Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Serves As Being A Jurassic Letdown For The Series

The summer 2018 box office season hit it's peak with blockbuster sequels such as Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool ll, Incredibles ll, while also surprising with box office flops such as Solo: A Star Wars Story. With the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the expectation audiences as well as the studio had, was that it would not only continue the upward box office trend the franchise experienced with the previous installment, but also deliver a strong sequel to Jurassic World. The latter not only became a huge box office success, but surprised audiences with being a strong sequel and successful reboot to the iconic dinosaur movie franchise. While no sequel can never reach the cinematic heights of the first Jurassic Park film (The moments with the main characters seeing the dinosaurs for the first time can never again be replicated), Jurassic World came the closest to retaining some of the magic of the original, while playing off its nostalgia and introducing a unique scenario to audiences such as what if the first movies premise was successful, and a theme park full of dinosaurs was opened to the public, ultimately proving to be successful. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom hoped to build upon the concept of Jurassic World, but instead ends up being a major step downward for the series, while also feeling like a remake of Steven Spielberg's highly disappointing sequel to Jurassic Park titled The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

      The plot for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom picks up three years after the events of Jurassic World with the island's active volcano beginning to erupt, forcing the survivors from the first film, Owen and Claire (Played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard), to mount a campaign to save the remaining dinosaurs from extinction. On paper, the plot for Fallen Kingdom sounds interesting but the overall execution of the film (Which serves as only being mildly entertaining at best), feels like a live action version of Disney's 2000 forgotten animated classic Dinosaur, which also dealt with the subplot of dinosaurs fighting to avoid extinction, mixed with what looks and feels like a remake of The Lost World: Jurassic Park with a touch of The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes brought into the mix. It's not just that Fallen Kingdom is a weak follow-up to the first Jurassic World that surprised audiences largely with it's quality. The problem is that it doesn't feel like the sequel to that film, and instead goes the opposite direction of what the previous movie was setting up in a vein similar to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Perhaps it's because Jurassic World much like JJ Abrams The Force Awakens, did a very good job of creating reboots for their franchises, that relied heavily on people's nostalgia of the previous films to not only make them remember why they loved Star Wars or Jurassic Park in the first place, but also to bring them into the future with the new set of films in both respective franchises. Jurassic World wasn't as masterfully directed, well-written as Spielbergs film nor matched it in terms of being innovative and impactful with it's audience, but it honored the legacy that came before it while proving to be an entertaining, thrilling, and visually stimulating popcorn blockbuster. It also helped that it's director Colin Trevorrow, is a fan of the series, and gave the audience exactly what they wanted to see with the film, while finding a way to continue the franchise through a different lense. Despite some of that films flaws, the movie largely succeeded as being the true sequel to Jurassic Park while opening doors for future sequels to explore the aftermath of what's essentially an amusement park gone off the rails. Fallen Kingdom's plot felt like the writers were confused on where to go with the story after Jurassic World's ending, and opted to reuse old recycled subplots from previous entries in the series (Hence The Lost World reference).

      Directed by J.A Bayona, helmer of 2012's critically acclaimed drama The Impossible as well as The Orphanage, takes over the directing reigns from Trevorrow. With his edgier style being incorporated, Fallen Kingdom proves to be a darker and more intense sequel to it's predecessor, that poses some ethical questions regarding whether dinosaurs should be saved from extinction and brought to the mainland or left to be doomed on the volcanic island as human and dinosaurs are not mean't to co-exist. The first half of Fallen Kingdom proves to be stronger than the second half despite the retreat back to the island giving the film a strong been there and done that feel to it. The plot for the film feels like The Lost World with the main difference being the lead character Owen going back to the island to save the dinosaurs, that inhabit the land from being exterminated with his ex-girlfriend Claire being the person that helps him. Much like that film, the subplot involving taking the dinosaurs off the island and bringing them back to the mainland to be poached, is nearly identical except Fallen kingdom's plot packs a more emotional punch to it. The movie contains intense and visually breathtaking moments such as the volcano erupting, along with the dinosaurs running to escape extinction with the main characters attempting to guide them along the way. One of the films most powerful yet disturbing moments is a sequence involving the Brachiosaurus being left on the island to die from the volcano's eruption. Though the scene is absolutely heartbreaking and powerful to watch, it manages to come full circle with the first Jurassic Park as they were the first dinosaurs the main characters saw on the island with them now being the last ones the audience see's as the island is being destroyed. That sequence is not only symbolic but serves as a sign for the audience saying that the franchise is cutting loose the binds of being connected to the timeline of the previous Jurassic Park films and creating a newer one, that embraces the concept of the Jurassic World series in which the dinosaurs will now roam free on the mainland.

