Have You Been Watching...? Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child Of Fire (2023)

 

On a recent flight, I'd read in a magazine that writer and director Zack Snyder (Justice League) had pitched the idea of his Rebel Moon movies as “Game of Thrones in Space”. Now, I quite liked Game of Thrones, but the idea of investing so much time into another franchise didn’t appeal, but I’ve liked his other work and wanted to give this new Sci-Fi adventure a go. The script for the movie was co-written by Snyder with Kurt Johnstad ("300") and Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead, John Wick 3) and directed by Snyder. 

As it’s a relatively new movie so I will try not to be too spoiler-ific.

Our story opens with a narration explaining how there is a Motherworld, and when it’s King and Queen are assassinated, a prince regent steals the throne while everyone else is bickering. A revolution begins, and the empire (oops!) tries to stamp it out. Our story then moves to a small farming village on the planet Veldt. It is visited by a group from the Empire in their Dreadnaught ship The Kings Gaze, under the command of General Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein from Deadpool and Tau) wanting grain to feed their army as they hunt the revolutionaries. One thing leads to another and our hero, Kora (Sofia Boutella from Kingsman The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) who is secretly an ex-member of the empire, sets off to create an army capable of protecting the village from the Empire.

It's very much a space saga, but Game of Thrones it is not. In fact, plot wise, it’s less Star Wars and more Battle Beyond The Stars. I fail to understand why a Dreadnaught ship arrives and threatens a simple village, when there is a whole city called Providence on Veldt which would make more sense. Despite all the tech on show in the movie, everyone and everything is dirty. There are no bright whites and sleek lines in this universe. Even Star Wars had a mixture of the two, but by the end of this one, I’m fed up of the dirt and grime.

Much must be said of the universe building in this movie. Great strides are made with diversity and a mix of accents giving real credence to different cultures, although the less said of Charlie Hunnam’s (as Kai) dreadful Northern Irish accent. I can't understand why he didn’t just use his natural Geordie accent.

Kora's ragtag bunch of revolutionaries are gathered together much too quickly and with little backstory provided to any, it’s hard to feel anything for them. The only characters that feel developed with genuine motivation are Kora and Noble, and bizarrely, Kora’s fellow villager Gunnar (Michiel Huisman from World War Z and the Haunting of Hill House). The others just feel like they’re along for the ride and each are introduced in various little scenarios. Some of these don’t even make a lot of sense, particularly Tarak (Staz Nair from Game of Thrones and Supergirl), he has a special ability, but I had to go online to understand why this was a thing in the movie. Maybe it’ll be apparent in part two. Given the clear drive to be a new Star Wars type saga, the lack of a robot crewmember is apparent, especially as a prime candidate “Jimmy” is introduced early on, voice by Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins. Other unanswered questions include why they think a small army can take on the dreadnaught ship? Even if they did win, they’re fighting an empire who would just send another.

Unfortunately, it’s so formulaic that it feels like there is nothing new here. Yes, it’s nice to see a new Sci Fi big budget movie, but it just makes me want to watch Star Wars. Maybe things will change in Part 2, but this leads to another disappointment. We know from the outset that this is part one, so we expect a cliffhanger and plots not to be resolved by the end. This robs the viewer of any sense of peril for our band of heroes.

Further reading indicates there will be more sequels. While the name Rebel Moon sounds cool, what happens after the moon is “liberated”? Will there be more moons to liberate? I think the beginnings of something good are here, but I wonder if it will become something more, with its own identity.

Snyder has also commented that there is a more adult orientated “R” rated extended version to come out later. This could be the road forward for this franchise. Even in its Netflix edited form, its hard to tell who the movie is aimed at. It’s too formulaic for discerning sci-fi fans and too adult for children (there is one particular scene where the baddies discussing deflowering a young woman which is unpleasant but definitely shows us how bad the baddies are, and there are moments of bad language).

Overall, the movie is not a bad watch and enjoyable enough as a yarn. I certainly want to see part two.

Year: 2023

Availability: Streaming on Netflix at the time of writing

Rating 7/10

Have You Been Watching...? Leave The World Behind (2023)

 

Leave The World Behind is a 2023 disaster movie from Netflix, with a “Big Name” cast including Oscar-winners Julia Roberts (Erin Brokovich, Pretty Woman) and Maherasha Ali (Moonlight, The 4400) and Oscar-Nominee Ethan Hawke (Gattaca, Boyhood, Training Day) and co-starring Myha’la (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) and the legendary Kevin Bacon (Tremors, Footloose). It's based on a 2020 thriller novel by Rumaan Alam. As you will know by now, I do like my disaster movies, so this was a definite go-to upon release. The movie is already one of Netflix’s highest performers at the time of writing, but also one of the most controversial with a very low appreciation rating in review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes. Is it as bad as some people are saying? Can the movie live up to the hype? Read on, dear reader….

