Pep Reviews

The Old Guard (2020)

What do you get when you cross Dudley from Harry Potter with five immortal beings? A pretty great action movie. Charlize Theron is comfortable and impressive as an immortal warrior who has escaped detection for an unknown amount of years until a new immortal is found when a US Marine (Kiki Layne, If Beale Street Could Talk) survives a stabbing on the frontline. Harry Melling is a predictable but efficient villain for the Wolverine-style healing warriors.

The movie explores the way that people who are different are treated through history and the debate between scientific progression and individual freedom to life, along with some fantastic action sequences. The music is very well matched to those action sequences and the special effects are especially impressive because they are used in aid of the storyline rather than just for show.

There is a lot of information to introduce but it is nicely sprinkled throughout the action, and there is a great twist that you immediately realise that you should have seen all along. It is a modern movie with some effortless diversity in the casting and characters, and it is refreshing to see a female hero and in particular a black woman in the traditionally male roles of warrior and soldier. It meshes the new and old weapons and the qualms that comes with covert work in the age of social media. The next chapter in this universe should be eagerly awaited.

‘The Old Guard’ is available to stream on Netflix.

True History of the Kelly Gang (2019)

There is a punk feel to this Ned Kelly. There is no romanticism in the violence but the romance is what drives the narrative in the way that Ned writes to his unborn child. It is brutal and gory, set in a barren depiction of 19^th century Australia. It’s an intense couple of hours and far from George MacKay’s previous role in 1917 (2019). He really demonstrates his range as an actor in this strange and off-beat film.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_History_of_the_Kelly_Gang_%28film%29

Space is given to the female voices in this depiction with Thomasin McKenzie continuing to shine in every film she is in as she plays Ned’s love Mary, and Essie Davis plays Ned’s mother. Russell Crowe gives a more convincing musical performance than he did in Les Misérables (2012) although the lyrics are not for the faint hearted, and definitely earn the R rating.

It provides a good origin story, if you were to consider the outlaw a kind of superhero, with a good chronological structure, but this treatment of the legend of Ned Kelly, Australian outlaw and notorious bushranger, portrays him more like a madman than any kind of hero.

There are plenty of references to writing and literature which offer a nice nod to the novel source material. There are fantastic moments for the lighting, production and costume design, particularly in the final battle, but there are also many scenes that are uncomfortable to watch with no apparent purpose than to just be uncomfortable.

‘True History of the Kelly Gang’ is available to stream on Prime Video.

The Kissing Booth 2 (2020)

This sequel has done what many sequels have failed to do, it has actually improved on the first film. That isn’t to say that it wasn’t still clichéd, cringe-y and downright boring. There is no sexual harassment and isn’t quite as outright misogynistic as The Kissing Booth which is definitely something to be proud of, but still a pretty basic requirement to meet.

Unfortunately, this two-hour long snore fest is a thinly stretched plotline that would have realistically been resolved by a simple conversation between the two main characters Elle and Noah. Jacob Elordi returns to this teen rom-com after the success of the critically acclaimed Euphoria TV series and it is definitely a step down for him, although it is clear that his acting has improved from the first film despite the dire script he has to work with. The relationship between Elle’s right-hand man Lee and his girlfriend is much more interesting and developed in this second instalment and it is often a welcome relief from the almost constant, irritating narration from Elle.

Additional obstacles to the ending of this film are an absurdly conveniently dance championship and a love triangle, or even quadrangle. These events all come across as pure vehicles for extending the run time for as long as possible rather than driven by any motivation or reasonable decision by the characters. There are so many different things going on but nothing to actually invest in or care about.

‘The Kissing Booth 2’ is available to stream on Netflix.

The Meg (2018)

This monster movie has everything a good monster movie needs: a fear factor, a credible threat and a decent twist. It is an animal seeking revenge and a human seeking survival story. This film is an entertaining ‘what if’ look at humanity’s chances against the predators that came before us and imagine for a moment what it would be like to not be at the top of the food chain.

There is a particular focus on the prehistoric shark’s teeth, which might be founded from the attempt to make a predator not usually hunting humans scary. They could have made the shark cleverer, given that it has lived so many years without being killed. Some use of the tail and other parts of the shark’s anatomy rather than just the teeth could have been more entertaining, but admittedly, the shark’s teeth in the glass of their marine base was a powerful shot.

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If you take Jason Statham’s ‘American’ accent with a pinch of salt, then his performance as his typical action-man role is great. Sophia Cai shines in her role as the young daughter of the oceanographer on the underwater research facility, bringing many of the laughs throughout the film. There is no particular message or revelation about the human condition in this story, it is purely survival and killing the bad thing, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not an entertaining way to spend two hours.

‘The Meg’ is available to stream on Prime Video.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The crossover event of the of decade does not disappoint. For fans who have followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its creation in 2008 with the first Iron Man film, this is a three hour long treat full of easter eggs and references that make you feel like you’re inside the universe with all of the characters. It offers a generally satisfying ending to the decade of films leading up to this point. Some fans may find the conclusion to be a little far-fetched and much of Taika Waititi’s work on the character of Thor is reduced to fat jokes, but they do as promised, they avenge the fallen from Infinity War, and they do it in a hugely epic manner that is made for the big screen.

