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Stand By Me: A Different Type of Nostalgia

There are few scenes in film history that I think can impact someone on a much deeper level. And after watching “that” scene from Euphoria it reminded me of one of them. No.. this article is not about Euphoria. It is about one of my favourite films, Stand By Me.

So after watching that super super super romantic scene it reminded me how amazing this film truly is and that I should definitely rewatch it. And guess what, I did – for probably the fourth time in my life.  This movie just isn’t talked about enough. At a glance, stand by me could be viewed as a kid’s film. Sure, it has an ensemble of children and some kid humour, but I would never classify this movie as a children’s film. Its just to sad. And not sad in your Marley and Me sense or the NoteBook. It’s different. Let me explain.

How the Characters are Written

The film has four main characters, Chris, Gordie, Vern and Teddy. What is so clever about these four boys is how they echo their parents. Chris comes from a family of thieves and is constantly battling with the path he wants to follow. Teddy’s father is an abusive WW1 veteran which bleeds onto Teddy who has similar chaotic patterns and an obsession with war. And finally, Gordie. Gordie is dealing with the neglect of his parents after the death of his older brother. Now these are all instantly horrible things to be dealing with, but it’s how screenwriters Raynold Gideon and Bruce Evans address it. The three boys don’t really talk about. Occasionally, we see Gordie and Chris break down but nothing more. Exactly as a kid would, they simply keep it to themselves. These characters bury their deep rooted issues. And sure, at a glance it seems like there is a complete character arc but truthfully, I don’t think they ever overcome these problems. That’s what’s so bitter. They are trapped in the shells of their parents. Gordie is still obsessed over his brother’s death; Teddy ends up doing time for chaotic behaviour and Chris? Well Chris does overcome his deep-rooted issues. He is the only one. And what happens to him? He is rewarded by being murdered for doing the right thing. No one gets a happy ending.

Nostalgia

What is perhaps most depressing about this film is its relatability. The way the boys interact, their demeanour and the adventure at hand, it all just feels so real. Everyone has experienced that same banter you have when your 12 or doing stupid shit you definitely shouldn’t be doing. Thereby, we are instantly linked with these characters. It is a realistic nostalgia. A not so good example of this is Stranger Things. Every season, they seem to cram more and more nostalgic shit down your throat. They create this unrealistic view of the 80s where everyone wore the same clothes and talked about Ghostbusters all day. Stand By Me is different. It makes the audience nostalgic for childhood, not the physical objects or time period. Essentially, it is a longing to have the same shared optimism you have when you’re a child. Nostalgic for an emotion, not objects – something much more powerful.

The Ending

Rob Reiner now has you exactly where he wants you. You are linked with these characters whether you realise it or not. When this final scene starts rolling it is a punch in the gut. As the gang all say goodbye to each other and Gordie explains how Chris died we understand what this film is all about. Saying goodbye to childhood. It is so brutal because everyone has been in that same situation before. The last time you ever go out to play together. And most of the time, you don’t even realise it. But what is so sad, and not talked about enough, is something so simple. The Title. Rob Reiner purposefully changed the name from the Body to Stand By Me after Ben E King’s amazing song. But the boys don’t stand by each other. In the end, they go their separate ways into adulthood. It is dramatic irony in the most perfect sense. And exactly what happens to all of us.

Maybe it’s just me but Stand By Me evokes a new kind of emotion. Not necessarily a sadness for the past but instead a longing for that optimism and wide-eyed attitude you had as a kid. Now I know I’m only 19 and sound like a knob saying this, but for me, Stand By Me is the quintessential nostalgic movie.

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The Euphoria Rant  

Euphoria has been talked about to death. And here I am, about to write another article on this insanely popular TV show. And why? Because it’s a perfect TV show to talk about. It is designed stir up as much controversy and discussion as possible. It’s designed to split people. So lets dive in.

