Reviews

Igra na vyzhivanie is a good Russian series. The Russian analogue of Lost to some extent. But unfortunately, the writers had enough fuse only for the first season. The second season is not exciting in any way, it is shorter and more boring. And most importantly, he almost does not answer the open questions of the first season. The first season can be recommended to everyone, the first 5-6 episodes will definitely be exciting. The cast is not the most stellar, but the actors cope well with their tasks. The main problem of Igra na vyzhivanie is that the script of the second season is not thought out. He had to answer all the questions, and he just ignores them. And the finale of season 2 in general causes only a cringe. In season 3, there is no faith at all.

3 Body Problem is one of the best Sci-Fi series in 2024 and in general from Netflix. I'm not familiar with the original source of the book, I haven't watched Chinese film adaptations that were published before. Perhaps 3 Body Problem has another agenda from Netflix. But in general, the first season was successful. The series looks great, CGI is normal. The plot, especially the first 3-4 episodes, keeps in suspense. The plot is of course open and the last series is disappointing. But this is the first Netflix series in a long time that is pleasant to watch. I hope for season 2, which will already be with the new cast in the new time interval.

The sequel as well as the book has turned out excellent. At last that in the 2nd movie more attention was paid to the main antagonist. The truth here Tom Redll looks too romaticized, than in the latest books and movies of the saga. The 2nd part very much of a campaign on the first, it is the last "children's" part. The only thing that it became much better - dynamics of successions of events has considerably accelerated. The first part nevertheless was too linear and short (I mean only the movie), and the introduction tightened. In general, the second part has successfully developed the ideas of the original, we can say it is a successful sequel in everything.

Totally Kille is a mediocre youth comedy slasher. Everything is so bad here that it's even good. A mediocre cast and a delusional plot, also with time travel (do not wait for something logical and clear). Totally Kille is difficult to attribute to B-movie, it's just not a serious movie. The film is a parody of such films. I watched it a few weeks ago and I can't really remember anything from the movie. He's mediocre. But there are a couple of funny dialogues within the genre of teenage comedies. There is a mistake in the credits in the first minute, where the years between events can't even be counted correctly. In general, everything that modern young people love.

Dead Calm is a great chamber thriller. 3 heroes, 2 boats and one stupid dog. Dead Calm is a clear indicator that a good thriller is the right actors and the circumstances of the plot. 1.5 hours of tension, the suspense does not disappear until the final credits. Excellent acting by Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill. Even more amazing how well the antagonist William Zane played his role, after 15-20 years I did not see him in decent films. Dead Calm perfectly contrasts between the tranquility of the couple and the horror that the named guest brings to the yacht. The open final is a little surprising with its understatement, given that there was no sequel, and it is not needed as such.

The Temp is an American thriller that surprisingly keeps you in suspense. At first, The Temp seems to be a classic American film of the early 90s, in which at best you will see a light cleansing drama. Then the viewer begins to realize that The Temp is a real thriller, because it keeps you in suspense and you don't know what to expect next. And at the end of the film, it logically completes the gradually increasing level of suspense. And it turns out to be a great thriller in general, although at first it doesn't seem so at all. Yes, the ending with a happy ending is a little annoying. A good cast for the early 90s. If the first 15-20 minutes seems that the movie is boring, he should give him a little time and you will get what you love trippers for.

Phantoms is a classic B-movie thriller. Phantoms holds the viewer only the first third of the film, after it becomes clear what is happening, the film starts to give up a lot. The plot here is simple. The cast is not bad, Peter O'Toole starred and not yet star Ben Affleck. If the film had not been based on a literary source, I'm sure it would have been worse. That's what you can't say is that Phantoms is a horror movie. It doesn't scare at all. And you can't call it a thriller, there is no suspense most of the timekeeping, except for the first third of the film. Phantoms can be watched once and forgotten, it's an ordinary passing thriller.

Oppenheimer is simply the best film of 2023 and one of Nolan's best works. This is one of the best biographies. Oppenheimer keeps the whole movie in suspense, not being a thriller. Great cast, amazing work of the operators. Oppenheimer takes 3 hours, but you watch the movie without stopping. This is the best work of Cillian Murphy, this is the best film biography that American cinema shot, this is one of the most unusual ways to tell the biography of a person in the film leading 3 parallel storylines. Oppenheimer is clearly not a movie for everyone and many will just find it boring. There's no action here, and most of the movie is dialogue. Also, the culmination of the film here is not the very fact of the creation of nuclear weapons by Openheimer, which was clearly expected by most viewers. But thanks to Nolan that there are also directors who are able to shoot at this level not for a wide range of viewers. I can't imagine how Oppenheimer can be compared to Barbie.

Deep Rising B-movie pseudo horror. Of course, there is no horror here, the movie is not scary at all. Deep Rising is mediocre in everything, except that the main disaster on the ship occurred outside the main action of the film. Deep Rising is literally framed by the clichés of its genre. There is no good cast here so that you can somehow pull out a movie. Deep Rising is just a movie for the evening for an unpretentious viewer. In general, the action is performed at a normal level, there are not badly staged scenes. This is the only bright side of the film. The next day you'll forget it. It can only be recommended to fans of the genre.

