so many moments where the main characters could have been shot and killed, but the villains are so bad at their shots that the Stormtroopers would be amazed. Anytime a major character is on a battlefield with enemy soldiers right in front of them, the movie cuts to another shot in front of these characters to avoid seeing these soldiers aiming at them when they should have. In fact, some fights have enemies that should be shooting when all they do is run toward them, something that a swordfighter would do, not a gunman. However, the only fight scene I liked was the last battle between Kora (played by Sofia Boutella) and Atticus Noble (played by Ed Skrein) since it does look cool what is happening during that fight.

I cannot stress this enough: if this movie makes the Galactic Stormtroopers look good, you know you messed up.

3.) Let’s talk about the characters if you remember them. None of them are fleshed out well; their characterization (if most of them had any) is so sloppy that I cannot believe anyone wrote this and thought it was a good idea. The biggest example of how poor their characterization is is a scene where the major characters are having some R&R and explaining their backstories to gain each other’s trust…two problems: it is far too late for anyone to care and it would have been better if this was done in the last movie where the writers could have dispersed their backstories throughout different points in that movie…like Watchmen. Let me highlight the poor characters with two more examples: Nemesis (played by Doona Bae) befriends a young boy on the farm, but these two barely interact (all they do is share looks), which does not work considering what happens to Nemesis in the climax and how that boy reacted to it. Kora has a romantic relationship with Gunnar (played by Michiel Huisman), which I do not understand since she has not shown any interest in him in the last movie (as far as I remember, that was not good either) despite Gunnar having romantic interests with Kora.

There are more I can point out like Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins) could single-handedly take on the evil imperial army by himself or something about a princess that is the movie’s obvious attempt to sequel-bait. I am sure you understand how these characters are wasted at best and completely forgettable at worst.

Overall:

Part 2 of Zack Snyder’s R-rated Star Wars movie idea is finally released with little fanfare, and there is a good reason why. It is bad when I say that Disney of all companies made the correct choice to refuse this idea into the Star Wars universe. The characters are forgettable, the world-building is stupid, the writing is non-sensical, the action scenes are poorly coordinated, and everything about this movie is doomed to fail. I want to support Zack Snyder on his Star Wars project considering how poorly Star Wars is going through these days, but I cannot do that when he makes terrible ideas like the Rebel Moon movies. I cannot recommend this and its predecessor to anyone; it is a movie series that proves the Force was never strong with Zack Snyder.

2/10

Benz Eye View: Persona 3 Reload (PS5)

In this review, I am reviewing the PS5 version of the game. I have played the game twice on Normal mode and 1.002 – 1.003 patches with 263:43 hours of playtime.

Pros:

1.) Just like its predecessors, the presentation is amazing. While it may not be as flashy as Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, I do commend the game for its own type of presentation. The main color is blue with water and sky (i.e., the moon) being the main imagery. All you have to do is look at the pause menu to see how far the developers go with it.

The music is amazing as well. While most of it is the same music as the original but more refined, a few new additions are greatly appreciated and entertaining.

There is even one song I hated in the original, but I like it now in this remake.

I can go on with the presentation and the music, but you get the idea. The remake looks visually amazing, and it is no surprise that the developers were dedicated to making it look great.

2.) The gameplay is also great, especially with new additions. Like in the original, the gameplay is a turn-based system where you determine the moves your characters will make, however, unlike the original, you have full control of your entire party instead of the main character (voiced by Aleks Le). There are plenty of ways to get stronger, but one big way is you can befriend people to help strengthen your Persona and gain stronger ones (this is called Social Links).

There are many additions and subtractions from the original, so here are some that I can list: your entire party no longer gets tired, but you should still keep your eye on their SP (or spirit points). A new battle system called a Theurgy is a special move for the party that offers extreme damage to the enemies or assists the party from their HP (or health points) to their strength and magic. Your main character is only limited to a sword rather than using all different types of weapons from your party. You can save civilians and cats after a certain point in the game, and receive rewards for doing so. Instead of all the female Social Links falling in love with your character regardless of what you do, you can choose any or all of them. There are new areas in Tartarus (the main dungeon in the game) called Monad doors/passages that make you face slightly harder versions of typical Shadows (the main enemies) that give you some rewards if you beat them.

There are probably a few that I missed, but the gameplay is more refined than its original and the new additions are well implemented.

3.) The story and writing are just as good as the original, but it has been improved with many extensive additions. While the main plot (getting rid of the Dark Hour and Tartarus that produces Shadows that could destroy the world) is excellent, the subplots focusing on the main members of SEES and other Social Links are great (I also appreciate that the Social Links are fully voiced this time). What makes it better is that the remake added semi-Social Links called Link Episodes for the male members of SEES (since the female members have their own Social Links) which helps explore their characters further and assists the players in receiving rewards like receiving more HP/SP for the main character. Back to the main plot, the main theme is about life and death which is explored deeply by many of the characters from Akihiko Sanada (voiced by Alejandro Saab) with his duty to protect people after a tragic incident to Akinari Kamiki (voiced by Lucien Dodge) who struggles with his purpose in life despite his short lifespan. Due to how well-explored the story and the characters are, the emotional moments hit well and I would not be surprised if some people cry at the end of the game. If you loved the original Persona 3‘s story, you will love its remake and many of its additions that explore its theme even further.

