LeAvantGuardian Reviews

Monkey Man (2024)

Monkey Marathon

[7/10 · 6 April 2024]

Revenge movies being incredible or forgettable boils down to two factors. The quality of the action choreography and original fight scenes, and the ratio of backstory/reason for revenge to actually getting revenge. What made John Wick the pinnacle of revenge movies is how they masterfully build a world during action sequences, spending only the first 1% of the movie establishing his reason for revenge and then taking you for a thrill ride of artfully choreographed violence. Monkey Man sadly is not the Indian John Wick because where John wick does more with very little, Monkey Man conversely takes the opposite approach essentially dividing the film into two acts. The first half of the movie, roughly accounting for 65% of the duration of the 2 hour film consists of backstory, reason for revenge, and without spoiling anything, setbacks.

A successful revenge movie understands that pacing is the sharpest blade. There may be setbacks. But they don't set back the pace as the movie always inches forward towards revenge.

While it is true that it is possible to enhance the satisfaction of revenge by focusing more on the reason for that revenge, this is extremely difficult to do and in almost all cases ends up causing the movie to drag. This was very much the case with Monkey Man, or as my title refers to it - Monkey Marathon.

Monkey Man has elements of what it needs to be to achieve a John Wick level of action film, but it goes in the completely wrong direction. Long form story telling. Drags. The whole first act drags and doesn't need to.

78%

The Creator (2023)

Script couldn't keep up with Budget

[8/10 · 8 October 2023]

If you accept everything by at face value and don't ask any questions this is a visually stunning and highly entertaining movie. Unfortunately, there are a lot of minor plot holes mostly as it comes down to, "okay, but why? Why would anyone design something this way?" Or, "why would this character do this when there are more sensible things to do?" And a lot of instances where things just happen that way because the plot needed it to. Ultimately it was action packed and exciting but falls apart when you look at it for too long and with too much scrutiny.

I would give this a solid 7 out of 10.

Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

Suffers from poor script

[7/10 · 6 August 2023]

The Meg 2 sadly follows the trend of sequels not living up to the original. The movie is drawn out and the editing for the whole first half makes it hard to see what is happening. The dialogue is really quite bad and the plot id as run of the mill as it gets. The movie picks up after an hour and has some truly fun over the top scenes which ultimately make it worth seeing. They thought they by adding more megs it would somehow make it bigger and better but alas that was not the case. It's not a "bad" movie per se, it just feels like they rushed production and went ahead before they had a worthy script. There is a lot to enjoy with the Meg 2 and it's a ton of fun, but don't expect anything ground breaking here.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Unforgettable. A work of genius.

[10/10 · 26 July 2023]

Oppenheimer is by no small margin the most profound movie I've ever seen. It is no exaggeration to say that this film is a work of genius. Not just on part of the directing and screenplay, but interestingly enough, the editing. In a 3-hour movie, there wasn't a single wasted frame. The editing and sound design played such pivotal roles in the film in adding layers of depth beyond even the script and dialogue. I never thought I'd see a movie that has quite literally no action whatsoever but never-the-less never a dull moment. Every scene is pertinent, every line explosive and powerful. Featuring one of the most star-studded casts I've ever seen (I recognized every actor in the movie) giving the performances of their lifetimes, I strongly suspect everyone from the director, editor, writer, composer to the majority of the cast will receive tons of well-deserved accolades for this feature. I went in expecting it to be very good and very powerful. I came out experiencing a masterpiece of cinema, one I'm likely never to forget.

65 (2023)

Truly pointless

[5/10 · 11 July 2023]

Movie never went beyond its premise, but even on delivering 'guy with future tech shooting dinosaurs' it failed to deliver. Yes, he has future tech and he shoots dinosaurs, but he has no personality, no one to talk to, and as good as Driver has been in other stuff, his acting left a lot to be desired here. You wouldn't expect thought provoking monologues from a movie like this, but you would expect something and as another review said, this movie truly is a "nothing burger" It's about as predictable as they come, and hardly constitutes as entertaining. That recent predator movie Hulu did where it faced off against a Mayan soldier was way better.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Lives up to the trailer, and boy was that a trailer!