Phantom is a B-movie about Soviet submariners consisting entirely of "cranberry". There is less in common with the Sovestit submarine fleet here than in other films accepted to be called "cranberries". If you abstract from this, Phantom is an ordinary chamber thriller. There is not a bad cast, it is not usual to see David Duchovny as an antagonist at least. Phantom doesn't keep you in suspense, even though the movie tries to do it in some scenes. And it seems that everything is not so badly filmed, and the actors are good, but Phantom is a terribly boring movie. I don't want to recommend it to anyone, only as a remedy for insomnia. Phantom is a bad thriller, a bad camera movie. A bad movie even about "Russian cranberries." It's amazing how Ed Harris starred in all this.

The Killer Fincher's first thriller in almost 10 years. Expectations were high, Fincher is one of the best still filming directors in the thriller genre. The first 10-20 minutes of viewing just don't notice the trick and watch The Killer further, waiting for the development. But it's an illusion. The Killer is an ordinary passing thriller, it does not surprise and does not keep in suspense as if he tried to pull the film from the bottom of Michael Fassbender with his magnificent acting. I don't see anything in The Killer, after which you can immediately say - it's Fincher. There may be problems in high expectations. If The Killer were an ordinary thriller, it would look different without expectations. Perhaps The Killer was filmed not for the audience, but to fulfill the director's desire to film the comic of the same name.

Haunted Mansion is a typical movie from modern Disney. There is a good cast, there is not a bad CGI. But everything else is either mediocre or terrible. In the first Haunted Mansion film for the younger age category, the film is not just made for children. There's no message or idea in it. Can we say that about Disney's gold projects? Which are relevant at any age. Haunted Mansion has nothing to surprise, it's a purely commercial project. I didn't watch the first film adaptation of 2003, but I'm sure it turned out better. Haunted Mansion is a vivid example of Disney's complete creative impotence. A check-in movie that no one wants to watch, I turned it on only for the sake of the cast. That's the only plus of the movie.

RoboCop is quite a famous Sci-Fi action movie from the late 80s. And although almost everyone heard about it, not everyone watched it. My generation, born in the late 90s, mostly missed it. The release of the game of the same name in 2023 raised interest in the film franchise again. RoboCop is a classic 80s action movie, Paul Verhoeven's style is immediately visible. Now the future looks futuristic rather caricatured. The film even tries to reveal the topics of cyberpunk. But for the most part, RoboCop is mediocre action scenes, maybe in the 80s it was technological, but now the film just does not pass the test of time. There is no such plot in the film, it literally fits in a couple of lines. RoboCop certainly has a great influence on Sci-Fi cinema, it is one of the most recognizable images in cinema. But just as the RoboCop movie remained in its time, you can only recommend watching it to fans of the genre.

Nobody is a great comedy action movie from Ilya Naishuller. Yes, it's more of a B-movie than a serious movie. It's not a bad cast here. Nobody looks in one breath, this film allows the viewer to relax. The story is as simple as possible, more than enough for an action movie. In general, Nobody has a lot in common with John Wick. Here is the same plot, very similar in fate to the main character, the same cheerful action scenes. Only Nobody is more mundane and simple, plus there's more comedy than an action movie. Unfortunately, Nobody has nothing else to offer the viewer, where John Wick set a new bar in cinema - the action scene this film shows the usual level. Nobody is a big step for the director, remembering Hardcore 2016.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a family adventure film. The film is clearly designed for a young children's audience. It's a terrible fantasy, only Americans could distort Greek mythology like that. Perhaps the worst example of its use. The film bribes with the cast. But all the good actors are in the background, some have literally less than 5 minutes of timing. If you consider Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief as a full-fledged fantasy - it's an unsuccessful film, CGI is not impressive, the script is direct and predictable. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief can only be watched by children under 12 years old, after it will no longer be interesting.

Star Trek is a great soft restart of the franchise with an alternative timeline for a new generation of viewers. I haven't watched anything related to Star Trek before. And I don't know much about the franchise itself, in my country it is less popular than other space Sci-Fi. But that doesn't stop the 2009 Star Trek from being a good movie. Great fantastic Sci-Fi to watch for one night. Lore Star Trek is certainly interesting. But for some reason in the film it is revealed at a minimum, apparently the target audience of the film is a fan community. Star Trek is a little delayed, it would be shortened for 20-25 minutes, there is nothing to tell for 2 hours of timekeeping.

No One Lives is a B-level chamber thriller. Usually such films cannot boast of a star cast and scenery, but take history or visual a range. No One Lives doesn't have any of this. Moreover, this thriller does not keep the viewer in suspense at all, the main character is a maniac literally the whole movie with the "godmode" cheat turned on. What's the point of such a narrative? If it's literally clear how the story will end. The deaths of the characters are not impressive either. If you want to watch a level B chamber thriller, you'd better watch The Collector or Don't Breathe. They are much better, especially in terms of the presence of tension.

