(film review) - Send Help

So I am going to admit this first before I get into it: I did not plan to watch this movie. I had seen the trailer, and I do not mind a Sam Raimi movie, but I can do without and wait, you know? Kind of like an M. Night movie. I am definitely not saying Sam is hit and miss like most will say (or argue) M. Night is, but I feel like I have to be in a Sam Raimi mood for his dark and quirky humour. Even though I was not aiming to watch this and I was not really geared up for this movie, I had a very good time with it because Sam brought that Drag Me to Hell energy to this, and it is some truly twisted fun. I’ll explain.

Linda (Rachel McAdams) has been working for the company for several years, CEO has passed away, and his son has stepped in to run the company. Repulsed by her but willing to give her a chance, he invites her on a trip to finalise a merger, but during the trip, their plane crashes en route and the pair are stranded on an island. Whilst on the island, they fight for survival.

When I watched Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there were elements in that movie that were horror-esque and I had mentioned this in my review. Sam loves squirting blood and using grotesque imagery that makes you squirm or cover your eyes but still peek through your fingers while laughing. Sam Raimi is like Tim Burton, only with added flourishes of comedy and horror. His films may not be for everybody, but they do have a uniqueness to them.

In typical Sam Raimi fashion, there were a few jump scares, but the puppetry and imagery have that cartoonish quality—borderline comic-book style but also horrific. A tiny example (and slight spoiler): there is a jump-scare moment and immediately after, a look to the camera. Absolutely cartoony, but if you know how Sam Raimi directs, it is bound to give you a laugh. Needless to say, the cinematography, imagery, and setting are excellent. At the beginning, there were some nonsensical close-ups, but accompanied by the music, everything simply gels together well.

The acting: I recognise the man from something, but I cannot quite pinpoint where just yet. Rachel McAdams, however, is astounding in this. I have seen her in other roles, but I felt she truly brought it here with a varied performance. The quiet moments, the crazy moments, the anger, and the tears—she brought it all to the screen and, for me, stood out and carried the entire movie on her back. The guy is somewhat one-dimensional: funny in moments, but his character is not necessarily someone you are supposed to like. Dylan O'Brien of Maze Runner fame is who he is.

All in all, this movie is great to watch by yourself or with your significant other. I can only assume that during the movie you may need to re-evaluate yourself or your place in the relationship, because I definitely wondered who I would be in a “stranded on a desert island” scenario. Enjoy.

(film review) - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

What I will say first and foremost is that, I have taken a little time to think about this movie before I wrote this for a few reasons. By no way am I trying to justify this movie's shortcomings on the pandemic and reshoots, but more on how the movie was actually presented to me in the end. The end result in which everyone watched and from the buzz I am hearing, seems to be dividing people. I would like to say secondly, this movie is not trash, it is not terrible, it is not rubbish, though I really really enjoyed this film, I do believe this film lacks something that could have made this movie great (in my eyes of course), but this film...for me anyway, is good, really good...but not great. I'll explain.

After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Stephen Strange finds himself having nightmares that seem very real. In a nightmare, Strange is running with a young girl named America Chavez however, he soon bumps into her finding out not only is this young girl special, but in a vast multiverse with many different realities, there are many different threats that threaten the world and also, many different Doctor Stephen Strange's. Strange must find a way to stop these demonic forces and threats so he seeks out Wanda Maximoff for help.

This is a very divisive movie for a few reasons.  This is a horror movie. For those who do not like horror, will be turned off by this. I will say that the horror is light in comparison to actual horror movies, but the elements and themes are still there. This is a Sam Raimi movie who is also known for horror and there is a specific style of directing he carries out in his movies. It is like campy or slapstick, maybe? It is dark comedy infused with horror and that style may not be for everyone. This is a Marvel movie and although it is not imperative to watch all the other 20+ movies before it, some of those movies can help paint the narrative and storyline as to what is happening in this movie as well as watching the TV show, WandaVision.

With that said, what did I think of the movie?

I feel the movie is divisive for me for a few reasons, but overall, I really enjoyed it but could have enjoyed it more due to a few things I feel was missing. Although this movie shows the growth of Stephen, it also shows us the personal struggles he has along with trying to be the Scorcher Supreme.  The character is still learning and Benedict owns the character. As for Wanda, excellent! Elizabeth Olsen does a fantastic job here and a lot of the movie is carried by her acting and storyline, but I do feel, more could have been done to help flesh out the character more for those who did not see WandaVision. Whilst Xochitl Gomez is brilliant in the role, I felt more could have been done with her and her abilities. Which leads me onto the Multiverse of it all. Maybe it is Marvel trying not to show their hand too much for what is to come, but a film called 'The Multiverse of Madness' needed more Multiverse......and madness. It is not like, what we get is not good, but what we got was lacking. I am under the impression that this film could have been and could quite well have been longer, but it was cut short.

Sam Raimi has always been great with visuals so there is no loss there, but the music was equally just as good. The film is a little choppy and very fast paced whilst although there was an element of character development which dragged the movie a tiny bit, I just felt more character development should have been done to help flesh out the motivations of these characters, leaving the movie feeling a little rushed. There is also a scene with music I thought was a little corny at first but I ended up enjoying it.

This movie could have been soo much more and whilst there are some great and amazing visuals and moments, the film does lack that little bit more, like a spicy kick to help deliver the material in a more meatier fashion. I mean, Endgame was meaty, why could this not be just as meaty? And we cannot say due to timing constraints, especially when some Marvel movies do not shy from being 2-3 hours long. Have a watch and let me know how you feel.

You can comment down below to enter in discussions. Thank you for reading, Subscribe and Spread the word! - Get your ReelReeviews, right here!

(film review) - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Have you seen the first Sherlock Holmes which came out a year ago starring Robert Downey, Jr & Jude Law? Did you read my review I did on the film? Sherlock Holmes? All I can say is that this film is missing a lot of things yet replacing with a whole lot more.

Before, I said Sherlock Holmes was batty with a sensitive nose and great eye for detail; nothing has changed.
In this film, Sherlock Holmes is caught in a game of mind games with his nemesis Professor Moriarty who seems to be 1 step ahead of Holmes in every single way possible and out whitting/smarting Holmes so that he can get away war profiteering. You'd think that with Sherlock Holmes being really intelligent and constantly "high" on opium, you'd think this would be impossible.

Without spoilling the film, I'd say that if you enjoyed the first film, you will definately enjoy the second as although there is no bare knuckle boxing, Robert Downey, Jr once again brings Sherlock Holmes to life and provides the batty, insane comedy in which IS Sherlock Holmes. As well as Robert BEING Ironman, he IS most definately Sherlock Holmes as he carries the character soo well and the relationship between himself and Watson are unparrelled in terms of working together. The brotherly love is there and believable and you can tell that the actors had fun doing this film.

Guy Ritchie once again injections his COOL into this film and you also get to see the pre-though calculations in which Sherlock Holmes does before he acts out a move/action. Even better, at then end of the film, showing how smart and calculative Professor Moriarty when they show his pre-thought process battling Sherlock Holmes. The Battle of Genius. Genius. Go see, it's very good. Infact, Great.