Cast:

Jason Statham              Jonas Taylor

Bingbing Li                    Suyin

Rainn Wilson                Morris

Cliff Curtis                     Mac

Winston Chao               Zhang

Shuya Sophia Cai           Meiying

Ruby Rose                    Jaxx

Page Kennedy               DJ

Robert Taylor                Heller

Olafur Darri Olaffson     The Wall

Jessica Mcnamee          Lori

Masi Oka                      Toshi

As we are all still locked down and there are limited choices of activity for us all due to the epidemic, my unwatched movie collection is starting to dwindle down. After having a dinner from a local take-out establishment (we do have to support local business’s at this time) I grabbed the next movie in the pile. This week, it happened to be “The Meg”. I had seen bits and pieces of this movie a few years ago when returning from a conference in Europe, but as with all trans-Atlantic flights you never really get to appreciate a film, or even watch it completely due to the many interruptions. Anyways, with a full belly, full glass of wine in hand, I put “The Meg” in the blu-ray player for this weekends entertainment. 

What is “The Meg” about you ask? Well “The Meg” is a quasi action/horror/sci-fi/comedy film that rips-off or pays homage to (depending on your perspective) several movies in Hollywood history. In essence this film is a Shark flick, with a hint of Jaws (plus sequels), The Abyss, Leviathan, Deep Rising and Piranha. I saw elements of each film in this action/comedy/horror/sci-fi romp starring Jason Statham. Before I start outlining the good/bad of the film, I will give a bit of a plot summary.

The film opens with a submarine that is disabled on the ocean floor and a rescue team and mini-submersible are on site trying to save everyone. The rescue team is led by a stone-faced Jason Statham, who instead of fighting a number of bad guys is now fighting the elements. During the rescue, we see a submarine that is taking on water and a hull that is crumpled up in sections (The Abyss?). This tension is further heightened (?) when the sub is shaken around a bit and a portion of the hull commences to be crushed in a way that resembles a large bite…hmm dramatic foreshadowing perhaps? Jonah (Statham) can’t save them all, so he releases the docking clamp and surfaces with only a portion of the crew, leaving a number to die to an unknown fate.  However, it appears that Jonah (Statham) is the only one who believes it is a sea creature and the rest of the world perceives him as a coward who lost his nerve and that he left people to behind to die. Cashiered out of deep sea rescue (or whatever he was in, Navy, Coast—guard, who knows, it is not really mentioned), he moves to Thailand (?) and commences a stereo typed life of a burn-out who is just drinking his life away. 

Meanwhile…. a company owned by Billionaire Morris (Rainn Wilson) creates a huge state of the art Ocean lab. This Lab is located in the South China sea (somewhere) and its purpose was to prove that the ocean was even deeper than imagined. The theory was that the sea bottom was actually beyond a thermal layer of cold water, and they were going to prove it. Enter a new group of intrepid travellers, Lori (Mcnamee), The Wall (Olaffson) and Toshi (Oka) are in a mini-submersible who penetrate the layer, and discover a whole new undersea world. Supporting this submersible is a whole cast of characters, the team leader Zhang (Chao) his daughter Suyin (Li) and granddaughter Meiying (Cai), Mac (Curtis) Jaxx (Rose) Kennedy (DJ) and the doctor Heller (Taylor). Observing the whole experiment is the wacky owner Morris (Wilson) who actually has his own agenda beyond that of the team leader Zhang (Chao). Now back to the submersible, while exploring, their mini-sub is attacked by a giant squid, followed by a save and subsequent attack by the Meg. The submersible is disabled, and the crew wounded. The Lab’s crew and owner watch this on their monitors and realize that there is no way to save them. Mac (Curtis) knows that his friend is lounging around on a nearby island goes to retrieve him (Jonas/Statham) and he is the only guy who can save them…even drunk. (Note: Maybe Toshi (Oka) should have used his special powers like he had on Heroes to save them…but that is just my imagination running wild here as the story could not quite keep me completely tuned in!)