Cons:

1.) The English audio is not consistent in its normalization audio. This means that while the English voice acting does sound great and consistent for the most part, there is one area where it is not: when the characters are shouting and screaming. It is most noticeable in the more emotional moments in the story; a character is shouting/screaming at an emotional point, but those shouts and screams sound a little muted. It takes me out of the scene for a while, and I do not know why the audio team did that; it feels like they are repeating the same mistake in Persona 5 Strikers (to be fair, the voice actors had to do it in their homes during the pandemic). Maybe the team did not know how to balance or normalize the audio properly, or they made a mistake and this is the best they have got. This is a minor issue, but it does bother me.

2.) All the new voice actors (and some of the old voice actors from the original returning in this remake one way or another) are fantastic in their roles, although there is one that I think is the weakest of the bunch: Heather Gonzalez as Yukari Takeba. She is not terrible in her role, but for the first half of the game, her performance is generic, to say the least. Compare her to Yukari’s original voice actress: Michelle Ruff, who put some flair and energy into her character like when she says good morning to the main character on the first day of school (and this was where so many popular voice actors in that video game were not that great back then). The worst read from Heather Gonzalez is when SEES meets Strega for the first time, and when they mention that they knew Tartarus, her read of saying, “You know…?” sounds like she is disinterested and slightly insulted instead of surprised and shocked. I do not know if she received a bad direction or if an editor made a mistake and put in the wrong read, but that was egregiously bad. Heather does get better by the second half of the game, but I wish she had a better impression in the first half, and it is the only case where I still prefer the original voice actress over the new one.

3.) The main dungeon is Tartarus which has several floors with different varieties. The problem is that it gets tiresome to see these environmental designs (despite there being a reason why) after a while. You go through several floors seeing the same design repeatedly only for it to change occasionally after certain parts of the story. While the design differences are nice, it is easy to get tired of it again after going through several floors. I miss Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal with their environmental designs because you go through different dungeons from the Palaces to Mementos. This was a problem with the original game, and despite better graphics and visuals, it is still a problem in the remake.

Overall:

I apologize if this review took a long time, but I did take my sweet time with this. The original Persona 3 was one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and after a poll by Atlus itself, a remake was made. Persona 3: FES was the first Persona RPG I played (the actual first Persona game I played was Persona 4 Arena, a fighting game), so I was excited for the remake to come out. After pouring over 250 hours into this game, I am happy that this remake is better than the original. From its improved gameplay mechanics to enhanced presentation to refined writing, Persona 3 Reload surpasses the original in almost every way. There are a couple of issues (one was not improved from the original), but this game makes me fall in love with the story and its characters again.

If you have played the original or never even heard of the Persona series, this video game will surprise you in the right ways. I cannot wait for the upcoming The Answer DLC, although I hope the game developers improve it from the original (it was so tedious that I did not even bother to finish it; I just watched the story on YouTube instead). Regardless, Persona 3 Reload will make you appreciate life like the main character has.

9/10

Now excuse me while I am going to play another popular video game that just came out recently that is probably just as long as this one, especially considering how I took my time with Persona 3 Reload. Expect a review of that game soon, especially if it may lead to a rebirth of another remake.

Benz Eye View: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Pros:

1.) When the action enters the picture, they are done decently well. While it may not be the most impressive display of action ever seen, it can be a bit brutal to watch while being slightly hilarious at the same time. This is appreciated especially since there is little action in this movie.

2.) One character that stood out to me was Majorie Stewart (played by Eiza González). Her role is that she is a German Jew who has gone undercover to seduce Nazi commander Heinrich Luhr (played by Til Schweiger) to do her bidding while hiding her frustration against the Nazis for what happened to her people. Her subplot was slightly interesting considering that Heinrich suspects her for being a Jew, and that suspicion lingers throughout the movie. Intriguingly, I was more invested with her than Gus March-Phillipps (played by Henry Cavill) and his group.

3.) Speaking of Gus March-Phillipps, this man and his other teammates are established to be the type who does not follow orders well from the higher-ups other than following the main mission. For one thing, Gus gets what he wants, even if that means asking a British officer for his uniform. If one of the leaders wants him to abort the mission, he pretends to not hear this and continues on with the mission. While these types of characters are not new (i.e., The Bad Batch), they are decent characters that the audience can support since they are pricks, but they will not abandon the mission if things get hard or if some weak leader tells them to abort. These characters are slightly compelling in certain areas like how much they love to kill Nazis…

Cons:

1.) …However, other than their fascination with killing Nazis, there is not much to these characters due to how the movie barely explores them. The only characterization you get from these people is in the beginning when Gus explains who he wants in his team. One character is insane, the other lost his brother to the Nazis, another character likes explosions, and the last guy is a planner. The only people with more characterization than them are Marjorie Stewart and Frederich Heron (played by Babs Olusanmokun) since the movie shows more of them preparing for Gus and his team’s attack than the team itself. If they are more compelling in real life, I wish the movie had shown it.