      The second half of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom feels like a horror type monster movie mixed in a Jurassic Park film with the dinosaurs being held captive by corrupt scientists with the intentions of being sold on the market. There's even a subplot involving a young girl played by Isabella Sermon with a twist that reveals she's a clone created in the same form as the dinosaurs. This reveal has very little to no connection with the rest of the films story which revolves around saving the dinosaurs. Fallen Kingdom's problem is
that it feels like a cut and paste type sequel in which it's story feels scattered with a relatively uneven narrative. Besides the desire to save the dinosaurs from being killed on the island from the volcanic explosion, there is no real reason for the humans to return to the island as the dinosaurs are roaming free and taking control of the park. As Jeff Goldblum's character Ian Malcom brilliantly puts it in his surprise cameo in the film, wouldn't it make more sense to let the dinosaurs remain on the island and let nature run it's course, so that the threat of dinosaurs running rampant across mankind doesn't become a reality?

      As far as performances go, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard deliver strong performances as their characters remain likeable with strong chemistry and developed enough for the audience to care about in the sequel, while virtually everyone else feeling like cardboard cutouts of previous side characters and villains seen in previous films. Goldblum's presence in the film is a welcomed addition to the story though his role is too brief to make much of a difference with the story. The subplot featuring the clone later revealed in the story proves to be useless and out of place, as it holds virtually no relevance to the situation in the story involving the dinosaurs. Daniella Pineda and Justice Smith deliver likeable performances in supporting roles as the rescue teams tech despite their characters having little to no depth at all with James Cromwell and Rafe Spall churning out serviceable performances with Cromwell playing John Hammond's former partner in developing the technology to clone dinosaurs, and the latter playing a sleazy businessman role, that's been done to death before in the series. Isabella Sermon shines as Lockwood's pre-teen granddaughter Maisie Lockwood, whose character bears a significant role in the films plot. The real shame however is seeing talented actors such as Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and B.D Wong have their talents wasted in what are essentially pointless roles (B.D Wong's character despite getting an unusual upgrade in Jurassic World to villain status compared to the first film in terms of screentime, is completely wasted here as his character could've made for a terrific villain in the Jurassic Park universe. Instead he comes off as being a misguided scientist, that's more preoccupied with making scientific breakthrough's rather than questioning whether he should be pushing the envelope or seeing the error of his ways. Even that aspect of his character is underdeveloped).

      As far as the films technical aspects go, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a visually breathtaking film with impressive sound and special effects, that's become common with any Jurassic Park film (It is especially nice to see that animatronic dinosaurs have made their return here). The cinematography is stunning with the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World's island being destroyed by the volcano, delivering some truly beautiful imagery with moments such as the original Jurassic Park jeep flipped over from the first movie when Dr. Grant saved Tim from the tree being shown here destroyed by the volcano hitting hard with the audience on an emotional level. The score by Michael Giacchino feels like a letdown this time around compared to his surprisingly effective score from the previous film, that carried with it a mixture of homages to John Williams work in the first Jurassic Park, while creating Jurassic World's new theme. While today's visual effects are more advanced than they were when the first Jurassic Park movie premiered, nothing can ever touch the inventiveness and shock the first carried when audiences first laid eyes on the Brachiosaurus, the Triceratops, The T-Rex, and the Velociraptors.

