MovieRankingReviews

  Season 2 continues to deliver as a faithful adaptation of the manga by bringing all the iconic stories and scenes to life. It was incredibly wonderful to see! There are also some nice changes, such as teasing early plot points that have been revealed in the current manga, showing Zoro’s fight against 100 agents on-screen, and giving Vivi and Baroque Works more to do. I was worried about how they were going to handle Chopper, but that worry was unfounded because he looks terrific! Likewise, the casting of every supporting character, such as Vivi and Robin, is just perfect. Season 2 is simply fantastic. I genuinely cannot wait to see how they will adapt the Alabasta arc in Season 3!

  War Machine doesn’t do anything special or meaningful. The plot is extremely predictable, the characters are bland, the dialogue and writing is incredibly cheesy, and the blatant America military propaganda is shoved in your face. However, if you take the film for what it is trying to be, an entertaining popcorn flick, it does do its job fine. A Metal Gear vs Alan Ritchson It has some enjoyable action set-pieces and Alan Ritchson is a good main lead. It’s a serviceable streaming movie that will keep you entertained for its runtime.

  The Rip has a solid first two acts. The way the tension and suspense build is incredibly gripping. Who’s lying? Who’s trying to get the money? Who’s the traitor? Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are one of the best duos in movies, and they’re an absolute joy to watch here as well. Unfortunately, what brings the movie down are the underwhelming action set pieces and the disappointing final act. The action scenes are hard to follow due to lame shaky cam and overly dark visuals. The final act also devolves into generic Netflix action slop. Overall, it’s an enjoyable time, and I was at least never bored.

  The premise of a Battle Royale but with Samurais is an incredibly fun idea! The fight scenes are incredibly well-choreographed, bloody and a visual treat to watch! There is also some wonderful cinematography and it genuinely feels like they brought the Meiji era to life! The music score is also excellent. I found that all the actors did a terrific job and special praise has to go to Junichi Okada as the main character Shujiro Saga. He does a great job in bringing depth to the character and also performing the fight choreography. While the story sounds generic on paper, I do love how they explore conflict between the old Samurai era and the new one while also handling some of the politics in a digestible way. It does have a lot of generic tropes including the old broken down man, the young naive girl who can be quite annoying and overly silly bad guy. However, I enjoyed a lot of this show and it is a great start for Season 1. I am most definitely looking forward to w...

  Who knew that a series in 2016 about a group of very larger-than-life characters dealing with weird things in their town would be the start of such a phenomenal show? It has been three years since the jarring cliffhanger of Stranger Things Season 4, and the show is now coming to an end with its final season. Will it stick the landing, or will it unfortunately become another Game of Thrones situation? In terms of what this season does well, I enjoyed that Will actually has a lot more to do. Despite being a very important character in Seasons 1 and 2, he sort of had little to nothing to do in Seasons 3 and 4. He also has a proper bonding moment with Robin that I genuinely enjoyed and found very heartwarming. Jonathan was a character butchered in Season 4 by turning him into a lame pothead. His and Nancy’s relationship seemed to be in trouble, but this season actually gives their story a nice resolution. The moment where they finally communicate honestly about their r...

  Wake Up Dead Man is the third instalment in the Knives Out series. I absolutely adore murder mysteries, and this series has been consistently stellar. The first Knives Out was phenomenal, and while the second film Glass Onion was enjoyable, it was admittedly a bit of a step down from its predecessor. Because of that, I was incredibly excited going into this entry. Does the series continue to deliver, or is this a case not worth solving? Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, and once again, he delivers a terrific performance. A Sherlock can’t be without his Watson, and this time Blanc is accompanied by “Priest Jud,” played phenomenally by Josh O’Connor. Jud is easily the most layered partner character the series has had so far. He has a meaningful past and a compelling reason for becoming a priest. You truly understand why he wants to solve this case, and as an audience, we genuinely root for him to succeed. His dynamic with Blanc is also a lot of fun, as the two of...