2.) The pacing can be a drag since this movie spends more time preparing for Gus’ attack and less showing these people fighting. It feels less like a war movie and more like a heist movie in a small sense. It is why I pointed out in the pros that there is little action: about three action scenes exist and the biggest one is in the climax. In between those scenes are the planning stages and little interesting moments. This movie did not need to be two hours long, so the pacing can be tolerable if a few scenes are cut out.

3.) Gus and his team bring comedy into this movie, and it is disappointing that there is little of that comedy. Since the movie is spent more on Marjorie and Frederich, it ends up being slightly more serious with light moments here and there. It ends up being a little jarring in terms of tone when Gus comes in gleefully killing Nazis while Marjorie and Frederich are concentrating on their arrival. It does not ruin the movie, but it is one of the movies where the trailers are inconsistent with this movie’s actual tone.

Overall:

Based on a true story that was eventually revealed to the public a few years ago, this movie has slightly intrigued me with its trailer and premise alone. Despite if this movie is accurate to the real events or not, is it still good? It is not too bad but be warned that the trailer is slightly deceptive. It can be fun to watch these misfits kill Nazis, but the tone is inconsistent, the movie spends more time with another group of people, and there is little comedy to this fun movie. If you keep your expectations slightly lower than intended, it is a movie worth watching despite a different type of ungentlemanly warfare.

7/10

Benz Eye View: Peacemaker

Pros:

1.) The chemistry between all the main characters is great. They all have serious baggage, especially Christoper Smith a.k.a. Peacemaker (played by John Cena). From being murderers to being utterly stupid, these people have good reason to not get along, but they end up doing so anyway. They are a group of dysfunctional people (sounds like a certain superhero group in a galaxy), but more seriously and disturbingly, they get along just fine. These actors are fantastic, and it is easy not to forget these people because of them.

2.) Normally, I do not like this type of raunchy comedy and writing (i.e., Deadpool, but if the writing is poor), but the story is surprisingly heartfelt. It is funny and the writing is fantastic, but the one big reason why I love this show is that it balances the comedy and the drama. When it is funny, the comedy does not overstay its welcome (certain comedic sketches have extended jokes at the end credits of each episode). When something serious happens, the characters will tell the comedic ones to shut up and listen. While the main plot is typical, its execution is well-handled thanks to the compelling characters that could have easily been stereotypes or cliches.

Let’s talk about the main character himself: Peacemaker. As mentioned before, he could have easily been a stereotype of a tough dude bro who is actually broken inside, but there is more to him than that. He may be broken inside, but it is much more complicated than that. From his abusive and racist father to a certain tragic moment in his childhood, there are several reasons why he covers up his weaknesses with his manly and misguided charm. The writing is fantastic with little flaws to speak of here.

3.) The action scenes are fantastic and brutal to watch. If you wondered why Peacemaker is a guest DLC character in Mortal Kombat 1, this TV show will show you why, because people get shot in the face and torn apart. The fights are well-choreographed to the point where some look a bit painful as though the actors actually got hurt. From gunfights to hand-to-hand combat, there is nothing much to complain about here…

Cons:

1.) …Though there is almost nothing to complain about, because there are a few fight scenes that are shot slightly too close or the lighting is poor. When characters are in hand-to-hand combat, there are only a few fights where it is shown too close to the point barely anyone can see. If those fights have poor lighting and the characters have dark costumes, it is even harder to see what is happening. There are not many of these, but those few stand out.

2.) While the antagonists are threatening, they are not compelling. I saw a comment on YouTube about these villains (that I will keep vague on purpose in case you have not seen it) that are compared to a certain type of failed villainous group in the MCU, but it actually pays off. I agree with this comment, but compared to the main characters we follow in this show, they are typical villains. I do not want them to be replaced with Peacemaker’s dad, August Smith a.k.a. White Dragon (played by Robert Patrick) since he is a great side villain, however, it would have been nice if they were written better, which the show slightly did in the season finale, but it was a little late. They are not amazing villains, but at least they are a threat.

3.) The one character I was slightly intrigued to see but the show did not get much to do with is Judomaster (played by Nhut Le). He seems connected to the main antagonists and wants to protect them for his own reasons, but the show does not explore it. The second-to-last episode makes it look like he is heading into the final battle, but he only appears in the aftermath. Maybe this is foreshadowing Season 2 of the show, but I am not sure how that works since the DCEU is about to be rebooted to the DCU. We will see what happens, but until then, this character seems wasted in this show.

Overall:

I know I am late to review this only DCEU TV show made in 2022, but since I finally have the opportunity to watch it fully, I might as well review it now. A character that I do not know anything about, Peacemaker was probably the most popular character in The Suicide Squad who eventually got his own TV show (or probably got it due to John Cena’s popularity). Regardless of why it was made, I am guessing showrunner James Gunn saw potential in this character and made a show about him. After finally watching all eight episodes, that potential paid off, because this show was awesome. Be warned that this a bloody and raunchy TV show, and James Gunn was not holding back especially when you compare it to his Guardians of the Galaxy films. This is one of the better DCEU-related media out there that is somehow getting a second season despite the DCEU getting rebooted, but regardless of what happens moving forward, this peace is worth watching.