The plot begins straight-forwardly enough. Roberts and Hawke portray middle-aged married couple Amanda and Clay Sanford who, with their two children Rose and Archie, go on a spur-of-the-moment getaway to a rental house in Long Island, New York. The reason for this break isn’t really given, other than, as Amanda states before the titles, she hates people. Rose, the youngest of the two children, is addicted to the old 90s sitcom “Friends”, and this plays an unusually large role in the film so you know it’s going to mean something at some point. Archie is a stereotypical young teenage male with little time for his sibling. The house they stay in is a sleek, modern affair with a pool which backs onto woods populated by deer and conveniently near a beach. So far, so idyllic.

The family spend a nice day at the beach when a large oil tanker comes aground. Heading back to the house, they find the TV and wifi no longer work. With no internet, Rose is about to miss the series finale of Friends, which is distressing her, even thought its already older than she probably is. Matters get more complicated when a man claiming to be the house owner (Ali, playing George H Scott)) arrives with his daughter, wanting to stay the night as a blackout has caused getting to his own home more complicated. Amanda is instantly suspicious while Clay seems more accommodating. More layers are piled onto the plot as it begins to appear Amanda doesn’t like the Scotts as they are black. Is Amanda racist? It certainly adds an uncomfortable aspect to an already uncomfortable situation. Amanda later receives messages on her phone claiming hackers have caused the blackout but before she can tell anyone, the messages vanish. Seeking more information, George ventures to a friends house only to find the remains of a crashed aircraft and before his eyes, another plunges into the beach.

As more and more unsettling situations arise, relationships are formed and relationships are strained. Clues are found but there is doubt as to whether they can be relied upon. At times of extreme crisis, who can be trusted entirely?

This, then, leads to the controversial finale, which I will not spoil for you. The novel the movie is based on ends with the discovery of a bunker and some hope for the families. The movie’s ending has the “possibility” of similar hope, but the final moments allows the viewer to determine what is more important to whom? Is everyone able to sing off the same hymn sheet at such times? The viewer doesn’t receive all the answers and some is left to interpretation. This works for some movies and not so well for others. I feel the latter applies here. It’s a lengthy movie but to be rewarded with no definitive answer feels more like a cop-put than a planned ending. Sometimes, when I watch a movie, I want to see the story, not given about 98% and having to make the rest up myself. I watch movies and TV to be entertained.

The movie is NOT bad, it just doesn’t do enough to warrant a glowing review. The cast ARE great and immensely watchable. The direction is solid from Sam Esmail (although he did the screenplay too so can take some responsibility for naff ending). One of the major downsides to the movie is the overuse of pop music as at times, it feels like a non-stop pop video. This is mostly apparent at the beginning but calms down as the movie progresses.

With a run-time of 141 minutes, it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome and there is still plenty to entertain. However, with the absolute final moments, I can understand the poor reviews.

Year: 2023

Availability: Streaming on Netflix

Rating: 7/10

Have You Been Watching...? Aftershock

I came across Aftershock while rooting through a few streaming services looking for something I’d never seen before. Aftershock was described as “disaster horror” (not a category I’d come across) so thought I’d give it a try.

Set in Chile, the movie tells the tale of an American tourist called “Gringo” played by horror star Eli Roth. He is visiting his pal and that pal’s friends, one of whom is called “Pollo” (Spanish for Chicken). For the first 30 minutes of the film, I have to be honest, nothing happens. We get to see Gringo and his pals party, sightsee, get drunk, flirt (badly) and have a great time. We are further introduced to a group of girls also on holiday. One of whom is called Kylie. I find the cast difficult to write about as even by the end of the movie I still don’t know who they are. They have some soapy drama in the background about one of them not being able to drink alcohol, but then drinks anyway, to the chagrin of her sister. So far so boring.

