Very surface-level. Dialog and scene construction was so on the nose it sometimes felt like an after school special. Unclear what it was supposed to be about. The dangers, and benefits, of moderate heroin use? Also walked off a Black character like he was never there in the first place. Overall felt like a PTA movie with no subtext. Enjoyable to watch though. Didn't use VistaVision to any special effect, but looked nice.
Much scarier than most mainstream horror movies. A couple sequences literally made my hair stand on end! An intriguing plot with a conclusion I did not expect. Check it out in theaters, great to see with a crowd.
Solid! Not as exciting as the first one, but still has some strong thrills. Ultimately this is an emotional story about a young girl struggling to figure out who her "real family" is when every grownup around her turns out to be ... well ... no spoilers. The story does a great job of sticking to that basic idea, and putting it through twists and turns right up until the end. If you like thrillers, see this in theaters!
I've never written this before: I am actively discouraging you from seeing this. The high-pitched women's wailing is still ringing in my head. Most negative reviews here say this movie is boring. They're not wrong. But they're missing the point. It's boring because this is a horribly, horribly told story. It's a knight's quest. A journey toward manhood and responsibility. But we don't track with the main character in that process at all. You just don't feel it. Amazing how critics always fall for style. They actively ignore how crappy the storytelling is because they're so hypnotized by all the costumes and dissolves. WTF were those giants about?
From the man who brought you "The Happening"... No spoilers cuz ain't nothing to spoil. Wish it had surprises, but ain't got none. Super weird, fake-sounding dialog. Super weird shots and editing. And doesn't make sense! You can see in the trailer, some people age way faster than others. No explanation. You'll want your "fifty years" back, for sure.
Some pretty cinematography, and some good choreography. The actors are amazing and gave it all they got. But this is just a bad movie, y'all. No plot! Mad, mad stereotypes! Especially of women. It got boring before the halfway point. And after that? Nothing happened. Also, this may sound weird, but there was a major issue that killed any good choreography that was in there: Too many dancers. The camera had to go whoosh past like 900 people every two seconds. We lost track of our main characters, and we didn't get to really check out any of the cool choreography that was going on. It all flew past before you could be like "That was coo- oh. It's over." And here's what's really bad: So much lame After School Special stereotyping of Latin people. Real Talk, this felt like a bunch of white kids from Harvard wrote a musical about the Barrio. Also Real Talk: anyone who was all upset about a lack of Black representation in this movie is tripping on acid. There were Black main characters, Black side characters, Black dancers. Tranquilo, todo el mundo. This was just a bad movie. No way around it, y'all. No story. They said the neighborhood was disappearing. Wha? With a million people dancing in the streets, and a million more in the clubs and parties? Also, did the main characters really "save" the neighborhood at the end? It really didn't feel like it. One character helped another, that was sweet. But it didn't feel like there was any problems to solve. I don't get what this was about. And yo, who cares about the blackout?? Why was that even a thing? This ain't even a movie, mis amiguitos. Hate to say it. I had high hopes, but please be real. Don't be like the Critics. Don't give this movie props for checking boxes. Or not checking them. Look at it for what it is. Weak stereotypes in a blender, with no shape and no sense of purpose.
