Movie Review: Legally Blonde (2001)

Legally Blonde (2001) directed by Robert Luketic

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is a California sorority girl who is so excited that her boyfriend Warner (Matthew Davis) is going to propose. When they go out to dinner, he drops the bomb on her--he breaks up because he has political ambitions and needs a woman "more like Jackie and not like Marilyn." She is devastated and hunkers down with a box of chocolates and her tiny dog in her dorm room. Her friends come to cheer her up by taking her to get manicured and pedicured. At the salon, she sees a picture of Warner's older brother who is marrying a Vanderbilt. She realizes she needs to be that kind of woman and decides to apply to Harvard Law School (where Warner is going). Even though she has the valley girl look and personality, she is also smart and determined. Her hard work (and support from her sorority sisters) pays off when she is accepted. At Harvard, she has new challenges academically and socially as everyone takes her at face value. Can she rise to the occasion, get the guy, and still maintain her golden-hearted attitude toward life?

The movie is a star vehicle for Witherspoon who gives a great performance. She has the charm and exterior of a valley girl but she struggles with her own self worth, sometimes caving in to how other people see her. While the movie starts off as a romantic comedy, the real focus is on her finding her own place and earning self-respect and the respect of others. The movie throws in plenty of school comedy and legal comedy along with a delightful subplot of a Boston manicurist (Jennifer Coolidge) who provides emotional support to Elle and gets support from Elle too. The movie is an all-around delight.

Highly recommended.

Movie Review: A Working Man (2025)

A Working Man (2025) co-written and directed by David Ayer

Jason Statham is Levon Cade, a single dad whose daughter is mostly in the custody of his father-in-law since his wife died. As ex-special forces, he is deemed "dangerous" by that side of the family. But Cade has given up soldiering for construction work. When his boss's (Michael Cena) daughter (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped with no ransom demand, Cade reluctantly agrees to get her back. He hunts down what turns out to be a human trafficking organization run by Russians that has lots of layers and connections to seedy underworld businesses. Cade is all business as he works his way through their chain of command to get the girl back.

While Statham is reliably good at the action, the plot gets harder and harder to believe as the movie goes on. The set-up is solid with the intriguing mystery about why she was taken. Cade seemingly has no money but during the investigation he suddenly has all sorts of surveillance equipment, several cars, several weapons, and wads of cash to pass himself off as a drug dealer. David Harbour's role is little more than a cameo--he provides an out-of-the-way place for Cade to stash his pre-teen daughter when "things get personal." Maybe I would have put up with the ridiculous stuff if the movie had more of a sense of humor like in other Statham movies or more convincing bad guys. 

Not recommended--this isn't terrible but it doesn't offer much entertainment either. 

Movie Reviews: More Marx Brothers Films

Here's some more reviews of Marx Brothers' movies. After they left Paramount, the boys made films at MGM for Irving Thalberg and then for other studios. See my review of the Paramount movies here.

A Night at the Opera (1935) directed by Sam Wood

Otis B. Driftwood (Groucho Marx) has attached himself to Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont), a widowed millionaire who wants to get into high society. Driftwood's plan is for her to donate to the opera. He knows Gottlieb (Sig Ruman), an opera producer who wants to hire a star to go to New York. Gottlieb has his eye on Rudolfo Lassparri (Walter King), an arrogant star who is abusive to his dresser (Harpo Marx) and romantically pursues young singer Rosa (Kitty Carlisle). Rosa actually likes the young tenor Barone (Allan Jones) who does not have enough reputation to be a star. Driftwood goes to the opera house to hire the best singer. He runs into Fiorello (Chico Marx), who is pals with Barone. Driftwood makes a contract to hire Fiorello's guy, not realizing the tenor is not Lassparri. Everyone gets on a boat for America, including stowaways Fiorello, Barone, and the dresser. Antics ensue on the boat and in New York as the young couple tries to be a success and the Marx Brothers try to stay out of jail.

This movie is a small departure for the Marx Brothers in that the plot is a lot stronger and ties in better to the routines. The contract signing scene is the classic "Sanity Clause" routine. Other famous routines are the overpacked stateroom on the boat (Groucho has a small room and too many people squeeze in) and an apartment-switching scene. Chico and Harpo get to perform musical numbers on piano and harp. The movie has some opera numbers too, giving some respect to the art while skewering the pomposity found in opera. Groucho goes through his standard wooing and mocking of Dumont that is less funny ninety years later. She handles it so well. Overall, the movie is a delightful, madcap time.

Highly recommended. This and Duck Soup are their best films.

A Day at the Races (1937) directed by Sam Wood

In Upstate New York, the Standish Sanitarium (this is the old meaning "sanitarium"--a place where sick people convalesce, not an insane asylum) is failing economically. Judy Standish (Maureen O'Sullivan) is about to default on their debt. Even with the help of Tony (Chico Marx), she can't get enough people to come there--all the town's visitors want to go to the race track and casino nearby. Judy's boyfriend Gil (Allan Jones) is a singer at the casino, earning some money. He has sunk his life savings in a horse that he's sure will win enough to save the sanitarium. The trick is to keep the sheriff from seizing the horse because of Gil's debts (feeding and housing a horse is not cheap). Tony overhears the wealthy convalescent Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) singing the praises of Dr. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx), a Florida doctor who got her into her hypochondriac state. Chico sends an invitation to Hackenbush, who is actually a horse doctor. Hackenbush gladly comes and hopes to cash in with the job and Mrs. Upjohn. Meanwhile, the track owner is scheming to get the sanitarium and turn it into a hotel. Chaos ensues when Hackenbush arrives and has to bluff his way through the sanitarium and the race track.

This movie ticks all the Marx Brothers boxes. It has the ridiculous romantic relationship between Groucho and Margaret Dumont, who are both on top form. It has musical performances by Chico and Harpo. It has gratuitous musical numbers, including an extended Jazz scene with an almost entirely African-American cast. It has a classic comedy routine between Groucho and Chico. It has an absurd pantomime between Chico and Harpo. The movie is delightfully madcap from beginning to end.

Highly recommended--this is a top-tier Marx Brothers film. 

Room Service (1938) directed by William A. Seiter

Groucho is Gordon Miller, a stage producer who can't get his production going due to lack of money. He and the company have been staying in his brother-in-law's hotel, racking up a huge bill. The hotel brings in a hardliner to get the books straightened out, which spells trouble for Miller and company. The comedy antics flow from there.

The movie has a fun premise but is hampered by being limited almost entirely to the hotel room sets. While it has funny moments, it's not the brothers' best work. Lucille Ball has a supporting role and does quite well against the veteran comedians. 

Mildly recommended.