The ever drunk Jonas (Statham) at first refuses to help, until he finds out that the damaged submersible is captained by his ex wife Lori (Mcnamee), and he naturally sobers up and signs up for the dramatic rescue. Jonas (Statham) and Mac (Curtis) return to the lab, Jonas meets the rest of the crew and owner. Finds out the doctor on the lab is the same one who called him a coward in the navy/coast guard/rescue team or whatever and still does not trust him and think that he is a coward. This results in some poorly acted tension between Jonas (Statham) and Heller (Taylor). Concurrently Suyin (Li) has taken matters in her own hands and has launched a “glider” to rescue the downed submersible and pull them back to safety. However, this is only a failed attempt at rescue and tension. Sober and full of action, Jonas (Statham) now has 2 submersibles to save. Needless to say, Jonas saves the two submersibles (but not everyone) returns to the lab and is thanked by all, not quite all… he does get some blame for leaving someone behind. However, unknown to the crew, due to their incursions a leak in the thermal layer is created and has allowed “The Meg” to escape to our waters. “The Meg” scares a few people in the lab, and then commences to wreak havoc in the surrounding waters. This “Meg” is a shark that is upwards of 70 ft long, approx. 70 tons and has a bite more powerful than a T-Rex. As all sharks are, the Meg is continuously hungry and searching for food, and just scary enough to make you jump every once and a while!

Jonas (Statham) and crew take it upon themselves to save the world as we know it and commence to track the “Meg” down to kill it. This is pretty much a foregone conclusion, as what would the movie be if the intrepid hero was not successful in this quest. They have some great adventures, a few laughs and some half decent special effects finding the Meg, tracking it and subsequently taking it down. Concurrently, some characters find love, themselves, inner strength, or even find out that they are destined to be lunch for the “Meg” itself. I glossed over the last part of the movie to not give out too many parts away if you have not yet seen the film.

Now to look at the Good, Bad and Ugly of this film. 

The Good: The CGI was actually pretty good and the chemistry between the main characters flowed satisfactorily. It was nice to see Statham in an action film where he did not have to fight 500 bad guys at once, but actually had to fight the elements, the “Meg” and actually his own fear. His dry humour was an added bonus as well as that of Morris (Wilson). There were numerous one-liners that did not make you laugh out loud, but at least give you a smile or even a slight guffaw. The interaction between Jonas (Statham) and Suyin (Li) was not bad. The acting was good enough for their flirtation to be somewhat believable (as believable as you can be with Statham trying to be romantic). Also, we found that the child actress who played Sunyin’s daughter Meiying (Cai) was adorable and added the right touch of “cuteness” you could say to the action movie. Additionally, either the intentional homages or blatant rip-off’s of other films were also not bad. We especially enjoyed the beach scene when the “Meg” was swimming around the crowded bay, looking for snacks. There were several instances that were right out of Jaws and it immediately too me back to that film, when I saw it as a kid. If you watch the film, you will see varied aspects of the previously mentioned films, Jaws, Piranha, Abyss, Leviathan in there as well. I will leave it to you to decide if they wanted pay respect to previous films, or just planned to rip them off! (Actually a side comment with respect to Statham, it is clearly evident that he is no stranger to water as his dives and swimming are smooth and fluid. For readers who are not aware, he was once a member of the UK diving team and participated in the 1990 Commonwealth games!)

The supporting cast of characters were also enjoyable. Morris as the idiot billionaire was humorous and added levity right until the moment his character was an active participant of the Meg’s dinner requirements. 

The Bad: There was a touch too many cliché’s in the film. Statham playing the burned out drunk who is looking for redemption. Heller (Taylor) being angry when Jonas (Statham) first shows up but then apologizes as he sees the error in his ways, and then seeks his own redemption. This is just an example of too many “stereotypes” that could have possibly been written better and with a little more imagination. However, I must add, that these factors did not overly detract from the film, it became what was expected. 

The Ugly: Many reviewers will have varying viewpoints on this with respect to “The Meg”, but for me, I would actually say the dialogue was the ugly, it struck me as very clichéd, and at times stilting. Yes, there were a few jokes and one liners that I found amusing, but nothing really imaginative or new here. Also, some of the supporting characters and even Jonas himself could have had more character development to show the “Why” or purpose of their contribution to the film writ large. 

Did I enjoy the film and was I entertained? Yes, I was entertained, but the film is not something that will win any awards or make you call for more. It was just good enough for me to watch it all, laugh a bit and enjoy the special effects. Would I recommend it? Only if you are a fan of Jaws type films and quality acting and dialogue is not a must. I have seen better films with some of the cast, and also some worse ones. But it will kill the time if you are so inclined to give it a try.

