MickeyTheConstant's reviews

Now I love the New Mutant comics and so was very excited about this movie. I did hear the bad reviews and so on watching was expecting it to be a bit of a dud. There were many things that I think it got right. The comics are sometimes quite dark and I think maybe audiences expected the full on Marvel flashy cinematic experience which they did not get and so didn't enjoy. I actually thought the tone and feel of the movie was pretty comic accurate. It felt like a New Mutants story. I thought the casting was also very good. Most of the actors and actresses aced their roles and looked the part. The only exception for me was the guy from Stranger Things who played Cannonball Sam Guthrie. He just didn't cut it for me. The problem I had was that it all just felt a bit flat and boring. A real shame as I just think it had such good potential.

So I heard rave reviews about this movie and was interested to see it. Am a huge fan of the Alien Movies but Predator not as much. The Arnie original was really good but since then it has been pretty lame. Some really duff movies (Predator 2 and The Predator) and a half decent one in Predators. Then you also have the Alien vs Predator movies which are pretty naff. I really like the fact that you can basically set a predator movie in any era. It could be Sparta, Ancient Rome, Pirates, Vietnam, anything. In this case we have a predator against a female Comanche Warrior. It had great potential but I found it a bit flat. I was not that interested in the warrior. I found her character a bit boring. The set pieces were ok I guess. I was just not that invested. It could have been so much better. I have heard they are doing a sequel to this one. I will watch but I am kind of disappointed. I thought they should move on and try something else. Spartan warriors or samurai's would have been a nice idea.

This still remains my favourite book of all time and I have read it countless times, even as an adult. I saw this movie many years ago and have seen it a few times since. I really think it is a great version of the book and it did CS Lewis proud. The child actors are great. Yes, some people will find the way they speak annoying but it's faithful to the book and period. Aslan is done pretty well as is most of the CGI. Tilda Swinton gives a great performance as the White Witch. I just find it all rather enchanting and magical really. It makes me feel young again, slightly sad in a way that you have to get old but at the same time rather uplifting and feel good. A timeless classical that will never age or grow old.

So I heard a lot of bad stuff about this movie. I read comics and have to admit that I have never been that interested in The Eternals. I love Marvel though so will watch, good or bad. Look, Marvel is struggling a bit at the moment. For all the Wins like Loki and Hawkeye there are many many recent duds. I genuinely feel that they are trying to hard to be too diverse. The thing that made the original movies great was the connection we felt to the main characters. More recent heroes seem to be very sub par. This was not one of Marvels finest but I did kind of enjoy it. Messy at times with probably too much going on. A few of the characters I like but many I had no real time for. It was an ok watch but Marvel do need to go back to what they know best. Big characters that we care for not minor ones that we simply can't connect with.

Now I love a good Viking movie. Vikings Vs Native American Indians is right up my street. This movie though just felt really cliche and flat. It could have been so good but just wasn't that convincing. Dark and gloomy, most shots were at night. The vikings were not that interesting and neither was the hero. Urbans Tarzan like character just didn't cut it for me. I didn't really care if he survived really which is not great for a hero. The fights and action sequences were quite basic and flat and not very inspiring. The sane with the bog standard run of the mill script. It all felt a bit like I have seen it all before in hundreds of other b rate action movies. Give it a miss.

Everything about this movie is just fantastic. The performances, I mean where do we start. Newman is electric as Fast Eddie. Arrogant, vulnerable and so cool. Gleason plays such a quiet and unassuming role but shines every time he is on screen. Even though he is our hero's pool adversary you can't help but like him. The real adversary though is Scott's character. Menacing, manipulative, a user of people. An astonishingly good performance from Scott as the loathsome agent/gambler. Piper Laurie again plays it beautifully. The story is captivating, the direction great, pool sequences electric and the sets, well you just feel you are in the smoke filled boozy pool bars being hustled as you watch it. Actors and Movie makers at the top of their game. Never ages, always a good watch.

For me this movie just never really got going. I found it all a bit dull and boring. I didn't particularly like the action sequences or set pieces. Black Widow is a great character and an integral part of The Avengers and MCU but I just don't think she is big enough a character for a feature length movie. Maybe a TV series with her going on missions would have been better. The huge plus in all of this is Florence pughs character who was fun and engaging and had great chemistry with the Widow. After about the first 30 minutes I just generally lost interest which is a real shame as I love the MCU.