Movies & TV series

Top Movies – Pacific Rim: Uprising Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

The Kaiju threat is back, now it is up to Jake Pentecost to stop them, while proving to the world that he is just as good as his father!

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Director: Steven S. DeKnight

Cast: John Boyega, Cailee Spaeny, Scott Eastwood, Charlie Day, Jing Tian, Burn Gorman, Ivanna Sakhno, Karan Brar, Wesley Wong, Mackenyu, Adria Arjona, Zhang Jin & Rinko Kikuchi.

Run Time: 111 min.

US Release: 23 March 2018

UK Release: 23 March 2018

German Release: 22 March 2018

The sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s fun blockbuster Pacific Rim, which sees huge robots fighting giant monsters, is out in cinemas right now. Steven S. DeKnight, a regisseur and producer of TV series, took over the reigns as director and writer, while del Toro himself left the directing chair to focus on The Shape of Water, but stayed on board as a producer.

I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t have much faith in this movie! From what I saw in the trailers and the marketing campaign, this looked like a cheap knock-off of Travis Beacham’s original work. Then again, I thought that the first Pacific Rim trailer looked like it was selling another silly monster-action flick, similar to Battleships, but was proven wrong. So I went to the cinema with an open mind, ready to be positively surprised but sadly, this is exactly what I had expected. This second part falls into the typical sequel trap; trying to be louder, bigger and better than its predecessor while forgetting to tell an interesting story.

Ten years after the Battle of the Breach, Raleigh Becket has gone missing, while Stacker Pentecost’s biological son Jake (Boyega), is selling stolen Jaeger parts on the black market. Following teenage Amara (Spaeny), who stole something from him, Jake gets in trouble with authorities and is facing a long incarceration time. Mako (Kikuchi), offers him his old position in the PPDC as a Jaeger Pilot, to save him from Jail. He reluctantly accepts but when the Kaiju attack begins anew, Jake needs to ask himself what kind of man he wants to be.

As I stated in my other review, what I love about the first Pacific Rim are the immense similarities to mecha-animes and that is also true for Uprising, as it feels like DeKnight is trying to hold tight to those parallels, at least during the giant action scenes. Even though the plot is a complete mess, I need to confess that the bombastic battle segments are highly amusing. Watching the giant, human-driven, mechs punching Kajus – or other robots – through buildings or monuments is pure entertainment and the film does deliver that!

However, until it reaches that point the narrative is nothing more than build-up to the final battle. Sure, the opening sequence is fun but doesn’t really count as an action scene, as it is over way to fast. The only other battle we obtain is around the midsection of the second act, yet for a feature whose main aim is to present mechs fighting enormous creatures, two big action parts seem a little small. DeKnight and his team of writers tried to make Pacific Rim: Uprising more than its predecessor is, by adding extra characters, side-stories as well as a twist that is plain stupid. The story is dull, filled with shallow clichés, while voice-overs and exposition heavy conversations are used to fill in the audience on what is happening.

The dialogue is utterly silly, sounding at times as if a child had written it. Boyega’s character is constantly obsessed with his good looks, referencing everything back to how good he looks. He will often mention that to a teenage girl, which makes it really awkward to watch. It doesn’t stop there, as the character is also preoccupied with the level of attractiveness of his buddy.

John Boyega stars as Jake Pentecost, son of Stacker Pentecost (Elba’s role in the previous movie) and the lead character of this blockbuster. Boyega is as always very energetic and charismatic, but the way his character is written is disappointingly weak! A shame, since Elba’s Pentecost Sr. is one of the highlights of Pacific Rim. Scott Eastwood joins the cast as Nate Lambert, Boyega’s buddy co-pilot. Eastwood didn’t really add anything to the plot, he is mostly just standing around, trying to look badass while giving orders.

Cailee Spaeny plays Amara Namani. She blew me away, as she does steal the show every time she was on screen. She is charming, energetic and gives a great performance. That said, adding children to train them as Jaeger pilots is one of the biggest gripes I have with this sequel. It feels as if DeKnight was trying to move away from the more serious tone set by Guillermo del Toro, to make the narrative more PG friendly for a wider audience.

Charlie Day returns to his role of Dr. Newton Geiszler, a character I found utterly annoying in the predecessor and they manage to make him even more irritating in this one! I have nothing against Day but he is a comedian, and to twist his character in the way the plot does, was not only completely reckless but Day himself doesn’t have the range to pull it off!

The film’s highlights are probably the visual effects. Just as the first Pacific Rim, the main focus of the action scenes lie in CGI battles, which display huge robots kicking some Kaiju butt onto the silver screen. The computer effects are well handled and the fighting choreography feels believable enough. However, at times it seemed like the mechs were optically upgraded to resemble a Power Ranger Megazord, with all the ludicrous weaponry that is integrated into them. Other than that, the picture itself contains strong vibrant colours, while most shots are fairly well lit but the cinematographic style does look cheaper.

Verdict: This sequel is an absolute disappointment! It tries to outplay the original movie by adding more Jaegers with bigger weapons, bigger Kaijus to up the threat and includes an absolutely stupid story with an even dumber surprise. The tale is boring, half of it being simply an expositionary build-up to the final battle. The dialogues sound as if an eight-year-old had written them and don’t get me started on the poorly developed lead character, portrayed by the brilliant John Boyega. At least Cailee Spaeny managed to draw a smile on my face with her grand performance, and the effects are really good including entertaining action segments. However, it is not enough to save Pacific Rim: Uprising, which is nothing more than a pale shadow of Guillermo del Toro’s first blockbuster and deserves a disappointing 5 out of 10!

Pacific Rim: Uprising, did you see it yet? If so, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of it. Thank you for reading my review and if you liked it, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up!

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Top Movies – Thelma Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Thelma plays with the well-known formula of female naivety and delivers a suave story, which takes its time to set up and explosive revelation!

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Thriller

Director: Joachim Trier

Cast: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Grethe Eltervåg, Steinar Klouman Hallert & Anders Mossling.

Run Time: 116 min.

Norway Release: 15 September 2017

UK Release: 03 November 2017

German Release: 22 March 2018

Following the brilliant Louder Than Bombs, director Joachim Trier returns to his home country of Norway, to direct one of the best European films I have seen. Thelma is a unique motion-picture that reminds at times a little bit of Robert Eggers’ The Witch. Trier manages to create a threatening atmosphere during the opening scene, which lingers like a dark cloud throughout the whole feature, ready to burst at any moment. I was riveted from the very first minute and can’t comprehend how Thelma was not nominated by the Academy for the Best Foreign Film category.

