Sony’s ‘Uncharted’ Film Lacks PlayStation’s Fun (Movie Review)
February 16th, 2022 by Peter Paras
Sony Pictures’ Uncharted looks to be Spider-Man star Tom Holland’s next box office hit this weekend. Based on the beloved PlayStation series by developer Naughty Dog and directed by Venom’s Ruben Fleischer, this mid-budgeted adventure flick leans more towards pleasing fans of Holland (and, to a lesser degree, co-star Mark Walhberg) than fans of the videogame. Arguably, this is a smart move for a new franchise looking to appeal to anyone, although, in the end, the quality of the thing is still the thing. In other words, is this modern day adventure debut any fun?
–
Continue reading ‘Sony’s ‘Uncharted’ Film Lacks PlayStation’s Fun (Movie Review)’
Over a decade since the fourth installment became the late Wes Craven’s final film, Scream returns to the sleepy albeit bloody town of Woodsboro. New directors and writers are ready to take a stab at the ultimate metaseries that changed the game for scary movies in 1996. Legacy actors Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette have returned alongside newcomers Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and Jack Quaid. Twenty-five years after Sidney Prescott defeated not one but two Ghostface killers, can she still make with the stabby stabby? In 2022, will Ghostface have their own TikTok? Is #GutYouLikeAPig taken? One of the biggest horror franchises of all time has lasted three generations: from the slacker days of the nineties to the entitled millennials of the aughts. Now, the time has come time for zoomers to answer the call…
2021, amirite? We’re now over a year into the current generation of consoles, yet being able to actually purchase a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X/S is still nigh impossible. Proving what we already knew: scalper bots are truly the worst. The shortage of chips and other factors have made the supply fall far short of demand. Fortunately, many of the year’s best were playable on the older PS4s and Xbox Ones too. Meanwhile, Nintendo released an OLED version of their Switch alongside the first Metroid in years. The year in games saw plenty of highs, although nothing hit the masterpiece level of 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2. Instead, 2021 spread the love with different kinds of experiences: an incredible shooter that heralded the return of Master Chief, a colorful Pixar-level tale featuring not one but two Lombaxes, and plenty of abominations courtesy of the Umbrella Corporation.
Time to dive back into the machine world, as The Matrix Resurrections opens this weekend in theaters and on HBO Max (for 31 days). Two decades after computer programmer Thomas Anderson followed the white rabbit, solo director Lana Wachowski (Lilly is not involved) and several key members of the original cast have returned. They’re older, wiser, and still quite knowledgeable of kung fu. Shot during COVID, this is the last major film of the year from Warner Bros. Keanu Reeves is sporting his John Wick look, but can he still do his Superman thing? How will newcomers like Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, and Jonathan Groff fare in the virtual world of green ones and zeros? Surely, Carrie-Anne Moss can still outrace any agent on her Ducati, right? One thing’s for sure: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II certainly looks like the best Morpheus cosplayer ever.
West Side Story, the second filmed adaptation of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical, is, shockingly, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s first full foray into the world of singing and dancing. Besides a USO number in 1941 and that time Kate Capshaw belted a mostly Mandarin “Anything Goes” in the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom opener, the Spielberg-verse has been sorely lacking in show-tunes. Finally, two decades into the 21st century, we’re being treated to an outright stunner of a picture featuring songs many know by heart and a story that’s both timeless and timely. Starring Ansel Elgort alongside newcomers Rachel Zelger, Ariana Debose, and Mike Feist. Rita Moreno, who won Best Supporting Actress in the 1961 original, also returns in a different but no less important role. The gang’s all here, so why not feel pretty instead of making with a rumble? Faithful, invigorating, and at the top of the heap when it comes to pure filmmaking, West Side Story is one of the year’s best films.
House of Gucci is the second film this year by legendary director Ridley Scott. The filmmaker is 83 years old and, like Taylor Swift, who turns 32 next month, has absolutely shamed my lazy butt during the pandemic. Imagine the fortitude to complete two epic-sized features (or, in Swift’s case, two Grammy-nominated albums and two more because #lifegoals) with an impressive roster of A-list talent. The true story of the Gucci empire through the turbulent seventies up to the nineties stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Jared Leto. The latter is unrecognizable under tons of makeup and ugly corduroy suits. Sadly, although the soundtrack includes George Michael, the Eurythmics, and Blondie, Swift’s tracks are absent because, well, she hadn’t been born for most of the story’s run time (Then again, Tarantino used David Bowie in his WWII-era flick Inglorious Basterds). Would this award-seeking film about the Italian fashion house earn one star higher if it included a montage of Gaga on the runway while “Bad Blood” played? Definitely. Regardless, Sir Scott had a full plate during COVID, so he can sashay away knowing he’s accomplished a ton.
Opening exclusively in theaters, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City is the seventh live-action feature based on Capcom’s survival horror videogame series. Sony Pictures is relaunching a movie version just in time for the 25th anniversary of the Umbrella Corporation’s unhealthy obsession with turning the citizens of Raccoon City into zombies. Unlike the Milla Jovovich-led films by Paul W.S. Anderson, which grossed over 1.2 billion, 2021’s entry is a more faithful adaptation of the first two Resident Evil games. Both debuted on the original PlayStation in the 90s (Resident Evil 2 was recently remade in glorious 4K for the PS4 era). Will Crawl‘s Kaya Scodelario be the big screen Claire Redfield fans have been clamoring for? She definitely has a red leather jacket, so that’s a start, right?