My Rating: 4.5/10

If you are interested in other films with the main cast, please consider the following

Jason Statham              Transporter, Expendables, The Mechanic, Spy, Fast and the Furious (Franchise)

Bingbing Li                    Transformers: Age of Extinction, 1911

Rainn Wilson                Juno, The Office, Six Feet Under

Cliff Curtis                     Fear the Walking Dead, Fracture, Training Day, Whale Rider

Till next time!

Cast:

Dwayne Johnson                       Will Sawyer

Neve Campbell                         Sarah Sawyer

Chin Han                                   Zhao Long Ji

Roland Moller                           Kores Botha

Noah Taylor                              Mr Pierce

Byron Mann                              Inspector Wu

Pablo Schreiber                         Ben

Mckenna Roberts                      Georgia Sawyer

Noah Cottrell                            Henry Sawyer

Hannah Quinlivan                     Xia

As the world and our nation is still under “quarantine” due to the COVID virus, we still look to films and tv’s for a chance to escape. For this week, we selected the blu-ray “Skyscraper” as our means of escape from the doldrums of confined life. Skyscraper stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Neve Campbell in the principal roles. This is the 3^rdfilm that I have reviewed with “The Rock” as the lead, not that his films are the best in the industry, just that he makes a lot of films, and they are entertaining in almost every case. After watching the film, Skyscraper is probably on the lower end of the “The Rock” entertainment spectrum. It has loads of action, fantastic special effects, but a cast of characters that lacks chemistry and a plot with more holes and gaps then a brick of swiss cheese. 

Speaking of the plot, what is Skyscraper about? In this film, The Rock is Will Sawyer, a Veteran and former Hostage Rescue team member who is now employed as a security consultant. His job is not really defined at this point (or really throughout the film). Is he a risk assessor, Rent-a-cop security, or in charge of a burgeoning security firm? It was kind of hard to pin down. However, his career choice is a result of a hostage negotiation/rescue gone wrong, where he and the team were either killed or wounded. In Sawyer’s case (Johnson), he lost a leg. As a Risk assessor or security specialist for his own company, his close friend and former team-mate Ben (Schreiber) sets him up with this lucrative job. In that light, Sawyer and family travel to Hong Kong to provide a security assessment of the tallest building in the world, and I think hired on as head of security (not really defined here). The Pearl, as the skyscraper is called, dwarfs anything else on the planet for it’s design, height and opulence.  Will (Johnson), his wife Sarah (Campbell) and children Georgia and Henry are also the first occupants of this monstrosity. 

Will (Johnson) gives the Pearl a passing grade, the owner Long Ji (Han) is very happy and presents Will with a tablet that is keyed to his face and gives him full control of the building and all its safety features. With the “golden ticket to the chocolate factory” in hand, Will (Johnson) and Ben (Schreiber) head out while the family goes to the zoo to see some Panda’s, the tickets which were a gift from Ben. While departing the skyscraper en-route to the off site security/control facility, Will and Ben are accosted by a thief who steals Will’s man-bag, with the hope that the tablet is contained within. A chase and scuffle ensue, however, Will (Johnson) is slowed down by his artificial limb and the miscreant escapes. During the scuffle, Will (Johnson) did not escape unscathed, and both Will (Johnson) and Ben (Schreiber) return to Ben’s place to discuss. It is at this time that the nefarious plot is revealed. Ben (Schreiber) who is working for Botha (Moller) aka the movie “bad guy” discovers that Will still has the almighty tablet that controls all and a knock-down drag out fight between the two behemoths commences. I gotta say, that these guys do a great fight sequence, both huge guys, they totally trash the place and even though Will (Johnson) is an amputee, it does little to slow him down in the fight. 

To quickly speed up with the plot summary, after finding out the Ben (Schreiber) is a bad guy, and that he (Will/Johnson) has been set up, he rushes back to the Skyscraper to see that it is on fire around the 90^thfloor. Unfortunately, Will’s (Johnson) family returning back early from the Zoo are situated above the fire along with a team of nefarious individuals led by Botha (Moller), and his boss, Long Ji (Han) with his own personal staff and security. Will (Johnson) goes into “Rock” mode, battles police en-route to the Skyscraper, the bad guys, and of course the burning skyscraper itself. Along the way, we find out the cheesy reason why it was taken over and the reason behind everything that has happened to him and his family. Ultimately Will (Johnson) saves the day, his family, his boss and the building itself. 