This is a coming-of-age movie, centred on a young woman (Harboe), who leaves her devoted religious family to study in the city of Oslo. Here she experiences freedom for the first time, as well as learning about her sexual orientation, which clashes with her Christian beliefs and thus causes some unease at accepting who she is. This topic reaches more profound depths, as she learns that her feelings of discomfort trigger some supernatural abilities that are slumbering within her.

Trier and Eskil Vogt managed to write a script that, while being very familiar, is very original in its way of approach. The exploration of self-discovery is the point of focus of this narration and handled with the utmost respect, showing the turmoil that young adults experience once they try figuring out who they are and where they fit in society. Surrounding that core subject are interesting elements of drama and thriller, as the protagonist is put in a constant state of peril; be it due to her strong Christian faith that is shaken by her new-found lesbian feelings for a girl, or her own family that tries to keep control over her from the distance. All of these raw emotions are finally engulfed by a great paranormal side-plot.

This story doesn’t spoon-feed the audience with heavy dialogue segments, instead, it requires the full attention of the audience, not only because it plays in a foreign language but also because it contains very little conversations. Trier relies fully on visual storytelling and explanation, an approach that I welcomed very much. I have one issue, though, with this movie and that is the pacing. This is a slow-burner and while I appreciate the time it takes to set up the transformation of the main character, some of the plot points could have been sped-up.

Eili Harboe portrays the leading role of Thelma, a young woman that left her parents home to study biology at the University of Oslo. She doesn’t know a lot about herself but begins to learn about her emotional compass, as well as undergoing bodily changes, once she meets chemistry student Anja. Harboe gives a magical rendition of her character; selling the conflict she is experiencing through facial expressions and using her eyes. Kaya Wilkins plays Anja and has fantastic chemistry with the lead actress. Anja is a complete contrary to Thelma; sociable and likes to experiment. She finds interest in Thelma after having met her in the library.

Henrik Rafaelsen and Ellen Dorrit Petersen play Thelma’s parents, Trond and Unni. Both are very religious and try to keep an eye on Thelma from the distance. The dynamic of the family is one of the intriguing parts of the story, as the parents emit loving and caring feelings, yet issue threatening vibes as well. Their presence is always lingering around Thelma, even when they are not physically present.

As stated before, this is a film that relies heavily on visuals to tell the story and it excels at doing so thanks to the tremendous cinematography. Trier makes use of lingering close-ups to enhance the feeling of loneliness, isolation, or panic that contrast with the beautiful two-shots when emotions of love and affection are being presented. It also makes use of the same aerial shot at the beginning and the end, showing where Thelma is standing at the start of her journey and the development she made when the film finishes. The colour spectrum used for this picture gives it a sterile look, enhancing the feeling of discomfort and threat.

The music, composed by Ola Fløttum, is also a vital component of this feature. It starts off very sombre and quiet, yet gets louder and more violent the further the narrative progresses.

Verdict: Joachim Trier’s mystery-drama is a shining star of European cinema! I am utterly disappointed by the fact that this movie didn’t get a proper release in Germany, only playing in selective theatres. The plot turns the coming-of-age tale, which is so often encountered in teen-flicks, on its head and approaches it from a very unusual side. The raw emotions displayed are very intimate and is the source that drives the narrative, while the supernatural aspect is used as a metaphor for repressed feelings and longings. Eili Harboe gives a grand performance and carries the picture mostly by herself. She doesn’t talk much, rather using her eyes and face to express her feelings of turmoil, which she is experiencing. The cinematography is magnificent and is used as the main medium to tell the story since Trier makes minimal use of dialogue. Thelma is a great fantasy-drama and deserves a 9.5 out of 10

If you haven’t watched this movie yet, I implore you to go see it either in cinema or on any rental platform. Believe me, this is a movie that is worth your time! Thank you very much for reading my review for Thelma!

Top Movies – Pacific Rim Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

Monsters the size of Godzilla attacking the world, versus giant robots piloted by men who fight them. Sounds like a trash movie, right? Wrong!

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, Clifton Collins Jr. & Diego Klattenhoff.

Run Time: 132 min.

US Release: 12 July 2013

UK Release: 12 July 2013

German Release: 18 July 2013

With Pacific Rim: Uprising out in cinemas already, I decided to post my review of the original first part, directed by visual and directorial master Guillermo del Toro. If you read my review for this year’s The Shape of Water, you should know how passionate I am about del Toro’s fantasy tales. Interestingly enough, when the marketing campaign was rolled out for this blockbuster, I wasn’t anticipating this new project of him at all. To me, it looked like it was going to be another cheap action-monster production, similar to Battleships. Well, I could not have been more wrong, as Pacific Rim proved to be quite a unique movie with multiple influence

— ATTENTION, BE AWARE OF SPOILERS!!! —

When monstrous creatures, named the Kaiju, begin to rise from the depths of the sea and attack cities, a war begins that will not only take millions of lives but also consume human resources for years. To combat the Kaiju, special weapons were devised; giant robots called Jaegers, piloted by two pilots, whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. However, even the Jaegers are struggling to win the war against the Kaiju.

Travis Beacham, who wanted del Toro to direct his fantasy screenplay Killing on Carnival Row that never came to fruition, developed the story. Although not specifically copying any specific anime, it is obvious that this action blockbuster was inspired by mecha-animes, such as Gundam Wing or Neon Genesis Evangelion, and monster pictures a-la Godzilla. This is where the plot is at it’s best, selling an intriguing and original idea about giant robots that are battling intra-dimensional monsters, which came to conquer earth. I also found the idea interesting that the Jaeger’s need two pilots, each working as a cerebral hemisphere to the huge robotic mech.

Other than that, this film does not have much going on story-wise. This is a simple but effective popcorn flick, made for entertainment purpose and it delivers. It tries digging a little deeper by adding side-plots concerning loss and survivor’s guilt, though, these had little emotional impact, as it doesn’t manifest those arcs strong enough. A shame, because those aspects could have made the difference between a good blockbuster and a brilliant one.

