videogamenews Reviews

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Would be perfect, without the useless woke scenes

[8/10 · 19 May 2022]

Sonic 2 came really close to being the perfect sequel, if corporate orders and their woke agenda didn't interfere. There's an entire useless subplot about an african american couple's wedding that's so out of place it makes you wonder if you switched to another movie by mistake.

Without those 20 or so extra minutes, Sonic 2 looks and feels like the perfect video game movie. Jim Carrey is back to his old Ace Ventura form (if not better) while the CGI work is of very high quality both for style and animation.

The story, too, is faithful to the original games and there's a lot of well made fan service, references to classic levels and so on (and I've played all Sonic games myself).

This is the way to bring videogames to the big screen, even if some scenes were best left to other (more politicized) movies.

These Streets We Haunt (2021)

Original, unexpected combo of different genres

[8/10 · 16 May 2022]

I was expecting a movie about the supernatural and other dark topics, what I got was a deeper film about love, loneliness, job issues and a lot of other stuff that's being talked about today.

Beyond the strange and almost unrelated title, These Streets We Haunt offers something for everyone. Matt Williams and Lauren Perez are very good in the main roles, while the rest of the cast are mostly caricatures but work well in the lighter moments.

Overall, more movies (especially big budget ones) should try what this film did: get different genres and remix them together to surprise watchers.

These Streets We Haunt succeeds because it keeps the story interesting until the end, even if some scenes aren't very well filmed and acting is hit and miss (the villians, for example, aren't very convincing).

Halo (2022– )

Nerds should stop watching TV and movies

[7/10 · 1 May 2022]

Seriously guys, all this complaining is pointless. You're never gonna get what you're looking for because it's not possible. If you want the same characters, stories and look of a videogame go an play the games.

This is different from the original series (which I've played for decades) but it's still good at its own thing. Congrats to the authors for their courage: they knew they were messing with a lot of stuff the fans would not want to see changed. Yet, they did anyway and the end result is mostly good.

The action is great, the suit is well made, actors do a fine job (it's a videogame series after all) and overall it stays together well.

There's only one big problem for me and it's the low quality CGI that really takes you out of a lot of scenes. I've done some work with 3D graphics and these models/animations are not very good. They often seem detached from the rest of the scene or missing a lot of details that were in the game. Matter of fact, sometimes Halo 4's graphics (from ten years ago) are even better than this series.

In the end, it's still enjoyable if you're not looking for a playthrough of the saga but a stand alone, somewhat different. Halo story.

The Room (2019)

Just a very bad film, in almost every category

[2/10 · 28 April 2022]

Seriously, this is one of the worst thriller/horror films I've ever seen and I've been watching movies almost daily for 30 years. On paper, the concept of a magic (but evil) room answering every desire or wish is nice, but the way it's shown on screen leaves A LOT to be desired.

The plot, dialogue and performances are so stupid it's almost funny.

The couple goes from loving their "gifts" to being scared of them in seconds. Cinematography jumps around between realistic and supernatural elements for no reason. Oh, and the icing on the cake: whatever scary subject or mystery is there isn't developed and gets totally left behind (for example, what's the room origin).

I wouldn't reccomend this film to my worst enemy, it's just that bad.

The Outsider (I) (2019)

Unconventional western, that's why most people hate it

[7/10 · 27 April 2022]

There's no bank heist or cowboys Vs indians in this movie, just a very tragic story about a chinese man (yes, a chinese man) seeking revenge. This is why most people hate The Outsider: because it offers nothing they were expecting after they read "western".

If you're just looking for a nice film, you'll find an interesting plot that switches gears about halfway through, so much that even the protagonist is not the same anymore. Looking at the cast Foo, Adkins and Flanery deliver good performances, while Trejo is in there for 5 minutes and quickly forgotten.

It takes an open mind to appreciate everything: if you're not too hardcore about westerns, you're gonna like this movie.

The Batman (2022)

NOT a superhero film, and that's the best part

[8/10 · 19 April 2022]

Marvel owns the superhero genre: it's about time Warner and DC tried something different. They already did it with Joker, so why not follow the same route with The Batman?

This is not an action movie or superhero special effects party: it's a slow paced noir that balances itself between dialogue and violence. The end result is a very nice film that's not made for comics fans but for movie enthusiasts. Basically, the polar opposite to Justice League or Batman V Superman.

It's dark, slow paced and realistic (considering the subject matter) with fantastic camera work and very well done CGI (the penguin chase is a perfect example). Plus, the main cast has excellent chemistry so almost every scene feels very natural.

The only negatives are in some plot details, seen a million times, and the general length. Some dialogue may have been cut and the film would've flown a lot better in my opinion.

But it's still one of the best Batman movies I've seen, and I've seen them all since 1989's Tim Burton original.

Know Your Enemy (II) (2019)

Solid thriller, even with its silly dialogue

[8/10 · 3 April 2022]

Know your Enemy feels like another home invasion film at first, but it gets darker and deeper very fast.