Watch It

Benz Eye View: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Pros:

1.) I like how the movie expands on the lore of the Ghostbusters. You get to see various technologies, different ghosts, and distinct spirits. I appreciate that we see some variety in this world of Ghostbusters…

2.) …While having callbacks to the previous Ghostbusters movies is nice. For one thing, I recall that Ghostbusters II was not canon for some reason when Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released, but this movie officially confirms that it is. Other callbacks include the settings and ghosts that we have not seen in a while. If you are a Ghostbusters fan, you will appreciate these callbacks.

3.) While he may not be the most interesting villain you have ever seen, Garraka (voice actor unknown as of this post) is an intimidating antagonist. You feel his presence for a long time plotting with other ghosts since he spends so much of the movie in an orb. His backstory is as scary as the previous antagonists like Gozer or Vigo. Garraka may not be the greatest new antagonist in film history, but he is decent.

Cons:

1.) The pacing is way too slow. The movie shows what the Ghostbusters (both new and old members) have been doing since the previous movie instead of showing more interesting action. Do you want to see more of that action you saw in the trailers? They are sprinkled here and there throughout the movie and are not enough. There is more to why the pacing is an issue, but it makes the movie give you less of what you want/need.

2.) Nearly all of the jokes are not funny. It is rare to find a good joke in this supernatural comedy movie, and it is usually from the old Ghostbusters. I feel bad for some actors like Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson who are trying, but the delivery and writing do not work. The filmmakers need better writers to help with the comedy because it is not working here.

3.) The movie suffers from lackluster writing and a predictable story. For starters, none of the characters (except maybe the old Ghostbusters) are interesting; even Phoebe Spengler (played by McKenna Grace) is not that compelling anymore. I go as far as to say that a few characters have no reason to be there like Lucky Domingo (played by Celeste O’Connor) and newcomers are not interesting enough for anyone to care about them. As for the story, when it shows that Phoebe is not getting along with her family (again, I believe), I knew exactly where the movie was going; that and many other subplots are that predictable. I know Ghostbusters: Afterlife was not a perfect movie, but I can tell that the filmmakers poured their hearts into it, whereas this movie barely has any.

Overall:

The Ghostbusters are back after the previous movie three years ago; a movie I like despite its glaring flaws. However, this movie has similar flaws as its predecessor, and I cannot defend it this time. It was nice to see the original Ghostbusters come back along with a new generation of members, but the movie is held back by lackluster writing, unfunny jokes, and slow pacing. Ghostbusters fans may find some appeal to this, but I am afraid to say that Busting Ghosts needs to be better than what this movie has.

5/10

Benz Eye View: Overall Update on Previous Marvel Films/Movies (including Once Upon A Deadpool)

Welcome back to the Marvel Movies Marathon where I revisit many of the previous Marvel Movies I reviewed before I started this marathon. From the looks of it, all of them are 20th Century Fox Marvel movies except for an animated Sony Marvel film. Has my opinion of these movies changed, or did they remain the same after rewatching them? Let’s find out starting with the infamous Fantastic Four (2015).

Say what you want about the previous Fantastic Four movies, but this reboot back in 2015 is an atrocity compared to its predecessors. Ignoring that this movie was made just for 20th Century Fox to keep the Fantastic Four license, this darker interpretation of the superhero team was terrible and insulting. Nothing about it worked from its writing to its acting, even if the very few good does not save it. Whether it is the director, Josh Trank, or the studio’s fault is not important, these four superheroes in this movie are not fantastic, they are unremarkable.

1/10

20th Century Fox originally did not want to make this movie, but because of test footage being leaked, they finally decided to make the movie. I may not love it like so many people since the main plot is pretty generic, but the big saving grace is Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) himself. He is one of the funniest and crudest superheroes in the Marvel Universe, and he does not hold back from his witty comedy to his violent actions. He is one of the saving graces in the X-Men universe and hopefully the MCU.

7/10

It is amazing that after the excellent X-Men: Days of Future Past, the next movie screwed up like many of its predecessors. If I have to sum up what is wrong with this movie, the scene when Apocalypse (played by Oscar Isaac) possesses Professor Xavier (played by James McAvoy) to possess soldiers from around the world to launch nuclear missiles…into space. There are too many plot lines, many characters that serve little purpose like Moira MacTaggert (played by Rose Byrne) and Jubilee (played by Lana Condor), the new Four Horsemen have little reason to join Apocalypse, and Apocalypse himself could have been an interesting villain instead of a mediocre first mutant with a god complex that makes impressive speeches. This movie was wasted potential and it did not feel like an apocalypse. Also, why did the movie bother to include Jubilee when she has very little reason to exist, especially since she never uses her powers except in a deleted scene and a promo?