[10/10 · 20 March 2023]

It's not off, and you can say that a movie lives up to a trailer when you have a trailer as action, packed, funny, and full of Easter eggs, as "dungeons & dragons: honor among thieves". However, somehow, this movie did exactly that. It is absolutely hilarious, it has all the charm and banter Of guardians of the Galaxy with incredible action choreography like The Man with the Iron Fist, and a dynamic and love-to-hate villain with a fantastic performance. This movie is extremely fun. It's rare that a movie is both entertaining and good - but this movie really is everything you could ever want it to be. Fans of the game will be delighted with the endless references and Easter eggs, and while the movie does play fast and loose with the rules, one has to in order to make a film work, and it worked brilliantly. Pine and Rodriguez have a surprising on screen chemistry and this lovable group of adventures will surely win over the hearts of fans of critical role as well. I highly recommend this movie to any fans of action and fantasy.

The Invitation (II) (2022)

93% set up, 7% payoff

[5/10 · 30 December 2022]

By the time anything happens in this movie, the entire movie is over.

You can predict the movie in its entirety from the trailer. Unlike Ready Or Not, which actually had considerable action this movie has almost none, and when the truth is finally revealed, it's extremely underwhelming. No additional lore is provided. It's incredibly hollow. A movie driven entirely by its premise with no care to provide lore, backstory, or anything other than what we see.

I cannot in good faith recommend this movie to anyone. It's pretty worthless. It's not actively bad, mind you - it's just pointless.

I will say that Alana Boden looks amazing 😍

The Witcher: Blood Origin (2022)

An Excellent Tale of Adventure & Magic

[8/10 · 29 December 2022]

The Witcher Blood Origin feels like a classic D&D adventure. It's rife with fun and competent characters, and full of lore and a fairly strong sense of immersion given the low episode count.

Hardcore fans of the Witcher books and games might be upset that this series has gone ahead and altered some of the Witcher lore, but those changes withstanding, this show does feel very much like The Witcher. More than that however, this series works really well as a prequel. It explains the origin of the world we have come to know on The Witcher series and does so quite well.

The action choreography is excellent and easily on par with the Witcher.

My only real complaint of the show is that elves don't much feel like Elves at all. They all really seem like humans with pointy ears. I've experienced Elves in many, many different fantasy IP and in almost all of them they are wholly unique from humans because of their societies. In this adaptation, the elves both look, and conduct themselves exactly like humans in virtually every way. They opted for a very diverse casting, but they did not do so in an intuitive way that might have made the different Elven clans feel more like different clans. Rather, each clan had diversity making it so that none of the clans seemed any different from one another. Some of the decisions make very little sense, but ultimately this has pretty minimal effect on the show.

The acting is pretty good and the Empress is really friggen cute.

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (2022)

The Devil Inside does not hold its punches.

[9/10 · 1 November 2022]

TBS&TDI does not hold its punches. Netflix returns to its roots with this series, having both a similar setting, vibe, and I really level of darkness and brutality as Hemlock Grove. While on the surface, TBS&TDI presents itself as a YA dark fantasy series like The Vampire Academy, Winx: The Fate Saga, Shadow & Bone, Tribes of Europa, The Order, etc, it's darker, grittier, and a helluva lot more gory. Gore does not in any way inherently, or even necessarily make a show better - but in the case of this genre it is surprisingly fresh to see a show of this genre go all out. Unlike other shows of this type, we really get to see a lot of powers being used and to their full fury. In many ways TBS&TDI feels like a Seinen anime like Elfen Leid or something. Behind all the sick and shocking level of violence and overall bleak and depressing plot, the show actually boats some incredibly decent character writing. You love to hate the villains, and you really root for the protagonists to not only get their well deserved revenge, but also to build their camaraderie and explore friendship and love. It also captures a strong sense of adventure.

Fans of YA shows will love this, but bare in mind it's much darker than you're typical YA show. Graphic content advisory.

Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons (2022 Video)

Really Satisfying with good character writing

[8/10 · 20 October 2022]

From pretty much start to finish this movie was a lot of fun. The animation quality is fantastic. I really enjoyed the relationship between Johnathan and Damien. I felt the writing was very true to the characters, and really well written. Voice acting was good. Action was great. Really no complaints. DC animation does it again. If only the live action, DC movies could compare with the animated ones. This one is well worth watching.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't - but I will say I was somewhat disappointed with their choice of villain. It worked for the plot... And it served almost more as a McGuffin, then as a real villain. That said, I wouldn't have minded something we haven't seen before in other media.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)

Extreme Stylization ends up affecting Narrative

[7/10 · 20 September 2022]

Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a beautiful anime set in the darker parts of a future dystopia that deals with themes of survival in a messed-up society and goes as big as you'd expect from Studio Trigger.

The characters are interesting and quirky in all the right ways and trigger does a beautiful job with their overall design.

