Reviews

Wu Jing's Wolf Warrior II was made with the aim of being bigger, badder, and better than it's predecessor. For what it is, it's essentially Chinese Rambo combined with elements of John Wick. The film's action is... fine for the most part, and the story is absolutely terrible. Like it's bad. The worst thing about Wolf Warrior II is that it simply cannot escape its almost cartoony CGI, despite having a 30M USD budget it looks like it was made with a budged of 300k USD. The characters aren't great either, with Leng Feng (played by Wu Jing) of course being a generic action hero.

This movie is very staunch in it's chest-beating, Han Chinese nationalist message, to the point that the main bad guys are Western mercenaries. You can tell the CCP had a hand in this movie, too. There's certain scenes that genuinely feel as though they're promoting the Chinese military, the CCP and their ideology. Like, in the film's climax, a force of tanks, spearheaded by the mercenaries, gets completely wiped out by the Chinese Navy, leaving the Chinese hero, Leng, to face off against the big boss bad guy, played by Frank Grillo.

So yeah, not a good movie, and it's definitely a blatant-as-all-heck propaganda piece. But overall it's become kind of an odd guilty pleasure of mine. Overall, definitely worth a watch if you're in the mood for a Chinese John Wick/Rambo-esque film without Keanu or Stallone's talents or charms, or just a B-rated action movie that stands out from other works of Chinese cinema.

Fin.

Wolf Warrior is without a doubt CCP military propaganda, and I doubt people don't know this aside from people in China. In the world of Chinese Communist Party propaganda, the two Wolf Warrior films, particularly this one, stand out as the clunkiest. Scott Adkins is in the movie playing is usual, poorly-acted bad guy role. Wu Jing plays the hero, Leng Feng. He also directed the movie and seriously needs to stick to acting if this is what he makes.

The plot centers around Western mercenaries trying to kill Chinese military trainees, and it's up to Wu Jing to stop them. And there's other things happening with a drug cartel and who I believe was their boss that somehow infiltrated the Chinese military (yes that happens).

In the movie, there are also badly animated, awful looking CGI wolves that attack the trainees and try to kill them, and they look atrocious. The HALO jump sequence in the movie also looks bad, and there's also a shot of a satellite, which is literally just a PNG image of a satellite on a background image of Earth from just above the atmosphere.

The story isn't great either. It feels like it was written by an eight-year-old who somehow got a job in Chinese showbiz.

If you want a good Chinese action-matrial arts movie, check out the first two "Ip Man" films. They're far superior in terms of storytelling, and are far better made (Hong Kong action cinema is close to top tier filmmaking from what I've seen).

I wanna start this review by saying this: even though this show really doesn't feel like Lord of the Rings, I still think this is a solid fantasy show in its own right. Personally, I'm more of a Peter Jackson nut, (except for The Hobbit movies) even though those didn't really capture the books 100%.

THE GOOD: Visually, this show looks astounding, and the score, sound mixing, and cinematography are nothing short of astounding. The look of some of the locations, such as the Dwarven Kingdom and the Harfoot village, are really creative.

THE BAD: Even though the look of some of the locactions are cool, this show doesn't really feel like a Tolkien-type series. A lot of the ideas (such as Sauron sigil and a giant falling from the sky) don't feel like Tolkien-type ideas.

Long story short, the show works well enough on its own and I think it would have done a lot better if they, along with giving the first two episodes better pacing) were to remove the LOTR brand-name and characters from it, but its still a solid fantasy series in its own right.

Following up directly after the ending of Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness stars Bruce Campbell as Ash as he has been sent through a time portal to medieval Europe. The plot, as with every other Evil Dead film, is pretty straight-forward, as Ash is on a quest to retrieve the Book of the Dead and must do battle with an army of skeletons lead by an evil lord in order to make it back to his own time period.

The comedic parts of the film are pretty funny and effective at making one laugh. My personal favorite scene from Army of Darkness is when Ash breaks a mirror in a cottage, and a bunch of smaller versions of him start attacking him and whatnot. It's full of hilarious and absurd moments like that, and to the point where I wouldn't even really label it as a "horror" movie. If you were to ask me personally, Army of Darkness fits more under the fantasy, adventure, and comedy genres more than it does horror, and I love it for that.

Overall, I would say that this is probably my second favorite Evil Dead movie (with the first, of course, being the original). Even if you're not a fan of the Evil Dead movies, you'll definitely like this one if you just want a fun fantasy comedy.

Naruto (2002-2007) was a comedic, fun, and well-written ninja/battle story. Naruto Shippuden (2007-2017) is definitely a much more dark, mature, and self-serious turn for the Naruto franchise. The story arc regarding the Akatsuki and their efforts to destroy what the Shinobi have worked so hard to build is not only entertaining, but blood is certainly shed in this series. Characters will die, there will be death, carnage, you name it. There was a bit of maturity to Naruto classic, but this is without a doubt the Naruto series at its most mature, especially during the Pain Arc, which was Shippuden at its best in general.