      Overall Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is not a terrible film nor the worst Jurassic Park movie ever made (That title still goes to Jurassic Park lll), it also doesn't live up to the cinematic heights of Jurassic Park nor the sheer popcorn entertainment quality that Jurassic World provided audiences. There will never be a Jurassic Park sequel that reaches the heights of the original, but one certainly feels that the filmmakers behind Fallen Kingdom could've worked harder to provide a more satisfactory sequel to the previous film, which surprised in being a solid reboot for the franchise. One of the questions that Jurassic World left open was where could the story go now that the dinosaurs have taken over Jurassic World and drove the humans off the island. If Fallen Kingdom's storyline was any indication, perhaps it's best that the resurrection of the franchise ends with the next chapter, which hopefully possesses a much stronger script. The films climax while brave that the writers took the franchise to newer heights with that twist, feels like an attempt to channel the successful modern Planet Of The Apes trilogy with Owens raptor Blue feeling like a dinosaur version of Ceasar from Matt Reeves Apes series.. While the films ending certainly leaves the audience feeling a tad optimistic about the next film, the real shame is that this sequel could've been much better, but instead feels like one last attempt to cash in on the whole lets go back to the island subplot for no other reason than to generate a few genuine thrills before moving the franchise into a completely different direction. While that direction is certainly one that will leave people curious as to where the story goes from here now that the dinosaurs are off the island, one hopes that the third and what will most likely be the final chapter in the Jurassic World trilogy, is more creative and thought-out than this film. Fallen Kingdom serves as being a hugely disappointing sequel to Jurassic World that misses the mark. If you're a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise, watch it once then retreat back to the original film. It doesn't hold the same kind of impact that Jurassic World had when you watch it. The new hybrid dinosaur is cool but he is shown so little in the films second half that he doesn't have enough time to really leave an impact on the audience.                                        
Verdict: Only see it if you're a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise or enjoyed Jurassic World, though it's a large disappointment in regards to the latter.

Mission Impossible: Fallout Fulfills It's Mission As Being The Best Installment In The Series Yet

   

 The Mission Impossible franchise is a rare one in which the series continues to strengthen itself in regards to the quality of each film since it's initial start in 1996, while creating new forms of spectacle to entertain moviegoers. The only other series that one can turn to in regards to experiencing this kind of transformation is The Fast And The Furious series. The first Mission Impossible film directed by Brian De Palma, worked as being a mystery spy thriller/action movie, which was also boosted by Tom Cruise's mega starpower during the 1990's era. Mission Impossible ll despite being bigger financially was a large stepdown in quality. Mission Impossible lll was not only a massive improvement over the second, but managed to be more thrilling than the first film largely due to JJ Abrams impressive directorial debut as well as his previous experience with the hit TV show Alias. Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation continued the upward trend in quality for the Mission Impossible series boasting clever storylines mixed with crazy stunts, that managed to outdo the ones in the previous films. With Fallout, the franchise has quite possibly hit it's peak with it's finest installment yet both in terms of storytelling as well as action with Cruise delivering a commanding performance as Ethan Hunt, the reliable Spy that manages to complete the most impossible and difficult missions while always saving the day.

       The plot for Mission Impossible: Fallout focuses on Ethan Hunt and his IMF team combined with familiar allies in the CIA, being assigned to track and crush attempts to use nuclear weapons that made it into the black market. With Mission Impossible: Fallout, the film proves that the franchise that began in the 1990's is still a huge hit with moviegoers as well as reaffirming Tom Cruise's status as being one of the greatest action stars of all time. What Fallout does so well is that it takes its storyline and characters, and makes the whole experience feel fresh and exciting again rather than feel tired and worn out. The key to the longevity of the series as evidenced here, is the filmmakers manage to still make each mission a thrilling and exciting one, while creating new obstacles for Ethan Hunt and his team to overcome. Like the other previous installments in the Mission Impossible franchise, Fallout carries many of those films themes over such as loyalty, dedication, doing the right thing, death of loved ones, protecting civilization, the threat of nuclear weapons, terrorism, betrayal, guilt, anarchy, revenge, and relationships. The message of Fallout that resonates with the entire Mission Impossible franchise as a whole, says that one should think of the greater good, a reasoning that defines the character of Ethan Hunt. Written and Directed by The Usual Suspects screenwriter and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation helmer, Christopher McQuarrie manages to create a sixth installment in the popular franchise that's fast, sleek, fun, and lives up to expectations of surpassing the previous installment with even crazier set pieces and a storyline that's both exciting and keeps the audience guessing on the stories twists and turns.

