Quick Movie Review: The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

Vin Diesel's charisma may not be enough to save a movie that is this pedestrian. A rough script is one thing--I men, Diesel has been known to take a couple--but at it's best it's just a stylistic exposition with too many rules built into the film universe.

Full of plot holes and convoluted details is The Last Witch Hunter, a tale about a man (Diesel) cursed with immortality by a witch in the middle ages, only to ward off the same evil 800 years later in New York City.

I applaud the film for a couple of clever plot twists that keep the audience involved and attentive, but I constantly feel like I'm playing catchup with everything else. It will give us a motif or a totem to remember early on and then refer to it much later, after not mentioning it in between, assuming that we remember its significance. More or less, the plot is simple enough to follow. But the confusing details surrounding the events feel included to stretch out the premise.

The Last Witch Hunter is attractive stylistically as it utilizes some cool props and spells, but the use of CGI--albeit few and far between--reminds us that we're watching a movie.

The film tries creating depth for our lead character by showing us flashbacks of his wife and child. But the only thing is they serve no purpose to the story--literally. It's forced and keeps the movie untrue to itself, reminding us even more how little depth he has. We really just want to see Diesel go around hunting witches--as the title describes.

Another sign of forced-depth is the use of trite dialogue that merely sounds good in the moment, while having no real meaning or relevance to the premise.

The Last Witch Hunter isn't a boring movie at all--perhaps is strongest trait--but after it's finished we long for a better understanding of what we just watched.

Twizard Rating: 69

Quick Movie Review: Furious 7 (2015)

What bad things can you say about these movies? Looking at the corniness that it started from, you can't expect anything more. You go into it knowing what you're gonna get. You've known for 6 movies already.

Furious 7 picks up a little bit after where Fast & Furious 6 left off--but also subsequent to the events of Tokyo Drift. Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is trying to pick off members of Dominic Toretto's (Vin Diesel) crew one by one. He wants revenge for the critical state they left his brother, Owen (Luke Evans). His methods seem a little extreme, given that his brother wasn't actually killed. But nonetheless, that's the catalyst for our story.

With the huge hype behind this film we all want something big. It definitely serves us well in that respect. The actions sequences are impressive and the story is intricate. While the gang isn't helping save the world or anything, the personal repercussions will be catastrophic if they don't end Shaw before he ends them. That's the major theme in this movie--protecting family.

You don't find out anything new about the characters' depths besides their individual reactions to the impending fate of Paul Walker's character.

From start to finish this film has tons of energy. It's long, but never drags. And being a big fan of the franchise, I didn't want it to end. There are a lot of subplots going on at once, but the narrative doesn't make it confusing at all.

These films aim to entertain. That's what they've always been about and that's why we love them so much. And as long as they continue to do this we'll be coming back for more.

Walker's face is seen as computer generated in several scenes of the film. CGI versions of an actual human have never been perfect, but this is perhaps the best attempt I have seen to date. The first time it happened, it took me a second to realize that it wasn't really him.

The film deals with the death of Walker in a very emotional way. Many wished to see his character die as a proper closure, but I think that may hit too close to home for the people involved with the movie.  But we get a nice tribute to everyone's favorite street racer.

Twizard Rating: 95

Quick Movie Review: The Fast and the Furious (2001)

This movie gets better with age and it grows on you the more you watch it. It’s also a case of the follow ups making you appreciate the early films even more. The dialogue is corny but laughable, and the storyline is very good.


There is a surprising amount of depth with the leads. The series–and this film in particular–is about Brian (Paul Walker) and Dom’s (Vin Diesel) growing relationship. It won’t be the same without Walker because he and Diesel’s chemistry is what made these films so charming when we first started watching them.
 
The director, Rob Cohen, is not very good at bringing the best performances out of his actors, but does an excellent job directing the action and racing scenes. The cuts might be a little jarring, but it makes even the slower parts of the story more engaging.
 
The action is distributed perfectly among the film and you never go too long without a good adrenaline rush.
 
This movie isn’t great to everyone at first, but watch it again after you’ve finished the rest of the series and you’ll see that it’s a fun watch.

Twizard Rating: 90

Quick Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is pleasing as far as pure entertainment goes. It's funny and we get the good team action film that we have been waiting on since Marvel's The Avengers. However, the storyline is missing a lot of the "why do we care?" We are so wrapped up in the jokes that it distracts us from the fact that not a whole lot is happening. There is seldom any inclusion of character depth besides when death or the thought of someone dying occurs. And the parts of the dialogue that aren't written for laughs are elementary and bland. The battle scenes don't drag on, but at the same time we don't feel a whole lot of satisfaction when the villain gets defeated. And his motives aren't nearly explored enough. The only reason why the script gets any points is because of its consistent tone and the fact that I did laugh a lot. It is irreverent to a fault and never leaves us bored. The whole time I couldn't stop thinking that this movie has the quirkiness of an '80s or '90s film with modern day humor and effects. 

The acting is hit or miss. Chris Pratt, John C. Reilly, and Glenn Close (who is barely seen) are the ones that stand out, but the rest are average.

Overall, I enjoyed this film for what is was. I liked it for its irreverence and inability to take itself seriously, but not for the storyline at all. I see it more as a comedy than as a high-concept action flick. And I'm sure the humor will hold up when rewatching it.

Twizard Rating: 84