That is Skyscraper in a nutshell without giving out too many spoilers or hints. As I mentioned before, this movie was entertaining, but not really good if you know what I mean. Of course with the Rock in a film, you will have large explosions, larger than life stunts, raised eyebrows, Bicep flexes and incredible stunts. This is what we expect in one of his films, and he delivered as always. But, and I have to say a rather large but, the plot, character development and dialogue was weak. Will Sawyer (Johnson) is what he always is, you are introduced to the reason he has all the skills in the first 5 minutes of the film (Hostage/military etc) and why he has lost one leg. The remainder of the characters are only glossed over. For example, his wife Sarah (Campbell), she is the doctor who saves him, so of course they fall in love and have a family. But that’s not all, information is later provided that she was a military doctor and did several tours of Afghanistan. That must explain her fighting skills later. The remainder of the cast is also very one-dimensional, right from the billionaire building owner (Long Ji), to his children, Ben, Botha and the Police Inspector Wu. Dialogue is pretty stilted and even kind of simplistic. 

Dwayne Johnson as Will Sawyer: As I have mentioned not only in this review but in others as well. The Rock pretty much always delivers entertainment in any film. Even when the character development is lacking or the dialogue is weak, he can still carry the film enough so that you feel that you were entertained in the end. In this film, being an amputee was another hurdle for him to battle along with the fighting etc. Some of the stunts were a little far fetched, but hey, it is the ROCK, so just shake your head, take a sip of whisky and keep watching. The stunts only get better and more far fetched, but you will have fun. Overall, he was the Rock and as always carried the film (in this case he had a lot to carry), so that you were not too disappointed, and as mentioned earlier, not one of his better films.

Neve Campbell as Sarah Sawyer: Campbell did not really have much to play with here as far as a character. As the wife and mother protector of her children she was OK. She can present a tormented face with a touch of weepiness at all times, and if required scream repeatedly. Since her heyday in Party of Five, The Scream Franchise and Wild Things, she does more guest appearances in various television shows instead of carrying a film on her own. As previously stated she was OK in this film, nothing spectacular here, but then again, she was playing against a burning skyscraper and the ROCK…kinda hard to outshine them. Overall, she is not a bad actress and I really liked some of her earlier work, and I hope to see her in more feature films as time progresses. I believe that now that she is a bit older and mature she can play a variety of roles that were previously unavailable to her. 

Chin Han as Zhao Long Ji: Not much of a character here, he is the multi-billionaire with an inferiority complex (hence the huge building). His character is one-dimensional, there is no real depth to him. He has info on the bad guy to save his building, and it appears that he would cut corners to make sure his dream was built. But other than that, not much else to him. He was far better in supporting roles, for example Dark Knight and Contagion.

Rollan Moller as Kores Botha: speaking of one dimensional characters, Moller as Botha was pretty much a cardboard cut-out of a bad guy. He had no depth, and very little screen presence. For a rip-off or homage to Die Hard as this film was, the villain could have been more like Hans Gruber to give the audience something to bite into, and maybe even cheer for the bad guy (I do this sometimes if the villain is extraordinary!).  If you watch the film, Botha (Moller) does not really do much but grimace, shoot his weapon and demand the USB key. Other than that, he is pretty useless and ends up just being a punching bag and target for Will (Johnson). 

Pablo Schreiberas Ben: A former team-mate, friend and colleague Ben is the trigger for what happens to Will Sawyer, his family and the building. Provided very little screen time, there is very little time to learn about his character besides what was just mentioned. It appears that he does have a soft spot for the family and tries to arrange an excursion for them so that they will not be present when everything goes pear-shaped. But, that is about it. His great contribution to the film is the fight that he has with Will (Johnson) in his apartment. However, as would be expected when you watch a film with the Rock, there is no chance that he will win. Not really contributing much else to the film, Schreiber’s performance definitely did not leave a lasting impression after the film was completed. 

Mckenna Roberts as Georgia Sawyer and Noah Cottrell as Henry Sawyer: As the spawn of the Sawyers, they add little to the film except prove that parents will take care of their children. I don’t remember seeing the kids in any other films, they did ok, especially with some of the action sequences, but really nothing extraordinary.  It might prove interesting to see what else they star in as they get older. 

Overall, the storyline is a melange of other films, specifically Die Hard and the Towering Inferno. However, in this case, Will Sawyer is no John McClane, Botha is not Hans Gruber, but I must say, the effects and the building itself are much better than the (1974) Towering Inferno’s office building.  Action was paramount in this film, the CGI and the stunts were great. If you are a “Die-Hard” fan of movies starring the Rock, then I would recommend this for an evenings entertainment. But only if you don’t mind a weak story line or characters, if you are not a fan…then I would move onto another film to while away your time.