4/10

This is not only the best Wolverine, X-Men, and one of the best Marvel films to date, but also one of the best superhero films ever made. It has an emotional and complex story of Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) who is down further than he has ever been alongside Professor X (played by Patrick Stewart). The few action scenes are bloody and gory in the right ways, making full use of Wolverine’s violent nature. The relationship between Wolverine and Laura a.k.a. X-23 (played by Dafne Keen) is heartfelt and heartbreaking. This is also one of those films where you must pay attention to the subtle backstories that the film does not outright say. The only issues I have are that the villains are not interesting and the adamantium bullet that killed X-24 (also played by Hugh Jackman) should not kill him since that did not kill Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (though that movie sucks, so I will let that pass).

This is a proper farewell and closing arc to the character (until Deadpool & Wolverine).

9/10

For this review, I will explain the Super Duper Cut that adds more scenes, jokes, lines, and songs alongside different edits to the movie. This movie is not as good as the first, but the Super Duper Cut improves on it slightly with added context through new scenes and some more funny jokes. It is hilarious, but some of those jokes are bogged down since they only make sense if you have watched the movies and heard the songs (the first movie did not suffer that problem since those jokes are mainly about the X-Men). Add that the writing is subpar and many plot points are convenient (i.e., Domino’s (played by Zazie Beetz) involvement), and I found the movie slightly disappointing. The Super Duper Cut of Deadpool 2 improves a bit, but I believe only Deadpool fans will love it more than others.

6/10

Some of you might be thinking, “What is this?” This is supposed to be a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2; this was meant to be a test run for the character when 20th Century Fox was bought by Disney. The filmmakers wanted to see if Deadpool could be slightly more family-friendly and make it work. That ended up being pointless considering the next Deadpool film in the MCU. Since this is the same movie with different scenes here and there, I might as well make this an overall review rather than a full-fledged review.

There is little to say here since this is just Deadpool 2 but censored. The ADR is slightly obvious at times, and covering up the gore and more sexual innuendos weakens the jokes and scenes sometimes. For example, one change is that Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) gets shot in the hand during his attempted rescue of Russell Collins a.k.a. Firefist (played by Julian Dennison), except the hand is censored where he does not get the bullet hole, and suddenly has that hole in later scenes. The only reason to watch it is the addition of the Fred Savage (played by himself) scenes that are pretty funny (especially when he points out the writing issues in the movie). However, you should stick to the original Deadpool 2 (or the Super Duper Cut) instead.

6/10

When I initially watched this film, I liked it, but I did not love it. Over multiple viewings later, I realized why so many people love it more than I thought. The animation is unique and fantastic with each Spider-Men being different in terms of animation (i.e., anime, cartoon, 30 FPS, comic book animation, etc.). The story is fantastic as a pass-the-torch narrative for Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) as he learns from multiple Spider-Men. I did not like that three of those Spider-Men barely got much screen time and the villains are underwhelming despite a clear and understandable motivation like Wilson Fisk a.k.a. the Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber). However, with such a great amount of detail of how this Earth is different than the one we know (i.e., numerous ads and signs), it is clear that the filmmakers poured their hearts into this.

This even worked towards Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and hopefully Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Spider-Man’s legacy lives on in live-action and animation.

9/10

A movie that is technically the last X-Men movie, this is worse than I remembered. While I was rewatching this, the one I thought I had in my head was that it was clear that the cast and (maybe) the crew were not trying anymore. Ignoring that these characters should start looking like their older counterparts, there are so many character assassinations from Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy) being an arrogant prick like Peter Parker did in Spider-Man 3 to Dr. Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult) betraying the X-Men for an extreme reason. It also says plenty when I do not recall the D’Bari that just appear out of nowhere and barely play a role until the final act (fun fact: it was originally going to be the Skrulls, but Marvel Studios was already using them in Captain Marvel). The special effects and the last-act fights are cool, but they are not enough to save the movie.

How this movie fits into the new timeline after X-Men: Days of Future Past is beyond me. Even X-Men Origins: Wolverine had more energy and a better story than this movie. This is what happens when 20th Century Fox hires Simon Kinberg as the director who also wrote for X-Men: The Last Stand, making him screw up the Dark Phoenix saga again. This movie is not resurrecting any time soon, and other than one more attempt, this is the end of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movies.

2/10

This movie is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but it is a horror superhero movie that nobody cares about, especially since it was delayed four times from 2018 to 2020. It does have an interesting premise: a hospital that is haunted by something that is possibly supernatural that the remaining mutants have to deal with since it is using their trauma and fears. The problems are that the characters are very passive, none of them are interesting (though I slightly like Samuel “Sam” Guthrie a.k.a. Cannonball (played by Charlie Heaton)), the movie (alongside X-Men: Apocalypse and Deadpool 2) attempted to build up Mr. Sinister with no payoff since this is the last X-Men movie, and the main conflict is easily resolved. If I have to say one nice thing about this, it is better than Dark Phoenix. We will see if Deadpool & Wolverine can revive the interest in the X-Men in movies once they enter the MCU, but this movie is a disappointing end to these new mutants.

3/10

Benz Eye View: Monkey Man

Pros:

1.) I give credit that Dev Patel as Kid / Bobby / Monkey Man can not only act well, but he can also fight well. Besides the movie showing his muscular body, he can fight in any difficult situation from being handcuffed to wearing a monkey mask. I do not know if he did all of his stunts or if some of those stunts were the stuntmen’s work, but Dev Patel clearly worked hard as a fighter and an actor.