      As far as the acting performances in the film go, Tom Cruise delivers another excellent performance as Ethan Hunt, further demonstrating that he was born to play the role of Ethan Hunt as well as showing that even in his fifties, he still has what it takes to be an action star who performs the most daring of stunts himself, while possessing great dramatic range in terms of acting. Henry Cavill does an impressive job playing the CIA operative August, whose assigned to work with Ethan on his mission while providing a contrast to Hunts approach of getting things done. Cavill feels right at home with the rest of Hunt's team which includes Simon Pegg delivering a strong and humerous supporting role as well as returning faces such as the always professional Ving Rhames as Ethan's wingman Luther, Alec Baldwin returning again in a likable performance as secretary to the Impossible Missions Force and leading figure in the Central Intelligence Agency, who becomes an ally of Hunt by the end of Rogue Nation, Rebecca Ferguson also returning from the previous film as disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust, and Sean Harris returning as Hunts old nemesis who conveniently fits into the plot of this film. The new additions to the cast such as Angela Basset and Henry Cavill, leave strong impressions with the audience as their characters are effective with the actors making them believable and compelling. With the ensemble cast, Fallout has everyone giving their all while showing them to be having fun as well as excited with the storyline presented.

      The stunts in Mission Impossible are only as amazing as the actors and characters that sell them, and thankfully with Fallout, director Christopher McQuarrie understands that with his strong writing and directing skills. Having previously worked with Tom Cruise on the Jack Reacher films, McQuarrie understands Cruise's style as an actor as well as the dedication he delivers to his craft, and writes the character of Ethan Hunt so well in Fallout. With Ethan, there is a certain detachment to his character, that makes him a tragic figure in a sense that he went through a great deal of loss and sacrifice during his previous missions to ensure that the world is safer while completing his job. Though he happens to succeed everytime, it doesn't come without a price and Cruise conveys that beautifully through his performance adding emotion to the story. One of the movies strongest and best decisions in terms of giving Ethan's character a feeling of vulnerability in this one, is returning to the subplot introduced in Mission Impossible lll regarding his marriage to his ex-wife Julia (Played by Michelle Monaghan). Monaghan's return to the series with this film is a welcomed addition to the plot as it not only gives Ethan something to fight for in the film, but shows that he never fully recovered from their divorce, and realizes that he can never be happily married so long as he's out saving the world from international terrorists. For the first time since Mission Impossible lll, Ethan Hunt's human side is explored once again whole bringing some much needed closure to that films arc.

      On a technical note, Mission Impossible: Fallout boasts impressive fight sequences as well as impressive action set-pieces, such as a sky diving sequence in the film along with a solid motorcycle chase, and a climactic helicopter chase sequence that's both exciting and thrilling. The editing of the film gives the movie a brisk pace making it move fairly quick despite its 2.5 hour running time without rushing the story nor shortchanging the character development. As an action film, Fallout remains consistent while pushing the boundaries of its action scenes almost to the point of absurdity, making the film properly warrant the name "impossible". The films cinematography and sound effects are breathtaking making it some of the strongest works yet in the series. What makes the Mission Impossible series thrive and improve over the years, is how the series blends the feel of a James Bond flick with an added touch of Fast And Furious to the mix, such as the team working together to complete a mission which comes with crazy stunts and impossible odds, ultimately become the films main centerpiece. Like those series, the Mission Impossible franchise has learned to adapt and maintain the audiences interest over the last few decades while managing to feel fresh and retaining its energy.