At the Circus (1939) directed by Edward Buzzell

Circus manager Jeff (Kenny Baker) needs to pay off $10,000 to Carter (James Burke) to own the circus free and clear. He'll get the money with with one more day of performances, but Carter wants the circus and gets some of the performers to conk Jeff on the head and steal the money. Luckily (though whether it is good or bad luck is up for debate) Antonio (Chico) works for the circus as an assistant and hires Attorney Loophole (Groucho) to handle legal affairs. Loophole does some private investigation to figure out who stole the money with the help of Antonio and Punchy (Harpo). Jeff wants to marry horse trainer/performer Julie (Florence Rice), but needs to clear up the debt before he can get married.

The plot is the usual excuse to string together routines and musical numbers, though the individual bits are more tied to the plot than usual. Jeff and Julie have a love song, Chico has a piano solo, Harpo has a harp solo, Groucho and Chico have a routine about badges to get on the circus train, and Margaret Dumont shows up at the end as a love interest/comic foil for Groucho. All the typical elements are on display with plenty of funny moments, including Groucho singing "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady." This is not their best work but it is entertaining.

Recommended.

Go West (1940) directed by Edward Buzzell, co-written by Buster Keaton

It's 1870 and the railroad is making its way across the United States (and the territories). Young man Terry Turner (John Carroll) wants to marry Eve Wilson (Diana Lewis) but their families have been feuding since his grandpa sold some worthless land to her grandpa in a swindle. He's trying to fix the situation by convincing the railroad to buy the land for their line. Other locals are set on selling their own land or swindling the lovers out of their land. Enter the Marx Brothers, obviously on the side of the young lovers. The usual antics ensue--sight gags, absurd conversations, solos by Chico on the piano and Harpo on the harp, musical numbers, etc.

The movie has a lot more plot to it than most other Marx Brothers films. The gags are well integrated into the story and the finale is a chase on a railroad train that was clearly inspired by co-writer Buster Keaton. A lot of the comedy stunts on the train are classic Keaton fair, done quite well by the Marxes. The film does not have any really great routines but is a lot of fun.

Recommended--this is the top of their second tier films.

The Big Store (1941) directed by Charles Reisner

Groucho is Wolf J. Flywheel, a private investigator and body guard. He is hired by Martha Phelps (Margaret Dumont) because she is worried about her nephew Tommy Rogers (Tony Martin). Tommy has inherited half of Phelps Department Store (Martha has the other half) but some crooks want him out of the way. The manager has been cooking the books and wants to stop Tommy from selling his share which will reveal the irregularities. Wolf has an assistant Wacky (Harpo) who runs around with him. Ravelli (Chico) works at a conservatory teaching piano, the same conservatory where Tommy learned music and where he wants to invest the money from the sale. Tommy is also dating Joan (Virginia Grey) who works in the music department of the store. The typical antics ensue.

The Marx Brothers formula is wearing a little thin by this point. A lot of the contrivances of the plot, which normally slip by unnoticed in the comedic chaos, stick out. The set-pieces (the automated bed department and the musical numbers) look big but don't deliver the laughs like in other pictures. They have a chase on roller skates through the store that is entertaining. Otherwise, this is an unremarkable outing for the Marxes.

Mildly recommended.

A Night in Casablanca (1946) directed by Archie Mayo

In what starts as a send-up of the Humphrey Bogart classic Casablanca, Groucho is hired as the manager of a hotel that has had a string of managers die in mysterious circumstances. It turns out that Nazis want to get control of the hotel so they can get some stolen WWII treasure out of there and over to South America. The undercover Nazi Henrich Stubel (Sig Ruman) has Harpo as his incompetent valet, always messing up his clothes and other things. Chico is a camel merchant who helps out at the hotel. There's a handsome young American Pierre (Charles Drake) who also wants to recover the treasure to clear his name of wrongdoing--the Nazis forced him to fly from Paris with the stuff and he contrived to crashland in Casablanca. He's been stuck ever since and has fallen for local girl Annette (Lois Collier). 

Typical Marx Brothers antics ensue, with comic set pieces and musical interludes. The satire of Casablanca gets dropped pretty quickly once the Marx brothers start their routines. A big action set-piece ends the film, a bit of a change from their regular shtick. The film is entertaining enough but on the low end of their works.

Mildly recommended.

Movie Review: Marx Brothers' Paramount Films

This little movie series is available on DVD as The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection, which comes with a bonus disc of special features. The films were made for Paramount Studios before the Marx Brothers were brought over to MGM by Irving Thalberg for another series of films. Here are reviews in chronological order...

The Cocoanuts (1929) directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley

This first Marx Brothers film is based on a stage play with music and lyric by Irving Berlin. Groucho Marx is Mr. Hammer, a Florida hotel owner hoping to make a lot of money selling off real estate lots in nearby Cocoanut Grove. One porter at his hotel, Bob (Oscar Shaw), is in love with Polly Potter (Mary Eaton). Bob hopes to become an architect but that is not enough to impress Polly's mom (Margaret Dumont). She'd rather Polly married Harvey Yates (Cyril Ring). Harvey has a lot of debts and wants to marry Polly for money. He also wants to steal the mother's necklace and has an accomplice in Penelope (Kay Francis), who is in the room next to Mrs. Potter. He enacts both schemes (marrying Polly and stealing the necklace) though he gets frustrated by the interference of Harpo (Harpo Marx) and Chico (Chico Marx). 

The movie has the fourth Marx brother, Zeppo, in a minor role as a desk clerk. Surprisingly, the movie features a lot of run time without the other brothers, even though they are the "above the title" stars. There's several dance numbers with troops of female dancers (and no Marx Brothers in sight) and plenty of romantic plot between Bob, Polly, and Harvey (Bob and Polly have a romantic duet that gets a reprise). The film is a good intro for the Marx Brothers and introduces some of their typical routines (an absurd conversation/argument between Groucho and Chico, a piano solo by Chico, a harp solo by Harpo, an elaborate set-piece comedy routine with the three of them (poor Zeppo, already the underused spare)). The show has plenty of funny moments but it is not as great as later films.

Mildly recommended--Marx Brothers fans should watch this at least once.

Animal Crackers (1930) directed by Victor Heerman

Famed African explorer Captain Spaulding (Groucho Marx) has returned and is being feted by Mrs. Rittenhouse (Margaret Dumont) at her estate. She is also premiering a painting by Beauregard brought by a shady collector (Louis Sorin). Two scheming neighbors plan to substitute the painting for a copy made by one of them and thus embarrass Rittenhouse. Mrs. Rittenhouse's daughter Arabella (Lillian Roth) wants her boyfriend John (Hal Thompson) to substitute his own copy of the painting to establish himself as a fine artist, giving him enough of a career to let them marry. This framework provides enough plot to hold together a string of musical numbers and comedy routines. It's the typical anarchy of the Marx Brothers (Chico and Harpo are also guests and involved in the painting thefts; Zeppo is Spaulding's secretary).

The movie is a fun outing for the Marx Brothers, with the standouts being the "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" number and Groucho making fun of Eugene O'Neill soliloquies. Greater works would come later but this is a fine bit of entertainment.

Recommended.