But when the war arc rolled around, things just got kind of... muddled. The Edo Tensei is without a doubt the worst jutsu in the series, as it's merely used as an excuse to bring back deceased characters for our heroes to fight, and there's not as much of a focus on the martial arts-style fight choreography and hand-to-hand combat aspect that the original show was so well known for. Now you've got sixteen-year-olds using Dragon Ball style abilities like they're Super Saiyans. Not only all that, but the filler is quite plentiful in this show, and can really take you out of the story.

The Batman (2022) is a bleak, gritty, and psychological take on Batman/Bruce Wayne and Gotham City in general. Gotham City's corrupt political figures are being taken out by a masked madman known as the Riddler, and Batman must work to solve the puzzle's he's leaving him and take him out, as well as look into his family's dark past and their involvement in Gotham's corruption.

Robert Pattinson (a.k.a., Edward from Twilight) may sound like a laughable casting choice as a younger Batman, but in my opinion, he played the part very well. I like the fact that his Batman portrayal is basically (emo Batman), and it may not look as though Pattinson shows much emotion as Wayne, but the closer you look, the more you will see what a broken, tired, and mentally and emotionally disturbed character he truly is in this film.

I love the whole mystery set up of this movie as well. The Riddler is leaving puzzle's for Gordon and Batman to solve, and he must figure them out before Gotham's politicians are dead. I loved how before the film's climax, when his final plan for Gotham was revealed, he's in Arkham talking with Batman. They don't try to make the Riddler seem like he's a villain from "The Dark Knight 4", they portray him as a legitimately disturbed, dangerous, and psychotic individual, who would kill millions of people to take revenge upon those who wronged him and so many others.

There's few times where a superhero film legitimately scares me. This film did have some pretty scary moments, such as the scene where the Riddler had someone in a "Saw"-like trap and where he had bludgeoned the candidate for Gotham City mayor at the start of the film.

There was surprisingly very little action in "The Batman", but when there is action on-screen, the cinematography is amazing and it is astoundingly well choreographed and the stunts are also well done.

If you go into this movie expecting another lame superhero flick, you're definitely not going to get that here. You probably won't get a film that's as intelligent as "The Dark Knight" or as action-packed as the average MCU or DCEU film, but you may just get a gloomy and gritty, but still captivating and story-driven take on Batman and his world.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), the Netflix original sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), is one of the most insulting things I've ever seen. It tries to be the Gen-Z'er's timeline of Texas Chainsaw films, and as a result, made one of the most pandering horror movies I've seen in some time. The acting was subpar, the story was beyond stupid, and the script was a joke. "Try anything and you're cancelled bro." Like, who the heck says that?

If you're a younger individual wanting to get into horror, watch the original TCSM film. It's much more worth your time and is infinitely better than this.

Let me get this out of the way by saying, the original Friday the 13th was not a good film. It was definitely the butt of many jokes regarding old slasher films and still is. But it's sequel, Friday the 13th Part 2, isn't much better, but its definitely an improvement upon the first film.

The story of Friday the 13th Part 2 is... basically the exact same plot as the first. A group of teens go up to Crystal Lake for a fun time (or I guess to do what 80s filmmakers thought teens did for fun). Pretty similar to the first film, if you ask me.

Overall, I can say the acting and effects is slightly better and the script, I guess, is a little better than the first. Other than that, it's a standard Friday film, only it has Jason with a sack for a mask.

This film not only tells a gripping, heart-felt story, but also tells a war story in such a manner from a perspective you don't see much often: the Communists. Despite this, I personally feel there is no attempt to sway your line of thinking one way or the other, it exists solely to tell a story about the horrors of war. Gu Zidi is such a real, believable character in this film, and his story is rather heart-felt, saddening, and bleak as far as war movies I've seen are concerned.

All I can say is, it's well done as far as war films of this caliber are concerned. Not the best, but far from the worst.

Coming from a country where a lot of pro military flicks are made one way or another, I can't really say anything. But as far as Operation: Red Sea goes, it's a pretty solid military/action story. It's combat scenes are pretty well done, the characters have pretty good chemistry, and even the story wasn't terrible. It kind of makes me think of American action/war films like American Sniper and Act of Valor, but from a modern Chinese perspective. I feel it also plays heavily on video games from the U. S. as well.

As far as the action goes, there is a lot. It does calm down briefly at certain parts, but it makes the story pretty simplistic. And speaking of which, here's the story. This Chinese Naval Special Forces group called the Jiaolong Unit (pretty similar to the U. S. Navy SEALs if any thing) have to rescue Chinese nationals from terrorists in a fictional country on the Arabian Peninsula. So they end up blasting, sniping, and shooting their way through terrorists to rescue Chinese citizens. It eventually leads into them having to get nuclear materials from the terrorists, which they plan to use for nefarious purposes.

Overall, as far as the actual combat sequences go, they're pretty entertaining to watch. It's sort of like watching a Call of Duty game at times with some of the action sequences (and I've played my fair share of Call of Duty) and it is fun to watch.

