Review: ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ is DC’s Newest Godlike Blunder

The DCEU, since its inception with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, has been criticized for a multitude of things. Bad casting, bad directing, bad writing, bad storytelling all around, just to name a few. Trying to create an MCU-like universe for the DC heroes seems simple enough, yet DC’s try at it has been lacking in nearly every way. Some hope for a return to Snyder, let him finish his universe, most are sighing with relief that James Gunn has been brought in to just not do this anymore. My biggest gripe with the franchise so far has been the fact that its stories are at odds with the themes. They come out of nowhere, or aren’t developed, and these lackluster and underdeveloped themes create bad characters, bad story cohesion, and ineffective world building. Shazam: Fury of the Gods is the latest in the DCEU lineup, and you know what, I was pleasantly surprised with how much worse it was than I expected. 

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Review: ‘The Good Liar’ Confuses Instead of Shocks

After finishing a complicated movie, it is easy to feel a little lost and kind of unintelligent, but after a few hours or even days, it usually hits you. A eureka moment that makes your brain go “it all makes sense now.” Unfortunately, that never happened after I watched this movie. Bill Condon’s The Good Liar falls short of a notable film with its pointless distractions and shallow ending.

The Good Liar relies heavily on twists within its plot, so trying to summarize it without giving away any major plot points is like tip toeing around a minefield. Essentially, it features a widow named Roy Courtnay (Ian Mckellan) and a widower named Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) who meet on an online dating site. Upon their first date, they hit it off and gradually grow closer until Betty invites Roy to stay with her and her grandson, Steven (Russell Tovey), due to his injured knee. From the first time they meet, Steven is suspicious of Roy and tries his best to expose him for being a fraud, but Roy denies any sort of interrogation, creating a tension throughout this film.

From the start, this movie is a bit of a slow burner, but Condon does try to spice things up from time to time with some juxtaposed transition. For example, Roy’s transition from his bland lunch date with his future romantic interest, Betty McLeish, goes to a loud, colorful strip club for one of his business meetings. Ultimately, these smaller twists help make the first act a bit more bearable, but by no means are you on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next.

This final act of the film felt very undeserving. Throughout it all, Condon throws in twists and turns to throw off the audience, but in the end, there is no way to follow what is going to happen. One of the most satisfying parts of watching this kind of movie is dissecting the clues given and coming to a conclusion of your own. Thus, when this film’s final twist comes without any connection to the previously presented information, you can’t help but feel a little cheated. In order for this film to work, the plot must be airtight and everything needs to be connected for the audience to feel they have solved the mystery in the end. Relying on shock value for the same effect just cheapens the whole experience. Also, it’s not like you don’t see it coming either. From the beginning, you know something is fishy, which builds the tension, but the reveal just doesn’t add up. Movies like Fight Club or Memento allow for a better understanding on what is going on during a second viewing, but The Good Liar fails to even reward the viewer for paying attention.

I came into this movie with low expectations, and those expectations were met. By all means this is a watchable movie, but it fails to leave you in shock when walking out, instead only leaving confusion. What could have been a great film fell short in the last half, sealing the fate of this sloppy thriller.

2.5/5 STARS

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Review: ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ Is… Exactly What You Expected

Going into watching Hobbs and Shaw, a Fast and Furious spin-off, I didn’t expect much. I was hoping I could be pleasantly surprised and say that despite being a bad movie, at least it’s got dumb, fun action. Sadly, however, when I say that this movie isn’t very good, it’s because it didn’t even succeed at that.

This summer’s newest action flick stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby and Idris Elba. Dame Helen Mirren also makes in an appearance in what is perhaps the saddest underutilization of an actress in recent memory. Johnson and Statham, as our bickering leads, have a painful lack of chemistry. Most of the movie’s dialogue is their banter, which is clearly intended to be clever and humorous. Unfortunately, almost every joke and quip in the runtime just falls flat on its face.

Idris Elba, another unfortunate misuse, was clearly not given enough to work with. He gives it his all to and tries to deliver his lines with as much potency as he can, but there’s just not much he can do with the material. In fact, I’d say most of the actors here are trying their best to make something out of nothing. Statham and Kirby really seemed to try and sell their characters (Johnson’s effort was there too, but really only as a conciliation prize), but the end of the day, a movie like this can only be held up by its action sequences. Unfortunately, Hobbs and Shaw doesn’t really deliver on this front either.

In a far cry from the street racing roots of Fast and Furious, the action here is all completely outlandish and ridiculous. Now, this isn’t bad in and of itself; when disbelief can be suspended, such scenes can work really well. In fact, one set piece towards the end, which was perhaps the most insane, I found oddly compelling. Perhaps that’s because it was paired with a touchstone to Dwayne Johnson’s Samoan culture, a plot point which was heartwarming, exhilarating, and the highlight of the movie for me. Regrettably, nothing else is as good. Set pieces with drones and jumping off of buildings and a cybernetically-enhanced Idris Elba are just sloppily put together, not very well shot, and come across as nothing more than adequate. To sell this movie for me, the action had to have been heart-pumping back to front; sadly, it wasn’t.

Other aspects of Hobbs and Shaw are exactly what you’ve come to expect from the franchise. The plot, which delivers a weird anti-technology message, is contrived and unfulfilling. The musical choices all sound like mid-2000’s club rap (although some of them were, admittedly, fire). There’s an uncomfortable sexist aura about everything they painfully try to lampshade with lines referencing male chauvinism. It just feels like every aspect of this movie trips over itself. I can see what they were going for here; I can see where they tried to make unique stylistic choices. I wanted to enjoy Hobbs and Shaw, I really did. Unfortunately, it is a better movie to laugh at, than to laugh with.

1.5/5 STARS

Review: ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ Falls Short of Yuletide Blessings

Based on the German story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E. T. A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is Disney’s latest attempt to put a fantastical spin on one of history’s most beloved fairy tales. The film is co-directed by Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston, both of whom carry a respectable resume of films including What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and October Sky (1999). Unfortunately, I don’t think The Nutcracker and the Four Realms will be joining those films as a well-remembered classic. Despite a star-studded cast including Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman, the film falls short of what this Christmas tale truly deserves.

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