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We see the few characters left out of Infinity War (Ant-Man, Hawkeye) take centre stage in the bid to reverse Thanos’ victory. There are still moments of dialogue that appears to be perfectly written for a trailer soundbite than an actual plot device, but overall it is once again a sincere and true depiction of the characters that Kevin Feige and co. have been developing over the last ten years.

Despite not being the most sophisticated of battles in terms of other epic film battles, Endgame is just a piece in the wider puzzle of the MCU, so it can maybe be forgiven for focusing on cutting through the long list of characters in this massive collaboration rather than the individual beats of rise and fall of the battle in front of us. For the fans, this is just what they’ve been waiting for: an incredible ending to the biggest superhero franchise in history.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ is available to stream on Disney+.

1917 (2019)

This is a cinematic film. It is made to be seen on the big screen. Although 1917 could be seen as just another war film/epic, but the stellar filmmaking techniques used ensure that this story is a true standout. We got a taste of how immersive a war film could be in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, but Sam Mendes takes it to the next level. Because of the continuous one-shot technique, the audience lives and breathes the soldiers’ journey and instead of a film becomes an experience. Although the action is not as highly polished as that of a glory-hero type war film, the slippages and realism capture on film the beauty of cinema, live theatre, and video games all rolled into one.

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/real-history-of-1917-krysty-wilson-cairns/

Although it is a simple story, the characters must get from A to B, the stakes are so high and the tension is so compelling that you don’t care that there aren’t any massive reveals or plot twists. The performances of Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay as lesser known actors on the big screen contrasted with the established cameos of Colin Firth, Andrew Scott and Benedict Cumberbatch demonstrate the hierarchy of wartime. There is no glory in what they do but we still see and understand their bravery and courage.

It’s been over a century since the First World War ended but, quite rightly, we do not forget the sacrifices and human cost. This film ensures that the memories of those men are kept fresh in our minds.

‘1917’ is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

6 Underground (2019)

The trailer to 6 Underground portrays it as a slick, highly skilled heist-style movie with all the explosions that you would expect from a Michael Bay movie. But unfortunately, it feels like the entire movie is one extra long trailer, cutting and jumping from one time frame to another until you’re all caught up but with no sense of what details from the backstory were actually important.

As you would expect from Ryan Reynolds, there are some humorous moments, but they are often misplaced and, once again, feel like they are put there solely to be cut into a soundbite for a trailer. The action concepts and camera work have merit for originality (take that as you will), and scale, but the classically sexist shots of women and pointless sex scenes along with the graphic violence has made it a swing and a miss for being anything more than another band-of-outcasts-grouping-together-to-take-down-bad-guys-action-movie.

It was better cinematically than Reynolds’ previous action comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard but a followable plot was sacrificed for style and it would have been much more impressive if it was married with a simpler, more convincing storyline and characters. If you enjoyed the violence of his anti-superhero movie Deadpool, then you will enjoy 6 Underground just fine because it definitely show how dirty and disgusting trying to change political systems in the world can be, but overall, there is nothing special about this Netflix Original.

‘6 Underground’ is available to stream on Netflix.

Parasite (2019)

It is plain to see why the Western world has taken to Parasite so much. With its universal themes of family and the issue of class, it is recognisable in many cultures. Its dark humour intertwined with a bigger social message is reminiscent of Get Out. The story of a family creating a devious plan to pull themselves out of poverty and the necessity of having to step on others for jobs like driver and housekeeper is something that can really resonate with modern class struggles.

Photo credit: https://www.weekendnotes.com/parasite-film-review/

The gap between the rich and poor is really what drives the story and highlights the real difference in perspective for those with money and those without on matters as simple and mundane as the weather. Bong Joon-Ho once again creates a compelling storyline around the issues of class and distribution of goods.

Full of twists and gritty cinematography, it is no surprise that it ended up being nominated as Best Picture. The actors’ portrayal of a family unit is convincing, the jokes and writing clever and entertaining. The storytelling is so vivid that the subtitles are barely noticeable, and it was encouraging to see the meaning of foreign film being challenged. For the majority outside of the UK and USA, most films are shown with subtitles. This film shows a bright future for those ‘foreign’ filmmakers hoping to hit the Western mainstream.

‘Parasite’ is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Hulu.

Marriage Story (2019)

Marriage Story is about the escalation of a relationship when put to its limits in the legal system of divorce. It showcases both sides of the story and how the private becomes public, and a public weapon, so easily when other people (lawyers specifically) are doing the fighting for you. This film makes extraordinary out of the ordinary. Its style is reminiscent of past Best Picture nominee La La Land (with a few less musical numbers) in its tone, colour and score choices.

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Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson have the chemistry to portray the complexities of a married couple and the realism of the dialogue really grounds them and the story. Laura Dern and Ray Liotta bring to life the complex legal system that people are faced with when they take the seemingly simple decision to not be together anymore. It really emphasises the narrative between parent and child and child and parent, whether they be positive things or negative gossip.

It mixes the light with the dark incredibly well and that is perhaps what makes the film so relatable. There’s a humour and an oddness to it that diverges just enough from the Hollywood perfectionism to more accurately portray a life with children. The editing style also contributes to this and enhances the witty writing and repartee between Driver and Johansson.

‘Marriage Story’ is available to stream on Netflix.