Monkey Business (1931) directed by Norman McLeod

The Marx Brothers are stowaways on a ship headed to New York. While they spend time dodging the captain and his crew, they also wind up embroiled in a gang rivalry. One gangster's wife has taken up with Groucho, mostly in ridiculous dance numbers; the other gangster's daughter is romantically interested in Zeppo. All four brothers are hired as bodyguards, two for one gangster, two for the other. The conflict comes to a head in New York at an "introduction to society" party for the daughter that results in a kidnapping and a rescue.

The plot is a slim excuse for antics by the Marx Brothers, including hiding out in various disguises on the ship, impersonating Maurice Chevalier when trying to disembark, and chasing skirts here, there, and everywhere. While the settings are broader than their first two films (which were originally stage plays), the comedy isn't as strong and the skits are randomly strung together. It's a fun time but doesn't have the sparkle of other outings.

Mildly recommended.

Horse Feathers (1932) directed by Norman McLeod

Groucho Marx stars as Quincy Adams Wagstaff, a man just hired by Huxley College as their president. He has a son (Zeppo Marx) who has been at the college for twelve years and has been dating the "college widow," which seems like an excuse to squeeze in a female character. The college's big problem is their football team, the real source of revenue and prestige (yes, even in the 1930s, it was that bad). Rival Darwin College has beaten them every year for far too long. Wagstaff hires some ringers at a local speakeasy but naturally hires the wrong guys--Chico and Harpo Marx. Chico is a speakeasy employee and Harpo is the local dog catcher. Darwin has hired the real ringers so things don't look so good for Huxley.

The plot is strong enough to hold together a bunch of comedy routines, songs, and musical performances. The comedy is more hit than miss. The songs are unremarkable. Chico's piano playing and Harpo's harp performance are impressive and enjoyable. Overall, it's a good time though there's nothing particularly memorable in this film, other than the password is "swordfish."

Mildly recommended.

Duck Soup (1933) directed by Leo McCarey

Groucho Marx is Rufus T. Firefly, the man destined to lead Freedonia in a time of great trial. The previous ruler has left the country in economic trouble and Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) wants Firefly to fix it. She also has more affection for him than he probably deserves. Ambassador Trantino (Louis Calhern) from Sylvania wants to marry Teasdale and take over Freedonia. His plans are thwarted by Firefly, who insists on insulting Trantino in any way possible and not taking any guff in return. Trantino hires Chicolini (Chico Marx) and Pinky (Harpo Marx) to spy on Firefly, but they spend more time tormenting a local lemonade vendor (Edgar Kennedy) than undermining the Firefly administration. 

The plot strings together a lot of gags, songs, and routines by the Marx Brothers. The outstanding bits are the "Freedonia is Going to War" musical number and the very famous broken mirror scene--Groucho is in a nightshirt and Harpo, after dressing as Groucho and breaking a mirror, acts as Groucho's mirror image. The running gag with the motorcycle and side car works is great too. The film is a lot of fun and doesn't overstay its welcome. 

Highly recommended--this is probably the best of the Marx Brothers along with A Night at the Opera.

Movie Reviews: MCU Catch-up

Marvel Cinematic Underperformers

I finally made myself catch up on some of the Marvel movies that did not perform well at the box office, were critical bombs, were audience bombs, or some combination of the three. Here goes!

The Marvels (2023) co-written and directed by Nia DaCosta

Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), is a Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), fangirl. Kamala is also the hero of Jersey City, using her special light-solidifying powers to fight bad guys. What she really wants is to team up with her idol. Meanwhile, Monica Rambeau (Teyona Parris) works with Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) on an orbital platform that is monitoring intergalactic travel and protecting the Earth. Captain Marvel is investigating a wormhole. All three heroes' powers are used at the same time and become quantum entangled, resulting in them swapping places with each other. Captain Marvel starts by fighting some Kree then she keeps flipping with Monica at the space station and Kamala at her home in New Jersey. The plot spins out from there as a representative from the Kree home world seeks to save their planet by stealing resources from other planets, especially planets that Captain Marvel holds dear, since she was the one to damage the Kree home world in the first place. 

The plot of the movie is a little convoluted as each main character works on some of her own flaws. The trio visits a variety of planets, some of which strain at the edge of plausibility considering they are in the same universe. The movie has a fun and light-hearted tone with Kamala, who has that innocent wonder and excitement as a young superhero. Danvers is mostly serious and dark-hearted, dealing with what she has done (the Kree call her "The Annihilator" which she does not like at all, though probably deserves). Bridging the gap between the characters is tricky and more or less fails. The tonal shifts are huge swings that don't hang together, much like the planet where everyone sings and dances doesn't jive with the near-dead Kree home world. 

I can see why the film did not perform well, though it is not as bad as I thought it would be. That being said, it is still a hot mess with unequal amounts of good and bad parts.

Barely recommended--Only for Marvel completists or Kamala Khan fans.

Madame Web (2024) directed by S. J. Clarkson

In 1973, Constance Webb (Kerry Bishe) is in Peruvian Amazonia searching for a legendary spider. She hopes it will cure all sorts of illnesses and ignores all the legends about a race of spider-enhanced locals who can jump through the trees and have super-strength. She treks through the jungle with some local helpers and Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim). She finally makes the find and Ezekiel turns traitor, shooting her even though she is 8 months pregnant. He takes the spider for himself, presumably to profit from it back in the United States. After Ezekiel leaves, the spider-natives show up and keep Constance alive long enough to deliver the baby. 

The story then jumps ahead thirty years to the life of Constance's daughter, Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a paramedic who is sarcastic and lacks interpersonal skills. Her ambulance partner is Ben Parker (Adam Scott), who does a bit of wisecracking to help balance out their team and bring some levity to the movie. They go to a bridge accident where they have to cut a guy out of his car. Ben drags the guy from the car but it falls with Cassie inside. She has a near-death experience that unlocks a power that lets her see future events. She sees another accident scene where a co-worker dies and tries to stop it from happening. That doesn't work and she's given a week of leave to deal with her new visions of the future (assumed to be some mental health problem). Ben recommends she come to the funeral, which puts her in the path of three young girls who have been targeted by Ezekiel because he has had nightmares of them killing him every night. 

The story has a lot of promise, bringing a new character in whose only superpower is seeing the future. She can't crawl up walls or use super-strength, just a knowledge of future events that she could change. The first examples of her visions are confusing and disorienting for Cassie (and for viewers). They never get more coherent or easier to follow. Johnson's performance lacks luster and the writing isn't that great either, leaving Cassie as a less likable character than she should be. Viewers see the three teenage girls in the bad guy's dreams as cool spider-style fighters but they never get to be those characters other than in the dreams. As an origin story for them, this movie is disappointing. The young girls don't seem that heroic either even though they grow into it more by the end. So they are unsatisfying too.