Charlie Hunnam, known for playing the brilliant role of Jax Teller in FX series Sons of Anarchy, is Raleigh Becket; a washed-up former Jaeger pilot called out of retirement by General Stacker Pentecost, of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. Becket suffered a giant loss; he not only witnessed the death of his brother first hand but was also connected to him when it happened. He is broken mentally as well as spiritually and needs to fight his way out of the deep dark hole he is in. Hunnam may not have been the best casting choice to display all those qualities, as he did not deliver those emotions on point.

Idris Elba, on the other hand, is great as General Stacker Pentecost, a man that is literary carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is at odds with Becket and protective of his surrogate daughter Mako. Elba managed to combine these personalities perfectly together. A man who has military authority, though, suffers emotionally just as much as our heroes. Then there is Ron Perlman, he has a short screen-time but is as always charismatically over the top!

I enjoy the performance given by Rinko Kikuchi, who plays Mako. She is a strong female lead, able to kick most of her male companions’ butts. Her tragic backstory adds to the likeability of the character, making her equally vulnerable, but not in a bad way. She is possibly the most humane character out of the whole bunch. Kikuchi was a fantastic casting choice, who brought all these rare emotions, as well as a form of discipline, to her role.

While Hunnam gave a stoic and mediocre performance, the ones that annoyed me the most are the two scientists: Dr. Newton Geiszler, played by Charlie Day, and Hermann Gottlieb, portrayed by Burn Gorman. Both characters were extremely annoying, especially Geiszler’s hyperactivity that was overacted by Charlie Day.

Guillermo del Toro is known for his dazzling looking films and well-executed action, or horror, sequences. These, however, normally use a lot of practical effects and real persons, with as little computer-generated effects in the foreground as possible. Pacific Rim is a different calibre, though. Del Toro proves with this movie that he is able to handle full CGI battle sequences and capture jaw-dropping gigantic scenes on camera. The special effects do hold-up to this day, looking very realistic as well as beautiful. I am still able to immerse myself fully into that world, without being distracted by any of the effects.

Verdict: This might be my least favourite del Toro film but that doesn’t mean that it is bad! Pacific Rim is one of the most entertaining blockbusters I have seen, purely made to amuse the audience. The narrative, while not copying any specific anime, draws a lot of inspiration from its mecha sub-genre and sells a compelling and interesting plot about intra-dimensional monsters that came to destroy the world, fighting giant human-made robots. It does not strive to be a big and meaningful story, only scratching at the surface of what could have been a deeper monster-flick. Charlie Hunnam was miscast as the protagonist of the story, while Day and Gorman are utterly irritating. Elba, Kikuchi, and Perlman, on the other hand, are fantastic in their roles. The cinematography is good and the effects still hold up. This is a great popcorn flick and deserves an 8 out of 10!

Thank you for reading my review of Pacific Rim. Leave a comment below, to let me know what your thoughts are and look out for my review of Pacific Rim 2: Uprising on Monday!

Top Movies – Annihilation Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Annihilation is a freaky, yet hauntingly handsome tale about an alien invasion. Cleverly written and open to interpretation, it refuses to spoon-feed any answers.

Genre: Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi

Director: Alex Garland

Cast: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, David Gyasi & Benedict Wong.

Run Time: 115 min.

US Release: 23 February 2018

UK Release: 12 March 2018 (Netflix)

German Release: 12 March 2018 (Netflix)

Alex Garland strikes again, with his second directed science fiction feature that sees a group of women examining a strange quarantined area that is slowly spreading. Garland managed to impress me back in 2015, with his debut sci-fi film Ex-Machina; a smart story about the creation of synthetic life. So when I saw the trailers in theatres late last year and early January, I was naturally excited to see what his next project would be like. Little did I know that Paramount sold the screening rights to Netflix, for the releases outside the U.S. meaning that the movie fell off my radar, as it wasn’t mentioned anymore online or in theatrical previews.

Annihilation is the adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel of the same name. While I haven’t read the books, I was told by a couple of friends who did read them that this feature has little in common with the novel, which left them very disappointed. I, on the other hand, find this to be a highly effective cerebral science fiction horror flick, with fantastic performances by the complete cast. It is a picture, however, that comes with a few “impurities”.

When Lena’s (Portman) husband (Isaac) inexplicably reappears after missing in action for over a year, she volunteers for a mission into an environmental disaster area, named the shimmer, to find some answers of her own to questions that are still open. But the shimmer, a bubble-like dome that is expanding exponentially, holds secrets of its own.

Annihilation is very cleverly written, offering a foundation for discussion with its interpretative narrative elements, long after the movie ends. The plot base of this sci-fi thriller explores the destructive aspect of human nature, specifically when driven by fear of the unknown. It also brings up interesting details about cellular biology, as well as the impossibility of crossing different species, while showing the audience fascinating facets of human psychology. This is a tale that is packed with thought-provoking subjects and theories while reminding me a lot of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in the way it is executed.

I am a big fan of cerebral science fiction, but a film can’t succeed if it simply relies on brainpower, neglecting the value of entertainment. This is the biggest flaw of this picture, as Garland tries to impress the viewer with the intellectual narrative while forgetting all about the amusement. This, in turn, causes for a disjointed plot with severe pacing issues. Now, I am not saying that this flick is not fun to watch because it has its riveting moments!

The story does not contain a lot of dialogue, as it relies on visuals storytelling in combination with the viewer’s own wits. The only information we obtain verbally is about the personas’ backgrounds and theoretical thoughts, which the characters interchange when facing weird mutations. It was refreshing to see a movie that expected the audience to think, instead of spoon-feeding every bit of information!

Talking about characters, the premise about a group of women who entering an “infected zone”, not because they have a personal agenda but out of curiosity to learn about the infection, was very enthralling. It is also worth noting that Garland, who also wrote the script to this adaptation, made sure that the women are perceived as people first, by revealing as little background as possible, with the exception of Portman’s leading role.

Natalie Portman does a phenomenal job of portraying Lena. She is the main character that the audience follow, as well as the only person in the team that has a personal reason to go into the shimmer. The development of her character is intriguing, as she starts out as a broken woman, grieving the disappearance of her husband. She conveys all these different emotions extremely well, by giving a credible performance. I was disappointed, nevertheless, by a small arc of her back-story that was left open without any conclusion.

Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Dr. Ventress, the leader of the expedition crew. Leigh portrays her character magnificently; a quirky, lonely woman that seemingly has no private life. I wasn’t sure about Leigh’s rendition at first, she seems emotionally distant and cold but once some of her background is revealed, her reserved characteristics start making sense. Dr. Ventress is a strong woman who uses logic before succumbing to her emotions.