      As far as summer blockbusters go, Mission Impossible: Fallout is not only one of the best to come out last year, but also shows what the series as a whole is and can be if it maintains its level of quality while continuing to raise the bar. Fallout carries the whole package of what makes a summer blockbuster great such as good storytelling, solid drama, heroes you care about and want to win, with villains you despise and want to see receive their justice. Add to that the impressive action set-pieces, and one has one of the most well-crafted action thrillers of recent times. The film is brilliantly filmed, extremely well-written, wonderfully acted by it's main cast, and remains consistent with it's action from start to finish, while managing to raise the bar up another notch for the series as a whole. Tom Cruise once again shows audiences that regardless of how they feel about his personal antics off screen, he's still one of the worlds greatest movie stars as well as one of the most talented and dedicated actors to ever grace the big screen (He usually insists on performing many of his own stunts). Fallout shows that just when one thought the Mission Impossible series had reached it's peak and couldn't get anymore incredible nor amazing, here comes Fallout that's top notch with it showing how everything should be done. As for the future of the series as a whole, there is still life left in this franchise to tell more spy stories involving Ethan Hunt performing another crazy stunt, but one also feels that perhaps they should consider wrapping up Hunts story soon, as they don't want to wear out their welcome with the audience. While that is a different type of debate, Mission Impossible: Fallout remains one of 2018's strongest films while standing as being the franchises finest work yet. For both spy fans and fans of the Mission Impossible series, this film is a genuine treat and until it's topped by the next film (They currently are planning to shoot Mission Impossibles 7 and 8 back to back), this is the franchises highest point thus far and the sequel to beat. Mission Impossible: Fallout is a worthy installment in the popular franchise, while showing there's still much life left in the series to entertain and thrill audiences. One just can't help but wonder how they will find a way to top this film.                                                  

 Final Verdict: For action fans as well as fans of the series, Mission Impossible: Fallout is a must see.

The Nun Is Full Of Jump Scares But Lacks True Suspense And Thrills

     

       The 2018 fall movie season brought some key box office smash hits such as Venom, the long-awaited Halloween sequel, which ultimately proved to be a faithful follow-up to the original, and Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born which he directed and co-starred with Lady Gaga. The film that kicked off the fall movie season last year however, was a spin-off of the popular Conjuring franchise titled The Nun. The Nun had a strong opening of 53 million due to the anticipation for it being connected with the rest of the series. It's CinemaScore rating however landed at a C, being the lowest ranking of the series thus far. Being the fifth film in the Conjuring universe while serving as a spin-off of The Conjuring 2, the story was written by James Wan and Gary Dauberman with Dauberman penning the films script. Is the film really as bad as its mixed to negative reviews make it out to be? Compared to the Conjuring films, The Nun though mildly entertaining, lacks true scares and relies on cheap jump scares to frighten its audience without much form of creativity and suspense. Despite not being as well told as the films its story is loosely attached to, the movie still offers reasonable entertainment for those who manage to get scared easily.

The plot for The Nun takes place in Romania 1952 and centers around a haunted Roman Catholic priest (Played by Demian Bichr) and a young novitiate (Played by Taissa Farmiga) in the final phase of taking her vows as a nun, end up being summoned by the Vatican to Transylvannia to investigate the suicide of a Romanian nun. Upon doing so, they soon realize that both their faith and lives are at stake upon discovering a powerful demonic presence named "Valek" with unholy secrets being revealed. The Nun can best be summed up as The Conjuring's attempt at turning it's universe into a horror movie style MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), that's also tied to the Annabelle films and The Curse Of La Lorna. Despite being loosely connected to the Conjuring films, The Nun conducts its own story and does so with a lack of passion and genuine creativity in regards to making it truly effective. The film is never truly scary, and feels like it could've been something much better if more thought and effort was put into it. The film relies far too much on jump scares rather than building a steady, tense and creepy atmosphere, that proved to do much of the work in terms of terrifying the audience with The Conjuring films. What this film needed was James Wan to helm it himself as he would've not only provided the atmosphere needed to make the story more effective, but limited the jump scares throughout the film so when they happened, they not only worked but rightfully took a backseat to the story. The fact that the film utilized an excessive amount of jump scares, shows that there wasn't much else on the surface in terms of really creepy out the audience. The films acting performances, visual style of the film, and music essentially carry it where the writing and directing struggles and underwhelms.

