(film review) - The Flash

I took a little time to let this movie sit with me before I wrote the review for several reasons. I wanted to address the "so-called" 'elephant in the room' as well as the current state of affairs of the DC universe. I have been gathering my thoughts to try and explain this the best way I can, without going too deep and losing anyone who does not really care and to also give an explanation as to where we are going forward with DC. So first and foremost, this movie has been 9 years in the making. In those 9 years, since 2013, we had 'Man of Steel' to kick it all off, but 12 movies before this and out of those 12 movies, we had 2 that were excellent, 4 that were really good, 2 that were pretty much identical, but still very different in execution and 4 that were either just ok or trash. I have said this before and I will say it again, Warner Bros. the owners of Detective Comics aka DC spent a lot of time trying to chase the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so much so, they felt to deviate drastically and produce movies like 'Joker', which is not apart of the DCEU. The Batman came out also, which is also not part of the DCEU and both of these movies are great, but WB have no clue what they are doing. Also there has been controversy with studio heads at WB, bad decisions, reactive behaviour and all sorts of problems with directors and actors also in this time. When one director was "removed" from a project due to a personal family tragedy, another director took over and seemed to cut out storylines and dialogue from specific characters leading to another version of the same film being made with the original director because what we initially got, was not the vision the original director had. Lastly, Ezra Miller, whilst not very well known but a terrific actor, in the last few years has become known to the public due to a series of events and situations that have painted Ezra in a very bad light all in the lead up to the release of this movie. This movie has gone through various directors and undoubtedly, various reshoots to try and counter the problems and/or salvage what they have. So whilst you may be upset, disgruntled, or feel a type of way about Ezra in their personal life, their acting, skill as an actor and sheer ability to finesse this craft cannot be mistaken. Ezra, as an actor, as this character and in this movie is excellent which in turn makes this movie a very good watch. However, with not only a new DC universe on its way, not knowing if this movie ultimately connects with the past and/or future of DC, will definitely make one wonder if watching this movie is even necessary if you want the whole connectivity of it all. Whilst I cannot actually answer that question specifically, I will say, I do have some thoughts as to the direction DC could take.

Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) accidentally stumbles on time travel and decides to travel back in time to try and fix a very open wound he has surrounding the death of his mother and the incarceration of his father. Having asked for advice and given a warning not to travel back in time, Ezra travels back in time anyway not realising, not only has he travelled back in time, he has ultimately travelled into a separate universe where Zod attacks Earth looking for Kal-L. Barry must team up with the Batman (Michael Keaton) of that world along with the Kryptonian to battle Zod, defeat him and find a way back to his own universe and at the correct time.

I had fun with this movie. It was a great watch. A lot of laugh-out-loud moments as Ezra, at this point IS Barry Allen. We have seen Barry Allen portrayed in a few movies now and also in the 'Peacemaker' season one finale, but Ezra shines as Barry Allen. They are great, captivating, moving, emotional, not to mention playing two Barry Allens at different times in his life. Ezra is simply phenomenal and carries this entire movie acting against theirself and with Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle. This movie has been 9 years in the making and whilst the film does not look dated exactly or feel dated, I do feel from completion to release, there was a lot of time to iron out and polish the special effects. Whilst not terrible, some moments look weird, purposefully or not and it is possible, some things could have been re-thought. For example, the film starts off with a big action set piece involving a hospital. Some of the decisions made here for the movie do not work visually although it is a great scene. So as a viewer, you are left with the choice to accept it as it is or take umbridge over the look and quality of said scene. Personally, I did not mind, although I could understand why things looked the way they did visually AND take that on the chin and disregard the visuals simply for the playthrough rather than be bothered about it. Had they used the time to re-think this set piece, maybe they would have realised that some of the visuals here were not great and gone for something else. But I am sure they had more pressing matters of concern. Talking about the CGI, towards the end of the movie, there were some very heavy-handed decisions to either "serve" the fans, or pay homage. The problem is at this point in the movie, whilst everything is wrapping up, doing what they did ultimately felt a little weird and too outside the box and far-reaching rather than it feeling contained within the film. You could say, it felt unnatural. Without going into spoilers, if you are going to go in, go in. If you are going to try and do the distance, go all the way in and explore every avenue you can. That would make it feel more authentic, but in the end, it only raised more issues with what has happened over the years without providing any solutions or possibilities. Whilst one-moment kind of honoured that, for the most part, was great, but felt weird and also seemingly forced, especially when the majority of the audience are not aware of the why, so why?

