Film: Carry-On

 

GENRE: Action Thriller
RATING: PG-13 for strong violence and some language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 59 minutes
PLATFORM: Netflix
STARRING: Taron Egerton (Kingsmen, Tetris, Rocketman, Black Bird)
Jason Bateman (Ozark, Game Night); Sofia Carson (Purple Hearts)
DIRECTOR: Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise, Black Adam)
WRITER: TJ Fixman (Ratchet & Clank)
PLOT: A terrorist threatens a TSA agent to let a dangerous package on a plane on Christmas Eve.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: Had low expectation.

STORY STUFF: I had heard that people were comparing this film to Die Hard or at least Die Hard 2. The fact that it takes place at an airport is as far as it goes. There is a lot of time focused on Ethan, the TSA agent, just following the instructions of Bateman’s Traveler. The action kicks in during the last quarter of the film. Most of the airport and airplane security was pretty laughable. No one in the baggage conveyer section? Where is the air marshal on that flight? Lots of empty places in this airport considering it is busy Christmas Eve. Even if you plugged all the plot holes, the thriller is just a couple notches above tepid. This is no Die Hard.      

ACTING STUFF: I enjoyed the calmness of Bateman’s baddie; his plan seemed pretty well executed. Egerton’s TSA agent gave a lot of concerned looks but I didn’t find him very captivating. I liked Theo Rossi (The Penguin) as the guy in the van but he was a little too happy hunting down a target.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Not much to say. There is a fast driving scene with a lot of extremely fake CG action happening outside the windshield. Pretty funny.  

VERDICT: Two stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You want a breezy Christmas film on Netflix.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  September 5, A Complete Unknown

Film: Gladiator II

GENRE: Sword & Sandal Epic
RATING: R for strong bloody violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 28 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers, Aftersun, God’s Creatures)
Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us); Denzel Washington (Flight, Fences)
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, The Marian, Alien)
WRITER: David Scarpa (Napoleon, The Last Castle)
PLOT: Gladiators fight in the Colosseum as tyrannical emperors rule Rome.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: Skeptical as to why a sequel was needed.

STORY STUFF: Well, that turned out better than I thought it would. I like that they made specific connections to the first Gladiator and that this was not just a retread. I will say that Connie Nielsen has aged incredibly well for sixteen years in the film and 24 in real life. The gladiator fights and the opening battle are top notch and why it is worth the money to see on the big screen. The political intrigue drags at times and I wish people would talk a bit faster instead of milking every line. The story was fine enough but nothing amazing. I was annoyed that someone has to be schooled about Romulus and Remus as they enter Rome. How would they not know that story? Also, why did they talk about the Greek god Poseidon? The Roman god Neptune would be pissed. Also, how did they transport that many sharks into the arena? There is a maybe not intentional “I am Spartacus” moment in the script. Made me laugh.    

ACTING STUFF: I thought Denzel had a smaller supporting role. He is all over this thing and was a treat to watch. Love his laugh. Mescal does an okay job but I wasn’t drawn to him like Russel Crowe. He needs more gravitas. I enjoyed Pascal and wished he had more to do. The twin emperors were good but Fred Hechinger’s Caracalla looked like a demented Ed Sheeran.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: Ridley Scott knows how to stage a battle sequence. It kind of reminded me of Game of Thrones. The gladiator fights were well done but I was more impressed with the first one when the technology was brand new. The archers were amazing– always on target. Haven’t seen this many good shots since Katniss Everdeen. I usually don’t comment on this but kudos to the props team. There is a severed head that looks amazingly real.

VERDICT: Three and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like a sand and sandals flick with a good amount of blood
UPCOMING REVIEW:  September 5, A Complete Unknown