2.) Speaking of a fighter, when you see these fights clearly, they are brutal and bloody. From fights in the ring to weapon uses like an axe, they are great due to the sheer brutality and claustrophobia it feels alongside the Monkey Man. Besides one big problem it has, these fights are worth giving this movie a watch.

3.) Since this movie takes place in India, there is a variety of scenery, from the clean and pleasant nature to the dirty and grimy city. That might not mean much to you, but since this is a different country and culture that I usually do not see much, I appreciate the change of scenery. This looks and feels like India, so the movie does a decent job in that area.

Cons:

1.) The cinematography has plenty of issues that I can list here: obnoxious close-ups and quick cuts, poorly lit and dim settings (though some of them have a good reason) that make it easy to get sleepy, and shaky camera in fight scenes that does not help when the Monkey Man wears similar dark clothing like the villains in a dark setting. I can see why the filmmakers did this: to show the claustrophobic feeling the Monkey Man is going through, but it is disorienting to watch. As mentioned, the fight scenes are great…if I can see clearly what is happening.

2.) The plot is nothing special: a boy swears revenge against the man who killed his mother, and he plans to stop the leader of an evil political/religious group. That is any revenge movie ever made; I am thinking of the Assassin’s Creed III video game on top of my head. If you have seen those movies before, this movie does not change much besides the setting…

3.) …It does not help that the writing has many issues. From forgettable characters with little to do to slow pacing, the weak and predictable writing makes it difficult to care. In the first half, the movie puts some mystery to the Monkey Man by sprinkling a few flashbacks to make you wonder what his backstory is when it is so easy to predict (especially when the shotty editing makes it more annoying). I am not saying these are the worst characters you will ever see, but I am saying these are characters and writing you will not remember other than some cool action scenes.

Overall:

If you have seen the trailers, you know that the critics are saying this is one of the best action movies in a decade and deserves to be watched repeatedly. I was looking forward to this movie, and after watching it, I have one question for these critics: what in the world are you talking about? This is not a terrible movie, but it is nowhere near close to being one of the best action movies in a decade. The action is nice to see (if you can), but the writing that is supposed to back it up can barely do that. I will give the main actor and director Dev Patel this since it is his first directorial movie: it is a decent attempt, but he has to do better than this. I can see some potential for this movie, but it deserves to be in a cage.

5/10

Benz Eye View: Bob Marley: One Love

Pros:

1.) I have heard of Bob Marley (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir), but I do not know much about him, and this movie made him interesting to me at least. He only wants peace and love in the world (especially in his home war-torn country of Jamaica), but he also needs peace within himself, especially with his dad. His way to help others is through his songs; the only thing he knows best. If you want to know who this man is, this movie may be a good start.

2.) The reggae music is introduced well here. While I admit that this is not my type of favorite music, I will say that it is entertaining to hear. The movie even shows how it is made through Bob Marley and his friends. If you like reggae music, you will enjoy its process and rise to fame.

3.) The movie makes you care about Bob Marley through his chemistry with his friends and his wife, Rita Marley (played by Lashana Lynch). Their performances make you believe they have known each other for a long time and love each other. They will go through thick and thin working with Bob’s songs and spreading the message of love and peace. The cast works great together and you can buy that these people are close.

Cons:

1.) Since this is a biopic movie about a singer, some cliches are unavoidable. From a struggling singer trying to start his career to suffering from fame, the standards of these types of biopics are typical despite having an interesting individual to watch. If you have seen many biopics regarding singers, you know what to expect here.

2.) One of the big subplots in the movie is that there is civil unrest in Jamaica due to the two political parties being at each other’s throats. There are gang violence and police presence to the point that Bob Marley had to leave his home for a couple of years. How does this get resolved? The movie tells you through an epilogue. That was underwhelming; it would have been better to see how that happened rather than being told in the ending.

3.) I apologize if this sounds bad, but I had difficulty understanding what the Jamaican people are saying. Their accents are so thick that I swear that they are speaking a different language (which I am sure they are at times). I got the gist of what they were saying, but the only people I truly understood were non-Jamaicans (i.e., British people). Once again, I apologize for this, and it may change if I see this movie again and put in subtitles or get better audio.

Overall:

As mentioned, I have heard of Bob Marley, but not by much. I was curious to check out this biopic about him, and after watching it, I say the movie was not too bad. I cannot say if this is accurate to who he is (though I am willing to say so considering his children and wife were involved in making this movie), but despite some setbacks like typical biopic cliches, this is a nice watch. Bob Marley’s message of peace and love holds strong in this movie despite its flaws.

7/10

Benz Eye View: X-Men: Days of Future Past -The Rogue Cut-

Welcome back once again to Marvel Movies Marathon where we look at the X-Men film that fully revitalized interest in this superhero team and fixed many of the mistakes in some of their past movies (until they screwed it up again later). Let’s look at this new X-Men film that is more or less a crossover of the past and present X-Men team: X-Men: Days of Future Past.

For the purpose of this review, I am going to talk about The Rogue Cut version of this film. It adds 17 minutes to the runtime which includes a subplot involving Rogue (played by Anna Paquin) and alters a few scenes that fit that subplot.