With all that said, however, I do have some problems. A lot of the of the visual effects aren't the greatest, even for a non-Hollywood movie. For example, the PLA navy destroyer's gatling gun firing on the rocket barrage wasn't the best looking in terms of movie SFX. And they do make the terrorists pretty cartoony, especially their leader (I think Sayyid was his name) who to me felt like the Russian Col. Podovsky from Rambo: First Blood Part II.

To sum this movie up, if A.) you want a dumb-fun foreign action film with soldiers and a lot of explosions, or B.) you want to see how China portrays it's military in it's modern form, this movie's for you. If not, I'd skip this one.

Naruto (2002) is one of those shows that you wish you could forget so you could experience again. While it's not the best of the best when it comes to shounen anime (I think that title belongs to FMA: Brotherhood), it's still a wonderful series about an ostracized 12 year old boy training to be a ninja (which in the Naruto universe are basically Karate-wizards) looking for recognition and admiration from his village as the Hokage, the leader of the village.

While it certainly does have its flaws, (such as the female characters not being the greatest, and the oversaturation of characters in general), I would recommend giving it a try if you're up for it.

This is everything I want from a cheesy monster movie. Big explosions, corny writing, insane monster battles, and an over-the-top, silly plot. None of these things necessarily make up a good film, but these are things that make movies like "Kong: Skull Island" such a fun watch. My favorite character in this film is probably Packard (I think that was his name), a.k.a. Samuel L. Jackson's character, or whatever the name of the character John C. Reilly played.

I think my favorite performance in this film is probably Samuel L. Jackson, mainly because the character he played is the most... Samuel L. Jackson-ish, if you will. I also think Tom Hiddleston was awesome, and John C. Reilly's character does get a nice ending.

I my biggest complaint about Skull Island, however, is that the plot felt very rushed, especially around the end of the second act. But overall, I found this movie a lot of fun to watch, mainly because you get to see Kong destroy stuff and kill monsters.

If you just want a cheesy, big-budget monster flick, this is the movie for you. If you want something with more story and a plot with better pacing, definitely check out either the original King Kong film from 1933, or watch the 2005 remake (which I personally prefer to the 30's version, but that's just me).

Let's get the plot out of the way first. It's bad. Basically, its another story where kids save the world from evil adults just with Godzilla and King Kong fighting thrown into the mix. The couple of fights in the movie are a lot of fun. All that can really be said on this movie's behalf is that it's (as the title states) enjoyably stupid. The fights and monster sequences are fun and the effects look pretty, but that can't compensate for the dumb story and bland human characters. It doesn't help that the director's filmography consists of Blair Witch 2016 and that horrid Death Note adaptation.

And that's all I really half to say, because nothing much else can really be said. It's not the worst Godzilla or King Kong film, but it's definitely one of the weaker films in both franchises.

I just want to get this out of the way and say that this is a good standalone movie, but it's a terrible Terminator movie. A big reason why I think that is because they killed John Connor, and ditched Skynet as a villain, and replaced it with some BS ripoff called Legion. As far as the story and writing go, this isn't necessarily a bad movie as far as those qualities go. I liked a few of the characters and I did feel like it had a somewhat decent story. The effects are fake as heck however. I mean, really, they just do not look good at all. But the fight choreography is good, and the action overall is good.

But as a Terminator movie, its... very bad. I've definitely seen FAR worse sequels, but I feel like this might be among the worst in the series (although that's entirely subjective). I didn't like how they portrayed this movie's T-800 as a "family man", I just found that completely nonsensical. I also didn't like how they shoehorned John Connor and Skynet out of the story, and I really didn't like the overtly PC message they kept hitting you in the face with (even as someone who is fairly liberal).

Overall, if you're just looking for a good beat 'em up action flick, this is the movie for you. If you're looking for a good Terminator film, I'd recommend giving this one a skip.

This movie is far from perfect, I'll say that much. But it helped cement Rambo as an action icon. And while it's certainly "B-grade" by today's standards, the action is a lot of fun and there's characters you actually end up caring about. I like the fact that it doesn't rely on corny oneliners and dialogue like the third film did, and whereas First Blood did a good job of establishing John Rambo as a PTSD afflicted war vet, this film completely turns itself on its head by having Rambo killing countless scores of enemy soldiers in his path.

Overall, a fairly good film. If you liked First Blood a lot, you might either love or hate this film. If you're just a fan of '80s action films, you'll definitely like First Blood Part II.

If you think this is just a generic '80s action flick, you'd be wrong. First Blood is not only an action-thriller film, but is also a melancholy drama. There's definitely a bleak, somber tone to this film with the coloration and the scenery. Rambo as a character was fantastic in this film, and Stallone played him very well in this film. I don't like how in later films in the series, he just became this unkillable badass that just killed anyone who crossed him. Here, that's not the case. Here, you see a PTSD afflicted war vet who's essentially being criminalized and hunted down by an overzealous sheriff and a local police department. He uses his skills to survive, rather than to kill. With that said, Rambo is my favorite action hero just because of this one movie.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should definitely check it out.