Underrated classic. A bit more humurous than the other Scream movies, but the writing, plot, cast and set pieces are amazing. My favorite after part 4.
The best Scream movie. So smart, so ahead of times. It's fun and humurous but still evil and sinister, recalibrating the franchise since the more comedic third movie.
A lot has been said about this installment. The controversy surrounding the missed renewal of Barrera’s contract is undeniably an ugly situation. That said, it’s impossible to ignore that Parts 5 and 6 were particularly—and at times offensively—bad, plagued by cringe-worthy writing, sloppy direction, cheap-looking production, and weak performances. This new sequel, while not perfect, passionately brings back wit, creativity, emotional depth, and—most importantly—Neve Campbell and Marco Beltrami. Scream 7 is simply glorious, delivering a thrilling cinematic experience packed with suspense, a higher body count, greater stakes, beautiful music, and carefully crafted visuals. Neve and Courteney shine as usual, and Isabel May as Tatum is a revelation. Highly recommended in IMAX for the best picture quality as many scenes are very dark! This is the sequel we should have gotten from the very beginning after 4.
One of Paul's best movies! It looks super weird and impressive, they used a new technology to shoot with a pre rendered CGI background so they could adjust the lighting and camera angles dynamically on set. The adventure is simple but smartly staged with good twists and nice storytelling. The cast does a great job although I found Bautista disappointing. The action is not as bold and grandiouse as in some of Paul's recent movies as everything is more about the characters and atmosphere but it was still nice seeing Mila fight! This is a art house film that blends genres and has a unique style, not for everyone but will go down as a cult classic as many of Paul's movies.
A work of art. Angelina has always been a great actress, with a face so beautiful, it pierces the screen but this is her first truly artistic performance. She was able capture Maria's mannerisms, stoicism, diva one liners and insecurities splendidly. The movie is beautifully shot and written and is a thoughtful homage to a mistreated artist and a profound love letter to art itself. This is not a movie for everybody, many will find it tedious and too metaphorical but it's its ability to let the viewers fill the metaphors with personal experiences and traumas that makes it an instant classic. It should won quite a few academies...
Don't listen to the haters! This movie kicks ass! It's a sleek action thriller with little CGI, great stunts, chases, martial arts and gun fights! The photography is sleek and the Soundtrack slays too. The cast overall is great and looks great on camera. Lucy Liu and her stunt double are impressive. Yes it's goofy, over the top and silly but so are the super hero movies that are so praised and successful while being CGI messy turds.
I've always been a fan of the RE games because of their gameplay and not so much for their story or characters so this movie really elevated the whole brand when it came out. The story here is much more contained both in scope and setting building up tension continuously before an electrifying escape from the hive. OST and cast are also great! At that time the games were more horror oriented than action packed tps so it made sense for the movie to be such a tense thriller and honestly I have always felted it lacked a bit of gore. But it does one thing right that many horror movies fail to realise: make you care for the characters and then kill them all. That's a key ingredient that eventually will be lost throughout this series also because of problems casting the same actors in the sequels. This has become such a classic as while being a modest budget movie it was capable of doing better than the original material and and becoming iconic on its own merits. There are a few boring and cheap moments like the escape through the pipes scene but it also perfectly ties to the Final Chapter which sheds new light on so many details in a clever way. Paul W.S. Anderson is objectively not a good writer but did well here and he's a great director with a unique visual style. You can see it in the beautiful sets designed for this movie and the rest of the franchise. I honestly think he quite invented a new genre with this series and this is the beginning of it all. "My name is Alice and this is my story" (worth over 1B$) 8/10 Read my other RE reviews, here's my ranking: Resident Evil The Final Chapter 10/10
Resident Evil retribution 9/10
Resident Evil 8/10
Resident Evil Extinction 8/10
Resident Evil Apocalypse 7/10
Resident Evil Afterlife 6/10
Apocalypse is without a doubt the installment of the whole franchise to be inspired by the game material the most. This of course does not translate to a great movie and that's why the first one was such a hit and a clever take on the original videogame, because it avoided doing so. The chore of the gaming experience of Resident Evil was its gameplay not its awful plot or ridiculous characters. Say what you want but while being poorly written, the RE movies have expanded the world, brought a bigger plot and a beautiful and well developed female lead. No wonder the weakest things about these movies are the fanservice moments and characters for fans of the games. Apocalypse then being the closest to the games is a convoluted mess that lacks the horror tension of the first movie and the dramatic end-of-the-world action and sense of purpose of the successors. Despite discovering only in the Final Chapter that the story of the origin of the T-Virus told in this movie is either a cover up or a fraud, you never at any point buy the chore of the plot here regarding a little girl and his dad at Umbrella because all this movie is about is Alice vs Nemesis while Jill kicks ass in a mini skirt. So in the bigger scope this movie really feels out of place and the weakest link of the bunch. Another silly aspect of the story is the whole "put racoon city in quarantine within a few hours" which sounds just as stupid as the videogames but all in all, it works OK as an action sequel set in an urban area. The positive aspects are still plenty: making Jill Valentine a kick ass action heroine instead of a random cosplayer (cough cough Ada Wong), a sinister reveal in a Church, The Lickers, a throwback homage at zombie flicks at the cemetery, great action, practical effects, impressive stunts and wire work, Milla at her physical peak, a good amount of humour and zombie **** Also CGI is limited and many of the action scenes have aged incredibly well and it's always fun revisiting this pop corn flick despite its apparent flaws and limits. It doesn't really work as a movie on its own as it fails to create an unique world but it helps in developing Alice character who is the star of the show, as always. 7/10 Read my other RE reviews, here's my ranking: Resident Evil The Final Chapter 10/10