SEASON 1

Now I started watching this Show when season 2 had finish so my experience was very different to other people. I watched the show very spaced out over 2 months, mainly because I found it so boring. But there were a couple things that really stood out to me about season 1. The opening of each episode is a perfect way to start a show. It launches you into this world instantly and makes you care about each of these characters in 12 minutes. People are not appreciative of how hard that is to do. For all his faults, Sam Levinson smashes that opening. To me, it reminds of me of the Good Fellas opening – something I know has been done 1000 times before. But essentially, its so effective because it launches you into their lives instantly. You know these characters like a close friend in a way that can take some shows 4 seasons to crack. Big tick from me.

I also think the acting in this show is amazing. A standout for me is Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs – and that’s not just because he is from Brisbane. He plays a psychopath perfectly. That calm quiet demeanour with fits of rage is horrifying. As a great villain does, he really makes you hate him. The comparison is always how Delorse Umbridge is he out of 10? Nate Jacobs is a solid 8. He even makes some of the shitty writing sound less shitty. Everyone else is very good as well, no one stands out in a bad way. I do feel sorry for how much crying Sydney Sweenie has to do… every single scene, all the time.

Speaking of cast, the side characters are what make this show good. Personally, I just didn’t care about Rue. Maybe I’m heartless or biased because I haven’t experienced these things, but her story was just so fucking boring. It feels like everything that happens with her character takes place in the first two episodes, and then its just on repeat for the rest of the season. Her story with Jules is good and I like the “will they won’t they get together” aspect (an easy way to keep fans watching) but after about episode 4 I just didn’t care for either of them. Once again, maybe I am an asshole but their relationship just feels dry and yet also over the top. Also, they take up way too much screen time when you have characters like Fez, Chris, Kat and Nate carrying this show. There stories are the only part of the show that kept me watching. Every scene with Rue just felt like a distraction from this amazing ensemble.   

SEASON 2

I know it’s not controversial but hey guess what, season 2 is absolute garbage. I hate shitting on movies and tv because I know how hard people work, but season 2, fuck me what a miss. Nevertheless, the show grabbed me straight away. With Fezco and Cal’s story it hooks you right in. They are honestly the two best character openings of the whole show and the highlight of all of season 2. In particular Cal. He is such an interesting and engaging character that I am so glad they explored more.  Obviously, Fez is top tier. He is charismatic in such a natural way, and I think that’s because he just isn’t acting. I mean seriously this man is the exact same in real life.

So where does this season go wrong? I think there are two reasons this second season is such a flop.

Number one, Sam Levinson had not idea where to go with this show. If someone can honestly watch this season and tell me he knew where to take it I will give you a sticker. This season is completely lost. We are exploring things we have seen completed in the first season. We are watching scenes on repeat – episode after episode. We are spending time with none of the engaging character from the first season. We are dragging simple stories out just to fill up episodes. We are forcing over the top soap opera drama every single second. Just imagine for one second that this show ended on season one. Think of how effective it would be, how critically acclaimed Sam would be. Just like Fleabag, and every great British show, if you don’t have anything better to follow up with MAYBE JUST STOP.

Number 2, the editing. This point has been talked to death, so I will just briefly mention it. In this season, there is a captivating scene where Rue does a eulogy for her fathers’ death. Her performance is great, the writing (of this scene) is good, and it looks incredible. But you know what’s not so incredible? SEEING THIS SAME SCENE 5 TIMES ACROSS THE SEASON. I have now idea what Sam Levinson was going for but it was not effective. It was so predictable that I  knew the next words coming out of her mouth. It felt like Levinson watched Christopher Nolan for the first time and wanted to experiment with some time shit. No tick from me.

Also, this season dives way to much into Lexi Howard. I know she was a big hit in the first season and appealing but in the second she’s the writing of her character is weird. She has this stupid naivety to her about the play that makes no sense. Hear me out, this character is supposed to be extremely clever and yet she does realise this play is going to offend people? WHAT???

The play is also just a complete mess. How the fuck did Sammy think it was a good idea to spend an ENTIRE EPISODE about a play recapping a season we have witnessed. It is just showing us scenes we have already seen but done worse? If it was me, I would have had the play happen completely off screen. Thereby, you see the devastation it causes and the audience kind of creates this monstrosity in their heads.  Almost like reading a book. Maybe in the after-credit scene you release a 20minute special that shows the whole play, like in Hawkeye. But hey, that’s just me.