The villain was the most interesting character. He has the strength and wall-crawling of Spider-man but obviously does not have the heroic self-sacrifice. He's obsessed avoiding the three girls killing her, so much so that he kills and blackmails others to get what he needs. The movie hints that he might be the cause of his own problems when it is implied that they girls get their power from contact with him. But maybe that was an unintentional hint since that very interesting possibility goes nowhere (though that was what I was most interested in).

Not recommended--this wasn't a total turkey but there are so many other average-to-better superhero films that this winds up close to the bottom of the stack. Maybe they were hoping for sequels with a team led by Cassie, but that did not pan out. 

Kraven the Hunter (2024) directed by J. C. Chandor

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Sergei Kravinoff, the titular Kraven the Hunter. His father Nikolai (Russell Crowe) is a Russian crime boss who is raising his sons (there's also Dimitri (Fred Hechinger)) to be part of the business. Dimitri is not very manly, even as a young boy, whereas his older brother Sergei shows signs of what their father thinks is greatness. After their mother dies, Nikolai takes them on an African hunt. Sergei is attacked by a legendary lion, who carries him off. The nearly dead Sergei is discovered by Calypso, granddaughter of a local woman, who gives him a special magical drink from her grandma to restore his strength (and a Tarot card, which enables them to reconnect years later). Sergei is evacuated by helicopter, dies in a hospital, but then comes back to life with a strange glow in his eyes. Brought back home, he decides to leave, so Dimitri bears the burden of their father's ambition. As adults, Sergei is a secret assassin known as "The Hunter" who has a long list of targets and a blood-soaked method of killing them. He comes back to London for his brother's birthday and gets pulled into a mafia war between Nikolai and The Rhino (Alessandro Nivola), an ambitious crime lord who wants to take over as much business as he can.

The movie has a lot of exciting action sequences. Taylor-Johnson does a good job in the lead, portraying a sympathetic yet morally-compromised character. He lives for the hunt and for his own very narrow sense of justice. He's much better at being an antihero than Venom in his films. Calypso is little more than a plot device to move Kraven's agenda forward, which was a little disappointing. The Rhino character is more interesting as a mafia don than at the end when he turns into the comic book version of the character, which was unconvincing even if it did provide a big fight scene at the end. The ending after that fight dragged out a lot longer than it needed to. While this isn't a bad movie, it is definitely a B-movie in the superhero genre which is already chock full of better stuff. It failed at the box office due to viewer burnout with the genre and the obscurity of the character.

Barely recommended--this is more for completists or R-rated action fans.

Movie Review: Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) directed by Matt Shakman

It's been four years since Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (now Mrs. Richards, played by Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) took their fateful trip to outer space. They were exposed to a cosmic radiation storm that transformed them into super-powered beings. They became the heroic team the Fantastic Four and are the beloved heroes of Earth 828 (a different -verse in the multi-verse that includes the main Marvel timeline). Their lives get upended by two things. First, Sue becomes pregnant after two years of trying to conceive. The news is received with joy by pretty much everybody though a lot of changes are about to happen. Reed, being the egg-headed scientist, is worried about their child having powers or defects, but every test he invents shows no anomalies. They hope for a normal, healthy boy as they reconfigure the Baxter Building with a nursery and other child-friendly features.

The second upending event is the arrival of Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner), the herald of Galactus (Ralph Inneson), the World Devourer, who is going to devour Earth next. She tells the Earth people to prepare for their end. Naturally, everyone turns to their heroes, the Fantastic Four, to find out how they will stop this. Reed bumps up a rocket launch they were planning. After scanning for Shalla-Bal's energy signature across the galaxy, he susses out where Galactus probably is. By this point, Sue is very pregnant but goes on the trip anyway. They fly to Galactus's ship and confront him. Galactus scans them and makes them a deal--he will spare the Earth if they give the unborn child to him. The child has the power cosmic inside of him and could take on the curse of Galactus, the hunger that forces him to devour planets. Reed and Sue refuse and the four flee back to Earth. When they announce that they have not defeated Galactus and that he wants their son Franklin to spare the Earth, things get a lot more complicated.

This movie is the introduction of the Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An alternate Reed Richards (John Krasinski) briefly showed up in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. The 828 Reed is in his own reality literally (though often he gets too much in his own head and is "in his own reality" metaphorically too). The world looks like 1950s America with the clothing styles and the television programing, though presumably Reed's brilliance has introduced a lot of technological innovations. The look is nice, a refreshing change like X-Men First Class was for that series. The plot is interesting and moves along at a good pace. The characters are well acted and developed, with Galactus being minimalistically portrayed. He has only two motivations and acts that way. His character is so over-the-top, it seems like a good decision to keep him as more of a force of nature than a complicated person. The movie catches the comic-book feel of the FF and has plenty of references to famous bits in their early days. The family dynamic, with its love and frustration and teasing and understanding, is spot on. It's an enjoyable popcorn summer film that sets up the characters to bleed over into the main Marvel universe.

Recommended, highly for comic book fans.

Movie Review: Superman (2025)

Superman (2025) written and directed by James Gunn

I think Superman needs no introduction and so does this film. It starts with a few lines over a snowy landscape explaining in very broad strokes that the Earth has a bunch of metahumans (i.e. superheroes) that have been here for years and that Superman (David Corenswet) came thirty years ago, made himself known three years ago, and just lost his first fight three minutes ago. Then he crashes into the snow like everyone has seen in any of the trailers. Superman had interceded to prevent a war between two eastern European nations (aggressor Boravia tried to invade Jarhanpur). The Hammer of Boravia beat Superman in a battle over the skies of Metropolis. Krypto drags Superman to the Fortress of Solitude (though they never call it that in the movie) where his robots fix him up, exposing him to extra doses of yellow sun by way of elaborate magnifying lenses while he watches a recorded message from his Kryptonian parents that encourages him to be a hero for the people of Earth. Only half the message made it to Earth. Once he's better, he goes back to Metropolis to continue the fight. Viewers then discover that Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is managing the fight for the Hammer, giving him moves to best Superman. The Hammer is secretly Luthor's henchman Ultraman. Superman loses again and the Hammer leaves saying he will do even worse next time.

Clark Kent reports in to the Daily Planet where he is lauded for his front page article on Superman's actions. He interacts with editor Perry White (Wendell Pierce), cub reporter Jimmy Olson (Skyler Gisondo), and ace reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Later, he's at Lois's apartment where he makes dinner for their three-month dating anniversary but it devolves into an argument over the ethics of what he did as Superman in Europe. Lois already knows his secret identity.

Luthor unleashes a kaiju on Metropolis, drawing the attention of Superman and the "Justice Gang," a new group of metahumans with Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). They fight the kaiju while Lex goes to the Superman's arctic base, where he, Ultraman, and The Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria) break in and find the message from Krypton. The Engineer is able to reconstruct the second half of the message, which ends in a more sinister way than anyone expects. They use this to drive a wedge between Superman and the rest of humanity. Lex is authorized to use any force he can to capture and contain Superman, leading to a lot more conflict for all of the characters.