Our rating: 4.5/10 (only because we are fans)

If you are interested in other films starring the main cast, please consider the following:

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson               Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, San Andreas, Rampage, Fast and Furious franchise

Neve Campbell                                     Wild Things, Scream (Franchise) The Craft

Pablo Schreiber                                    13 Hours

Chin Han                                               Contagion, The Dark Knight

Till next time!

Cast:

Bruce Willis                              Paul Kersey

Vincent D’Onofrio                     Frank Kersey

Elisabeth Shue                          Lucy Kersey

Camila Morrone                        Jordan Kersey

Dean Norris                              Detective Kevin Raines

Kimberly Elise                           Detective Leonore Jackson

Beau Knapp                              Knox

For this week, I decided to try a re-make from a classic that I watched in my childhood. In 1974, Charles Bronson was coming into his own as an action star, and the movie Death Wish was the vehicle that he used to achieve it. In a nut-shell, Death Wish tells a story of revenge. In the original, Charles Bronson, a successful architect has his life destroyed when a bunch of robbers break into his apartment, kill his wife and rape his daughter. In his grief, Kersey (Bronson) becomes a one-man vigilante squad and wreaks havoc on the underworld of New York, desperately seeking vengeance for the crimes that had befallen his family. Death Wish (1974) was a great movie for the day, it established Bronson as an action star and marketable in Hollywood films of the time. Sure, he had a few other successes as the lead prior to Death Wish, Mr. Majestyk and the Mechanic to name a few. However, he was seen more in ensemble movies (The Great Escape, Magnificent 7, The Dirty Dozen) as an added bonus to these action movies, where others had to carry the weight of the film. Death Wish started a franchise for Bronson that spanned 5 films and 2 decades. 

As Death Wish (1974) was a classic, I can see where Hollywood would like to try and re-invigorate the franchise, especially as it seems that is all Hollywood can do at this time, revive ideas and scripts, dust them off and try to modernize them for a new generation. Death Wish (2018) is another example of the latest Hollywood fad of re-imagining classics. 

The plot is almost identical to the original except it is now in Chicago vs New York, and Kersey (Willis) is an Emergency Room Surgeon vs architect. Other than those minor differences, the general idea and plot line is extremely similar. Kersey and his family (to include his brother, a new character compared to the original) go out for a family dinner. The Valet, hears a discussion that the family will all be out together the following week for Paul’s (Willis) Birthday and takes a photo of the on-board GPS family address when returning the car. Naturally, the valet is a bad guy, he gives the details to a few thugs. Meanwhile, on the birthday date in question, the celebration is curtailed as Paul (Willis) is called to work at the hospital. As the would-be robbers expect the house to be empty, they break in to rob the family of all the belongings. Enter wife and daughter (Shue and Morrone) returning from a trip to the supermarket. They encounter the robbers, a scuffle ensues and Lucy (Shue) is killed and Jordan (Morrone) is wounded and ends up in a coma. 

Paul (Willis) is distraught, Detectives Raines and Jackson (Norris and Elise respectively) who are assigned to the case have no leads and Paul (Willis) is spiralling further down. This all changes when during an emergency room scene, Paul (Willis) encounters the same valet, who is now wounded and requires assistance. A pistol drops on the ground, and one of Paul’s expensive watches is visible on the Valet’s arm. He puts 2 + 2 together and realizes that this is a key to his recovery…ok, I mean revenge. He grabs the pistol, his watch and the valet’s phone. From this point forward, Paul (Willis) starts his path as a one-man vigilante squad. He learns how to fire, clean and aim his pistol (all done by today’s teachers – Youtube!) and goes out looking for the bad guys who messed with his family and life. Along this journey he encounters several incidents where crimes are committed and takes action, killing all the bad guys, saving the day and carrying on. However, this is the 2000’s and everyone has a cell phone camera and he is recorded and uploaded to the internet for all to see. 