Oscar Isaac’s screen time is very limited but I was impressed with the couple of scenes he is in. He plays a very complex character, with two different faces. Kane is married to Lena, as well as being part of the previous expedition crew.

The cinematography is a highly important facet of this film, due to intense use of visual storytelling. From the moment the group enters the shimmer, the narrative looks and feels like a dream; a metaphor that was used as well by one of the characters. DoP Rob Hardy created a gorgeously looking movie with beautiful panoramic shots, as well as thrilling close-ups. The picture looks a little desaturated at the beginning but explodes with vibrant colours once the women enter the affected area and it includes great looking effects.

The music, composed by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, is also a vital part of the plot. It reflects not only the horror aspects with tension induced, synthesised bass sounds but also mirrors the mood of the group of women.

Verdict: Alex Garland is a tremendously talented writer and director, who proves his aptitude once again with Annihilation; a fascinating sci-fi tale with exploding visuals. The narrative is extremely intriguing and will require multiple viewings, as there is a deeper message underneath all the science fiction and horror elements. That said, this flick does suffer from severe pacing issues, especially around the beginning. There are also side-plots that are left with no conclusion, which can be frustrating. The execution, the collective renditions of the cast and the atmosphere, however, are all captivating and beautiful to watch. Natalie Portman knocks it out of the park, giving a very emotional performance. Oscar Isaac, who is not often on screen, is as always great. The best part of the movie, though, is the cinematography, with its handsome effects! I will give Annihilation an 8.5 out of 10.

I can only recommend going to see this cerebral sci-fi horror film. It is currently on Netflix, so please, if you are a fan of thought-provoking motion pictures, give this a try! Thank you for reading and if you found this review helpful, please give it a like.

Top Movies – Tomb Raider Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Jump, run, climb, fight, and survive! Tomb Raider returns to the big screen and Alicia Vikander proves that she’s got what it takes to carry an action franchise.

Genre: Action/Adventure

Director: Roar Uthaug

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Walton Goggins, Dominic West, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Hannah John-Kamen, & Derek Jacobi.

Run Time: 118 min.

US Release: 16 March 2018

UK Release: 14 March 2018

German Release: 16 March 2018

The new Tomb Raider movie is finally out, being a silver-screen reboot that is based on the 2013 game reboot of the franchise. Did that make sense? No? Well, it is what it is. I was very nervous going into the theatre because as we all know, cinematic adaptations of games are usually garbage, with a few exceptions existing, such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the 2001 Final Fantasy, which is criminally underrated, and I also consider the 2006 Silent Hill adaptation to be a fairly good portrayal of the horror games. Still, knowing that Vikander’s husband, Michael Fassbender, already got burned with Assassin’s Creed in 2016, I was less than optimistic about Tomb Raider.

So does it break the video game movie curse? No, not really but it is a step in the right direction and it was surprisingly faithful to the 2013 game’s story, which sees Lara being shipwrecked on an island, fighting for her survival.

Lara (Vikander) is a young woman without any focus in her life, since the mysterious disappearance of her father (West). She leads a chaotic but independent life in London, not wanting to accept the inheritance her dad left her, which includes Croft manor. When a strange puzzle-box falls into her hands, she unravels a mystery surrounding her father that forces her to travel to his last known location.

I was really invested along the first act of the story, which does build-up the character and the path to her first adventure brilliantly; by taking the time to introduce characters to the audience and making them actually care for them. The outcome that sends her running towards her adventure is written clever, since instead of using an artefact as an excuse to leave her home, Lara actually follows the steps of her father to find some answers to her troubled past. The second plot arc then switches from original story to an incredibly faithful adaptation of the Tomb Raider narrative in the game. A lot of the elements happening on the island are taken straight from the video game, as well as including parts of the sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The plot does have structural shortcomings, however, being far from perfect! Once the island sequence begins, the pacing starts jumping from ridiculously fast to a near stop and back again. Aspects that could have been used to develop the characters better are simply brushed off in favour for the next action segment, while points that concern the mystery of the island are prolonged, even if they aren’t that interesting. The twist to the secret of the tomb is a letdown, while the puzzles that need solving to reach the artefact, are solved a little to fast and at times it is not even explained how Lara obtained the answer.

Then there is a revelation happening along the middle of the blockbuster (which I am not going to spoil) that was kind of disappointing, as it retracts the growth that Lara has made until that point. The last segment, with Nick Frost playing a shop owner, doesn’t really fit the tone of the feature and seems to have been added in post-production.

I need to praise Alicia Vikander, who plays Lara Croft marvellously. She understands the character, while also looks like her in the rebooted franchise. Lara is a fiercely independent woman, who might make mistakes but learns from them fast; this not only gives the character a human aspect, it also makes her a great role model for young women. It was really impressive to see the credibility and emotional depth that Vikander gives her persona, this is the best adaptation of Lara Croft that we obtained on screen!

I am a big fan of Walton Goggins, he was terrific in Justified, as the main antagonist Boyd Crowder, great in Sons of Anarchy and I loved his performance in The Hateful Eight. When I saw that he was cast as the villain Mathias, I thought that at least the story would include a great villain. I was wrong because, even though Goggins does a good job when he is on screen, he is very underutilised! In my opinion, Tomb Raider didn’t need a main villain. It would have sufficed if this had been a simple survival action-adventure.

Dominic West portrays Richard Croft, Lara’s father who doesn’t seem to age. He is all right for the limited role he was given, as his character isn’t explored enough but simply serves as a springboard for Lara to accept whom she is.

Cinematographically speaking, I have to admit that this blockbuster was filmed quite nicely. Is it flawless? By no means, there are a couple of visual shots that try to pay homage to the climbing and jumping aesthetics of the game. While it is fun to watch, it is also a little irritating because it doesn’t look real. That is partially to blame on the computer-generated imagery, which is used for some of the bigger actions scenes yet look rather cheap, whereas the 3D effects are barely noticeable. It does, however, use good lighting, has a sharp picture, and the amazing choreographed fighting scenes are captured beautifully.

Verdict: Tomb Raider isn’t the film that is going to break the video game adaptation curse, yet it is at least a start. The story is a mixed bag; it begins very strong, building up the character of Lara Croft, as well as the world around her and takes its time to create an emotional connection between the heroine and the viewers. Once the action begins, the narrative starts suffering from pacing issues, while the disclosure of the tomb is a big letdown. That said, it stays unexpectedly true to the 2013 game! Alicia Vikander is amazing as Lara Croft, carrying most of the movie by herself. The character is interesting and has good emotional depth. Walter Goggins’ character, on the other hand, is shallow and badly developed. The picture looks good but the effects are very mediocre. All in all, this is a fun flick, though, nothing out of the ordinary. I will give Tomb Raider a 6 out of 10.

