Reviews

Once in a while a film comes along that makes me look at the reviews and ask - "did they see the same film as me?".

This is a lovely, understated, pondering movie about love and mortality.

Firth and Tucci are brilliant.

To British audiences several of the supporting cast will be very familiar household names. All putting in a sterling performance (Haywood, Dreyfus, and others).

Once one understands the premise of the film it becomes painfully apparent that there needs to be an ending - one way or another. Whether the ending offered is satisfying is personal opinion, but the journey to get there is very engaging.

Firth and Tucci have a chemistry, both seemingly playing to their strengths that we have seen in other movies, but amplified.

Emotional and enjoyable.

I was really looking forward to this - maybe a little too much as whilst I enjoyed it, I was a little unimpressed.

Its funny. Full of action sequences. The main characters are great.

Blunt's accent seems to be all over the place - strange as she is English and playing an English person.

Hannah Waddingham - great as she is - is a bit too hammy.

Ryan Gosling is super cool and funny.

The dog is my favourite character!

The film bears no resemblance to the show its named after - if you are expecting THAT Fall Guy you will be disappointed - but do hang around for the end credits scene (most people didn't - if the film ends and the lights don't come on - theres usually a hidden scene at the end...).

The first half an hour dragged a bit. I think maybe it was a bit long and would have been a great 90 minutes (remember when most films, except "epics" were about 90 minutes...).

Its enjoyable enough, but not a classic.

I knew nothing about this movie - not even who the stars were. I actually went to see it because I am a fan of post apocalyptic stories. This isn't quite that - just.

It is very unglamourous and under played. Its a simple road trip across America to the backdrop of a civil war and what happens to the main characters.

It is harrowing. It is haunting. It has a very claustrophobic feeling with a sense of impending doom. This all combines into a movie that is very hard to watch and very hard to look away from.

It is very violent. Horrible realistic violence and scenes of cruelty - showing what could happen if society deconstructs and unwinds.

We slowly get to know the main characters and how their lifestyles and exposure to such cruelty have shaped them, and will shape them in the future.

A movie has not held my attention in this way for a very long time.

It is rated a 15 - I have no idea how. The graphic violence is far stronger than many 18 rated movies.

Its not a popcorn movie, there are no laughs. But I loved it.

I wasn't really too interested in watching this - I was coerced.

It was ok - I made it through in one sitting.

I thought it felt long. It moved very slowly. Seemed to be trying to build tension where we already knew what the outcome was.

Gillian Anderson was good - sure - but one expects no less from her. She always is - no great revelation.

Rufus Sewell was amazing.

Conor Swindells is very watchable in everything he is in and was great here too.

Keeley Hawes - great. All the cast did a great job.

Billy Piper played a great Billy Piper-esque character.

I'm not sure the film provides anything new or any answers and I have no idea how factually accurate it is, but as a piece of drama it is watchable, slow, contains attempts at tension I didn't quite understand and novel to see characters one is already aware of in "real life" being reinterpreted.

I'm not an avid fan of the other movies or the series - they have been on in the background while others watched.

Saw this one at cinema. It was enjoyable. Also quite funny.

It was pretty predictable, but hey, its a cartoon for kids.

Plenty of action. Jack Black is great, as ever. Lots of other recognisable voices.

The feeling on the way home seemed to be that this franchise has run its course and its time to end.

Some interesting ideas in this, well executed. Had a good time and a laugh for 90 odd minutes - what more can one ask for?

Not really much else to say but that silly char count.

I'm not a particular fan of these movies, but this one was fun.

Likeable characters.

Interesting storylines - nice progression.

Some humour that works.

FX are a mixed bag.

My main gripe is that I see no redeeming features in Godzilla - it looks silly, it looks sillier when moving at speed, its not cute or impressive.

Kong more than makes up for that - especially in this. Has a bit of a hard time, bless him.

The movie works and is just on the right side of sentimental.

The humans are good too, delivering the expected comedy turns, annoyance and arrogance where required.

More words to meet the silly character limit.

Blumhouse movies are generally hit and miss for me (Insidious Red door, Firestarter, Creep, Sinister, FNAF - terrible, Purge movies, Invisible Man, Fantasy Island, Insidious, Happy Death Day - all great), and coupled with the awful reviews this film received I was in two minds whether to give it my time.

We sat in an empty theatre and it started. First half it was a pretty formulaic horror about a haunted house / object. Some awful acting - as is the norm for horror movies, some terribly unrealistic scenarios - "Oh theres a noise in the creepy cellar, I'b better go down there to investigate, by myself, in the dark, without asking someone else to help...".

