CorpusTristis Reviews

The Predator (2018)

A ridiculous, nonsensical installment. But with acceptable action.

[3/10 · 16 March 2019]

So the child is able to translate an alien language and decode technology all super casually and effortlessly... because he has Asperger's Syndrome? No hate on any disorders, but talk about a serious eye-roller. The movie goes on to claim Asperger's is in fact "the next step in the evolutionary chain". That's a bold claim, and I'm not sure what the movie was trying to achieve with this. If I had to guess I would say the strong focus on the kid was to show that he's still smart and capable even if he thinks differently. If that was the intended message, it was not handled well. The fact that the predator even deems the child the only "true warrior" almost seems overcompensating.

Humor was intrusive. If the creators can't take the movie seriously, how can we? Any chance of a compelling plot was undermined by poorly-timed jokes. And it was like a cartoon at points, such as when the alien dog releases gas just before he explodes (yeah, they really slipped a fart joke in there). Enough said on that.

Another issue was the complete lack of character motives. I still do not know why any character was doing anything. The ragtag team of soldiers hijack a bus and establish themselves as enemies of the government for virtually no reason. Well, maybe I might understand it better upon a second viewing, but I don't plan on subjecting myself to this again.

A few minor things irked me too. For one, the alien dog learns to play fetch. He goes on to essentially become a pet, and even turns against his initial alien owner. That was all silly. Also, the predator's countdown timer didn't sit well with me. It lacked subtlety.

There were a few things I liked. The 11-foot predator was absolutely beastly, and I would have watched him murder people for two hours straight instead. In fact, the action in general was good (overlooking substandard CG) but not much else was.

One scene I particular liked was when the child wore the predator's mask for Halloween. It was just a nice, memorable and original scene. Also, I enjoyed how the mechanics of the force field were handled on the ship towards the end of the film. They did a few creative things with it, such as cutting a guys legs off, as well as when McKenna ends up on the inside of the barrier and Nebraska on the outside.That was clever, but clever moments were few and far between in this film.

In summary, the flaws made it difficult to watch, but virtually all the action scenes were pretty good. Between the science lab attack and the flaming predator in the forest, it actually holds up. You just have to ignore the poor writing that got them into the fights in the first place.

Deep (II) (2017)

Very similar to Finding Nemo...but a lot weirder.

[5/10 · 29 October 2018]

Maybe I'm just pairing the two movies because they're both undersea adventures, but I couldn't help but notice how it copies Nemo in a few ways.

Anyway, the movie was enjoyable enough and doesn't deserve the hate it's receiving from some. Although, they were some odd elements that I'm not sure were entirely appropriate for children, namely the blunt discussion of reproduction/mating to repopulate the oceans, as well as the sheer amount of fish & human skeletons throughout. Now, it should be clear that these were just cartoonish skulls and bones and wouldn't go as far as to traumatize any children, but it was still a little morbid. Speaking of morbid, the bigger picture, outside of our fish's adventure, is that the world is in such a sorry state that humans have long left the planet itself... I mean, that's not Walking Dead level of dystopia, but it's still a little bleak for a children's movie, no? All of this wouldn't stop me from letting a child watch, but it is a little odd.

Other than that, the animation was top notch and looked pretty cool. Each character is pretty one-dimensional, but there's enough characters and creatures to give the movie the variety it needs, ranging from shrimp to whales and all in between. A visually appealing movie, no doubt.

A lot of people have been ripping into this one for not being entirely scientifically sound. This is a movie where a penguin pilots a spaceship, get a grip. This isn't one of those Pixar masterpieces that is enjoyed by parent and child alike. It's a silly kid's movies, and it serves its purpose as that. Saying that, it wasn't outstanding or anything. Funny at points, and creative sometimes too, but Deep is nothing too special.

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

Surprisingly enjoyable

[7/10 · 1 June 2018]

Honestly, I found it quite enjoyable. Even though none of the freaky events (such as the arm with a life of its own) were ever given a clear explanation, I found myself intrigued and excited nonetheless. The idea of dimensions mashing together leaves a lot to the imagination, and since the mysterious workings of this are never fully explained, I can see this film being unsatisfactory for those who desire an airtight plot. I however, was willing to except that weird stuff was occurring, and considering it is just a film, I found it perfectly adequate when Schmidt' says "the longer we stay here the more dangerous it is", which was the writer's way of explaining away the seemingly random behavior on the ship.

Some of the "dimension-switching" moments I found to be outstanding, such as when a woman ends up within the walls of the craft, pipes and wires running through her body. That was very dark and honestly quite creative, and when this apparent stranger utters Hamilton's name, it added a level of intrigue I hadn't felt from a film in years.

This film would have worked ten times better if it had detached itself from the Cloverfield franchise. If you can't envision Paradox as a standalone, you'll just find yourself facing even more unanswered questions. The monsters are mentioned and briefly shown, in order to tie the film in with the first installment, but they are never properly addressed. Perhaps the next film in the "Cloververse" will fill in the blanks.

The emotional elements of the film did not land well. I found myself unmoved at Hamilton's desire to see her children again, and I didn't care for the events occurring on Earth, probably because they didn't show enough for it to amount to anything. Perhaps if they hadn't shown any clips of Earth, and adapted a theme of isolation like in "Alien", they could have pulled it off. The Cloverfield Paradox follows Alien in many ways already, but not particularly successfully. We could have become much more attached to the crew if we had seem them chatting and being happy, such as the breakfast scene of Alien. I didn't find myself particularly invested in any of them.

A final thing to note is the unnecessary alienation of the one Chinese character, Tam. None of her lines are in English, even though it's evident she understands it. This was a redundant and impractical move on the director's behalf, and seems to be a poor attempt at showcasing diversity, or possible (as many speculate) appealing to a Chinese audience. Either way, it didn't work.

Primal Rage (2018)

Great practical effects, not so great acting

[6/10 · 1 June 2018]

Many gruesome & graphic deaths. The creature was brutal, and the practical effects for it and its killings were very impressive. It could have sacrificed some gore in place of some suspense though.

The main characters were a bland couple, and the acting wasn't great there. At least the hunters were funny at times, and the sheriff was quite likable.

The plot was fairly basic, but that was fine by me. They established the couple's back story efficiently and had them in the midst of things before I knew it, which I appreciated. However, although it picked up fast, it didn't really pay off. The third act seemed a bit dragged out.

Still, it was enjoyable enough.