The characters are well developed, but their lines not so much and dialogue often feels out of place. Still, the movie keeps you interested thanks to flashbacks and hints about the "main enemy".

It's nothing out of the ordinary or groundbreaking, but if you're into short, psychological dramas this one's for you.

Still the Water (2020)

Weak story, but great acting

[9/10 · 1 April 2022]

Still the Water offers nothing new in its premise: another homecoming story with a down on his luck protagonist seeking help from family and friends.

On the plus side, the actors' performance makes it compelling and keeps you interested because you never know what happened years before that made them hate each other. When it's finally revealed, it's kind of a let down because many films work around the same subject.

But it's worth watching all the same for Ry Barret's excellent performance as the protagonist: a failed athlete that goes beyond stereotypes showing emotion instead of brute force (even if his appearance makes you think otherwise at first).

Also, the environments and cinematography in general are excellent, almost another character in itself.

Still the Water is highly reccomended to movie fans who seek drama, emotion and actors who really feel like human beings on screen.

Panama (I) (2022)

Pointless nudity, no action, a waste of time

[1/10 · 24 March 2022]

Another failed project showing how easy it is to waste some good potential. Cole Hauser and Mel Gibson are good actors and the setting could be a great starting point to talk about the CIA, politics and all the shady stuff that went on during the US invasion of Panama.

Instead, we waste over an hour watching people walk in slow motion, half nude models and some old TV footage that's almost laughable given the context. If they didn't have the budget for war scenes or big battles, they should've just made another kind of movie.

The main issue is the complete lack of good action, the poor script and the simple fact nothing really happens from beginning to end.

Don't waste your time.

One Shot (III) (2021)

Great movie, Scott Adkins truly shines

[9/10 · 17 February 2022]

Too often he's stuck in cliche roles and fighting scenes that show nothing new, but this movie really makes him go through his entire playbook as an action star.

Yes it's a military action flick but it's shot in a single non stopping take or at least looks like that. And Scott Adkins is always at the centre of it all: arguing with others, suffering, screaming in pain...the guy is miles away from the usual "poker face" he puts on in other movies.

Plus, the storyline (as simple as it is) has so many twists and turns you can't even blink or look away. Even being shot in a single location, the total abscence of pauses keeps the viewer glued to the action, although the ending is lacking a real closure. But maybe it's a cliffhanger for something else that's being done with the same characters.

Anyway, One Shot is highly reccomended to every action fan who's looking for something different - but still very entertaining.

The Commando (2022)

Boring, slow, badly written

[1/10 · 17 February 2022]

I love M. Jai White and M. Rourke (even if he looks like a wax statue these days) but this is just BAD.

The whole thing has almost no action at all except for a shootout and a fight scene. The rest is criminals talking while sitting in cars and actors trying to make the most out of a bad script. Plus mixing PTSD with a a home invasion makes no sense, and the movie switches from personal issues to mindless violence too easily. But most of all, like I said before, whatever action is there is not enjoyable at all.

Oh and the title itself has almost no connection to the film's plot or its cast.

Point Defiance (2018)

Good old fashioned thriller

[8/10 · 24 October 2021]

Don't expect a masterpiece, but if you keep an open mind you'll find a very good movie. Josh Crotty is great as the jackass brother, so much that you really hate the guy halfway through the story. Other characters are more stereotyped until the end, when everything changes and you're left truly shocked. I wasn't expecting much, but I was entertained and truly surprised.

The Virtuoso (2021)

Stay awake and you'll find a good thriller

[8/10 · 10 May 2021]

Most people hating this movie probably quit halfway through and I can't blame them. The pace is slow and everything seems so cliché you really need to motivate yourself to continue. But after a hour or so the film really starts to make sense and you're wondering what exactly is going on (because you are finally interested).

The real star here is not Anson Mount, but Abbie Cornish: her performance is surprising, funny and always interesting. Hopkins, Morse, Marsan etc. Barely make their presence felt. And it's a shame especially for Hopkins: his scenes hardly make sense but one monologue in the graveyard shows flashes of his past performances.

The Virtuoso could have been better script-wise, and another title wouldn't hurt, but is a good thriller that needed just a little more action.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Great sequels die hard

[9/10 · 4 August 2019]

I watched this back in '95 an I re-watched almost 24 years later to reach the same conclusion: it's a great action movie.

The simple fact that it's still very enjoyable after all this time shows how good it was in the first place. Action packed, funny, unpredictable are only some of the words that come to your mind when you're watching Die Hard with a Vengeance.

McTiernan really pulled all the stops with the pacing and the cast:, creating a formula that sadly few films have succesfully copied. Also, New York is the perfect background for the visual chaos that's thrown to the screen every couple of minutes. In fact, the intro sequence alone is already a classic.

