Tag: Michael Fassbender

The Killer Review: Another Solid Fincher Film.

David Fincher is just one of those directors you have to pay attention to.
He has made some downright incredible films like Seven, Zodiac and The Social Network.
Despite his notoriety, I somehow did not hear about his latest film, The Killer, until I learned it was streaming on Netflix. 
Once I learned about it, though, I immediately sat down to watch it and was rewarded with a film more methodical than its titular killer.

The Killer is another solid film from Fincher.

Starring Michael Fassbender as an unnamed assassin, the movie follows him after a mistake during a hit throws his life into chaos.
When this mistake puts the lives of those the Killer cares about in danger, he sets out on a mission of revenge.
Fassbender is fantastic as the Killer, with his inner thoughts reminding me a lot of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.
However, just like Bateman, it is all to apparent how the Killer differs from his own opinion of himself, breaking his own rules multiple times and making his situation more complicated.
This crafts a character who is absolutely a terrible person but still fascinating to follow. 

It is interesting to see how ths killer’s mind works.

The rest of the cast also do a great job, with Tilda Swinton standing out as the Expert.
The way the film is shot and edited also adds to the feel of the movie, with the sound mixing being especially impressive whenever the Killer is listening to music.
Another thing which often gets brought up in reviews about this movie is one fight scene which, I will admit, is terrifically shot.
Although, while I did enjoy this action scene, it does feel a bit at odds with the rest of the movie.
Throughout its runtime, The Killer feels like it is a story which could actually happen in the real world so, when you get this big choreographed fight, it admittedly creates a bit of a disconnect. 

It’s still a great fight though.

This is only a minor criticism, anyway.
Other criticisms I have heard are that the film is too slow-paced and that the ending is pretty anticlimactic.
I was not surprised to see these takes after watching The Killer.
It is simply a movie, which will not be for everyone due to its pacing and structure.
Even I thought the ending could have had more of a punch, though I do understand why it ended the way it did.

Although the way the movie ends is in line with the story Fincher is telling, it does feel like a bit of a let-down, compared to what came before.

Overall, I would say that The Killer is a solid film.
Even if it is not for everyone, it has a compelling main character and a great style, as expected of a David Fincher film.  

Dark Phoenix Review: Not a Complete Dumpster Fire but still a Fire.

two stars
I was not anticipating Dark Phoenix. 
With the lackluster trailers, which spoil the film, and the numerous stories about production problems and reshoots, it seemed that the second attempt to adapt the X-Men’s Phoenix Saga was not going to work.
Sadly, this did prove to be the case because Dark Phoenix, directed by Simon Kinberg, is definitely one of the weakest X-Men films.
However, I will say that the movie is not as terrible as I thought it was going to be.
There are some redeeming qualities about it.
For starters, all of the actors do a good job with what they are given, especially Sophie Turner as Jean Grey.
I believe she could have done a fantastic job if the story had been good.

Jean Grey.jpg
Sophie Turner does a good job as the corrupted Jean Grey, and could have been fantastic had the script made her more than a pawn. 

Then there is the action, which serves as some mindless entertainment.
Even though the final action sequence does have some atrocious CGI, it is still enjoyable to watch.
Dark Phoenix also starts out pretty promising.
For the first twenty minutes I was actually liking it.
Sure, it was not amazing or anything, but I felt like it would not be that bad.
And then the aliens showed up.
Lead by Jessica Chastain’s Vuk, these discount Skrulls should not have been in the movie.
Not only are they boring and uninteresting but the main threat of this story should have been Jean.
One of the big reasons many people find the Phoenix storyline so engaging is because the X-Men are forced to fight one of their own.
Yet, somehow, both this film, and The Last Stand, have Jean simply being a pawn for a bigger villain.

Jessica Chastain.jpg
The aliens should not have been in Dark Phoenix. People want to see the Phoenix Force being the main threat, not it being manipulated… again. 

I wish I could say these aliens are the only bad things about Dark Phoenix but they are not.
While I did like the opening twenty minutes, there is one thing I absolutely hated there that persisted for most of the film.
This being the absolute character assassination of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy).
He acts nothing like the Xavier from the previous films, coming across as a complete narcissist, even after one of his close friends dies.
I get this was a part of his character arc but it does not work at all, considering how unlikable he is during the first hour and a half.

Charles Xavier resident asshole.jpg
Did a Skrull take over Charles Xavier? Well, one might as well have because this is not the Xavier we saw in the other films. 

It is also obvious that there were reshoots done because sections the film feels different from the rest of it, creating a jumbled experience.
The cinematography is also just bland, with no interesting shots to speak of.
Dark Phoenix is a mess.
It has some redeeming qualities like the performances, a few decent action sequences, and the first twenty minutes.
Other than these features though, the film falls flat on its face.
There have been two attempts at adapting this story and both have failed.
Hopefully, the third time will be the charm if Marvel decides to reboot the X-Men franchise.
In any case Dark Phoenix is a forgettable film that ends the X-Men series on a less than memorable note.