Then theres a twist. Then some out of place stuff happens, apparently without proper explanation. Then someone decided to throw the rule book, logic and reality out the window. What you get is a creepy roller coaster with twists and turns and several "look away from the screen and say to the person you are with "WTF just happened?" moments...".

Its silly. Its improbable. Its unbeleivable. Its a horror movie trying to be a little different.

Not everything works, but I enjoyed it.

I'm glad I ignored the stuffy reviews, I'm not sure what a horror movie needs to do these days to be well reviewed - just enjoy.

I love Ghostbusters.

I love the original 2 movies with the original cast. Here comes a new movie with at least 4 of the original cast in the trailer. Excitement levels were high.

Then it arrived. I went to see it. After 30 minutes I realised I was going to be disappointed.

There are too many characters telling a story thats very similar to what we have seen numerous times before. There are a number of new characters that we are supposed to accept with little back story, it was hard to care about them.

James Acaster was in it - nice surprise, great to see him in a big movie. Hes playing it very serious, but I think he did a good job.

Other characters are introduced.

It plods along. And plods. It felt very long. By the time the climax came I didn't really care what happened.

Bill Murray looked bored. Dan Ackroyd was under used.

Its funny in places, but overly long, and slow.

I'm not bothering with any future sequels.

There is an after credits scene but I was so underwhelmed I can't remember what it was.

I am aware of hte games and have watched people play them, but am not really a big fan.

People I watched with were smiling from ear to ear, getting the references, spotting links, etc and getting very excited about it.

To me it was a so so, 15 rated horror film. Its not scary. Its not gory. It has quite a weak horror content compared to many modern 15 rated horrors.

Not much happens during the first 2/3 - its building the story. The issue is, having knowledge of the games its largely old ground, so it drags. I got bored.

The acting is hammy, but it is a horror film so its largely expected.

Shame its a 15 really as I guess the vast majority of its audience was too young to get into a theatre to see it.

I am not a massive fan of super hero movies - they peaked with Superman 2 in the 80's as far as I am concerned.

I tend to enjoy the super hero movies that are less popular than the mainstream - The Flash, Morbius, Shazam, Thor - than the biggies.

The premise of this one is as unbelievable and improbably as any of them - one needs to suspend belief and go with the flow.

Some of the acting is poor. The main villain is particularly unbelievable and remarkably bereft of back story. The behaviour of the central 3 teenage characters is plain stupid - even for stupid people in movies.

But its an enjoyable rollercoaster of a ride.

Its suspenseful rather than a popcorn munching mainstream movie.

I liked it. I hope there are sequels.

Disappointed at no end credit bit.

I went to see the current re-re-re-re-release.

The atmosphere was great in a 3/4 full cinema.

Seeing it on the big screen was a hoot. Very funny. Interesting to see which bits got the biggest laughs - not necessarily the bits I've always found funny during my tens of viewings at home.

Things that struck me on the big screen:

• John Cleese's facial expressions are hilarious in this
• its more cinematic than I remember

Some of the jokes don't land, some are a little laboured, some are bang on and hilarious.

I'd forgotten about the very end, had me in stitches along with lots of others.

My advice - see it on the big screen if you can, its a treat IMHO.

Apparently this is based on, or follows on from, a TV show that I have not seen. It shows. The first 30 minutes (and this is not unusual for a Marvel movie) was a confusing flurry of special effects and ernest dialogue that meant very little to me.

Then something that looked like a coherent story line started to emerge.

Then more fighting and "seen it a million times before and they don't look that great" special effects.

Then some human nature bits.

Then a finale, which as far as we could make out could have happened right at the beginning if they had thought of it and saved us all a couple of hours.

Mildly interesting twist at the end, though the concept was not original.

I don't know if this got a cinematic release, but it feels a bit straight to video (or straight to streaming, as it would be these days).

This movie is a great ride.

I have seen lots of stuffy reviews, and reviews from people who clearly just don't get it.

It is supposed to be an over the top pastiche of a certain type of spy and action movie. Think Bourne, Bond, Knight and Day, Jason Statham action flicks, etc. It pulls it off very well.

The action is mostly unrealistic - thats the point.

The plot is totally unbelievable - thats the point.

The low blood yet exceptionally high body count is unbelievable - guess what, thats the point.

The stunts are amazing, next level, mostly not survivable. I'd read in a review they were unrealistic (as a criticism) - yes they are - as a positive.

Its fun. Funny. Exciting. Non stop. Meandering. Twisty. High octane.