      Despite the films troubles with its script and style of directing, the acting performances help to make up for those shortcomings. Demian Bichir delivers a strong and classy performance as Father Burke, bringing a likable presence to the character. Taissa Farmiga shines as sister Irene, showing strong chemistry between her and Bichir with the two working off each other very well. Jonas Bloquet does very well playing Frenchie, not only getting some of the films best lines but working off Farmiga and Birchir. He helps make the three feel like ideal casting choices, who feel perfect for their roles. Bloquet steals the show and his character has a nice tie-in to the Conjuring movies at the end. Bonnie Aarons does a solid job playing The Nun with her character being creepy and effective when appearing on the big screen. Ingrid Bisu delivers a nice supporting role with Charlotte Hope and Sandra Teles as Sisters Victoria and Abigail with surprise cameo performances from Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga from The Conjuring series, to bridge the stories together for the sake of continuity. As the whole, the cast is one of the strongest aspects of the film as the main actors work great off each other and feel natural as a small group. The decision to keep the films main cast small and focus on the key characters, was a smart move allowing for more depth and character growth to take over with the three main characters of the film (Father Burke, Sister Irene, and Frenchie) sharing a strong dynamic with great chemistry as a trio. The minor characters are effective when they appear mainly because they remind viewers as well as signify that something evil is near. When Bichir, Farmiga, and Bloquet are together in a scene, the film works and manages to be entertaining, saving it from the rest of its issues.

      In terms of the films directing and writing, Corin Hardy takes over the directing reigns and does a serviceable job with helming the story although he's no James Wan in terms of building up the suspense with the films story. Hardy creates a somewhat effective atmosphere, that includes the main characters walking around old and spooky castles with dark atmospheres, foggy graveyards, creepy religious imagery, a scene involving a snake coming out of a main characters mouth, and an abbey that comes across as feeling like a haunted mansion. The film has all the right elements present to make for a great horror movie, which makes it a shame it doesn't reach its maximum potential. The art-set decoration and cinematography are impressive making it a well-shot film that's visually striking to watch. The films gothic design helps make it a wild experience that goes in line with the strange creatures that pop up. The film definitely takes a less realistic and more fantastical approach than the Conjuring films, making it feel uneven with those movies. Examples are the different forms the demon takes which often make the whole scenario feel rather silly at times along with too many CGI monsters being used. The film has an hour and a half running time, that moves relatively slow enough to let the plot and characters unfold though not much happens outside of the forced jump scares for the first two thirds of the movie. The screenplay by Gary Dauberman is basic with it feeling padded with the first two acts feeling like filler until the films third act, with nothing major happening within the earlier portions of the film other than one jump scare appearing after another. There is nothing in this movie that the audience hasn't seen before with familiar subplots such as a gateway to hell presented in the story once again, the demon needing a human form to take, the past haunting the main characters, the story and screenplay don't give the audience nothing new which is underwhelming. The characters are put in situations where they shouldn't survive but somehow they always manage to do so which becomes less suspenseful after awhile cause the audience automatically assumes they'll survive because their the main characters. The films humor was a notable approach, but is ultimately a case of being hit and miss with moments where it works and other moments where it feels like it doesn't belong in the scene. The films soundtrack is top notch though and helps to enhance the presence of The Nun, making her still come across as looking powerful though less scary since she appears quite frequently in the film  which further diminishes the scare factor of her character. One wonders how much more effective her character would've been if she was shown less like the shark in Jaws.