Opening in theaters and streaming on HBO Max (for 30 days) this weekend, King Richard arrives just in time for awards season. The biopic focuses on a crucial three-year span in the lives of Venus and Serena Williams, their mom, their sisters and, the titular king/father played by Will Smith. Warner Bros. hopes to serve up a win with the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts & Sciences by releasing a feature that critics and audiences alike claim Hollywood too often doesn’t make anymore. The true story about a family from Compton struggling to survive the streets as well as the highly competitive tennis circuit would almost certainly be a bonafide hit in non-pandemic times. As it stands, WB should be more than satisfied that, regardless of the box office receipts, they’ve delivered one of the best family dramas in years. As for Smith, a third Best Actor nomination, if not a win, is undoubtedly in his future.
After several delays due to COVID, Sony Pictures is finally releasing director Jason Reitman’s direct follow-up to the Ghostbusters movies from the Reagan era, Ghostbusters: Afterlife. OG ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd had supposedly tried to resurrect the beloved series for decades but could never get a script into an acceptable state for the other cast members, most notably Bill Murray. In 2016, director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) released an all-female remake to theaters. The film was a box office disappointment made worse by fanboys who can be less than gracious towards women trying to play with their toys. For the record, I enjoyed the Kristen Wiig/Melissa McCarthy-led feature as much as the 1984 original. So here we are in 2021 with Ivan Reitman’s Oscar-nominated son, Jason Reitman, attempting to deliver more magic than jokes in a franchise that has had a tough time being relevant in the 21st century. Is this another nostalgia-focused attempt? More of what certain middle-aged dudes have been clamoring for? Not at first, and then, sure.
Spencer stars Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana Frances Spencer. Yes, THAT Diana. Fans of Netflix’s award-winning series, The Crown, will no doubt remember Lady Di having a blast at Buckingham Palace, jamming with her Walkman on roller skates. Pablo Larrain’s indirect follow-up to Jackie, another film about an extremely privileged white woman from another era, is about as far from the good times of that roller skating scene as one can get. More a gothic descent into madness than the fairy tale of the royal family, think Black Sawn, and you’re in the right ballpark. No amount of KFC buckets can hide Diana’s psychological torment on a three-day Christmas getaway at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, in 1991. As a horror fan, a lot of this is right in my wheelhouse. I wonder, though, how such a claustrophobic tale saddled with intentionally unflattering photography will play for anyone expecting a tasteful costume drama. 
Wes Anderson’s tenth studio feature, The French Dispatch, opens wide this weekend. Several regulars, such as Bill Murray, and newcomers like Jeffrey Wright fill the screen cover to cover in an unofficial sendup of The New Yorker. The news that Anderson grew up reading the Big Apple staple should shock no one. What might surprise, however, is how the film uses the layout of a magazine to tell multiple stories anthologically. Officially titled, The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, this is a Wes Anderson film through and through. For better and well, honestly, there is no worse to be had. It’s a delight. 
Dune, the much-anticipated epic, based on Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, opens this weekend on the biggest (and smallest) screens in North America. As director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) has stated in interviews, anyone eager to drink in the vast desert vistas of the planet Arrakis, IMAX is the intended viewing experience. For those less inclined to venture out to theaters just yet, one hopes they at least have a big 4K TV to stream such a ginormous film on HBO Max. The all-star cast includes Timothy Chalamet, Oscar Issac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and even Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, just to name a few. If you’re thinking, “HBO? Why isn’t this a series in the vein of Game of Thrones instead of a movie?” Well, for starters, I’d wager signing on the aforementioned cast of A-listers for several seasons of a series would not have been possible. But the real reason? This is big screen entertainment the likes of which Hollywood hasn’t attempted since arguably, Warner Bros’ own The Lord of the Rings trilogy two decades ago. Yes, I love the MCU like everyone else on planet Caladan… I mean Earth, but those movies aren’t even close to the scale of this project. Breathtaking set pieces, political intrigue, and the biggest space worms ever await on Arrakis, Dune, the desert planet… 
Sooooo (again), 2020, amirite? If there ever a year to lose myself with a controller and 4K TV, this was it. I spent the better part of the year obsessing about playing many great games. Then September arrived, and like many nerds, I became more obsessed over securing an online order for a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. True, I was initially bummed I wouldn’t be going to my local Gamestop at midnight on Nov 10th and 12th, but in the interest of being safe, I was fortunate enough snag a preorder. Then I just needed to wait eight weeks to greet my neighborhood FedEx peep with social distancing in place. The actual games to play on these big consoles (looking at you, PS5) were the best kind of pricy distractions. More web-slinging! Thrills involving a nemesis! An island full of wisecracking animals! And an ever relatable tale about a pandemic that turned everyone into polarizing monsters. That last one was just the reaction to the game on social media.
Sooooo, 2020 amirite? I’ve never been happier for a year to end. Of course, with the pandemic still ongoing and awaiting a vaccine to reach millions, this was the first time I haven’t seen 70-100 movies in theaters since…. I dunno, the 90s? I have loved reviewing theatrical releases for this site and hope to do so again before 2021 ends. Were there great films in 2020? Of course. Did I miss a ton of them? I did. This past year, in lockdown, I spent more time with games than cinema. So by December, I found myself perusing other best-of lists to see what I missed. So, while the following shows that there was a lot to love creatively, I really miss seeing these films on the big screen. I did see a few like Birds of Prey and Emma. pre-lockdown, in actual theaters, but the art of the movies overall was appreciated via VOD and streaming services this time around.