My recommendation, if you are going to see this blockbuster watch it in standard 2-D! Have you seen Tomb Raider yet? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comment section below. Thank you for reading!

Top Movies – Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

Lara Croft is back, showing more flesh and kicking more butts but raiding fewer tombs. This sequel sees the titular character searching for a deadly artefact, again!

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Director: Jan de Bont

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Ciarán Hinds, Til Schweiger, Chris Barrie, Noah Taylor, Simon Yam, Terence Yin, Fabiano Martell, Daniel Caltagirone, Jonny Coyne & Djimon Hounsou.

Run Time: 110 min.

US Release: 25 July 2003

UK Release: 22 August 2003

German Release: 14 August 2003

Welcome back to my thread of reviews for the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movies, culminating in this year’s Tomb Raider, which will see Alicia Vikander donning the titular role. If you read my previous review for the 2001 Tomb Raider, you will know that I truly came into contact with the gaming franchise once it was rebooted in 2013. Nevertheless, I did watch the films as a teenager and even watched friends play the games on their computers or consoles. Now, I hadn’t watched these game adaptations for roughly 10 years, which really put into perspective how awful they are! The Cradle of Life, though, was surprisingly better than I remembered!

— ATTENTION, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!—

Lara Croft (Jolie) returns to the big screen in this new adventure. After a strong earthquake around Greece uncovers the Lunar Temple, Croft makes the most important archaeological finding: an orb that holds the map to Pandora’s Box. Crime lord Chen Lo (Yam), however, attacks her and steals the orb. British Intelligence hires Croft to find the orb, who in turn recruits her former lover Terry Sheridan (Butler), a marine turned mercenary. Both find out that Lo is about to sell the orb to Jonathan Reiss (Hinds), an evil scientist who sells killer viruses and hopes to make a fortune by selling the box. A race ensues in which Lara tries to find the path to Pandora’s Box before Reiss can get his hands on it.

The biggest compliment I can give the narrative is that compared to it predecessor it actually has a plot, and doesn’t simply consist of random scenes that are strung together one after another. The audience actually obtains a beginning, middle and end this time around, with the main character getting a little more depth by expanding her backstory. It also contains a lot of action segments that are entertaining, making The Cradle of Life more bearable. That is all, as far as positives go because the plot itself was poorly developed.

This blockbuster borrows a lot of story elements from Raiders of the Lost Ark. There is the evil organisation searching for a crate (or box in this case), which will unleash death and pain upon the world. Government officers ask both main characters, to help stop the villains from obtaining the artefact and don’t even get me started on the romance, which includes two people that had a falling out a long time ago. It was as if the writers had no other ideas, other than to modernise the first Indiana Jones adventure, with a Jolie taking over for Ford as the archaeologist-hero. Also, for a movie that has “Tomb Raider“ in its title, there is little raiding going on!

The film makes heavy use of exposition scenes, where our hero explains to people what the cradle of life entails or what Pandora’s Box could cause, instead of just showing the viewer. The dialogues include cheesy one-liners and badly delivered conversations that didn’t sound convincing. But worst of all, are the few British accents by tertiary characters. I have never heard such an abysmal try at speaking UK-English.

Angelina Jolie returned as Lara Croft, a role that, as I stated in my previous review, was simply made for her to play! Compared to her previous portrayal of the character, Jolie gave Lara this time around more of a human touch. Her romantic backstory with Gerard Butler’s Terry Sheridan provided the character with heart, as well as little imperfections that departed her from the cold, untouchable persona, which we obtained in the first flick. Butler’s portrayal of Terry was all right but nothing out of the ordinary. He over-acted at times, especially during the end, when he butts heads with Jolie. Sadly, the chemistry between both actors is practically non-existent, which is why that final confrontation left me absolutely cold.

Jonathan Reiss, played by Ciarán Hinds, was just like Manfred Powell, a typical and shallow villain, who tried to dominate the world by shaping it to his vision. Compared to the piss-poor rendition of Iain Glen, though, Hinds gave his persona a threatening aura that made him perfect as the antagonist. Other than that, the character of Reiss had not enough background to help the audience understand his motives.

Til Schweiger, one Germany’s most annoying actors also starred in this blockbuster, of course as the villain’s main henchman. The acting was bad and his one-liners were laughable rather than threatening. His persona really irritated me every time he was on screen.

The cinematography is for the largest part terrible, containing some of the worst shots I have seen on screen! Weird angles and zoom-ins into bubbling water, a leg wrapped around a string or a hand holding a gun, is not what I would call good cinematography. There are, however, quite a few entertaining action scenes to watch, in particular, the paragliding segment! The CGI, on the other hand, did not age well but it is miles better than what it was in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Still, there are scenes (for example the opening scene in the Greek sea) that use obvious green-screen backgrounds.

The soundtrack, composed by Alan Silvestri, is epic while complimenting the feeling of adventure. What I found a little annoying, though, are some of the sound effects that are included in action scenes and sound too comical.

Verdict: I do prefer The Cradle of Life, to the first Lara Croft: Tomb Raider but that doesn’t make it a good film! However, director Jan de Bont and his crew of writers did improve a couple of aspects from the first flick, such as adding a story with arcs or adding backgrounds to the main characters. Still, the narrative is shallow, lacking any profoundness, while the script was developed awfully. Most of the story is copying of Raiders of the Lost Ark and the line delivery from the actors is not particularly good. Watching Angelina Jolie kick some butt was as always fun, and the action sequences are entertaining but the villain is the typical superficial baddy, while Gerard Butler had no chemistry with Jolie at all, which made their romance unbelievable. The cinematography is mostly terrible, including outdated computer effects and obvious green-screen effects, yet some action scenes were actually captured beautifully. Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life can be a fun guilty pleasure but it doesn’t deserve more than a 4 out of 10.

Thanks for reading this review! Look out for my review of the new Tomb Raider this weekend and if you enjoyed this review, please share it and give it a thumbs up.

