Wednesday 12 June 2019

Special: The Secret Life Of Pets 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Happy Death Day 2U Mini-Reviews

The Secret Life Of Pets 2:

Synopsis: Max faces some major changes after his owner Katie gets married and now has a child . On a family trip to the countryside, Max meets a farm dog named Rooster, and both attempt to overcome his fears. Meanwhile, Gidget tries to rescue Max's favorite toy from a cat-packed apartment, and Snowball sets on a mission to free a white tiger named Hu from a circus.

My thoughts: That synopsis I stole from IMDB says it all... "Meanwhile" this film had 3 separate storylines that in the end crossed over (one barely) that left me thinking the whole time that this would've worked better as a series of shorts or even a TV series. Illumination could kill it with this in episodic format but instead we get a bunch of episodes woven together in a movie. I'm complaining a lot about this but really the film wasn't bad I just couldn't get over the fact they thought this would pass for a feature film but hey, at least it was redeemed somewhat with the crossover at the end even if it was too little and too late.

Final verdict: 3 super-heroic bunnies out of 5.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum:

Synopsis: In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, super-assassin John Wick (Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin's guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world's most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn.

My thoughts: Everyone's favourite killing machine is back in part 3 and although I can see fatigue eventually setting in, it doesn't yet at film #3. The team behind chapter 3 successfully build a world outside of John and the hotel while not sacrificing any of the intense fight choreography that you've come to expect. It'll be interesting to see what they have up their sleeves for chapter 4 as it's gonna be hard to up the ante on this one.

Final verdict: 4 deaths by library book out of 5.

Happy Death Day 2U:

Synopsis: Jessica Rothe leads the returning cast of HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U, the follow-up to Blumhouse's (Split, Get Out, The Purge series) surprise 2017 smash hit of riveting, repeating twists and comic turns. This time, our hero Tree Gelbman (Rothe) discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead. Jason Blum once again produces and Christopher Landon returns to write and direct this next chapter, while Happy Death Day executive producers Angela Mancuso and John Baldecchi are newly joined by EP Samson Mucke (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse).

My thoughts: Not nearly as strong as the first but I liked that they gave a reason for this sequel to happen even if it added an odd sci-fi element into the horror film. They even throw some action and dramatic elements into it for good measure and by all accounts it works well, something you can't say about most horror sequels.

Final verdict: 4 sci-fi twists out of 5.

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