Fans of the studio will love this show as it is so unapologetically them in every aspect.

The problem I had with the show and where it started to lose me with towards the end. Things got too crazy, too soon, and as a result the logic behind the plot suffers. Studio trigger is known for their epic and explosive endings, and they could've stuck the landing here, but I thought they pulled the "trigger" on how insane things got too quickly.

The show is extremely gory, and there is relatively little to no actual action choreography. It's mostly just pointing big guns and people exploding in nasty ways. I thought that was a bit of a detriment, but it's exciting nevertheless.

Orphan: First Kill (2022)

What a Twist!!!!

[7/10 · 24 August 2022]

Twisty twisty!! I did not see that coming and it did not disappoint! This movie is everything you'd expect based off the original, and a lot more. Esther is a compelling anti-villain.

Worth the watch.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar (2022)

Hard to enjoy given the production value

[4/10 · 21 August 2022]

Full metal Alchemist is a fantasy anime that when done live requires a healthy level of suspension of disbelief to truly enjoy. Every aspect of this film looks so cheap with its cosplay level budget that it's impossible to appreciate any value the story may have. Though between the over acting and drawn out plot I'm not sure there is all that much here to enjoy in spite of the production level.

You can tell this movie was not produced by Netflix because even their awful adaptation of Death Note looked great. This movie has jarring green screens with poor post processing, props that look like foam, and dated CG that looks like it was added in as an after thought.

Sadly, I can't give this more than a 4/10.

Bullet Train (2022)

Fun Quirky Thrill Ride with forgettable action

[9/10 · 6 August 2022]

The Bullet Train is full of colorful and quirky assassins we haven't seen the likes of since greats like Smokin' Aces and Crank. The setting and tone are wholly original and complimented by a humorous and clever script that doesn't take itself too seriously. Pitt's charm as a lead shines through in every scene he's in amidst a script that is surprisingly well connected despite the appearance of being chaotic. The problem with the film however lies in the discrepancy between its potential and its execution. Based off the trailer and the concept, Bullet Train has all the marking to be in the high 90s but ultimately fails due to its lack of coordinated hand-to-hand action sequences the action sub genre has come to be known for. If you're on a train full of unique assassins, we should expect some unique fights. Unfortunately this is where the movie falls short, as the action is more reminiscent of older, more traditional action films like Die Hard, The Borne movies, transformers etc. Ultimately there is plenty of action, and it's exciting and explosive but it's not artful nor memorable. That for me is what had me leaving Bullet Train feeling it could've been better. 89%

DC League of Super-Pets (2022)

FANTASTIC!

[9/10 · 29 July 2022]

SO META! SO WITTY! So brutal! This was terrific from start to finish. It reminded me a lot of the style and tone of the Harley Quinn show on HBO max. Not sure I'd recommend this for children.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022)

Not worth anyone's time

[2/10 · 16 July 2022]

I was expecting this to be good based off the trailer and the stellar cast but it had the worst script I've seen in ages. I don't think anyone over 6 would appreciate it. It constantly breaks the 4th wall with ridiculous modern humor that isn't even funny. The characters are hollow and the hero doesn't do anything. It's truly bad. Truly.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

What a sequel!!

[9/10 · 3 June 2022]

This movie fixed everything that didn't work in the first, and Significantly improved everything that did. It added real stakes - an extreme mission only someone crazy could pull off. The aerial scenes were extraordinary and memorable. The plot grips you, and the acting was excellent. It did real Justice to the original with its call backs and vibe. This is an excellent film. 92%

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Best Action Movie in Years. Offers so much!

[10/10 · 27 March 2022]

This movie is quite literally everything. A little romantic, a little endearing, hilarious, absurd, absurd again, brilliant, exciting -- all the things.

It's Lucy meets Ligion with a hint of The Matrix and some Shaolin.

This movie will blow your mind, and have you shift from laughing to crying from one scene to the next. It's beautiful and remarkable and incredibly memorable.

I could not endorse this movie more.

98%

The King's Daughter (2022)

Dated, predictable, essentially worthless

[5/10 · 9 February 2022]

This movie could be good for children. For adults, there isn't enough substance offered to provide any sort of entertaining experience. The script is very weak. The dialogue is poor, the characters aren't well thought out, it feels like a very cookie cutter film from about 20-30 years ago. I honestly didn't even think they still made movies like this. Idk how they ever got such a decent cast.

Let me clarify that this movie is not "bad.", it just doesn't offer much. It will kill time, that's it.