Top Movies – Death Wish (Remake) – Spoiler Free Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

Graphic violence against innocent residents, and a gun-toting vigilante serving justice with bullets. The NRA couldn’t be more proud, even if they had paid for this advert themselves.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama

Director: Eli Roth

Cast: Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dean Norris, Camila Morrone, Elisabeth Shue, Kimberly Elise, Beau Knapp, Jack Kesy, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Ian Matthews & Wendy Crewson.

Run Time: 107 min.

US Release: 02 March 2018

UK Release: 06 April 2018

German Release: 08 March 2018

Is it just me or is Bruce Willis getting worse the older he gets? In all honesty, I haven’t seen the man in a good movie since Looper (Split does not count!) and this revenge flick, directed by Eli Roth, simply adds to his bad resume. Death Wish is a remake of the 1974 original of the same name that starred Charles Bronson as the lead. Compared to its predecessor, though, this re-envision fails at having a charismatic lead character. Then again, I shouldn’t have expected anything else from an Eli Roth project. It is fun to watch once the action starts but the story segments are completely underdeveloped!

Dr. Paul Kersey (Willis) is a happily married husband and father. The aftermath of violence that is happening in the city of Chicago, where he lives in, is only noticed when he is in the ER, operating on victims of crimes. That is, until one night his wife (Shue) and daughter (Morrone) are brought in with heavy injuries after a burglary in his home went awry. With the police left without clues, Paul, who is striving for revenge, starts hunting down criminals in a brutal fashion.

The plot follows that of the original’s beat for beat, apart from a couple of changes made to the personas as well as the ending. The biggest difference, however, is the quality of the writing and direction. I am not the biggest fan of the original Death Wish, finding it to brutal for the sake of invoking shock in the viewer, yet I could still tell that director Michael Winner was trying to make a compelling film, with a message vital to its time. Roth’s remake, on the other hand, just tries to make a quick buck by living of its predecessor’s reputation. The narration in between the action segments is practically non-existent, awfully paced and makes use of radio-show montages, to add any sense of depth.

The dialogue isn’t any better, using speech patterns or forms of conversations I have never heard being used by any family. Even the therapy sessions do not sound convincing and don’t get me started on the laughably terrible talk between Dr. Kersey and one of his daughter’s friends. That said, where this movie excels are the entertaining action sequences. This is a bloody and violent feature but it is fun to watch Bruce Willis kick some butt, avenging the tragedy that befell his family!

Most of the performances are poorly delivered. Apart from D’Onofrio, there isn’t one I would have called credible. On top of that, this picture doesn’t present the viewers with a clear villain but simply jumps from one fight to the next, which makes it hard for the audience to feel sympathy with the lead character, when he is gunning down people that are on screen for a few seconds.

Bruce Willis plays Dr. Paul Kersey, a surgeon working at a Chicago Hospital. Willis’ rendition of the character lacks any sort of emotion, while the little he did show is absolutely misplaced. He is cheery and happy during scenes where he should be devastated, having just lost part of his family in such tragic way. This is not a man that is grieving or angry, but a bad parody of the original character. The development he makes from life-saving surgeon to deadly vigilante is handled via a montage that fails at explaining the transformation.

Vincent D’Onofrio is by far the best asset to this film! While it isn’t his best performance, he does lend the character of Frank Kersey, brother to Dr. Kersey, some reliability. D’Onofrio is also the only actor who shows some sort of emotion, especially after what happened to his persona’s niece and sister-in-law, which makes him the most likeable person in this remake.

Dean Norris dons the same role he already played in Breaking Bad – one of my favourite TV shows! I would not complain about it, if he had given his character a different approach but he simply reiterates the characteristics of Hank Schrader, to the role of Detective Kevin Raines. He is still the more believable of the two cops, as Kimberly Elise rendition of Detective Leonore Jackson is horribly wooden.

Verdict: Eli Roth’s remake of the 1974 original, starring Charles Bronson, is nothing more than an empty hull. Given Roth’s resume of cheap horror flicks, I don’t know why I expected more from this film. The plot is lazily written, using news segments or radio show video-clippings, to fill in the audience on what is happening and create a false sense of profoundness. The dialogues are delivered laughably poor, not selling the grief or despair of the main character, while Bruce Willis’ emotional absences and terrible performance, crushes the last bit of credibility. Dean Norris resumes the same role he already played in Breaking Bad, without lending the role any new attributes. The cinematography is as lazily uninspired as the script itself. Honestly, the only parts that give this feature some sort of entertaining value, are the action segments and Vincent D’Onofrio. For this reason alone, I will grant Death Wish a 4 out of 10.

What did you think of Death Wish? Leave a comment below and if you found this review helpful, please give it a like and share with others.

Top Movies – Game Night Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

Seven friends, one night, and a big prize to win. Game Night uses the amusement of such get-togethers successfully, giving the night a special twist.

Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime

Director: John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein

Cast: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Billy Magnussen, Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Jesse Plemons, Danny Huston, Zerrick Williams, Joshua Mikel, Michael Cyril Creighton & Michael C. Hall.

Run Time: 100 min.

US Release: 23 February 2018

UK Release: 02 March 2018

German Release: 01 March 2018

I’ll be absolutely honest, after the comedy disaster of 2015 that was Vacation, in which Goldstein and Daley already co-worked as directors, I was expecting cheap jokes but not many laughs! Well, I could not have been more wrong, as Game Night proves to be a much-needed breeze of fresh air for this genre’s segment. Having said that, I do not recommend watching the trailers If you are planning on seeing this in cinemas. The second trailer especially gives away to much, not doing the film any justice!

A group of friends meet once a week for game nights. When Max’s (Bateman) brother Brooks (Chandler) barges into one of their get-togethers, insulting Max and taking over the organisation, Max and his wife Annie (McAdams) swear to win his “murder mystery” to humiliate him, not realising that a real crime just happened. This leads to a string of hysterical scenarios, with the characters put in most ridiculous situations.

The plot, as well as the writing, is way better and far more effective than I had expected! It is a well-paced story, staying interesting throughout its 100-minute runtime. Funny enough, it is also somewhat of a relatable account, at least up until a point in the narrative, where it just gets absolutely ludicrous. The viewer, though, is able to sympathise with all participants of the game night. What I found best, however, is the way this comedy pokes fun at the various clichés established by gangster or horror flicks, as well as taking potshots at the different types of couples and singles. This makes for an amusing dating movie, which ironically reminded me a lot of 2010’s Date Night, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey.

