The Reviews That Got Away 2016

     I've written more reviews on this blog in 2016 then in any year past. Despite this there were some films released this year that I watched but never got around to writing a review for. As the year has now come to a close I've decided to briefly summarize my feelings on these films.

     First off we have the only horror film I watched in what has been purportedly a pretty good year for the genre. I really liked The Conjuring 2 and found it scarier than the original (though that might be because I didn't see the original in the theater). I really appreciate how it built on the characters from the first film and continued to explore there relationship without ever feeling derivative. With that said the plot was a little confusing at times and it was not as well paced as its predecessor.

Score: 8.5/10

     Next we have a direct-to-Netflix sequel that had me equally excited and trepidatious. I'm a huge fan of the original and always wanted to see a worthy follow up. However, the absence of a theatrical release and the fact that director Ang Lee wasn't returning worried me. In the end Sword of Destiny is definitely not the great sequel I was hoping for. It doesn't really expand on any of the characters or themes established in the original. On the other hand it works fairly well as a stand alone Wuxia film with some pretty entertaining action set pieces. If that's all your looking for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny should be just fine but if you want something on the same level as the original your going to be disappointed.
Score: 7.5/10

     When I heard that Pixar was doing a sequel to Finding Nemo my first reaction was why? The first film feels so perfectly self contained. Ultimately Finding Dory did little to dispel my doubts. It has its moments. I laughed at a lot of the jokes and the emotional moments work pretty well (though not as well as the first movie). The animation, as in the first film, is really great although we spend far less time in breathtaking underwater locales. The really problem is that this film treads a lot of ground we've already covered in the first film. Marlin comes to the realization, once again, that he needs to be more assertive and less protective, this time around he's reminded of this by Nemo, in Dory's absence. There are also some moments that stretch credulity a little far. It's not a bad film, its just not very original or even remarkable.
Score: 7.5/10

     I briefly touched on Suicide Squad in my article Suicide Squad and Why Critics Matter, as I said there I really don't have much to say about this film. To elaborate on what I already said the writers don't have the best grasp on these characters, in particular Harley Quin and the Joker. In the comics they have an abusive relationship. Harley loves the Joker (or at least is infatuated with him) but he doesn't really care about her. In this film they come across like depraved star crossed lovers and, for lack of a better word, it just feels wrong. More importantly however, the film just has no real narrative flow. Scenes just kind of happen one after another with little to no connective tissue. With that said, I don't hate everything about the film, the performances are good for the most part, though I don't particularly care for Jared Leto's bizarre take on the Joker and Margot Robbie seems to alternate between an exaggerated New York accent (as the character had in Batman the animated series) and her own natural voice, seemingly without any rhyme or reason.
Score: 5.5/10

     The second direct-to-Netflix film I watched this year The Siege of Jadotville is actually quite good. It feels like more of an old-school war film like Zulu or The Desert Rats in that it's not interested in presenting any explicit anti-war message or commenting too much on the politics behind the event. Rather it focuses on the struggle of the soldiers involved in the battle. It's fairly historically accurate (certainly more so than most historical films that Hollywood puts outs) and does a good job evoking the 1960's. The performances are all solid and the action is comprehensible and exciting. Some might find it a little dull but, as a history buff, I really dig it.
Score: 9/10

     I was initially excited about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It looked like a charming little foray into the Harry Potter universe. When I found out that it was meant as the first of a new five film series I became really worried (that seems to be a continuing trend in this article). Was this going to be like the Hobbit movies all over again? Pretty much. As with the first Hobbit film Fantastic Beasts feels like a nice little story that's be co-opted by a larger one that's meant to serve as backstory to the original films looming in the background. In addition, while the Harry Potter books and films built on each other and gradually upped the stakes and became bigger and darker as they went along, this new series features a monster wreaking city wide destruction right off the bat, only to undermine any sense of danger with a Superman-esque deus ex machina at the end. It makes me wonder what these films are going to do moving forward. With that said the characters are likable and fairly well written, it has some beautiful visuals, and James Newton Howard's score is pretty good.
Score: 7.5/10

     With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, once again, I was initially excited but became more concerned the closer we got to the film's release. This time it was the rumored reshoots that mainly worried me along with some bad dialogue in the trailers. Overall the movie was ok. The last act was pretty entertaining and the plot, at least, makes sense and is coherent. Unfortunately the main characters are pretty dull and the nods to A New Hope get a little distracting. I don't think it's bad necessarily but it's easily the most forgettable Star Wars film, other than The Clone Wars, to be released in theaters.
Score: 7/10

Note: I missed Western Wednesday last week as I've been too busy with Christmas to watch any westerns, hopefully it will return next week.