Resident Evil Retribution 9/10
Resident Evil Extinction 8/10
Resident Evil 8/10
Resident Evil Apocalypse 7/10
Resident Evil Afterlife 6/10
Afterlife is the second top grossing entry in the franchise thanks to a highly publicized (and rather spectacular) 3D and the return of Paul W.S. Anderson as a director. In spite of all of the good stuff, Afterlife is a sterile movie with little story supporting the action and suffers a lot as it is mostly contained in a single location for a big chunk of the movie without the claustrophobia of the first one. Also that building is not well designed and I have always wondered who lit up all those torches on the walls that were clearly unreachable (lol). The big screen reunion of Chris and Claire Redfield is underdeveloped and it is never really explained why Chris is kept prisoner by the other survivors. The movie seems to be stuck in a loop where nothing happens and no progress is being made. The only key moment is Wesker taking away Alice's powers preventing the next movies becoming a superhero nonsense BS... as if the franchise needed more over the top action with ridiculous physics. This was a good thing. Afterlife basically serves as a way to set Alice in a trap by the Umbrella which makes sense for a scene but not a whole movie. Having said that, the action scenes are stunningly shot with great stunts, precise camera work, sleek design and cool costumes. An overuse of the slow motion can become ridiculous at times but the 3D mania back then made it look pretty cool. Now with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray we can admire every single water drop during the iconic bathroom fight. Audio is just as spectacular with a bombastic soundtrack and impressive surround sound rich in deep bass. This is technically a sublime effort so much it affords to pay homage to The Matrix without failing at it. Milla is always the queen of the show with her intense dramatic scenes, credible action starpower and humorous one liners not to be missed in mindless horror/action/sci-fi movies like these ones. So overall it's my least favorite movie from the RE franchise but thanks to its visual style, superior direction and elaborate action sequences, Afterlife is still a fun movie to enjoy on a big 4K screen or in 3D with its impeccable audio. It entertains. Afterlife 6/10 Read my other reviews, here's my ranking: Resident Evil The Final Chapter 10/10
Resident Evil Retribution 9/10
Resident Evil Extinction 8/10
Resident Evil 8/10
Resident Evil Apocalypse 7/10
Resident Evil Afterlife 6/10
This movie is a classic. Contained CGI, practical effects, shot on 35mm, great stunts, car chase scenes, gritty fights, competent direction, stunning and cold photography and great characters. The acting is superb, everyone does a fine job and of course Angelina steals the show. Her ambiguity is well played throughout the movie and the script is really well constructed, so much to keep you on your toes for the whole movie. Is it the most original spy story? No, but in a decade where apparently only super heroes and comic books movies are being made, this fine action thriller stands above other productions. The UHD Blu Ray is a must for its superb native 4K scan and impeccable audio specs. A fun action movie with a mature bond-like story without the over the top silliness and a strong female lead. Pity it didn't start a franchise a la John Wick or Bourne as the movie grossed over 290M worldwide and Angelina liked the character and was on board for a good sequel. Start a petition to make it happen?
Well well...I was certainly not expecting such an improvement over the first movie. It's definitely darker and more brutal than expected and also much better directed. Good camera work, elaborate costumes and stunning set pieces one after the other. The CGI looks amazing too showing this is truly an expensive and well crafted movie rich in details and visual beauty. The script doesn't offer an original and groundbreaking story but it's well written with some witty dialogues and a focused narrative that's easy to follow. While the phoned twists might appear naive for adults I am sure kids will enjoy this elegant film about self discovery, family, war, loss, friendship, love, hate and everything in between. Elle as Aurora has one intense scene where she is showing some skills as an acretess but overall gives a flat performance yet she is never the key protagonist of the story so in the end she seems an OK choice to portray an innocent and naive girl with a pure heart. She is still very likeable and never gets on your nerves as many Disney princesses. The Prince of the other hand is ridiculous. The two protagonists here are Angie and Michelle, both stunningly beautiful and immensely talented and good in their roles. Queen Ingrid is evil and her story perfectly justifies the first movie and the original story of The Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent goes through a self discovery journey rising above all. The movie is a good spectacle, aesthetically flawless, with great characters and a convincing plot. It's not a masterpiece but a very good sequel and a fun night out at the theatre. IMAX or Laser 4K is recommended. The UHD Blu Ray seems a must given the high number of beautiful Angelina close ups, HDR and Dolby Vision will make the movie pop so nicely. Recommended.
Angelina is flawless and she can sell whatever film she's in simply with her stunning beauty and mesmerising talent. Sublime casting choice. Having said that, while the movie is good at heart in retelling Maleficent's story, a sloppy direction and cheap sets make for a disappointing experience. The camera work and the lighting are really bad with characters casting their own shadows against each other giving the film a cheap soap opera look. Acting and writing are subpar and CGI isn't very refined. Yet it's hard not to cry at the endearing relationship between Maleficent and Aurora. The changing emotions within the main character are well displayed and Angelina gives and iconic and strong performance. Watch part 2 because it ties perfectly with this one and because it's a much better movie.