       The Nun is not a terrible movie nor is it a great horror movie. It just falls in within the category of being ok with a reasonable level of entertainment value. It could've been a stronger horror flick had the story been further fleshed out and the movie being more creative with its moments of scares. What makes a horror movie great is not that we know the scares are coming, its the fear of the unknown and catching the audience by surprise, that makes horror movies work. The fact that the audience knows the jump scare is coming and the movie being self-aware that we know makes it less thrilling and more standard cause we know what to expect. The overuse of the scare tactic involving the camera showing there's nothing behind the main character, pans away, then pans back to reveal that something is behind them can only be done so many times before its robbed of its effect. The film though mildly entertaining, clearly misses having James Wan's directorial hand on the project and ultinately suffers because of that lack of creativity and drive to present something new. The Nun feels like a standard horror movie spin-off, which has moments where it works largely thanks to the films mood, the strong acting performances from its cast, the music, and intriguing premise though one wishes they tried harder to give the audience something fresher. If jump scares are what you want, this is the movie for you as they are planted everywhere in the film. If one wants a more well-crafted horror story, that puts style and atmosphere first with a strong story then the first two Conjuring films are worth watching. The Nun is dark and had potential to be great, but just settles for being mediocre entertainment.

Final Verdict: For fans of The Conjuring series, it's a worth a watch. For regular horror fans, the Conjuring films are more worthy of your time.

              

The Predator Greatly Suffers From The Lack Of Arnold Schwarzenegger And John McTiernans Involvement

  

      No Predator movie can ever hope to be on the same level as it's 1987 original classic directed by Die Hard filmmaker John McTiernan and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. While not immediately well-received by critics upon it's release, Predator became a cult-classic over time with the franchise never being able to fully recapture the magic that film had on moviegoers. Predator 2 proved to be a huge step down from the previous film in regards to quality with Predators being a sizable improvement, as well as a noble attempt at bringing the franchise back to form. Up until the release of The Predator, fans were hoping that the new entry in the series would be the one to restore the franchise back to it's glory days. The Predator not only received terrible reviews but was a box office disappointment. Watching the film, it becomes clear why this movie failed as the story makes little to no sense in terms of the franchises continuity and leaves audiences wondering one thing: Where the hell was Arnold Schwarzenegger and John McTiernan and why weren't they involved with this?

      The Predators story revolves around an alien crash landing on planet Earth with a second alien arriving to retrieve it's vessel and equipment, with both fighting a motley group of former soldiers. They are both aided by a young boy, whose able to hack into the Predator's devices. The best way to describe the new Predator film, is that the whole thing comes across as being one big missed opportunity. This movie had the potential to put the series back on track if it had the right elements behind it. Those elements would be bringing back Schwarzenegger, John McTiernan, and having a story that connects to the first film while expanding on it. The story for The Predator makes very little sense and feels awkward when looking at the rest of the series. The action for Predator is there but feels hollow when taking into account the audience doesn't have an ounce of care towards the characters in this film with the film being chalked up as another major disappointment in a series that started off strong. The original 1987 Predator, was a product of it's time that was packaged extremely well. It capitalized on the 1980's macho style action movies, which carried not only the top movie stars at the time but explosions, an innovative story with a new creature never seen before, and a young up and coming director, who held a steady hand in terms of directing action flicks as John McTiernan later went onto make classics such as Die Hard, The Hunt For Red October, and Last Action Hero. Predator had all the elements that made an action movie work at the time including a strong script that included rewrites by Shane Black. So far, no director has been able to recapture the feel of the original with Predators coming the closest. The biggest let down with the new film, is the fact that it still fails to deliver even with the return of Shane Black at the helm, who not only starred in the first Predator but did uncredited rewrites to its script. One can definitely tell that Black is excited to be back with the series, but also can see he doesn't exactly know where to go with the film as the movie feels like it's all over the place story- wise with energy and excitement present, but a lack of structure and heart. The films biggest problem is not that it isn't capable of telling a compelling story, it's that it can but doesn't know which direction it wants to go with the series. Black throws everything at the screen in hopes that something will stick and bring back some element of the first movie that people loved but the story is way too confusing and makes little sense given the rest of the series, to be taken seriously. The case with this film is upsetting as it has elements present to make a good movie as well as being a potentially worthy sequel, but the end result just comes across as being silly and depressing given what this could've been.