Final Thoughts.

Before I wrap up, I need to talk about the cinematography and lighting. It is… flashy. Its over the top and distracting but still kind of cool. Some scenes pull you out of the drama because of how unrealistic it looks. Honestly there’s only one way to describe it, a music video. The whole show looks like a music video and ultimately it comes down to whether you like that style or not. For me, not so much.  Also, the music is very good. Not my taste but clearly effective as it appeals to a younger audience (which is what this whole show is trying to do ((be as cool and edgy as possible)).

So the final question…

SHOULD YOU WATCH EUPHORIA INSTEAD OF REWATCHING THE OFFICE?

Maybe just the first season, then jump right back into that sweet sweet comfort show.

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Why The Batman Slaps? | The Batman Review

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A Short Peacemaker Review

There is an absolute shit ton of superhero content coming out right now. So much so that it is becoming harder and harder for TV shows and movies to really stand out. Thereby, that becomes the ultimate question. Does Peacemaker stand out amongst other superhero content? Well, sought of, let me explain…

The show overall is very good. Unique characters, good jokes and excellent action. However, one of the few gripes I have with it is how “James Gunny” it is. Hear me out. I love James Gun’s movies, especially Suicide Squad. I truly think he is very funny and original. What changed for me in Peacemaker is that it is a whole show of James Gun jokes. Halfway through they started to feel a little repetitive. Each joke goes like this – one character says something weird and unusual, another character calls them out and then they get into an argument about how stupid what they said is. In 2-hour movies, you don’t get sick of this, but in a TV show it just gets a little draining.

What James Gunn nailed was the character arc of Peacemaker. As with most people, when the show started, I was thinking “Fuck this guy” and I don’t want to watch a whole show about this clown. But very quickly I realised why he chose it. Gunn loves the outcasts. He loves the morally ambiguous lead characters as shown with all his work. As a result, Peacemaker works perfectly because he is an extreme version of this. And Gunn smashes it. The audience understand why he killed Rick Flag and also why he is so fucked up in the head. Ultimately, the show is a perfect extension of his character in Suicide Squad because it shows you how deep his backstory truly is.

On top of this, is the side characters. All of them compliment each other so well. Once again, Gunn knows how to write a team you care about. This is extremely off topic but in my head I kept thinking about Eternals. In this film, it is a team you just don’t give a flying fuck about. If Gunn directed it, that team would be very different. I guarantee you we would actually view them as a family. I think he is just a master at breaking down hard exteriors to show a soft centre within. Through this, the audience begins to actually care about a character and the people they love.

I do think the show has a bit of a midway slump. About halfway through it just feels like nothing happens for about 2 episodes. Honestly, I believe this was a film in his head and he stretched it out to make a TV Show. This is because the only part that seems like a show is how deep Peacemaker’s transformation is. Everything else just feels stretched to make it run longer, for example the relationship of Adebayo and her wife. It just feels like something written in to add more drama and tension.

SO! Does it stand out amongst other superhero content. Well yes because it is not bland and unoriginal like a lot of other content. What I would compare to is something like the Boys and Invincible.  And don’t get me wrong, this is a big compliment. I love these shows.

Should you watch Peacemaker?

Yes, absolutely. If you are in the mood for a funny and easy to watch show, then Peacemaker is your go. Especially if you are rewatching the Office for the 7th time…

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Uncharted Movie Review

WARNING – THE FOLLOWING IS OPINION AN NOTHING MORE. IF YOU DON’T AGREE THAT IS COMPLETELY ACCEPTABLE.

I honestly was not going to go to the cinema and watch this film. While I was very hyped when I first heard about the pitch, the trailers removed all my hope – another garbage Hollywood project. Therefore, I feel since there is very little love and passion behind this, I am legally obligated to shit on it. Sorry not sorry.