Pros:

1.) I might as well get this out of the way first: how does The Rogue Cut compare to the original? It makes the film much better because it adds more dimension and layers to the plot and characters even if they are not necessary. Many examples include the remaining X-Men discussing the consequences of changing the past may end up erasing some of their existence, a rekindling romance between Hank McCoy a.k.a. Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult) and Raven a.k.a. Mystique (played by Jennifer Lawrence), an explanation of how the Sentinels found the remaining X-Men in the last act, and the biggest change of all: having Rogue be more involved in the story instead of being seen in a cameo in the original cut. While her role makes a slightly small impact on the main plot and I understand why the filmmakers had to cut it originally, it was nice to see her again.

2.) The writing is absolutely fantastic. Ignoring many some of the small nitpicks and obvious continuity issues, the mutants becoming extinct is already a big conflict, so what is left of the X-Men has to go back to the past by sending Logan a.k.a. Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) to his younger body and stop Mystique from killing Bolivar Trask (played by Peter Dinklage) by getting help from a younger Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X (played by James McAvoy) and a younger Erik Lehnsherr a.k.a. Magneto (played by Michael Fassbender). It is not as simple as it gets since Xavier is a complete drunk, Magento is in jail for apparently killing President John F. Kennedy, and Mystique is determined to kill Trask even if it means screwing over Xavier and Magneto since her Brotherhood of Mutants got killed. Their arcs are all fantastic from Xavier learning to let go of the loss and learn from Wolverine to Magneto further realizing that mutants must take control of their future by stopping humanity to Mystique learning to let go of her prejudices thanks to his stepbrother. Even the main villain, Bolivar Trask is not some evil human who hates mutants; he respects them to the point where he wants to use them as research and keep the human race from extinction. Most of the characters are fantastic (even the minor mutant characters from the future thanks to The Rogue Cut), and they make the audience care what is happening…

3.) …The biggest reason for that is the film does a fantastic job of giving tension and high stakes. The future Sentinels are no joke: no matter how hard the mutants fight and manage to slow them down, these robots cannot be stopped and that is established at the beginning of the film.

With the worst of humanity taking control of these monsters and wanting to see mutant-kind extinct, these Sentinels clearly symbolize all of humanity’s hatred. When the climax comes in, and the Sentinels find and kill the remaining X-Men while Wolverine is trying to stop the past from getting worse despite the limited time remaining, that is an example of heightened tensions reaching their limits.

This is so good that this film might as well be the X-Men film equivalent of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. I want to say that this film is perfect, it is not, but it is so close to being one.

Cons:

1.) As much as I love this film, I have to acknowledge the typical continuity issues in the X-Men films:

a.) The events of X-Men: The Last Stand where humans and mutants achieve peace is pointless considering where X-Men: Days of Future Past leads.

b.) Bolivar Trask changed from being a black man originally played by Bill Duke to a short white man played by Peter Dinklage. It is a great casting choice, but that is certainly questionable.

c.) Wolverine somehow got his adamantium claws back despite losing them in The Wolverine.

d.) How did Kitty Pryde (played by formerly Ellen Page) get time-traveling powers? Her powers are phasing, so I have no idea how it also upgraded into sending people through time.

e.) Charles Xavier mentioned that Mystique was captured during the Paris Peace Accords when she murdered Trask, but I guess she somehow escaped so the first three X-Men films can happen.

f.) Wolverine was not in the Vietnam War or with William Stryker (played by Josh Helman) (and he looked much younger in this film) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but he is with some lady in New York City.

g.) Toad (played by Evan Jonigkeit) is in the film, but he looks much different from the first film.

I feel like at this point, the filmmakers just do not care about changing characters and events unless it is the more important plot points.

2.) I have some nitpicks on the film as a whole:

a.) Remember some of the mutants from X-Men: First Class like Azazel, Emma Frost, and Banshee? They are killed off-screen and you see some of their bodies when Mystique investigates Trask’s office. Their potential has certainly been wasted.

b.) Peter Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver (played by Evan Peters) is in this film, and he is cool. However, he is not in the film for long; when Magneto gets rescued by Wolverine, Xavier, and him, that is basically the last time we see Quicksilver. He could have been a great help in stopping Mystique from murdering Trask with his super speed.

c.) The one change I did not like in The Rogue Cut is after Xavier encountered Mystique in the airport via Cerebro, he had no idea where she was going. In the original cut, he figured it out by observing the plane ticket that Mystique had. He could have read her mind to learn her destination at least, but that would have made sense.

d.) Alex Summers a.k.a. Havok (played by Lucas Till) is in the film, but his only role is that he got rescued by Mystique in Vietnam and was transported back to the United States. We will never see him again until X-Men: Apocalypse.

e.) I am not exactly sure how the effects of time traveling work. Kitty Pryde sends a person back through time via their younger bodies, and after warning of the events of the future, the timeline that Kitty is in suddenly disappears. That must be slightly complicated when Wolverine goes back in time because the people disappearing in the future timeline do not take effect until Mystique decides to not kill Trask instead of Wolverine, Xavier, Beast, and Magneto interfering in Mystique’s attempted murder. At least Avengers: Endgame‘s explanation of time traveling makes more sense.

f.) A wasted character in this film is Bishop (played by Omar Sy). He was a big deal in the comics during the Days of Future Past, and he is only regulated as a side character. He gets a little more screen time in The Rogue Cut, but he should have a bigger role at the very least.

