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IR Film Review: BLUE BEETLE [DC/Warner Bros]
The progression of DC superheroes depends usually on the aspect of perspective of what kind of persona it implies. "Blue Beetle", at least envisioned as he was in animated form, was more of a goofy, more Deadpool-spun (but PG rated) pop culture referencer who skewed a little younger but cooler. In reinventing the approach here, director Angel Manuel Soto has created a different universe but one that in and of itself has its own unique energy.
IR Film Review: STRAYS [Universal]
"Strays" is an interesting experiment in adult comedy which gets many things right in terms of its narrative and metaphor but loses more in terms of how far it is willing to go in terms of taste. The crux of the element here is hearing a film that sounds improvised but was probably heavily scripted to a fault in its tone in order to get some of the quips that the dogs have to go through.
IR Film Review: HEART OF STONE [Netflix]
The conceit of a new action franchise is dependent on the strength of the story involved. With "Heart Of Stone", premiering on Netflix,Gal Gadot flushes out an interesting character: a spy hiding in plain sight within the halls of espionage.
IR Film Review: THE POD GENERATION [Vertical]
The essence of futurism is changing the aspects of what we see as normal in our everyday lives. With "The Pod Generation", the context revolves the idea of procreating and identity, and the essence of self within that.
IR Film Review: MEG 2 - THE TRENCH [Warner Bros]
The aspect of "The Meg" is based on the necessity of messing with the modern world through creatures from before humanity. While "Meg 2: The Trench" panders a bit less in its obviousness but also in its financing, the melodrama and by extension, bad writing and relationship structures tend to bog the film down despite an middling interesting mid-tier descent into the trench.
IR Film Review: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES - MUTANT MAYHEM [Paramount]
The context of outsiders and the appropo approach of teenagers has always served "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" well. With "Mutant Mayhem", the newest entry that juxtaposes the intent a little differently (especially within its animation) has its best intents at heart.
IR Film Review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING - PART I [Paramount]
The perspective of a “Mission Impossible” film is about how far it can be pushed. The stakes have almost become an inaccurate reflection of itself. With "Dead Reckoning - Part I", the propulsion, while still there, is less apparent while still at the right production level.
IR Film Review: INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY [Lucasfilm/Disney]
The context of an Indiana Jones film, actually backed up by a quote from Steven Spielberg, is for the entire movie to have the pace of a trailer. This is a true statement but it also needs to keep within some realm of viability. "Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny" fares a bit better because it both understands its subject but also embraces the aspect of who he is now (as in 1969).
IR Film Review: RUBY GILLMAN - TEENAGE KRAKEN [Dreamworks/Universal]
The texture of a Dreamworks animation film has usually reflected in its reflexity to the modern climate. While "Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken" does this in a certain way, it more caters to a smaller demographic. The story of a young girl finding her identity before growing into her own skin has been done before (and definitely at times) with greater gusto.