The Characters

One of the biggest problems with the modern blockbuster is the writing of the characters versus the plot. (This is something that boils my blood so stay with my rant for just once second). Basically, in films like this and most Marvel movies the writers prioritise plot over character. In Uncharted it was screaming at me. I have a theory that the writers knew they wanted these big action set pieces and did anything to make it happen. Honestly its just opinion, but to me a movie is far more attractive when the characters drive the story. I know this is hard in an action film but just let it happen a bit more naturally. Let the characters force the plot.

I am not finished yet.

I just didn’t care about any of these knobs on the screen and I can’t imagine anyone else either. Even Nathan Drake. For me this is truly a madness. The writers literally stole the core concepts of this amazing and deep character and still couldn’t get it right. They took his character arc from the fourth game and completely botched it.  An incredible game and story ultimately wasted on this shit.

The Actors

Everyone in this was extremely average. Sorry Tom Holland stans, please don’t hurt me. But realistically when an actor comes out before the release of a movie trashing his performance and the film, you know it’s a not a good sign. Nevertheless, Tom Holland is like Chris Paul – a pure fundamentalist. He is very very good at doing the basics. His surprised / shocked face (clearly the reason he got the role of Peter Parker) is solid. And whenever he has an emotional scene he absolutely smashes it. But ultimately, I just feel he is kind of doing the same thing he always does.

Mark Whalberg’s performance was odd. I’m not sure if it was him or the writing, but every joke he told just did not land at all. He wasn’t funny and truthfully was anything like the Sully we see in the games.

Sophia Taylor as Chloe Frazer was interesting. I wasn’t sure if she was going for an Australian accent. If she was I am not going to shit on it. That’s because I honestly think it is one of the hardest accents to get down. I haven’t really ever seen a non-Australian actor do it right. I think its cause its barely an accent, more just a slur and drawl of mumbled words. So Goodluck future actors.

What it got Right

Don’t get me wrong, I liked a lot of this movie. The adventure and puzzles were all very good. While it wasn’t spot on, the Indian Jones vibe was definitely there. In particular, I love how films like this merge in the history fairly effortlessly. In addition, the action was visually engaging. Apart from some dodgy effects, it was entertaining to watch on screen.

The music

This shit truly rattled me. When there is a perfect, iconic and nostalgic theme waiting to be used WHY NOT FUCKING USE IT. I was honestly waiting for it to be appear the entire film and guess what, it doesn’t. Like the rest of this film it just doesn’t seem to give a shit about the games. Yeah they have the occasional reference to the climbing or the voice actor but its just not the same.

Nothing in this film feels like the Uncharted Games. It just feels like another movie Hollywood slaps a famous name over for a quick cash grab. If you told me this was a National Treasure prequel or Indian Jones prequel, I would fully accept it. Its ultimately just bland and tries to be nothing more then that. Its very frustrating when the games are so incredible and have so amazing stories and characters. Maybe it just doesn’t translate to film, who knows.

Should you go to the movies to see it?

Nah, wait for the streaming release.

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An Honest Review of My First Short Film

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Why did the King’s Man did not slap?

SPOILERSSSSSSS

I think Mathew Vaughn is truly an incredible director. His pacing and style is so unique and refreshing when compared to other blockbusters. If you don’t know his other work Mathew has directed Kick Ass, X Men First Class, The Kingsman movies and most importantly, StarDust (If you haven’t seen this film do yourself a favour). Not to mention, his production achievements of Lock Stock, Eddie the Eagle and Rocketman. You could say my expectations were high going into this. Apart from the second Kingsman, I have loved all his films. But before I start, I am not just going to shit on this film – I hate reviews that do that. Plus, I have never made a film and know fuck all about it. Plus plus, I didn’t hate it at all, I just feel like there was just something missing. So therefore, I am going to do a multilayered insult sandwich.

Con

This movie takes way to long to get going. The first 30-40 minutes feel so weird and slow paced. Its like when a teacher or instructor spends 20 minutes explaining a game when all you want to do is fucking start the game. I was watching it thinking, when is this going to get moving, and honestly it didn’t really. The pacing stays in this kind of slow and drawn-out process. When the movie finished, I sat there thinking, why is the first 1/3 not just cut.