The music, the acting, everything here was top-notch. Very serious in moments but also very funny. A very cool moment at the beginning of the movie was the "title" screen. It was so cleverly done and well executed. It was great to see some returning actors from previous movies and the Batman of it all, was simply great. Having grown up on Michael Keaton as Batman from the Batman 1989 movie followed by Batman Returns, a lot of people see Michael Keaton as their Batman, so hearing a cheer when he first shows up was amazing. Michael felt like he had never left the cowl as he slipped back into his rendition of Bruce Wayne and The Batman. With that said, the memorabilia was also great to see as well as some of the advances. You will see in the trailer, a room opens up and you see lots and lots of Batman suits, most of which are from the comics, but they ultimately told a story which was great. Sasha Calle is excellent. The way she portrayed her character left me wanting more from her in a spin-off with their own movie or simply anything else. All in all, the movie is just a really fun watch.

The problem with it all. When the film was completed and due for release, the world went into lockdown due to a global pandemic. However, problems for the movie started to come about when the lead star Ezra Miller kept getting into trouble due to their actions. Not only was the film completed, but DC were also going through a change due to a bunch of lacklustre movies and the audience not gravitating towards these movies. With word of a new DCU incoming by a former Disney-employed director who was fired, then rehired by Disney but ultimately got a job to head this new DC universe for Warner Bros, the audience are simply left in limbo. I saw the damage control to be, "this is a great movie" which it is, but why would they say differently with all the controversy surrounding Ezra, they need all the bums on seats they could possibly get and all the money. If the movie were to do well, regardless of Ezra continuing as Barry Allen or not, the former heroes such as Aquaman (who has a movie out next), Wonder Woman, etc, could all be apart of the DCU IF, navigated correctly. At a point, James Gunn said he has no need for Henry Cavill at present to play Superman and will be going with a new actor, which made me think, the doors are still open, kinda. If Barry Allen can transcend timelines and universes, surely we can have multiple Supermen like how we had different Batmen, correct? James can release all the films he likes and maybe in 15-20 years' time, have two Supermen in a movie and the old guard can resume their role "co-signing" the new guard. All in all, if you want to see this movie due to simply wanting to see a Flash movie, I would definitely say, you should get yourself to the cinema and watch it due to it being a great experience. If you want to know if there is any interconnectivity with other superheroes from Justice League and such, whilst we cannot be certain if it is all connected, they are there, but time will tell. If you want to see Ezra as a superb actor, then definitely go and watch it, otherwise...other than being a really good watch which is fun and enjoyable, there is a chance you may not want to watch it due to Ezra and their antics or the "lack of" position this movie has in the greater universe of it all, so if that is the case, I understand, but this is a really good movie.

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(film review) [STREAMING] - Extraction 2