      In the films acting department, Olivia Munn is the star of the show this time and does a serviceable job with her role as an evolutionary biologist, who also happens to be one of the films most down to earth characters along with being less cartoonish than her other co-stars. She does the best she can with what she's given though she feels out of place and miscast given what this film is a sequel to. Boyd Holbrook from Logan, shines as Quinn though his character suffers from poor writing much like the rest of the cast. Jake Busey's presence in the film is welcomed though his screentime is minimal. Jacob Tremblay does well playing Quinn's son, who ends up aiding the Predators. The supporting cast playing the group of former soldiers are one of the few main highlights of the film with Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, and Augusto Afuilera turning in performances, that bring much needed fun and energy to the film. One can only imagine what their performances as a group would look like if they had a different script to play off. Sterling K. Brown does reasonably well playing the films secondary antagonist outside of the predator, though his character is poorly written and comes across as feeling rather generic. Outside of the messy script and misguided direction the film takes, the cast remains one of the films strongest points as the actors do the absolute best job they can with the material handed to them.

      The films directing and writing by Shane Black is a mixed and ultimately uneven bag as the film had the potential to match as well as upgrade the style of the first Predator along with Predators. Blacks directing for the most part feels like it's all over the place with the film giving a couple of decent moments of B- movie thrills with the movies visuals effects being one of the few saving graces of the film. On a visual level, the movie is top notch and is a well-shot film with strong cinematography. On a writing level, the movie literally falls apart due to the lack of confidence in regards to what it wants to be. Black gives this one more of a satirical feel to it, almost feeling as if it's poking fun at the series, which is the exact opposite of the first movie as that film masterfully built up it's suspense, tension, characters, and action. The original had moments of humor but not excessive like the way The Predator uses it's jokes to confuse the tone of the film. Whereas the original Predator knew exactly what type of film it wanted to be, The Predator feels like it isn't exactly sure if it wants to be a serious Sci-Fi action movie or a comedy with science fiction elements. The use of Arnold's lines from the original film such as "Get to the Choppa," are delivered with less enthusiasm than what it would've came across had he been present to say it himself again. Black's writing also confuses the audience as there wasn't much of a relevance to the story with having a dogfight with two Predator dogs. The concept of a kid accidentally contacting the Predators and leading them to Earth makes little to no sense, making the story feel light-headed despite having the R-rated moments of the original film such as the violence, the gore, and action. Whereas the original Predator might've benefitted from Black's contributions as a script polisher, he feels like the absolute wrong choice to be both the writer and director of this movie.

      The difference between John McTiernans Predator and Shane Black's The Predator, is McTiernans film had an aspect to it where the actors we're having fun making the movie, but the film always maintained a serious and straight-forward narrative, that allowed it to steadily build up it's characters, action, suspense, and the iconic stature of its main villain. The key to that films success was that the audience simply didn't know what to expect going in as they've never seen the Predator before. The film had a main character it could get behind as a hero and a villain they could fear and not want to come across. The Predator has neither of those elements and carries with it messy screenwriting, an uneven narrative, almost zero character development, and excessive humor that throws off the tone of the film and ultimately confuses the viewer. The failure of this film is a tragedy because it had the resources and potential to be a true sequel to the original had it been handled right with a different filmmaker. One hopes that they'll cease on making anymore Predator movies until they decide to get Schwarzenegger and McTiernan back. Even if McTiernan isn't the director of the extra film, he should still return as producer and handpick a capable director, who can bring magic back to the series in a approach similar to Halloween 2018 and Terminator: Dark Fate with James Cameron serving as Producer and Co-writer after helming the first two films with Deadpool director Tim Miller helming the new film. Perhaps an approach like that would be what the Predator franchise needs in order to restore credibility back to the series as this film sadly can be chalked up as another missed opportunity in a series, that continues it's trend of largely disappointing it's fans once again.

Final Verdict: If you're a fan of the original Predator, rewatch that film and skip this one. You really wouldn't be missing much.