  Gi-Hun’s return to Squid Game comes to a frustrating conclusion. It’s hard to believe this season was written by the same mind behind the original. The tension, clever twists, and emotional depth are all gone. No-eul’s subplot, which initially seemed like it might offer a fresh perspective by showing someone working within the Squid Game system, ultimately goes nowhere. It ends up feeling like filler, a meaningless detour that adds nothing to the main story and only serves to pad the runtime. But the most insulting narrative choice involves Detective Jun-ho. After two seasons of building intrigue around his investigation and survival, his arc collapses with an underwhelming thud. His presence in Season 3 is so useless it borders on parody, a complete waste of potential. And then there’s the ending. It’s not just unsatisfying, it’s blatantly designed to keep the franchise alive at all costs. It’s less of a conclusion and more of a corporate strategy, and you can feel...

  Havoc struggles to find its footing in the first half, weighed down by a convoluted plot and underdeveloped, unengaging characters. The CGI is noticeably poor—particularly in the car chases, which feel unnecessarily digital when practical effects would have served the scenes far better. Visually, the film suffers from flat cinematography and a muted color palette that saps energy from the screen. But once the film shifts gears in the second half, it delivers exactly what fans of The Raid: Redemption have been waiting for. The action kicks into high gear with explosive, pulse-pounding sequences that showcase the director’s flair for brutal, high-octane combat. It transforms into the kind of gloriously over-the-top action spectacle that makes the earlier missteps almost forgivable.

  A very light-hearted, sweet romance between two teens who are both self-conscious in different ways. It has a vibrant art style with colours that truly pop. The animation is quite unique, especially in the way the characters move. This is particularly noticeable in the opening mall scene, but I didn’t mind it. The OST is wonderful, and the characters are all very likeable. The story isn’t particularly memorable, as it delves into a bit of mystery involving a music record they’re trying to find. It features lots of typical anime clichés, including the ending. However, it’s a fine watch if you’re just looking for a relaxing 90-minute romance.

  It is nice to see Pokemon branch out of the normal animated series and do something new. Pokemon Concierge is a stop-motion animated series featuring our main character becoming a concierge for a Pokemon resort. Season 1 is incredibly short with only 4 episodes with a short run length of 14-20 minutes. Each episode is incredibly sweet, lovely and heartwarming to watch. The series is very slice-of-life and doesn’t have any overarching story but each episode does a nice and meaningful message to teach. It’s a good time and I am glad it is getting a second season!

  Netflix marketed Rebel Ridge as a cool action movie. If you came in expecting that, you are going to be disappointed. Rebel Ridge is not an action movie. It has just one proper action set piece near the end. What Rebel Ridge really is, is a slow-burn thriller mystery. Aaron Pierre absolutely delivers as the main lead. He is calm, collected and incredibly charismatic. He totally sells on a character that is secretly a badass. I like the twist in that the character doesn’t kill, even if they are corrupt cops. This gives the very few action set pieces a unique element to it. The mystery itself is a little convoluted and the movie does go on for 10-15 minutes too long. The ending is quite rushed and unsatisfying as well. Still, this is a pretty interesting film and I do recommend people give it a chance.

  If you think about the logic that occurs in this movie, then it starts to come apart. Too many stupid things occur, dumb decisions made and countless plot conveniences. It is a movie that you need to shut your brain for. If you do, then the film is quite enjoyable. Taron Egerton gives a great performance as the main lead and you can feel the stress his character is experiencing. Jason Bateman is the standout as he steps out of his normal comedic roles and plays a calm in-control villainous role. The back and forth-between these two characters is the biggest highlight. The movie has a strong first 2 acts but derails a bit in the final act. Nonetheless, it is a relatively good time.

  In 2021, Squid Game became a cultural phenomenon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was a great addition to the Battle Royale genre. The story does end on a mild cliffhanger that feels like it was tacked on because Netflix wanted to make it a franchise. Now here we are in 2024, with another season of Squid Game. Does it live up to the hype? Despite feeling like the creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk was forced to make more seasons of Squid Game, he does not half-ass it. He does push this season in new directions and adds new elements to make the story exciting. For example, they added a new rule to the games by making it so they can vote to leave with the current money after each game. This new rule is a fun addition as it creates an exciting rift between characters who want to go and those who don’t. Turning Gi-Hun from a scummy guy in Season 1 into an all-good hero sounds bad on paper. However, it adds a new layer to the games as Gi-Hun now has new challenges with his ...