Some great cameos.

Dallas Bryce Howard is an unlikely action star but is great to see doing the kicks and punches etc. Sam Rockwell is very good.

Theres a recurring song that works very well too - bit of a surprise.

Its a 12A, but is really quite a violent one. I've seen 15's with much less violence. That probably says something deep about society becoming numb to violence and losing its core values.

Its clear lot of people didn't get this movie. I say sit back, enjoy, go with it, its a rollercoaster.

There was little here to keep my interest.

David Mitchell was funny and well cast. He really was like a tonic when he came along.

Otherwise, seen it all done before and better.

The story was formulaic, short on laughs and predictable.

Felt long at 90 minutes. Judging by the amount of phones I saw being looked at I wasn't the only adult wondering why they spent their money on this.

Perhaps for a child its a wonderous journey filled with awe and magic. But for me I was bored.

I have little else to say but the annoying lower character limit means I have to keep typing for a little while longer.

I liked this.

The songs were great.

There was lots of humour.

The story is far from original obviously but is well told.

The characters are fun - adults and kids.

I disliked the baddies and liked the goodies - as it should be.

I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. I appreciate its not a classic, but a couple of hours, switch off, relax, enjoy. Not everything has to be groundbreaking and a comment on the human condition. Its okay to just enjoy the show, boo at the baddies and cheer for the good guys.

I'm not a musical fan usually, and the people I was with are, and they didn't really like it. Not sure what that says, but there you go.

I really enjoyed this.

Timothee Chalamet is a lighter, less scary and much more relatable Wonka than the last one. He has real charisma and is convincing.

The supporting cast is a bit like a who's who of UK supporting actors and comedians - its fun to trace to the links back to the Director (via Mighty Boosh and Paddington), Writer (Ghosts) and others.

We even get to see Phil Wang dancing!

Olivia Coleman is a joy to behold. She plays bad very well and seems to be having a great time.

Hugh Grant plays a small version of Hugh Grant as only Hugh Grant can - perfect.

It felt a tiny bit long at 2 hours.

Great story. Great effects and ideas - though not as magical as its an origins story.

A few songs mixed with echoes of old ones.

Its a fun family movie.

I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end. I am a big Will Ferrel fan. I also enjoyed the rest of the main cast - especially Isla Fisher.

The comedy is crude - very crude. Its rude. Its gross. Its sweary. It doesn't hold back. Not all the jokes hit home, but many do. The characters are likeable, hateable (the ones you are meant to hate) and funny. Even without funny, its an entertaining premise and story.

Its also clever in places.

The hatred for the postman was especially amusing.

Its refreshing to have a funny 90 minutes, rather than dragging it out to over 2 hours.

Back when I bought DVDs I would probably have bought this and watched repeatedley.

Susan Sarandon is the latest big name to get a turn at playing an unconvincing baddie. Though I am a fan generally.

Seen a story similar to this lots of times. You could more or less plot the whole story after the first 10 minutes, the character traits and even the twist.

It was frustrating that there wasn't more information on the Beetle and its powers. It was sort of a given that it could do lots of fancy stuff without really explaining to us what it can do.

It is, of course, extremely far fetched not even close to realistic. Its CGI heavy, but also a little slower moving than I expected, and maybe less superhero stuff and more talking than usual.

There are two end credit scenes - surprises me that most people still walk out at the first "end" - even though the lights have not come on.

Overall its enjoyable enough, if unoriginal, a little long and a bit silly.

I really enjoyed this.

Some of the reviews I read seemed to miss the point and not get it at all, citing too much of a mention of the game, an over powering sales reel at the beginning, too many shots of the game, etc.

Its a game called Gran Turismo about a Gran Turismo player who plats lots of Gran Turismo who wins a Gran Turismo competition to go to the Gran Turismo academy to enter a competition the be a real car driver to prove that Gran Turismo players are good at driving. How one would convey that story without lots of mention of Gran Turismo, gaming, and more Gran Turismo is beyond me.

I was really drawn into the story line and found it quite emotional.

Its cliched. It has a failed driver, a cut throat commercial guy, a struggle against parents, last chance saloon, against all the odds - its all there as if from a manual. But its done well. It does what it says it does.

Orlando Bloom is in cruise control. David Harbour's character is unlikeable. But somehow it works.

Interesting that the film makers, having set the film in Cardiff, Wales, have given everyone in that location a middle class southern / greater London accent. Not one Welsh accent is shown, yet other nationalities all have an attempt at some sort of applicable accent.

Anyway, relax, enjoy the ride.