The story is not without flaws, though! For a movie that pokes holes at so many banalities in films, it makes use of enough clichés itself to uphold the plot structure. The last act, in which several revelations are made that test the disbelief of the most gullible moviegoer, is just too much. Yet, it is still pleasing to watch how it ends with a huge, if not clichéd, bang! The dialogue, on the other hand, is smart and includes quite a bit of movie trivia references, making it partially meta. It is fun to see how these people relate their “murder mystery” party to popular gangster flicks, even paraphrasing some of the best-known lines.

Every character included, no matter the size of their roles contributes to the humorous aspects of this picture. There is not one person that was wasted; each one has their place in the story and serves a purpose, which was great to see!

Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams play a married couple, Max and Annie. Both act as leading characters in this comedy, managing to play jokes perfectly of each other. Bateman and McAdams have fantastic chemistry, making their relationship believable but what is more important is the fact that they are likeable characters! It is great to see McAdams in a light-hearted humorous flick, as she donned more serious roles in her last movies. I completely forgot how funny she can be, especially next to Bateman.

Jesse Plemons is fantastic as Gary, the creepy neighbour who also happens to be a police officer. He steals the show every time he is on screen! Gary went through some rough stages in life but also has a very scary personality. Plemons nailed his character, controlling the fine line of funny and creepy, in each scene he was in.

Considering that most of the narrative takes place at night, this is a very well lit film with a clear picture. Most impressive, however, is how several scenes, entirely made by using CGI, are being applied in this feature; there are aerial shots of the urban area in which the story takes place that looks like a board game with plastic housing. When zooming in, the computer imagery effortlessly blends in with real footage. This technique left me amazed.

Verdict: I was thoroughly impressed with this comedy, especially because I thought that it was going to be a complete catastrophe. Well, I was proven wrong! Mark Perez managed to write an amusing and exciting script that makes use of several film banalities, as well as making fun of human relationships. Those parts are wrapped in a crime-mystery, revolving around a game night of hysterical laughter. The dialogue includes entertaining movie references that are paired with the great performances of the actors. Not one role is sidelined and all contribute to the comedic aspect of the story. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are outstanding as the main couple, but it is Jesse Plemons with his peculiar rendition, that steals each scene he is in! This picture has its shortcomings, though, starting with the fact that it is filled with clichés. Then there is the problem that it includes too many twists and turns, making the last act completely unbelievable. Still, this is one of the better comedies I have seen in recent years and I will give Game Night a 7 out of 10.

Thank you for reading this review. If you like it, please give it the old thumbs-up and share it! My review of Death Wish will follow tomorrow!

Top Movies – Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Movie Review – Movie Reviews Sites

Lara Croft’s first big blockbuster adventure, not only gathered fame but was also a box office success back in 2001. The calibre, though, is sub-par.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Director: Simon West

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Iain Glen, Daniel Craig, Noah Taylor, Christopher Barrie, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Leslie Phillips, Ozzie Yue, Robert Phillips, Richard Johnson & Jon Voight.

Run Time: 100 min.

US Release: 15 June 2001

UK Release: 06 July 2001

German Release: 28 June 2001

Welcome to my first review for the two Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movies, which I plan posting along the next week, in anticipation of the newest Tomb Raider starring Alicia Vikander, and to be released 15th March in Germany. To be absolutely honest, I did not grow up playing the Tomb Raider games; I always preferred playing or replaying my Nintendo games, the first Metal Gear Solid, Rayman and a bunch of James Bond games. My first real interaction with a Tomb Raider game was Angel of Darkness, which didn’t impress me much. Ever since the franchise’s reboot in 2013, though, I became a real fan of the series.

However, this doesn’t mean that I didn’t know who Lara Croft is, as I watched many of my friends play the games on console or computer. Also, at the time of the film’s cinematic release, I was thirteen years old and wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way from watching Angelina Jolie in sexy action poses. I remember leaving the cinema with two of my friends, believing that we saw the best movie ever made. Fast forward 17 years later and my feelings about this game adaptation shifted dramatically!

—-ATTENTION, BE AWARE OF SPOILERS!!! —-

Lara Croft (Jolie) is a member of a British aristocratic family. Following into her deceased father’s (Voight) footsteps, she spends her time uncovering tombs to find ancient artefacts. She is skilled in martial arts, weapons training, as well as able to talk several foreign and dead languages. As the planets of the solar system are falling into alignment, the secret society of the Illuminati begin to search for an ancient pyramid-shaped talisman, that will give the possessor the ability to control time once the planets are perfectly aligned. They have one week to find the talisman and Lara holds a piece to the puzzle. A race for time ensues, as Lara tries to beat the Illuminati, to save the world from a grizzly future (or past).

Rewatching this blockbuster, I was dazzled at the lack of content in the story, which isn’t very coherent. The plot is a complete structural mess, not following any logical path while jumping incomprehensibly from one scene to the next. The lack of story is clearly felt in between the action segments, as nothing of interest happens. Those gaps are simply filled montages of people travelling from one point to the next, while looking into the horizon and some unimportant characters trying to pull a funny one, by being obscene. That said, everybody involved with production never pretended to create a serious or compelling picture, which is why this movie can be enjoyed for what it is; silly action-adventure.

The dialogue, on the other hand, is truly abysmal, consisting of several cheesy one-liners, as well as complete strings of conversations that sound unnatural and over-the-top. Lara Croft doesn’t even talk at times, answering with a simple facial gesture or a sound. Some of the dialogue makes use of butt-jokes or simple swearing for comedic purpose, without really hitting home.

Angelina Jolie was perfectly cast as Lara Croft. She not only looks the part but is obviously having fun at embodying the character. Jolie knew that she signed up for a low-quality adaptation of a video game, yet she went with the script, trying to do her best at portraying the leading role. Lara herself is painted as a strong and independent woman, with a mind of her own but is also over-sexualised to a point that it borders on soft porn. Funny enough, it is exactly how Lara Croft was displayed in the games back then.

Iain Glen plays the villainous Manfred Powell, a member of the Illuminati out to obtain a pyramid-shaped artefact before Lara Croft does so herself. Glen, nowadays known for his role as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO series Game of Thrones, played the character so excessive that he came off like a cartoon caricature. The villain is a typical cliché bad guy with no depth that just wants the power to dominate the world.