The plot is fairly elaborate for a superhero movie. It moves along at a good pace and establishes most of the characters very well, even minor ones like Jimmy or Lex's current girlfriend Miss Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio). And yes, that's the same girlfriend as in Superman: The Movie from 1977. The plot borrows a lot of elements from the other Superman movies beyond the iconic movie score and the "flying through space" credits, like a bit in a baseball field from Superman Returns and other things that are spoilers. These borrowing come off more like homages than a lack of originality because Gunn integrates them smoothly into the larger story. Even though I guessed a lot of surprises while I was sitting in the theater, they seem perfectly natural and work very well. Some bits are not so good, like the lack of any character development for Hawkgirl, but they are far outweighed by the good parts.

Corenswet nails it as both Superman and Clark, though he is stronger in the Superman role. He has the integrity and honesty needed for the Man of Steel, along with the sense of justice that sometimes leads him into angry outbursts and difficult situations. Hoult is good as Luthor, portraying him as a scheming fellow whose main motivation is jealousy and fear of Superman. Brosnahan is very good as Lois, who thankfully already knows Superman's secret identity and is an intelligent and motivated woman on her own. The rest of the cast is good, especially Fillion as the jerky Guy Gardner and Gathegi as the cool and collected Mr. Terrific. 

The movie has a lot of heart, intelligence, humor, and drama that make it a fun adventure. This is easily the best DC superhero movie in a very long while.

Recommended, highly for superhero fans.

Movie Review: Dracula Untold (2014)

Dracula Untold (2014) directed by Gary Shore

In an unexpected blend of historical fiction and action horror, this picture reformulates the origin story of Dracula. The movie begins with the misery of the Walachia, Vlad the Impaler's country, which stands between the forces of the Ottoman Empire and the heart of Europe. The Ottomans have demanded tribute from Walachia, including children to serve as hostages and in their army. Vlad was one such child many years ago. He returned home as an adult after gaining a reputation as a ruthless killer. He has settled into a domestic life with a wife (Sarah Gadon) and child (Art Parkinson). Ottoman ruler Mehmed (Dominic Cooper) sends a delegation on Easter to collect the financial tribute and also a thousand boys to come and serve in the Ottoman army. Vlad balks at this. So does his wife since their child has also been demanded. Vlad defies the order but realizes his country does not have the power to turn away the Ottomans. He knows of a strange creature hiding in a cave on Broken Tooth Mountain. That creature has the great strength and lethal abilities that Vlad needs to defend his country. He goes to make a deal with this monster but can Vlad worm his way out of his fate?

While this film did not do well with critics or at the box office, thus putting another nail in the coffin of Universal's attempt to create a Dark Universe like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has a lot of merit. It successfully recasts Dracula as a tragic hero who wants to save his family and his country. He is willing to do almost anything and gets caught up in circumstances. He isn't a sexual predator or rat-faced monster, so he's much more easy to sympathize with. The horror elements in the film are not the main focus, even though they are plentiful. The movie is more of an origin story with a new take on the character, though the very ending (centuries later) suggests he's slipped into the sexual predator role. Unfortunately, the reimagining didn't take with audiences and further stories did not happen. 

Recommended if you are ready for a different type of Dracula.

Movie Review: Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025)

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) directed by Gareth Edwards

Zora (Scarlett Johansson) is hired as security by a big-pharma guy (Rupert Friend) who promises to pay ten with six zeroes after it, so that motivates her to sign up for a dangerous trip. He wants to go to the forbidden tropical region and get some samples from larger Jurassic dinosaurs where they haven't died out yet. Their tissue samples, which need to be taken from live dinos, will help cure heart disease, so that motivates phrama-guy because of an even bigger payoff than ten with six zeroes. To recognize the right dinos, they bring on Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist whose museum is closing because the general public has lost interesting dinosaurs. He's never seen the creatures in their own habitat, so that motivates him. They head off to an island that has three targeted mega-dinos, one in sea, one on land, and one in the air. They all join up with Captain Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), an old friend of Zora's who is willing to do dirty work. Meanwhile, a dad sailing with two daughters and the eldest daughter's boyfriend have their a transatlantic voyage interrupted by dino mayhem very near where Zora and company are located.

The set-up to the movie is not very convincing, a problem underlined by lackluster performances from the cast. Once they get to the tropical island, the action picks up and the performances get better. Edwards does a good job directing and has some exciting action sequences that are well paced.

The film relies on the formulaic plotting of other Jurassic movies. Zora and Henry have an on-going conversation about the morality of the big-pharma guy's plan and how it would be better if the heart disease cure would be available cheaply to everyone, so the scientific responsibility theme. The random ship with a family (including an eight-year old) adds imperiled child(ren), another staple of the series. Most of the dinosaurs are new, hybridized monstrosities that up the ante on terror and menace, something the movie hangs a lantern on by stating that this island was a research facility looking to make bigger, better, newer dinos for a public that was getting bored of seeing the same old ones. Do they mean the public in the movie's world or the viewer's world?

The movie ticks all the Jurassic trope boxes and has an entertaining second half. It is not much more than a summer B-movie with A-level special effects. I enjoyed it but wasn't wowed.

Mildly recommended--at this point, you probably know if you are "the audience" for this movie.

Movie Review: Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)

Star Trek: Section 31 (2025) directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi

Emperor Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is running an out-of-the-way nightclub where some more or less illegal activity happens. She is happy to accommodate such customers, so naturally she is suspicious when a group from Section 31, a black-ops group in the United Federation of Planets, shows up. They are there to intercept a weapon deal between some customers. The weapon in question is from Phillipa's alternate universe where she was a ruthless dictator bent on preserving her own station and power. She knows how awful the weapon is and reluctantly teams up with Section 31 to stop the deal from happening. The situation spins out of control, requiring a lot of improvising and compromising as they work to keep the weapon out of the wrong hands. 

This stand-alone movie suffers from a lot of problems. The cast has a lot of underdeveloped characters who are subsequently unconvincing in their behavior. Georgiou is supposed to be tortured by her history but that does not come off convincingly. As a star vehicle for Yeoh, she does not get a lot of dynamic acting to do and her fight scenes are pretty tame by Michelle Yeoh standards. The plot is not very convincing either, with the introduction of a mole in the team. This development should be interesting but comes of more like they were padding out the run time of the movie (which is an hour and thirty-five minutes, so not long). I struggled to care about the characters and about what was going on. Also, the tone and look are not very Star Trek--it is much darker and pessimistic, which I understand is the new fashion for the shows going now. I just have no interest in this grittier, "more realistic" Star Trek storytelling.

Not recommended.