Coined online as the “Grim Reaper”, and looking like a slightly older version of the main character in Unbreakable (Willis as David Dunn) he stumbles around till he finds out who messed with him and exacts justice in a fashion that John McClane from Die Hard would be proud of. Throughout the film, Detectives Raines & Jackson (Norris and Elise) continue to search for the criminals in question, suspect Paul (Willis) is the Grim Reaper. However, as the “Grim Reaper” is now gaining cult-like status in Chicago, and is admired by many, (including the Detectives), Paul (Willis) gets away with murder – literally. This pretty much sums up the movie, I know that some spoilers were given, but hey, this is a remake of a 46-year-old film and does follow a typical revenge formula. Nothing is new here.

What did I like about this film? The use of Chicago as the scene instead of New York was a nice touch, specifically due to the fact that the New York of yesterday is far more violent then that of today. Chicago has replaced New York for the title of cities with the most murders. So for realism sake, this was a solid change to the plot. The movie was updated to include various changes to technology and cultural norms. For example, getting the home info from the on-board GPS on the car, photo’s/video from the phone and even the ability to learn skills from youtube. All of these enhancements helped to move this film to present day, and were done well enough to entertain yet not take away from the story. Especially if you (like me) were comparing this film to the 1974 original.

Bruce Willis as Paul Kersey: of late, Willis’ films have been rather hit and miss. When he sticks to his tried and true method of being the sarcastic hero, with one liners shooting out just as fast his guns, he is in his comfort zone. However, playing a doctor in this case, he seemed to struggle to get the feel of the role. It was not until he started playing the “Grim Reaper” that he really started to come back to normal and be the Bruce Willis that fans want to watch. Overall, he had a pretty uneven performance, but there was just enough of regular roles/mannerisms in the film to make it entertaining enough to watch through. I did like the part where in his first shoot out, he managed to get cut by the Pistol’s slide across the web of his hand. This can occur very easily with in-experienced shooters and I have seen it on several occasions at ranges myself. A little bit of realism that did cause me to laugh a little. 

Vincent D’Onofrio as Frank Kersey: This was a new character compared to the original. I have liked D’Onofrio in films ever since “Full Metal Jacket”. He is a diverse actor who can add to any film or show that he is in. In Death Wish, D’Onofrio is the brother with actually no real role. You could take him completely out of the film and it would not change one iota. With some small dialogue tweaks, his contribution to the film could be completely wiped out. One scene that D’Onofrio shares with the Detectives Rains and Jackson (Norris and Elise) is somewhat out of place. We know that he is a bit down and out on his luck and has little cash (he is the family sponge), but where was it mentioned that he was bad enough to be considered as a criminal and suspect for the vigilante (Grim Reaper) murders that were conducted. The Detectives zoom in that he is left handed and that he made him a suspect. But why? Where was the background info that would have and should have been presented to lead them to it? Maybe it was on the cutting room floor, I don’t know. I felt that his contribution to the film was minimal and his talents were wasted. He would have played the robber/scumbag far better I believe than having a down and out brother who is just hanging around the family as a sponge. 

Elisabeth Shue as Lucy Kersey: Shue pretty much had a minimal part, much like her acting roles of late.  Popular when she was much younger (Back to the Future 2 and 3, Adventures in babysitting, Karate Kid), her career kind of floundered around for years, participating in middle of the road films. As the mother Lucy (Shue), does a fair job in the short time that she has on screen. Her role is important to the motive of the vigilante and the character’s importance cannot be understated. However, with the limited on-screen time she has, it did not really leave a lasting effect. If you are a fan of Shue, consider watching “The Boys”, an amazon original where she does an excellent job as the harpy CEO who is controlling all the superheroes. 

Dean Norris as Detective Kevin Raines and Kimberly Elise as Detective Leonore Jackson: They do an fair job as police detectives who are trying to find the killers/thieves and also the “Grim Reaper”. Their characters were pretty much 1 dimensional and had no real depth, but however, in this case they did not really require it either. Norris plays pretty much the same character he plays in all films/shows. Whether he is a cop, soldier, or mayor, he often plays roles of authority, and leads/directs with a bullish attitude that he can carry off very easily. Elise played the 2^ndfiddle detective as well as can be expected with the limited time she had. Nothing dramatic here, I have not seen her in too many films/shows before, but do remember her in John Q which was a great movie. 

Camila Morrone as Jordan Kersey: This was the first movie I have seen her in, and from what I have gathered, modelling was her previous profession. Her character while critical to the story (as her mother Lucy/Shue was) required very little acting or dialogue. Heck, for the most part of the film she was in a coma and just had to lie there. Mind you, the rest of her scenes were not too bad. 