This is like one of the movies you find tucked away on a streaming service or Disney+, that you come across and quite enjoy, but given a cinematic release.

Disney has always produced middle of the road, fairly enjoyable movies that appear, then go, and you don't really remember them. I'm not talking about the big hits, I'm talking about the other stuff. Almost but not quite there.

This is ok. I'd watch it on a lazy afternoon when its raining outside and quite enjoy it. It doesn't cut it as a cinematic release.

Its got all the ingredients but it doesn't quite work.

Most of the jokes are flat. The characters are very generic. It doesn't seem to flow that well.

The ghosts are fun. The FX are suitably cartoony. The premise is silly. Its full of things from the ride - its fun in places.

But theres something missing. It doesn't quite work.

As is the current trend - its 2 hours long (remember when a standard movie was a tight 90 minutes?) - it feels too long.

Kids will probably like it.

Movies being what they are these days there will probably be more sequels. I don't think there should be, from an artistic viewpoint. If it makes money they will repeat as many times as they can.

Meg 2 brings very little thats new.

The whole premise is predictable, and less enjoyable.

Take The Meg, Jaws, several generic disaster movies, stick bits together, add in some double crossing and extinct animals and you're there.

That said, it is enjoyable, its just not original or particularly memorable.

Switch off, enjoy the humour, root for the big fish and its friends. Don't expect a masterpiece.

A really enjoyable horror movie.

It is well paced and atmospheric.

The whole cast are impressive.

Effects are good, especially considering the budget.

Genuinely creepy and jump scares abound.

Reminds me of how good horror films used to be whilst remaining modern and relevant.

It's an interesting premise, not seen anything quite like it before.

Got a few twists. Keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I will eagerly await what the directors do next, and will watch out for the cast in other things.

If you like it creepy give it a go. There have been some very average horrors out in the last 12 months, this one is a cut above.

I found this to be a mixed bag.

First up, when I walked into the cinema I expected there to be lots of young Barbie fans - there weren't more than a handful. The audience was a real cross section. Probably the majority were females - just. People of all ages from a few young girls through to pensioners - with lots in the teeneager to late 20's group. Lots of people wearing pink.

This is the first time I can remember since Terminator 2 where I couldn't go to the screening time I wanted as it was sold out for my two first choices (in the day time).

I was expecting a high camp movie that works on both levels - young kids and something for the adults. Thats not really what we got. This is not a kids movie. The group of kids sat near us were visibly bored after the first half an hour. Its a 12A for a reason. There seems to be a perception that this movie is for little girls waving Barbies around - it isn't.

The first half hour has all the camp stuff, setting the scene, adults acting as dolls, funny Barbie world-isms, etc.

Then it changes when America Ferrera and her joy-sucking teenage daughter are introduced. It stops being so much fun. The central message of the film is then clumsily hammered home with no subtlety for the rest of the movie - taking the viewer out of Barbie world. Its message is also delivered inconsistently.

The final joke of the movie does not hit home very well and seemed a bit unnecessary.

With the above criticisms, heres the mixed bag bit - it was very funny in places. We laughed out loud lots, but seemed to be the only people in the 3/4 full theatre laughing. Its also very clever in places - like the discontinued Barbies.

Ryan Gosling is excellent. Will Ferrell is hilarious. Michael Cera is good. Others are confusing (Rhea Perlman's character...). I expected more from Ncuti Gatwa - given he is the new Dr Who.

Some very amusing musical numbers.

It felt a little long. Would have made a nice 90 minute movie.

I'm not a massive Insidious fan. The first film unsettled me and I did not enjoy the others, so my expectations were not high for this one.

I liked the characters, one dimensional though they mostly were.

If you have not seen the other movies you won't know whats going on.

It seemed to be mostly a rehash of stuff already covered, bringing very little thats new.

I enjoyed the first half, then got bored. Things happened on the screen, I'm not entirely sure why, then it ended.

There were jump scares, creepy stuff, people in scary makeup pulling faces, creepy hands moving around and some gross out moments. Then the lights came on and I went home feeling strangely unsettled.

I enjoyed this - not sure why its getting so much hate.

Its not a masterpiece - perhaps it would have been if it had been given the full 2.5 hour treatment and extensive back story people seem to expect these days.

Weighing in at about 90 minutes its what movies used to be - to the point and full of action.

It doesn't waste time explaining everything and spoon feeding every minute detail - just gets on with it and is full of twists and turns.

At times it does look a little rushed and maybe would benefit from more detail on the world we are in.

That said, I really enjoyed it and liked the twists and turns.