The whole film is spread out over the entirety of WW1. A very odd choice. It makes the audience feel like the movie has no direction. Instead of focusing on a specific aspect, it tries to squish 4 years into 2 hours.

PRO

The action scenes in this movie are genuinely amazing. Like with all of Vaughn’s work, they have this unique dance to them. You can feel the choreography but it’s still so enthralling to watch. There are three in particular that really stand out to me.

  1. The fight against Rasputin
  2. Silent War Battle
  3. Final Battle

But the problem is, there is not enough. In a 2 hour an 10 minute action film there is barely any action. When its there, its amazing but…

Bruh

CON

I think my biggest issue with this film is what its going for. I have a theory that Vaughn wanted to make this a serious war drama. To me, that’s just stupid. What works about the first two Kingsman is how over the top and bat shit crazy they are. The gore, the action, the writing. All of it shows this exaggerated version of James Bond. It essentially works because audiences are sick of the same old James Bond. I get that he wants to try something new but don’t do it with a franchise people already have expectations for.

PRO

The performances in this film are very good. Ralph (Rafe) Fiennes is exceptional, as usual. In particular, the moments of real drama when he loses loved ones shows how good of an actor he really is. He always does this really unique and weird yelling with his voice that I really love. (Think of Avadacadabra in Harry Potter).

I think the George Mckay look alike (known as Harris Dickinson) is good as well. It felt believable when he was showing the pure fear of being in battle. Also, the young ignorance and naivety of a teenage boy was spot on.

Rhys Ifans as Rasputin stole the show. I know it was over the top but I like when actors just go for it. Its engaging when they don’t hold back and give their interpretation and perspective of the character. He had this perfect mix of both menace and stupidity – a precise summary of Rasputin.

Rhys Ifans as Rasputin in 20th Century Studios’ THE KING’S MAN. Photo credit: Peter Mountain. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Everyone else was good. #moredjimonhounsou 

Con

On the other side of this, is SOME of the writing. There is a huge focus on the dynamic between the father and son. Desperately wanting to go to the war, the Duke repeatedly denies Conrad in fear of him dying. Its smart and interesting but it happens like 5 times. It felt I was watching the same scene on repeat. Conrad says he is joining the war, the duke says no and gives him a lecture then Conrad comes to an understanding. It’s just repetitive and becomes monotonous.

Pro

BIG SPOILER

When Conrad was shot, I was sitting there like what the fuck. It completely got off me off guard – something that is getting harder to do in films. A shocking death in a movies is very hard to do as audiences constantly see it coming. However, this one was out of nowhere and completely heartbreaking. He wasn’t even killed by enemy which adds this sense of regret of wasted life to the audience.

It also served a purpose. Without the death of his son, it would not make sense why the Duke would start up the Kingsmen. Good writing.

The Final Con

There is something included at the end of this film that blew my mind – in the worst possible way. When the Duke meets the big villain at the end, there is a very interesting and extremely obvious plot twist. The villain is the creepy evil dude in the background. SURPRISE SURPRISE. I don’t understand why Vaugh did this. It doesn’t add anything, it is not surprising, it literally has no effect whatsoever on the film. It feels exactly like a Scooby Doo reveal at the end of an episode. Glaringly obvious and equally pointless.

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“Tick, Tick… Boom!” Review

2021 was undoubtably a very strange year for all of popular culture, not the least of which for the film industry. Hollywood saw a somewhat return to normality from the year previous with a rollout of blockbusters such as a handful of MCU additions and a new 007 film. Titles such as “Luca” and “Encanto” continued Disney’s reputation of not letting the global pandemic have an impact on the quality of their animated film output. There was a plethora of films that rose to the top and established themselves as Academy Award favourites (such as “Dune”, “Belfast”, “The Power of the Dog”) – the collected quality of which exceeding that of the nominees from the previous year in my opinion.