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning (2025)

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025) co-written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is still on the hunt for the rogue AI that is turning the world upside down. The AI, known as The Entity, is trying to take over all the nuclear arsenals in the world and has established a doomsday cult of human followers. It's also deep-faking a lot of online information to heighten tensions between countries. The AI's plan is to take over all the nuclear arsenals and then hide in a heavily-fortified bunker in South Africa. Hunt wants to kill the AI even though every country (including the USA) wants to gain control of the AI to use it for world domination. Hunt has a small band of allies (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff) helping him go through the various steps (of which there are many) to destroy the AI.

The plot is drawn from the worries and paranoia of today, making it exciting and engaging. A lot of characters claim that all of cyberspace will be lost if the Entity is destroy which isn't quite convincing, much like the technical jargon that is bandied about to describe how things are working. But nobody comes to a Mission: Impossible movie for sobering realism or technical accuracy. The movie has plenty of action and spectacle. The cast does a great job both in the fights and chases and in the small, human moments of connection and/or humor. Some of the stunts seem like redoes from other films (even outside of the franchise) but are still exciting. The film has a huge variety of locations, from underground networks to an abandoned submarine to a frozen tundra to aerial acrobatics. The sense of fun and drama is strong. Even at just shy of three hours, the film is never boring. It's a great finale for the franchise (if it really is the finale).

Recommended, highly for fans.

Movie Review: The Gift (2000)

The Gift (2000) directed by Sam Raimi

Annie Wilson (Kate Blanchett) lives in a small town in the American South. She has three boys and her husband died a year ago in a factory accident. She makes a living doing readings, using a special deck of cards and her psychic abilities. She also has dreams and visions, though much more rarely. Her clients include Buddy (Giovanni Ribisi), who has troubling and unclear memories of his father, and Valerie (Hillary Swank), whose abuse by her husband Donnie (Keanu Reeves) is pretty obvious without psychic abilities. Annie tells Buddy he needs to confront his memories so he can get past them and Valerie that she needs to leave her abusive husband. Donnie is very unhappy with the situation and threatens Annie and her children. Her oldest son Michael (Lynsee Provence) has been having trouble at the school, pulling Annie into meetings with the principle Wayne (Greg Kinnear). Wayne is engaged to Jessica (Katie Holmes), daughter of a local rich man who also cats around quite a bit. The situation gets more difficult and dramatic when Jessica disappears and her father enlists Annie's aid to find the body, which turns up in Donnie's pond. 

While this movie combines a mystery story with a psychic story, it works hard at balancing the two and maintaining a realistic tone. Raimi, who is famous for directing the original Spider-man and Evil Dead trilogies, keeps his cinematic style to a minimum here. Annie's psychic abilities are bare-bones and depicted as such, giving her clues to what's going on without giving her whole picture. The limited information keeps the mystery side of the story in suspense, as the various suspects in Jessica's murder all seem plausible. The cast does a good job all around, especially with Reeves acting counter to stereotype as a villain. The movie is neither hysterical or over-the-top, a straightforward story that delivers an interesting mystery with twists until the end.

Recommended. 

I watched this streaming on Kanopy, a free service available from many public libraries, in June 2025.

Movie Review: The Lost World (1925)

The Lost World (1925) directed by Harry O. Hoyt from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery) has returned to London with tales of a South American plateau where dinosaurs have survived and are still roaming around. He has no proof (his canoe tipped over dumping all his documents and samples) so the academic and scientific communities mock him. He does not take well--he's a brilliant scientist but also has (and this is a quote in the movie) "the temperament of a gorilla." He especially hates the press, which makes things awkward for Ed Malone (Lloyd Hughes), a low-level reporter who wants to impress his girlfriend by doing something brave and death defying. Getting an interview with Challenger would be frightening enough, but Ed goes the extra step and volunteers to go on a trip to South America. One of Challenger's comrades was trapped on the plateau and the friend's daughter Paula (Bessie Love) wants to go back immediately to rescue her dad. Ed is friends with Sir John Roxton (Lewis Stone), a famous hunter who is also friends with Challenger. They convince Challenger to take on Ed and they convince Ed's newspaper to finance the voyage, which at least will have the human interest story of rescuing Paula's father, even if there aren't any dinosaurs. The movie then gets to that South American plateau which is full of dinosaurs.

This classic silent film was the first adaptation of Doyle's novel of the same name. It is mostly faithful to the book, with an extra love interest added in the shape of Paula. She has a few too many "shocked and fearful" reactions as they confront various creatures but she also has more character too. The effects are by the same specialist that would go on to make King Kong, so they are top-notch for a hundred years ago. The story is fun though in the following century plenty of other films have copied the same story beats, so the plot is very familiar. There is a mildly annoying blackface character but his role is quite small. There's also a lovable comic-relief monkey named Jocko (played by Jocko, go figure), another recurring cliche that probably originated in this film. 

Recommended--this is a classic from the silent era and is the source for a lot of big-monster cinema that has come after it.

I watched this on Kanopy, which has two different versions with two different soundtracks. I watched the Flicker Alley edition, which has the restoration from 2016 (1 hour, 44 minutes) with a fairly standard orchestral soundtrack. 

Movie Review: An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London (1981) written and directed by John Landis

Two young Americans, David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), are hiking in northern England when they are attacked on the moors by a beast. The locals don't admit what's really going on, even though David is killed and Jack is sent off to a London hospital. Jack finally wakes up three weeks later. He's told they were attacked by a lunatic, which he flatly denies. Jack starts having horrible dreams and waking visions of a slowly decomposing David, who tells him he's become a werewolf and needs to commit suicide or else he will kill others. Also, David cannot move on to the afterlife until the line of werewolves is destroyed (the creature that attacked them was killed by the local villagers). Jack has a hard time dealing with all this, though not a hard enough time that he doesn't start flirting with one of the hospital nurses, Alex (Jenny Agutter). She takes him in when he's released from the hospital and they have sex at her apartment. But the full moon is coming soon, and the pressure from the dreams and from David's reappearances starts to mount.

The movie is a classic because of the comic tone and the famous transformation scene when Jack turns into a werewolf in Alex's well-lit living room. It's a harrowing sequence and still looks great even 45 years later. Landis is able to balance the tone of the film, blending the horror pretty tightly with the comedy. Jack may not know if he is crazy or actually a werewolf but viewers remember the title so we know how doomed he is. Side characters like his doctor and his family (not sure why they couldn't make it to England in three weeks to see their comatose son?) throw some humor and pathos into the story. His nightmarish life is rough but compelling. 

Recommended, though this is not kid-friendly: in addition to the extended sex scene between Jack and Alex, the movie ends with a confrontation at a London adult theater. For some reason, they have to show what's on the screen though it is completely unnecessary.

Movie Review: Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

Star Trek: First Contact (1996) directed by Jonathan Frakes

The United Federation of Planets is under attack by the Borg again. The Enterprise, under the command of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), is ordered to stay on Neutral Zone patrol. The UFP higher ups are concerned about Picard, who was once assimilated by the Borg, changing sides during the battle. The captain and his crew decide to disobey orders and fly off to Earth where a gigantic Borg cube is attacking. With Picard's insider knowledge of Borg tech and design, they are able to take out the mega-cube. In a last ditch effort at victory, the cube fires a sphere at Earth that slips through a time hole to Earth's past. The Enterprise is in pursuit and sees the Earth turn into a Borg planet after the sphere vanishes. The Enterprise races into the time hole before it collapses, taking them to Earth in the mid-21st century.