Beau Knapp as Knox: Knox (Knapp) is the ringleader who set the whole ball in motion for Kersey (Willis). His portrayal of a slime ball was pretty bang on, and while watching the film you are rooting for Kersey (Willis) to make short work of him and ensure that gets smoked in a most memorable fashion. I checked his resume on IMDB, and while he has been in some shows that I have watched, he has not left an impact with either his portrayal or characters for me to remember. While no Hans Gruber (Rickman in Die Hard), Knapp in this role, and in this movie, was OK. Like I alluded to before, slimy enough to dislike him and want him gone, but nothing like some of the other villains in Bruce Willis movies of days gone by.

To sum up, Death Wish (2018) has a number of actors who have seen better days, a few fair co-stars and maybe a potential up-and comer. The film was entertaining enough to watch to the end, and did not make you think too much. Was it as good as the original…I don’t think so. It is not often when a remake out performs the original anyways. Has Bruce Willis seen better days? I think so, lately many of his movies have gone straight to video/streaming and do not even hit the theatre. In my opinion, his last good film was RED 2..and even then the first one was better. As I mentioned earlier, films where he can shoot off his mouth as fast his gun is his wheel-house. That is where his best performances are. At 64, he should be looking more at the “mentor” roles, instead of the man-of-action. But he would still be able to deliver his signature style. Of that I am sure. 

Were we entertained…yes we were, but not greatly. Would I recommend it? Hmmm..only if you are a huge fan of his and could overlook some of the issues mentioned earlier. Remember, this is no Die Hard, RED or Sin City, but you can sit there with your bourbon and pretzels and waste a few hours. However, if you liked the premise, I would recommend the original first!

Rating: 4/10

If you are looking for films with the main cast, please consider the following recommendations:

Bruce Willis                  RED, Sin City, Die Hard (1, 2 and 3), 16 Blocks, Surrogates and Looper

Elisabeth Shue              Back to the Future 2 and 3, Hollow Man, Karate Kid, The Boys, and Leaving Las Vegas

Vincent D’Onofrio         Full Metal Jacket, The Magnificent Seven (2016), and Men in Black

Dean Norris                  Under the Dome and Breaking Bad        

Cast:

Emily Blunt                               Evelyn Abbott

John Krasinski                           Lee Abbott

Millicent Simmonds                  Regan Abbott

Noah Jupe                                Marcus Abbott

For this week’s review, we decided to try a horror film. Ok, it was not a decision, it was just the next movie in the pile. Actually, “A Quiet Place” is not just horror, it is a little bit Sci-Fi and drama all rolled up into the same film. Overall we enjoyed the film, we were entertained and even in the most intense sequences we only jumped a little bit. Luckily not enough to spill any wine or snacks! Even though we enjoyed this film, there were several blatant plot holes or story inconsistencies that were hard to take, but if you overlook them, the story works out just fine. 

So what is “A Quiet Place” about you say? Well, it is the near future and our family of hero’s are living in a post apocalyptic world. The film opens in a small town where you are introduced to the Abbott family. They are in typical “post apocalypse” clothes, with the striking difference that they are all barefoot. Rummaging in a pharmacy, it is clearly evident that they are trying to keep all sounds to a minimum, however the reason is not apparent yet. Everyone is using sign language to communicate, and we can see the hearing aid device on Regan (Simmonds) to help us understand why. After getting the required medicine, they make their way out of the store, unbeknownst to his parents, the youngest is carrying a toy Space Shuttle in hand. This toy was discovered in the store by the young fellow who just wanted to play with it, however, due to the fact that it made noise, his father, Lee (Krasinski) removed the batteries from it and set it down. However, as they were leaving the store, Regan (Simmonds) gave him the toy behind her father’s back, but did not see her brother grab the batteries. This proved to be his undoing as they made their way home, barefoot, walking on a sand path. On the way home, the little guy puts the batteries back in the toy, sparks it up, lights and sirens scream out from the toy, and then the little boy becomes lunch for an alien who is attracted to the sound. Meanwhile, the rest of the family looks on in horror, unable to scream/speak etc. as they too would be killed. 

The remainder of the film outlines their life as they try to move on. We find out why they can’t talk via newspaper snippets on Lee’s (Krasinski) desk. Apparently aliens landed and attacked anything that made noise. They are armoured, do not have a known weakness and are extremely hard to kill. They have pretty much destroyed the world as we know it, and there are only pockets of humanity left. This we can deduce by fires in the distance at night. These fires represent various survivors scattered across the countryside.  