The Fifth Element is probably the best film by Luc Besson. Great cast, good cast, interesting plot and beautiful soundtrack. One of the most significant roles of Bruce Willis, and definitely the best role of Milla Jovovich. The Fifth Element immerses its atmosphere from the first minutes, while the viewer is almost not immersed in the ENT of the world. And it works, it's only possible with Luke Besson. He tried to repeat it later 20 years later with Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, but it didn't work out. The Fifth Element is the iconic space Sci-Fi, more than 25 years have passed, and the movie still looks great. Not every space Sci-Fi can boast of this.

Weekend is an Italian drama with elements of a thriller. At first it seems that you have a good chamber thriller in front of you, especially since European cinema has pleased you with such films in recent years. But no, Weekend is a dull drama, also with an agenda of non-traditional relationships. A drama that does not cause any feelings, a thriller that does not cause excitement. Well, completely stereotyped main characters. For almost 1.5 hours, the main characters do not evolve in any way. Weekend is disappointing, yes, it's a chamber film. But either the actors can't cope, or the direction, but the chamberiness only harms the film. Weekend is dejecting, an impatient viewer can throw the film in the middle of it, as the film sags very much there.

Hangar 18 is a striking example of American Sci-Fi of the 80s. Simple plot, average cast, not impressive special effects. As a result, when they remember about space Sci-Fi, or in general about Sci-Fi movies of the 80s, few people will remember about Hangar 18. And it's clear why, Hangar 18 has absolutely nothing to surprise the viewer. First of all, it's Hangar 18 - it's about space only partially, literally the first 15 minutes of timekeeping, the UFO also does not play any role in the plot. Secondly, the film clearly focuses on action scenes, there are a lot of them, but they do not surprise the viewer at all. Even in the early 80s, it all looks faded. Given that 3 years before Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released, Hangar 18 has no chance to surprise the viewer.

Vampires is a classic 90s film by Carpenter. But unlike most of Carpenter's later films, Vampires is pleasant and interesting to watch. Vampires has everything we all love this director for. A good cast, a classic plot that is not original and typical action scenes of level B action movies. The story itself in Vampires looks like a caricature of other vampire movies. Here, literally the first 10 minutes of the film set the tone of what is happening in the film. I'm sure that if Vampires the viewer sits down to see an interesting story about vampires, instead of waiting for Carpenter's classic film, he may be deeply disappointed. Vampires can be safely recommended to all Carpenter fans.

Edge of Tomorrow is a fantastic action movie based on the "Groundhog Day" concept. A good cast here contrasts with the mediocre plot, which basically uses the concept of repeating the same day over and over again. It was possible to make an excellent plot from this story, but in place of this the viewer gets the same shots most of the film. The same Source Code implements it much better. What else can you say about Edge of Tomorrow? If you put aside the plot, it's a good fantastic action movie, there are beautiful large-scale action scenes, the main thing is not to include logic when watching them. If you consider Edge of Tomorrow as a whole as a movie, it's not bad. It will go for a one-time viewing, you'll forget the next day. But in Edge of Tomorrow you can really feel the undiscovered potential. It's like they wanted to make a sequel and put all the best for it. But there's no sequel.

The Haunting at first seems to be an ordinary chamber thriller with elements of mysticism. From the very first minutes it becomes clear that The Haunting is not a horror, it can be seen from the pace of the narrative. And with every minute of watching, you, as a spectator, become more and more disappointed in the film. First of all, the film has a very protracted introduction, and secondly, the pace of the narrative as a whole story is torn. Most of the film takes place in the final third of the film. In chamber thrillers, the plot is very important, but it can be largely simplified and justified by mysticism. That's the idea and should be in The Haunting. But there's just no plot for the most part. The Haunting is only disappointing. Good cast, not a bad concept of the idea for a chamber thriller. But all this is not implemented, instead a weak film adaptation of the novel, which is completely uninteresting to watch.

Romeo + Juliet is a free interpretation of one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. Fans of Shakespeare's work may think that Romeo + Juliet is some kind of cartoon from Baz Luhrmann. But you shouldn't immediately take the film negatively. First of all, there is a good cast, and a beautiful young DiCaprio. The transfer of the film to the American entourage of the early 90s is not badly implemented. The film well conveys the dialogue in the style of a play. And although the plot here is as predictable as possible, Romeo + Juliet is interesting to watch. In general, this is a bad movie, of course not for every viewer. Clearly an amateur. But it's Baz Luhrmann, he has almost all the movies except The Great Gatsby. If you liked his other movies, or musicals, this is the movie for you.

The Dive is a chamber German thriller. 1.5 hours, only 2 heroes and a terribly boring plot. The Dive is a unique thriller, you can literally fall asleep when watching it. It seems that the heroines have 20 minutes for everything, but there is no suspense in the film completely. The main characters are sisters, is there any emotional connection between them in the script? No. Is there any tension in the movie? No. I hoped for a European approach to shooting chamber films. But I got only a complete disappointment. Movies about underwater travel have recently been as trivial as possible, and The Dive only confirms this. If you don't want a good movie about divers, you'd better watch Sanctum or the classic The Abyss.