With all that said, the narrative that interested me the most in the industry last year was the complete domination of films and series that were distributed by Netflix. You do not need to look much further than the meteoric success of shows such as “Bridgerton” and “Squid Game” to see the immense cultural impact of Netflix Original releases in 2021. Of all the Netflix Originals from the past 12 months, there was one that particularly stood out to me as perhaps the most unexpectedly great movie musical of all time, and that was “Tick, Tick… Boom!” directed by “Hamilton” writer Lin Manuel-Miranda.

Watch tick, tick...BOOM! | Netflix Official Site
Promotional image for “Tick, Tick… Boom!”

The film follows the recent trend of biopics – popularised by films such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman” – however the man that the film revolves around is not of the same superstar status as artists like Freddie Mercury and Elton John. The film documents the life of musical theatre composer Jonathan Larson and is an adaptation of his semi-autobiographical rock musical of the same name. The story of Jonathan Larson is one of the more unique stories in all of contemporary musical history, since his 1996 stage musical “Rent” saw massive mainstream success and acclaim shortly after he died of an aortic aneurysm. “Rent” was staged on Broadway for 12 years however Larson’s life story is a mystery to most since prior to his death, he was a nobody. So as a result, the film is very accessible as very few viewers will have any idea of what to expect from the story of Larson’s rise to posthumous success.

Rent' 25th Anniversary: Rare Jonathan Larson Demos: Listen - Rolling Stone
The Original Broadway Cast of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” performing on stage.

The film is set in 1990 and revolves around Jonathan Larson (portrayed by Andrew Garfield), an artist and café waiter living in impoverished conditions in New York City as he desperately tries to get a musical that he’d worked on for eight years to be produced. All the while he is faced with a multitude of other hardships such as the existential crisis that accompanies turning thirty years old, as well as witnessing people in his life succumb to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Starring in the role of Jonathan Larson is Andrew Garfield, a man who at this point needs no introduction as his celebrity status has been cemented for years. Having seen Garfield in films such as “The Amazing Spider-Man” series, “The Social Network”, and “Hacksaw Ridge”, I obviously knew going in that he is an outstanding actor. That being said, this film demonstrates his versatility like none of his previous ventures. Lin Manuel-Miranda has gone on record saying he wanted to cast Garfield as Jonathan Larson even though he had no idea whether or not he could even sing. Considering he only underwent vocal training specifically for this role, whilst listening to the songs in this film I would have believed that he had been singing professionally all his life. Garfield’s demeanour, facial expressions and attitudes throughout the film mirror that of real-life footage of Larson so unbelievably accurately. I would not go as far as saying Garfield’s performance carries the entire film, however he is the standout in the cast as he wears the passion he poured into this role on his sleeve.

How Jonathan Larson's Family Revived Tick, Tick...Boom! on Netflix Now
Jonathan Laron (pictured left) and Garfield’s portrayal of Larson (right) both pictured on stage behind a piano.

Other standout performances include Robin de Jesús as Larson’s best friend Michael, Alexandra Shipp as Larson’s partner Susan, and Bradley Whitford who has a relatively small part as the late great Broadway composter Stephen Sondheim who was Larson’s hero and biggest influence. For a film that is so centred on one character, it is satisfying that the supporting cast really shows up in the more meaningful and emotional scenes that they have with Garfield.

And since it is a movie musical, it is of course full of musical numbers. What I generally dislike about movie musicals is that a lot of the time, it feels as if the production team focuses so much on the choreography and performance of the musical numbers that it detracts from the quality of the rest of the film. This is thankfully very far from the case in this film. When the stage production in which this film is based off was performed by Larson, he typically did so with just himself at a piano and a band accompaniment on stage – so it was never overly reliant on choreography. The choreography in the film is well integrated into the actual storyline scenes that they accompany, with regular cuts to Andrew Garfield on stage as if he is performing the original production to a live audience. The songs are also brilliantly performed and a few of them are still stuck in my head months after the films release. My only issue with the songs is that occasionally they feel slightly over-produced and dangerously walk the line of sounding like they belong in a Glee episode. Thankfully this is not the case most of the time and there are a number of songs from the film that I still revisit.