They destroy the Borg sphere but not before (1) the Borg fire on an Earth settlement and (2) the Enterprise is boarded by some of the Borg. The Borg start assimilating crew members and refitting many decks to suit their needs. Picard naturally does not want to give up his ship to the menace, so he works with Data (Brent Spiner) and Worf (Michael Dorn) to fight the enemy. Data is captured and taken to the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), who tries to seduce him into unlocking the ship's computer so they can take control. Part of her seduction is giving Data flesh, an unfamiliar experience that he has a hard time dealing with.

Meanwhile, on the planet, Riker (Jonathan Frakes), LaForge (LeVar Burton), and Troi (Marina Sirtis) are helping the encampment. They are by a missile silo where Zefram Cochran (James Cromwell) has built a ship that will be able to travel faster than light, thereby gaining the attention of nearby aliens and making first contact, bringing Earth into its interstellar age. The ship needs repairs. The Enterprise crew has a hard time helping Cochran and not geeking out, telling him about all the statues and schools named after him. Cochran is a hard-drinking guy who is doing this project for money, not fame or to help mankind step out into the greater universe. Cochran has a hard time dealing with the new-found pressure.

The story does a great job balancing adventure, drama, and comedy. Picard has a crisis about getting revenge for what the Borg did to him, giving him a more interesting story arc and some moments of very physical action and self-doubt. Data also has a crisis about how human he could really become with the Borg's assistance, questioning whether he should change alliances. Cochran's crisis about fame leads more to comedy but also some interesting character moments. The human drama is blended in nicely to the storyline, making a very satisfy film.

Recommended, highly for Star Trek fans. This is easily the best of the Next Generation movies.

This movie is also reviewed on A Good Story is Hard to Find Episode #357. Check it out!

Movie Review: Thunderbolts* (2025)

Thunderbolts* (2025) directed by Jake Schreier

Yelena (Florence Pugh), sister of the now deceased Black Widow, is doing covert black-ops for Valentina de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Valentina has a lot of work to get done because she's left her O.X.E. corporate job to be head of the CIA. O.X.E. has been doing a lot of bad, illegal things, so Yelena has been blowing a lot of stuff up. After her latest mission, she goes to see her father Alexei (formerly the Red Guardian, a sort of Captain America of Russia played by David Harbour). She's hoping for advice on dealing with ennui and wanting to quit her job. Alexei says he's content with running a limo service but as soon as he hears she has a line on covert ops work, he wants in. It's not the best father-daughter situation. Meanwhile, newly elected Congressman Bucky Barnes (formerly the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan) is on the committee trying to impeach de Fontaine, who is trying to stay squeaky clean in the public eye.

Yelena's next assignment is to take out a thief about to infiltrate a secret bunker in Utah that has a lot of O.X.E. equipment and secrets. When she gets there, she finds Taskmaster, US Agent (Wyatt Russell), and Ghost (Hannah John -Kamen) all on similar missions to wipe each other out. As they fight, they release Bob (Lewis Pullman), a civilian who doesn't know anything about what is going on or even why he is there. The group winds up working together to make it out of the bunker (which is set to incinerate them along with all the incriminating evidence) and are forced into partnership against de Fontaine's schemes.

The movie has plenty of action and comedy but the main theme deals with dark pasts, loneliness, and depression. A lot of the characters struggle with what they have done and what they are doing now with their lives. The plot is a bit darker and moves toward a psychological resolution unlike most Marvel films' big fights. 

Except for Bucky, I haven't been that much interested in any of these characters, who were side characters in other superhero films and TV series. I have a lot more affection for them and am actually looking forward to what comes next for Marvel, which I haven't been able to say for quite a while.

Recommended. I like Captain America: Brave New World a bit better, but not by much.

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible Catch-Up Part II

Seeing that the (maybe) final installment of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series is coming out today (as I publish), I thought I would rewatch the series. Frankly, after the third film my viewing (and memory) is spotty. I am sure I watched at least one of the subsequent films in its entirety and parts of the other films but it is all a jumble in my head. To unjumble things, I am doing this series. See my reviews of the first three here! 

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) directed by Brad Bird

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is busted out of a Moscow prison by an IMF team to help with a new mission. Someone is trying to steal missile launch codes from the Kremlin and the IMF director wants Hunt to stop it. Hunt naturally accepts with the help of Benjy (Simon Pegg) and Jane (Paula Patton). The Kremlin job literally blows up in their faces, causing high tension between Russia and the U.S.A., along with the disavowal of the entire IMF force. That won't stop Hunt from continuing the mission, which gets bigger and more outlandish as the plot moves along at a breakneck pace, traveling from Europe to Dubai to India, with plenty of amazing stunts, fights, and chases.

The movie is a big fun summer action entertainer. Sadly, they immediately dump Ethan's wife from the last film at the beginning, though that change becomes more plot-relevant later in the film at several moments. So the humanistic bent introduced by J. J. Abrams in the last film hangs on, raising this above just a dumb action film. The story is fun and much easier to follow. Having the whole IMF disavowed amps things up, but can they amp things up further? The spectacular set-pieces, including Tom Cruise climbing on the windows of a skyscraper, are amazing and fun.

Recommended--not as good as the last one, but in the same ballpark.

Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015) written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan Hunt is sure that a new threat, The Syndicate, is out there ready to go from individual acts of terrorism to a full-out war of terrorism. The Syndicate uses rogue agents from countries all over the world, presumed dead but now working as the bad guys. Unfortunately, no one else is convinced and the CIA director (Alec Baldwin) gets the IMF Agency shut down by Congress. Hunt is still in the field and continues his pursuit of The Syndicate. He's helped by his usual crew (Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Jeremey Renner) while also working with a British mole named Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) in The Syndicate. The chase is world-wide and full of danger and intrigue at every step.

The plot really strains at the edge of believability but the movie moves so quickly along that it's hard to keep up, as if the holes in the story are part of the fabric the filmmakers are weaving. The action is amazing and still more over the top, though CGI is starting to infiltrate the purer stunt work. The cast is charming and enjoyable with characters that play to their strengths (Baldwin as the bit of smarminess and self-obsessed; Renner as the bit of reasonableness in an otherwise chaotic and over-the-top group, etc.). It is a fun ride that both demands and tries to avoid thinking it through too much.

Recommended--better than the last one, but number 3 is still number 1.