Then, eventually, an earthquake hits. Spectacularly so. They’re in an underground disco, so bits of roof come down, equipment and running partygoers squash people. It’s all a bit grisly, especially when something happens to the only cast member who comes across as any way a "kind" human being. Even that takes a turn for the comedic and I found myself laughing during the chaos. Intentional or not on the part of the director, I don’t know, but it was VERY funny. Escaping the venue at the cost of another unimportant disposable castmember’s life in another example of hilarious death, I realise this is like watching disaster-porn. I’m watching it, eagerly awaiting the next horrid death in a comedy fashion. I don’t have to wait long. The earthquake scenes and falling building effects are very good indeed. As our group realise the peril they are in (there’s a tsunami coming, but they all seem to forget about that), things take a turn for the worse when a prison collapses and the prisoners escape. It’s around this point I realise I don’t care for what happens to this group. The movie shifts a gear into Mad Max/Escape from New York territory as the prisoners are ALL bad (m’kay). There’s a grim sequence set in a graveyard which reduces or cast further and is unnecessarily over-violent. It seems very clear the movie has no real plot and is just a series of “incidents” to either make you laugh out loud or grimace in disgust. Eventually the movie grinds to halt with one of the most pointless reveals ever. It literally just does NOT make any sense whatsoever.

Eli Roth has made a number of decent horror movies as director and producer, including Cabin Fever, and he co-wrote this endeavour. Unfortunately it is weak. Very weak. It has the look and feel of a cheap bargain basket DVD.

The movie DOES pick up after the earthquake hits, but by then I’m bored out of my mind and I contemplated switching it off several times, thinking I must have got it wrong. However, it becomes a generic runaround from "bad guys with no motives other than being bad" and instantly forgettable.

Year: 2012

Availability: Streaming on itvX at the time of writing.

Rating: 2/10

 

Have You Been Watching...? Star Wars: Obi Wan Kenobi

 

When Disney obtained the rights to Star Wars, the legendary sci-fi property that formed such a HUGE part of my (and many others’) childhood, I was worried. I didn’t want it becoming Star Wars: Hannah Montana or suchlike. However, Disney have proved to be more than capable of churning out great Star Wars content. The Mandalorian is a work of art, and I adore the series completely but when Obi-Wan Kenobi was announced, I was unsure. Was this even a Star Wars story I needed or wanted to see?

The limited series brings Ewan McGregor back as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi master who introduced Luke Skywalker to “The Force”. McGregor, you may recall, played the role in the prequel movie trilogy. It also brings back Haydn Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Others returning to the movie roles include Jimmy Smits as Senator Bail Organa and Joel Edgerton as Owen Lars, and of course, James Earl Jones and Ian MacDiarmid. The series also introduces a wealth of new characters and talent including Moses Ingram as Reva Sevander, an imperial agent on the hunt for Obi-Wan with a secret few could see coming, and Vivien Lyra Blair as Princess Leia Organa. Yes, we have a younger incarnation of everyone’s favourite space princess as a 10 year old. My goodness, she is absolutely brilliant, both at this whole acting malarkey and in channelling a young Carrie Fisher’s sassiness in the part. She is a joy to watch and her relationship with the older Kenobi is one of the highlights, maybe even THE highlight of the whole series. It certainly adds more credibility and poignancy to Carrie Fisher’s message to him through R2-D2 in A New Hope.

As this is a relatively new series, I won’t give much of the plot away here, but the focus of the series is Reeva’s hunt for the last of the Jedi, particularly Obi-Wan Kenobi and she is singularly focussed on the task. This results in the abduction of a young Princess Leia and a rescue mission by Kenobi and his friends.

The internet has been ablaze with commentators and their thoughts on how well the series fits with established continuity as set by the movie saga. I am on the side that there is nothing in the series than causes friction with anything established in the movies. As is now expected from these Disney Star Wars adventures, there is plenty of money on the screen. The effects are spectacular, the sets are truly magnificent for a TV show, and the music, provided by a returning John Williams after Ludwig Goransson scored the Mandalorian and Boba Fett serials, is appropriately epic.

It's an enjoyable ride of a series, and poor young Leia does get put through the wringer a bit, but you can clearly see how what she experiences influences the older Leia we all know and love. The relationship between Kenobi and his young padawan Anakin gets some exploration too and adds new dimensions to Darth Vader that we never knew was possible.  We are also introduced to a number of side characters, such as Haja Estree and Taka Durith, the latter of which is now one of my favourite characters in the Star Wars universe.

So ignore some of the stories you might see on the internet about the show and/or it’s cast. Approach this series with an open mind and I’m sure you will enjoy it. If you can avoid spoilers too, it will make it even better. By the time this is published, you might have heard every spoiler going about Obi-Wan Kenobi, but even armed with the knowledge, you will stall have a good time with this show. As a 6 part limited series, I was not sure what kind of story it would tell, or how they would do it. A lot of thought has gone into this series and it shows. The production team and writers have done a fantastic job in bringing this untold chapter in our heroes’ lives to us. As I stated above, I wasn’t sure if it was a story I wanted or needed, but it turns out I did, on both counts.

Year: 2022

Episode count: 6

Season count: 1 (so far!!)

Availability: Streaming on Disney+