My only other slight criticism of the film is that although the pacing of the film is great in the first and final act, there is a portion within the middle of the film where I thought some plot points were getting over addressed to the point that I felt like Larson’s character development was stagnating ever so slightly. Thankfully the final act saved it with some very well acted and emotionally engaging scenes.

So, if you have heard the chorus of “30/90” on your TikTok For You Page and are wanting to  watch Andrew Garfield give a masterclass on how to star in a biopic, I would certainly recommend Lin Manuel-Miranda’s directorial debut “Tick, Tick… Boom!”.

Rating – A-

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Dune Review

I’m gonna start this review by sounding like every knob. YEAH I HAVE READ THE BOOK AND ACTUALLY THE MOVIE IS SOOOOO DIFFERENT.

In all seriousness, I read the book a little over a year ago and watched the movie four days ago. Neither are exactly “fresh in my mind.” Nevertheless, this will not stop me splurging out my not so controversial opinion of this film.

I want to quickly start off with my opinion of the book.

Dune was definitely a big boy. For the first ¼ quarter of the novel, I had absolutely no fucking clue what was happening. It felt like a new character, planet or currency was being introduced on every page. I was continuously re reading parts to try and make sense of what was happening. However, what did grab me (this is has been said a million times I know) was the world building. Frank Herbet places you into a world that feels like it has existed for a billion years. And Dennis Villeneuve perfectly replicates this.

Sick.

One thing about Dune that really surprised me was how ballsy Denny truly was. I did not expect him to throw the audience into this world as much as he did. But it worked. The audience (as validated by my family) is sitting there slowly piecing these tiny pieces of information together. Only about ¾ of the way through do I think anyone would know what is happening. As a result, audiences are glued to screen, afraid of missing any vital piece of the puzzle.

Quick sidebar. I hate when movies treat the audience dumb. Over explaining something can quickly turn a good movie into an average one. It ruins the audience’s trust in the director and is basically calling them stupid.

Similar to Nolan’s films, Denny includes this… well.. I don’t know how to describe it but it goes somethi- BWAMMMMMMMM. Yeh you get the idea. Usually, this feels over the top and misplaced. But Denny uses it at the perfect points. Only in moments of life or death does it really kick in. Consequently, you know some serious shit is about to happen. It also matches the expansive landscapes and huge ships that exist in this world. Plus, that subtle hint of bagpipes completely juxtaposes any sci fi soundtrack I have heard, just mmm… chefs kiss.

What made me truly love this film is one key aspect. The pacing. A lot of Dennis Villeneuve’s work seems to replicate a similar pace. Very slow starts and then dramatic finishes. Dune did not do this. Yes it has an extremely slow start and yes there is a dramatic finish. However, it is cut with these scenes of intensity that seem to appear out of nowhere. The box scene, rescue mission and dreams are perfect examples.  The result is an audience that while may be slightly bored, has complete trust that the film is ramping up to a pivotal moment.

Dad.

Before I spoil the fuck out of one scene, I want to talk about Timothee Chalamet’s performance. At the beginning of this film, I was confused as to what he was doing. I genuinely thought his acting was terrible. His performance seemed immature, annoying and over the top. But why did I doubt the King of hair himself, Mr Chalamet. I soon realised he was trying to be immature and annoying to reflect a moody teenager because that’s exactly what Paul Atreides is. As the movie progresses, this act disappears and he becomes the ruler he is meant to be.  The fact that Mr Chalamet did this so subtly is a test to his skills as an actor. And also… he’s got great hair as well. 

SPOILERS FOR ONE SCENE

I cannot finish this review without talking about one specific scene. It is the part where the Atreides family are in the sky with Gurney Halleck. Everything is going to plan until an arm snaps off the rescue machine as the worm approaches. The following 10 minute scene is probably my second favourite moment from film the whole year. It is some of the most tense and exciting action I have ever seen. The soundtrack, editing, performances and shots perfectly create this almost war like environment. Few films can put you on edge like this scene did for me.

Rating

4.5/5