Mission: Impossible: Fallout (2018) written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Hunt's team loses three plutonium cores when Ethan has to choose between saving teammate Luther (Ving Rhames) and protecting the cores. Things start to spiral out of control as recovering the cores gets complicated. Ethan tries to imitate the buyer who is meeting the White Queen (Vanessa Kirby), though the buyer is both the head of the remains of The Syndicate from the last film and is targeted by Ilsa who is trying to prove her loyalty to MI-6. If that was not enough trouble, the CIA, who has been mopping up Syndicate remnants, saddles Hunt's team with one of their own operatives (Henry Cavill) to make sure the mission does not get messed up.

This is another stunt-and-chase extravaganza. The movie clocks in at almost two and a half hours, which is mostly excitement and action. There are human moments and comic moments to balance things out but I did find myself (1) watching this in two parts and (2) thinking at some points, "how much longer is this?" I wasn't really bored but I did feel like things were taking longer than they should have, squeezing in one more fight or obstacle that maybe didn't need to be there. Of course, if you are watching this for fights and obstacles, that's a plus.

Mildly recommended.

Here's my previous review of the penultimate movie, so you don't have to click through a link...

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) co-written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has a new mission--he needs to track down half of a special key that is part of a larger conspiracy that threatens the whole world, though his employer doesn't know what the key unlocks. Just it is a big threat. Viewers have seen where the key goes in a pre-credits sequence--a new AI system on a stealth Russian submarine goes rogue and scuppers the sub. The AI has been infiltrating many intelligence agencies from many countries, making it a valuable weapon for whichever country can get control of it. Ethan's mission is to find the key and return it to HQ. Ethan, who has had a problem with going rogue before, decides he needs to destroy the AI if he can find the original source code. A lot of action and hijinks follows with an unresolved cliffhanger ending (not a spoiler since the movie's title ends with "Part One").

The plot is the usual over-the-top nonsense that comes from this franchise. The execution is so much fun, it makes up for the daftness of the story's core. Ethan has to get the old band back together, so Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson are back. Grace (Hayley Atwell) is an exceptional thief who is also after the key for a mysterious employer (guess who?). Ethan crosses swords with her before he winds up working with her and recruiting her for the Impossible Missions Force. The action sequences are fun and over-the-top, so fitting with the story and the series as a whole. Cruise is his usual charming self and the rest of the cast also shines. The movie is an entertaining popcorn romp. Even though it is only half the story, it is still almost three hours long. I never found myself bored watching it, so it is like the Peter Jackson King Kong, which was way too long but I find it hard to recommend what to cut out.

Recommended.

It's probable that I will wait till home video for the final installment of this franchise. The three-hour running time is a bit daunting. Time will tell...

Movie Review: Mission: Impossible Catch-Up Part I

Seeing that the (maybe) final installment of Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series is coming out this summer (2025 as I write), I thought I would rewatch the series. Frankly, after the third film my viewing (and memory) is spotty. I am sure I watched at least one of the subsequent films in its entirety and parts of the other films but it is all a jumble in my head. To unjumble things, I am doing this series. First up, the first three!

Mission: Impossible (1996) directed by Brian De Palma based on the television show

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is an agent of the Impossible Missions Force. He and the team, led by Jim Phelps (Jon Voigt), are deployed to Prague where they will catch a spy stealing and selling a list of secret agents operating in Eastern Europe. As soon as the theft happens, the situation falls apart. The entire team, except for Hunt, is wiped out in a matter of minutes. Hunt reports in to their next level supervisor, Kittridge (Henry Czerny), who reveals that the operation was a mole hunt for someone betraying IMF. Since Hunt is the only survivor, he must be the mole. Hunt knows he isn't, so he makes a daring escape and hunts down the real killer and the client who wants the list (who clearly was in contact with the actual mole).

The movie is a summer action thriller. The plot is a bit convoluted, structured in a way to highlight fantastic action sequences, of which there are many. Cruise is on top form as a charming and sincere hero caught in a messy situation. The rest of the cast is also good. The visual style has lots of dutch angles and pov shots, making it more visually appealing and intriguing. The story was high-tech in 1996, though the use of email and internet looks quaint 30 years later (do today's kids even know what a modem is?). Some of the twists and machinations are very hard to believe, but the action sequences are so exciting and well-executed that viewers have a hard time not being charmed by the whole package.

I remember fans of the TV show complaining about one of the plot twists though that did not bother me then (I had only seen occasional episodes in reruns) and the twists is cliched now. 

Recommended--this is great action fun.

Mission: Impossible II (2000) directed by John Woo

At the beginning of the movie, we see a scientist working in Australia who wants to take some medical thing to Atlanta, Georgia. He injects himself with it and only has twenty hours to make the delivery. His plane is hijacked by the bad guys who discover he only has the cure (called Belerophon) in vials, not the disease. They assumed one of the vials had the disease (called Chimera). A cure with no disease is not particularly lucrative.

Ethan Hunt has a new mission from a new supervisor (Anthony Hopkins). He's to recruit an exceptional thief, Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton), to help him find out what was stolen from Australia (they don't know about the disease/cure situation). After a sexy encounter with Hall, Ethan eventually recruits her only to find out that the supervisor wants her to get back in bed (literally) with Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), the rogue agent who stole the vials. Ethan also recruits old friend Luther (Ving Rhames, who was in the last movie in a minor role) and Billy (John Polson) as aids. They start worming their way into Ambrose's set up.

The movie's plot is a bit convoluted and lots of parts don't fit together. These holes are papered over with over-the-top action sequence and the high stylization of director John Woo. The movie looks great but you brain can't be in neutral, it's got to be in reverse. Even the fight sequences use all sorts of martial arts moves that look impressive (flip kicks and twists and such) and that also look very impractical for actual hand-to-hand combat. Cruise is always charming but I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters.

Not recommended--they tried too hard for style with no substance underneath to hold it up.

Mission: Impossible III (2006) co-written and directed by J. J. Abrams

Ethan Hunt has stepped back from field work and is training new recruits. He's also engaged to Julia (Michelle Monaghan), a nurse in the DC area who does not know about his real job (she thinks he works for the Department of Transportation). Ethan gets called back in by his buddy Musgrave (Billy Crudup), who wants Ethan to help extract one of the agents Ethan recommended for field work (Keri Russell). Ethan joins the team to extract her from the clutches of underworld ne'er-do-well Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). The plan goes awry. Now Ethan is in a struggle with Davian to stop him (1) from selling a horrible weapon and (2) from getting revenge by killing Julia.

This sequel takes a big twist with the story. Ethan is semi-retired and trying to go back to a normal life. Of course, that's not what fans want to see, so he gets drawn back in for action and intrigue. The plot does a good job balancing the two tensions and Cruise gives a much more vulnerable and identifiable performance as a more weary and love-motivated character. He's still Ethan Hunt, but he is much more human. Hoffman is good as the villain, more menacing in his attitude. The supporting cast is very good, with standout performances by Laurence Fishburn as the IMF director and Simon Pegg as an IMF tech (his role becomes recurring like Ving Rhames's Luther). 

Recommended--this is a fun jaunt with some heart to it.