The only negative points are a third act that's too tame compared to the beginning and a few jokes that weren't good back then and are even worse now. All in all, however, we're talking top notch stuff here, and a true classic in the action genre.Best of the sequels, almost as good as the first

Hellboy (2019)

Decent movie drowned in special effects

[4/10 · 2 August 2019]

The Marvel-itis bug bites again: trying to look like those popular superheroes movie, the new Hellboy fails miserably. Too much CGI, too many stupid jokes and fast camera cuts make the action hard to grasp.

Too often the story jumps from scene to scene without any logic, from past to present and back again, without any clear explanation. The overall effect is close to a TV commercial, and whatever substance is there goes lost.

David Harbour does a decent job as the main character but it's still far away from the highs reached by Ron Perlman in the original movies. He just doesn't have the same attitude or experience in "taking over" a scene. The same goes for Milla Jovovich, straight out of Resident Evil with her blank stare.

Hellboy is still fun as a generic action movie and a few scenes are really spectacular. But it doesn't offer anything new or different and tries too hard to be another special effects showcase.

Beauty in the Broken (I) (2015)

Excellent romantic comedy

[9/10 · 24 July 2019]

If you've had enough of explosions, zombies and superheroes this is the perfect film for you. A romantic comedy with all the qualities of the best in the genre, without being corny or repetitive. Even the soundtrack is good, with a recurring theme that's catchy and very appropriate for this movie.

Briana Cuoco is EXCELLENT as the female protagonist with a standout performance that's sadly been seen by few people (otherwise her career would've really took off). She's expressive, funny and unpredictable in almost all her scenes and really brings the plot alive.

The rest of the cast delivers too, but they play their parts in a more traditional way.

The only "bad" points are the somewhat typical ending and the limited number of locations, probably for budget reasons. Anyway, Beauty in the Broken is one of the best indie films I've seen this year, and I'm not even a fan of the genre.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Alita the mediocre angel

[4/10 · 23 July 2019]

The old saying "don't give America a Japan brand" applies to this movie: like Ghost in the Shell, producers, directors and actors just couldn't capture the manga's magic.

Putting aside the BAD character designs, the movie tries to remix the main themes of the original in the typical "hollywood action" way. Too many plot twists are shown and tied together without proper closure, so much so that the movie ends in a cliffhanger.

It's sad that once again we see the same mistakes made with ohter Japan-to-US productions. Characters miscast or badly writtem, whole parts of the story completely changed etc. Either they made another movie or they could have stayed closer to the original. This is half Alita, half generic american action.

If you never heard of the manga, you can still enjoy this film for the nice camera work, the excellent environments and some funny dialogue. But, as a whole, it's another failed adaptation by someone who never should have touched the original series.

Pet Sematary (2019)

Not as good as its trailer, or the original

[2/10 · 22 July 2019]

Another pointless remake of another "so-so" 80's movie. The story starts good enough with the right atmosphere around a truly creepy (if downright unrealistic) house-with-graveyard place.

But soon enough, it all goes downhill with every horror cliche thrown at the viewer...There's even a laughable "flickering light" moment! They also changed the plot to make the young girl the main villian just like all those The Ring clones that were popular in the early 2000's.

Seriously, the best actor in this movie is the cat, way nicer than the original and more unpredictable in its reactions. Jason Clarke is mediocre as usual and only John Lithgow shines in the few scenes he's in.

In my opinion, they tried too hard to be IT but that remake is the exception to the rule. Nine times out of ten, remakes are just pointless money grabbers and this is the perfect example.

Batman Returns (1992)

A Tim Burton ego trip more than a Batman movie

[2/10 · 22 July 2019]

I don't know exactly what went on behind the scenes, but it's clear that Tim Burton (he never did another one) wanted to give Hollywood a big "F-U" with this film.

While the first one had still some ties with the comics, the sequel is almost a parody. No character has any similarity with the original series, starting with an almost mutant Penguin who's just a mob boss in the comics. Even Batman acts strange (killing people, cracking jokes etc) and is on screen for a very little time.

Also, Michael Keaton looks bored in almost all his scenes, and the "now grey" costume looks a lot faker than the original. Danny de Vito did well but the character was just badly written. Same with Catwoman: the whole "cat resurrection" thing was laughable even back in the days.

The only good points are the first scenes with the circus battle (still very good today) and the overall dark/decaying atmosphere that's typical Burton.

Too bad nobody was there telling the director that enough is enough sometimes.

Jean-Claude Van Johnson (2016–2017)

Van Damme kicks ass

[8/10 · 16 December 2017]

Even if he's almost 60 years old, JCVD still has a lot left in the tank as you can see in this excellent action comedy. The agent-actor idea isn't new at all, but the way it's brought to the screen is fresh, and hilarious.

Van Damme is GREAT as the depressed action star, doing stuff just for money and/or to relive his past. But the other characters are the real treat, full of sterotypes (movie directors will make you laugh very hard) as they are.

The only downside is the repetition of settings, jokes and action scenes, but you're always looking for the next joke coming. Because there are lots of movie references and parodies that you just can't miss.

EDIT: after re-watching it, I must say that the second half of the season is weaker and too serious given the initial run. Still better than a lot of the stuff coming out these days, though.