We see the family live in tension, always on guard, always quiet, always living in fear. Scared of the slightest sound that can attract the aliens, scared for the future of the unborn baby soon to arrive, basically scared of everything and just trying to eke out a living. 

Not much more to this film than what was described above. Was this film done well? People have various opinions on this, my wife and I enjoyed the film. It was wrought with tension. Every little sound would make us jump and the use of the aliens was not overly done. We (the audience) got to concentrate on the story, the acting, the cinematography. Acting in a film such as this is even more difficult as the cast could not rely on dialogue to tell the story, it was all them. Facial expressions, sign language, and human interaction were the story line. We could see the anguish in the family, feel the frustration of Regan (Simmonds) as she felt the guilt of her brother’s death, and could smell the fear of Marcus (Jupe) when he went to the river with his father. All of these feelings and sensations were brilliantly presented to the audience. As mentioned previously, every sound would make us jump, we felt for the family, we wanted them to succeed. 

Were there problems with the story/plot that were hard to overlook? Unfortunately, there were. But we managed to skim past them to enjoy the film. Some of the plot holes were huge, others not so much. The following is a list of some of the errors that we caught;

• Power to the lights etc.: Where did this come from? It is now years past the attack and I am sure that the reactors/hydro et al were long gone. If there was a generator, it would make noise, if they covered the noise to hide the generator, then how come they were so quiet in the house. They could have done the same there. If it was solar, a quick pan across some solar panels would have explained it. Was it a cache of batteries…we don’t know. This could have been explained far better.
• The nail on the stairs: How did it get there, a nail in a board like that would be very hard to explain, it would have the head being pulled up, not the point. If it was for a previous carpet, then it would have been smaller. A 3-inch nail is not something widely used in stairs, especially in the middle of the steps themselves. This might have been better explained/demonstrated.
• There is a huge silo full of corn. How did they reap the harvest? There is sand on the many paths, but not in-between the corn rows. Even husking a corn cob would make noise, let alone cutting them off and filling the silo. Harvesting would be risking death in itself, let alone prepping the food for storage.
• Why even bring another life into the world? Evelyn (Blunt) and Lee (Krasinski) decide to have another baby. You can’t control a baby. It will cry and scream any time, same as a toddler. Was it an accident? Unknown, but they spend a lot of time making the small hideout in the basement to suppress the baby’s cries, but why couldn’t they have made it larger for them to lead a comparatively normal life.
• Alien is armoured. This is seen on Lee’s (Krasinski) white board. It gives us the impression that they are almost indestructible. Yet, in the climax, Evelyn (Blunt) takes him out with a shotgun pretty easily. So if this was the case, are you telling me that when aliens invade, we can’t kill them with all the superior weapons systems out there? Yet a pregnant lady who is scared with shotgun can do the job…another major plot hole here. 
• Why the bare feet? They could have soft soled shoes that don’t make sound either. I have several pairs of sneakers that are probably more quiet than my bare feet…especially when we walk and I would say Owww every 10 steps. Additionally, bare feet and wearing parka’s? Everyone would be in a perpetual cold and sniffles. I am not saying that feet won’t harden up over time and you would feel less. But in the process of the hardening, many would die from screaming ouch all the time!

I am sure that there are several other problems and inconsistencies in the film that I missed. But these were the ones that jumped out at us. However, did we enjoy the film? Yes, we did. The acting was great, Krasinski and Blunt had excellent chemistry (mind you, they should as they are married in real life). The children, pretty much unknowns were very good as well. Regan (Simmonds) and Marcus (Jupe) easily conveyed the fear and angst of the world that they were living in. The cinematography was great, beautiful scenery with a post-apocalyptic flair. Krasinski, also doubling as the director did an excellent job as well with this film. 

“A Quiet Place” was set up for a sequel, and it was supposed to have been released within the last few months, however with this Covid thing going around it has been postponed till the fall. Will we see the sequel? If it is as good as the first one, we definitely will. 

If you want to see a horror film that is slightly different from the norm, check out A Quiet Place. If you can get over some of the issues mentioned above, it will entertain you, just as designed!

Our Rating: 6.5/10

If you are interested in some films from the principal characters, check out the following;

Emily Blunt                   The Devil Wears Prada, The Girl on the Train, Sicario, 

John Krasinski               Jack Ryan, 13 Hours, The Office