I love this film, but I have to acknowledge the few flaws I noticed.

Overall:

The Days of Future Past is a bleak future where the hatred against mutants has increased immensely to the point of being an apocalyptic future (not to be confused with a certain mutant) of Sentinels hunting what is left of the mutant race. It has gotten so bad that Kitty Pryde has to go back to the past to prevent the event that started it: the murder of Senator Kelly. While there are plenty of changes in the film adaptation (i.e., Wolverine is the one who goes back in time), the main concept is the same. You might have thought I may not like this film because of the glaring writing flaws and continuity issues, but the truth of the matter is that I love this film. The tensions between mutants and humans have never been any higher thanks to the Sentinels, mutants dying with very little of them remaining, and it takes a long time for the main conflict to be resolved especially when the threat of an even worse future is possible. I can forgive the few writing and continuity issues; this film is that great.

The Rogue Cut also enhances the film in a similar vein as the extended version of The Lord of the Rings: it may not be necessary, but I prefer that over the original (for the most part). This is the best X-Men film ever made (besides Logan), and I highly recommend this version of the film to any X-Men fan. The future glows bright in this film and the filmmakers prevented the X-Men series from going into obscurity (until they screw it up again).

9/10

I do wonder about this: since the X-Men are coming to the MCU, how is the TVA going to explain all of what happened in this film and the Deadpool films? We will just have to wait and hope that Marvel Studios does not screw this up like they have been lately.

Benz Eye View: Dune: Part Two

Pros:

1.) As I said about the first Dune, the world is so fascinating. There are so many objects, people, religions, planets, terminologies, etc. that is hard to keep up what they are (to a fault), but they are so compelling to see. From the sandworms to the Lisan Al Gaib, Dune is such an interesting world with many amazing costumes and environmental designs that it is no wonder it is considered to be Star Wars before Star Wars.

2.) The writing is spectacular enough to make you invested in Dune and its characters. I mentioned in the last film that I found the characters to be standard or weak, but this film made me start to appreciate them. From Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet) to Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (played by Austin Butler), all of these characters are compelling in their own rights which is reinforced by their stellar performances. This is how you make an investing world with fantastic writing (though there are issues).

3.) The directing, the cinematography, and the editing are top-notch. There are so many beautiful and great shots with careful placements of characters and objects that many of them might as well be paintings or pictures on a wall. If you somehow do not believe me, the trailer I posted on top and even the director Denis Villeneuve’s past works like Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario, and Prisoners should prove my point. The presentation is something you should watch to believe, and it is glorious to see.

Cons:

1.) As much as I like the world of Dune, I do not fully understand what is truly happening. While compelling to watch and I appreciate the film does so much show-don’t-tell, I feel like there has to be a little more exposition despite how long this film is. One example that I will be slightly vague on is that a ritual happened with Lady Jessica (played by Rebecca Ferguson), and when that ritual ended, the women around her were horrified when they learned something about her. I will explain slightly more why this can be an issue, but it is not enough to deter my enjoyment of this film since it at least delivers these scenes well.

2.) The film introduces plenty of new characters, and I like them all, but I wish they got more screen time. One character I was highly fascinated with is Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen; this psychopath that everyone fears other than his uncle, Baron Vladimir Harokonnen (played by Stellan Skarsgard), who is also honorable in one-on-one matches. He also has a cool yet simple appearance that is reinforced during that colosseum scene where everything is black and white. Despite having a fair amount of screen time in the middle of the film, he barely gets any more after that, especially what happens to him in the end. It is a shame despite there being a good reason why because I want to learn more about characters like him, and that is a good sign if that happens.

3.) As cool as the battle scenes are, there are not many of them and they are slightly over before they begin. The trailers made it look like a war epic when there were very few battles in this 2-hour and 45-minute film. They looked amazing, especially when the sandworms got involved, but this film is more focused on the characters than the battles. I still appreciate the little we get here, but it is a shame that there are not any more of these.

Overall:

When I reviewed the first Dune, I did say it was a great film in terms of visuals and its world, but I thought the story was standard or weak. Rewatching it before its sequel, I appreciate the film more, but I still acknowledge some of its weaknesses. Now that I have watched this sequel yesterday and pondered on it, I believe it is much better than the first, but some of its issues hold it back from agreeing with the critics saying it is the best film they have seen this year. The filmmaking and the world of Dune are fantastic, but I feel that the one thing that holds it back is that the world is too complex and too big to fully understand what is happening. I am not saying it is terrible, but I can certainly understand why the Dune book is known to be notoriously hard to adapt (from the little I have heard from that series). While I cannot speak for the series’ fans if they will love it or not, I can say that it is a big cinematic experience in its own way (especially on IMAX and repeated viewings) that deserves to be seen.

8/10