Straight out of the gate in 2020 when the entire world was told to stay home due to a global pandemic, Netflix dropped a movie called 'Extraction' starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if you did not know the actor's name). It was at a time where there were no trips to the cinema, we could only rely on home entertainment and while Netflix has been pretty hit-and-miss when it comes to a lot of the products they put out, Extraction was another hit, like how 'The Old Guard' with Charlize Theoron was...well, it was decently received, at least. Whilst this might seem irrelevant now, but both 'John Wick', 'John Wick: Chapter 2' and 'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum' was already out by then and taking the world by storm. A former hitman takes on a crime lord due to killing his dog. Riviting storyline, but it was nothing but action on top of action inside an action sandwich and it was very well praised and beloved by many. Those movies were directed by stuntmen, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. Whilst David Leitch has gone on to direct other movies (since the first John Wick), Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Nobody, Bullet Train and Violent Night, all films that have received some kind of praise due to the action and visuals, Sam Hargrave, another stuntman is responsible for both Extraction and Extraction 2, which leads me to this; there seems to be a new trend in Hollywood where a stuntman can act, stunt co-ordinate and pick up the camera to direct compelling movies that are not too deep on story, but can deliver a heavy punch or eight to the face, providing the audience with nothing but action in a way that many of us love and enjoy. So while Extraction was Sam's first feature movie...and it was really good, Sam raised the bar this time around and he simply made an even better sequel.

Extraction 2 picks up where the last one left off, and the story of Tyler Rake continues as a black ops mercenary who has been specifically selected to carry out a job which is very close to home for him. Tyler and his team must infiltrate a Georgian prison for an extraction, but in his way are two warring gangs and one of the leaders of the two gangs is a ruthless drug lord and has a personal army. Tyler just do this quietly, failure to do so, means he is likely to disrupt the prisoners and bring on a fight, likely die and fail his mission.

Surperb. You know when you are sitting/laying there watching a movie and then all of a sudden, you sit up as if the movie has commanded your undivided attention, like it never had it in the first place. There was a scene where someone was going to fall, but what the other person does to catch them made me sit up straight. It was a great moment, one of many in this movie. If you do not know already but I love a long take. A long take is where it seems as though the camera stays locked on the action covering many angles, following characters and not "cutting" to a different angle. This has been achieved in many films and TV shows, but I think I first recognised it in the first Netflix Daredevil season one taxi scene from inside the taxi where the camera turns in a 360 degree turn without cutting or again in Daredevil and the famous action-packed hallway scene. The Michael Keaton film Birdman (I think, from memory) is all one take too. The first extraction film achieved this as a car chase scene that started from a jungle and ended in a street fight. Without giving away too much, this long take starts from inside a prison and ends on a train. It is amazing to watch and a lot of the time I kept thinking, "How?" "How did they achieve that?" Moreover, we are simply looking at a video game at this point. The film was soo good, when the film finished, I was buzzing with excitement wondering if and when there will be a sequel. If a computer game developer would take this franchise up and develop a game to play on consoles and PC. Man like Tyler Rake, has simply shot up as one of my favourite action heroes next to John McClane and Ethan Hunt.

Sam Hargrave's directing is a work of art. I believe coming from a stuntman background allows him to see angles or action in ways others cannot, hence why the action in these films feel soo intense, gritty and gripping. The only franchise that comes remotely close to this franchise is, John Wick and The Raid. Even the TV show Gangs of London comes close to this but Extraction is something different entirely. No glamourous or beautiful shots, no or not many sequences where you have to suspend disbelief, everything feels real as if it could really happen and characters can actually die. Insane are the stunts, but we are not talking Fast and Furious type of stunts, you know? Sam levels up the story this time around with more characters and a complex situation that changes the dynamics of the characters involved. Without going into too much detail, but a character is disillusioned and thinks wholeheartedly that something is a certain way, but later faces the realisation that all is not what it seems. There is a "side character" from the first movie who returns with a bigger role in this and their scenes are excellent.

The action, superb. The cinematography, excellent. The pacing, swift. The music, good. The acting, great. There is even another actor who joins the franchise in whom was a surprise to me just like the first movie had a surprise actor in it as well. The stuntwork, top form and amazing, but what would you expect from a director who is a stunt co-oridnator. All in all, this franchise seems to be getting better and better with each outing and I sincerely hope, we do get a 3rd to leave us with a trilogy at least...unlike The Raid franchise that only gave us 2 great action-packed films. Make it a trilogy and we can mention it as part of the most underrated trilogies ever made. Oh, and watch them back to back, Extraction 1 and then 2.