Huge in France (2019)

It's not "funny" but it's also not bad

[7/10 · 17 January 2022]

I watched this hoping it would contain bits of his standup like marvelous Mrs Maisel, or that it would be more comedy than drama.

Don't get me wrong, it IS a comedy, but it's not the laugh out loud kind, its hard to describe. If you like Gad, you'll appreciate it. Through the show he is poking fun at himself and at life and it's worth the watch. It's fun.

Archive 81 (2022)

A wholly original, intriguing eerie series!

[9/10 · 15 January 2022]

A supernatural mystery at its best. Borrows elements from great shows that came before it, but goes at it from a completely unique angle.

This is a supernatural, mystery, light horror slow-burn series that will keep you gripped and extremely invested in the story and characters.

It's got elements of Falling Water, The Silent Sea, Stranger Things, and Silent Hill.

This is a very cool little show. I highly recommend checking it out!

The King's Man (2021)

The prequel no one asked for

[5/10 · 23 December 2021]

If you were planning to see this expecting another action packed spy thriller; keep reading and save yourself the trouble.

Let me start by saying that I was a big fan of the original Kingman movie. It was a fun, posh spy movie, one with the perfect ratio of action to intrigue. The follow up turned up the action, but also upped the fun and silliness much to its detriment. We then got word of a rumored Kingsmen series, as well as a prequel movie. I was excited to learn about the origin of this interesting independent spy agency -

Let me be now say that this was much of adieu about nothing. The whole first hour of the movie - it's just nothing. Where was the movie? Frankly, there was nothing Kingsmen about this movie. For all intents and purpose, this is an alternate history world war 1 movie, with absurdly over the top villains, and a whole lot of talking. I counted 3 action scenes in the whole movie - and it was long. I don't want my review to be long and pointless like this movie, so I'll cut it short and say, skip it.

Bright: Samurai Soul (2021)

Spectacularly Bad

[4/10 · 13 October 2021]

First off let me say for the record that I am one of the rare anime viewers that loves CG anime. But just because a studio opts for a 3D approach doesn't mean they can skimp out on coloring. This movie looks like it was done in technicolor. The shading is so poor that the forest scenes look like they were done by one guy using Adobe flash.

The fight scenes are very well done, but they are so few and far between that you have to suffer through the movie just to see them.

This is a dark and tragic story involving prostitution, sex slavery and rampant racism. Every character is a bad person and some varying degree of unlikable. It may be called bright, and be brightly colored, but there are no happy endings to be had here.

As much as I enjoy samurai flicks and cool sword fights, I cannot rate this higher than a 4. It feels unfinished. The lord feels randomly thought out. This is not the best intellectual property and I think Netflix ought to just move on.

The Green Knight (2021)

A D&D campaign with no plot

[2/10 · 5 August 2021]

The dungeon master asks you to roll two die for random encounters because he has no story. You roll an ambush, and a Fox. That's the entire movie.

There is no purpose. The film uses extremely long form story telling to make some point that went over my head. Something akin to, "you can't take the easy route If you wish to be a Knight". Now that I've told you this anecdote, you can spare yourselves the misery of seeing the worlds most drawn out movie.

This film is like if you made a montage of all the travel sequences in lord of the rings and then tossed in Alicia Vikander for no reason and called it a movie.

It would require you to have a high appreciation of indie film, art films, and a more than basic knowledge of Arthurian legends to even remotely enjoy this film.

There is not a single moment of action. The most exciting bit in the movie is when Gawain trips and falls down a bank. We then watch for 7 minutes as he lies there until he can muster the strength to stand.

I would rate this film at a 22%.

How did I generate this score based on my review? 9% costumes and scenery 9% music 4% for the movie itself. That's roughly what I gave Transformers: The Last Knight.

Dynasty Warriors (2021)

The CG/Magic approach only works with good CG

[5/10 · 3 July 2021]

The story wasn't bad. The acting wasn't terrible, and the music and setting were fantastic. The problem here is that they took a highly unrealistic Magic approach that amounted to more of a Dragon ball: Evolution than a Chinese War Epic. The video game was fantastic. It used magic to represent the immense talent of these legendary historical figures. However just because that approach worked well in a game doesn't mean it would in a movie. It COULD, with the right budget, but sadly it didn't here and rather than demonstrating the heroes talent with a blade they had then flinging fireballs and flailing weapons around in extremely unrealistic and silly ways that detracted from the historical plot.

A fair to mediocre effort ultimately ruined by bad CG and corny directing.