The movie really drops the ball when it comes to computer-generated effects! The statues that come to life in the middle of the story, look like something a 1995 video game and move like stop-motion figures, rather than computer graphics. The computer animation for some black liquid looks ridiculously abstract. The stunt-coordination and fight choreography are so laughably bad, that it needed to be masked by multiple fast cuts. However, the bungee fight scene in the mansion was filmed superbly intense. Then there are the multiple cross dissolves that are used for exposition scenes, but what it does, is confuse the audience.

Verdict: I hadn’t seen this game adaptation in roughly 10 years and was shocked at how bad it actually is, not even qualifying as a good B-flick. The narrative construction is incomprehensible and hard to follow, while the dialogue is laughably cheesy and overblown, including boring scenes between fights that are tedious, with no entertaining value whatsoever. The characters are all monotonous and one-dimensional, which is especially true of the villain. Angelina Jolie had obvious fun with her role, knowing she was in a low-budget film without a spec of quality. Her scenes look sexy, with Jolie selling the part of Lara Croft. The cinematography is, for the longest part, horrible. The poor fighting coordination is masked; using multiple quick cuts, while the CGI and green-screen effects look bad, even for this pictures time. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a flick that can be enjoyed for simple entertainment, yet it still is a bad production and deserves a 3.5 out of 10.

Do you agree with my review of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider? Leave a comment below and let me know. My next review for Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, will follow next week. Until then, thank you for reading!

Top Movies – Heilstätten Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites

A German paranormal horror feature a-la Blair Witch Project, with an unforeseen twist at the end. What could possibly go wrong, right?

Genre: Horror

Director: Michael David Pate

Cast: Sonja Gerhardt, Emilio Sakraya, Timmi Trinks, Nilam Farooq, Tim Oliver Schultz, Lisa-Marie Koroll, Davis Schulz & Farina Flebbe.

Run Time: 89 min.

US Release: N/A

UK Release: N/A

German Release: 22 February 2018

Heilstätten is directed by German regisseur Michael David Pate, infamous for his previous social-media themed picture Kartoffelsalat. After watching the trailers I wasn’t really expecting much but was nevertheless excited to see a German horror movie, since they don’t make many productions of that genre. Leaving the theatre, though, I could not have been more upset, even with my low-predictions. This is a cheaply produced shocker, failing to entertain at any level!

Four young YouTube vloggers and their friends challenge each other to stay at the notorious Heilstätten of Beelitz, for 24 hours. Theo (Schultz), a tour guide for the abandoned sanatorium, gets them into the facility but as dusk falls, the silent and decaying rooms turn into something sinister and dangerous, as the Heilstätten seem to be possessed by ghosts.

The story includes a lot of haunted house and found footage cliéches but also gives it a fresh coat of paint, by adding YouTube artists as the main characters. This gives the plot a plausible reason for all the cameras that are placed around the abandoned hospital. It also contains a message that dominates the first act of the film, criticising the “ignorant” content of some of the larger channels on the social-media platforms, as well as condemning the follower craze. This message, though, gets a little bit muffled by the poor delivery and week dialogues, which are at times way over-the-top.

Most annoying is the fact that this horror flick makes constant use of cheap jump scares throughout its runtime until the real threat appears on screen. The last act incorporates a turn of events, supposed to pull the rug from underneath the viewer’s feet, but it is handled so incredibly cheesy that it made me chuckle. The last five minutes of the movie are no better, trying to add a second twist in the last scene and leaving an open end, enough for a possible sequel that I hope will not occur!

All of the characters, with the exception of the lead, are juiced-up on adrenaline when they arrive at the haunted sanatorium. None of them react scared or crept out, once the first paranormal activities start happening: for instance a door that shuts inexplicably or something appearing and disappearing in front of the camera. Along the second act, however, nearly all of the personas shift from being irritatingly stupid to annoyingly hysteric.

Sonja Gerhardt plays the main lead Marnie, a YouTuber with a channel talking about the confrontation of fear. She does not have that many followers and thus joins the group and their challenge, in the hopes of gathering more subscription numbers if she appears in one of the more prominent German YouTube channels. She has a bad feeling from the beginning about the place, believing it to be a mistake to stay. Gerhardt gave, next to Trinks, one of the better performances. She acts disturbed and scared, trying to control her fears but failing at times.

The characters of Charly and Finn, portrayed by Emilio Sakraya and Timmi Trinks respectively, are most annoying. They are the leads and creators of a YouTube channel that focuses on pranks, at times going even so far as to break the law, for more clicks. Both characters are very unlikeable, especially that of Sarkaya who is a selfish idiot. Trinks surprised by being extremely irritating along the first half, then changing his performance to a more scared but likeable persona, along the second part of the runtime.

Nilam Farooq impersonates the fourth vlogger of the group, Betty, who operates a beauty channel. Betty is a one-dimensional persona with no background story. Pate and second writer Ziedrich tried to add some past family drama, to make her more interesting but failed miserably at doing so. Her primary task is to act as a romantic partner for Finn and be the perfect victim, she isn’t given any further function.

Tim Oliver Schultz plays Theo, an educated young man working at a tourism company, who offer guided tours through the hospitals. Schultz is misunderstood and plays a seemingly lonesome person, who has been categorised by others as a nerd.

This being a found footage flick, means amateur camera-work and a lot of shaky-cam. However, this movie does take it too far, inserting zoomed in shots that cut of half of a face or shaking the picture so intensely during scary scenes, that it is impossible to follow what is happening on screen. In addition to these annoying cinematographic errors, weird cuts are being implemented at random spots and along the last 20 minutes, it makes use of a ridiculous montage sequence, meant as exposition for the twist in the third act. The effects, on the other hand, are not that bad.

Verdict: I was severely disappointed by this German found-footage film, even with the low expectations I had when walking into the cinema. I wasn’t hoping for a groundbreaking new turn of the genre but simply wanted to be entertained. Granted, the last act has a couple of creepy moments, but the shock factors are mostly created by cheap and fake jump scares. The twist at the end is completely unnecessary and horribly executed. It incorporates a message, criticising a specific type of YouTube influencer and topics, as well as the platforms current subscription trend, yet it only scratches the surface of the problem without delving deep into the matter. The characters are either one-dimensional or simply unlikeable to such a degree, that the audience doesn’t care anymore for the person. Exceptions are Sonja Gerhardt and Timmi Trinks, who give alright performances. The real horror comes from the terrible quality of this production. I will give Heilstätten a 3.0 out of 10.

Thank you for reading my review! If you enjoyed it, please give it a like and share it.