The Lion King (2019)

The Lion King (2019)

5/10

Starring the voices of

Donald Glover

Seth Rogen

Chiwetel Ejiofor

John Oliver

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

James Earl Jones

Directed by Jon Favreau

When watching this movie, you’ll understand the criticism. It’s almost a scene-by-scene replication of the original animation, with many of the lines being nearly identical. Unfortunately, when the lines do differ, you often find yourself preferring the animation’s version over the simplified dialogue in the movie. That said, the film is still enjoyable—if you’re interested in seeing The Lion King as a photorealistic live-action remake of Disney's 1994 classic.

The CGI is incredible and strongly reminiscent of The Jungle Book (2016). However, The Jungle Book has a slight edge due to its mix of human and animal interactions, with the young actor playing Mowgli delivering a standout performance alongside photorealistic animals. In The Lion King, it’s just the animals interacting with one another. Like Beauty and the Beast (2017), the songs are directly lifted from the animation and recreated in the film.

If you’ve seen the animation, you already know the story. Set in the animal kingdom of Africa, the lion is depicted as the king of the jungle. The ruler of the Pride Lands is Mufasa, and the movie begins with an introduction to his kingdom. We see animals gathering to witness the presentation of Simba, Mufasa’s newborn son, as he is introduced to the entire animal kingdom.

Notably absent from this event is Scar, Mufasa’s brother, who is waiting for his chance to seize the throne. With Simba’s birth, Scar’s path to power is blocked, as Simba is now the heir to Mufasa’s kingdom. Unwilling to wait for both Mufasa and Simba to die naturally, Scar devises a series of schemes to eliminate them and claim the throne. The movie revolves around these plans initially succeeding and then unraveling as the story progresses.

As Disney continues creating live-action remakes of their animated classics, I appreciate the effort and enjoyed this movie. However, I can’t rate it as highly as the original animation because it doesn’t offer anything new to give the story a fresh perspective.

Disney has been steadily adapting its Renaissance classics into live-action films. This trend began in earnest with Alice in Wonderland (2010), followed by Maleficent (2014) and Cinderella (2015). In 2016, they released The Jungle Book and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Subsequent years brought Beauty and the Beast and Christopher Robin (2018). In 2019 alone, Disney released five remakes: this movie, Dumbo, Aladdin, and the forthcoming Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Lady and the Tramp.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

7/10

Starring

Aaron Paul

Directed by Vince Gilligan

The question of what happened to Jesse Pinkman at the end of Breaking Bad is finally answered in this movie. This follow-up feels like watching two intense episodes of Breaking Bad back-to-back. It has the same ruthless vibe, and the story carries the familiar, flawed yet compelling Jesse we’ve come to know.

What I liked about the movie was seeing how Jesse initially tried to set things right, only to stumble over his inability to make the tough decisions when it mattered most. We also get to see a few familiar characters, including Walter White, in flashbacks.

I’ve always loved the Breaking Bad series, and I agree with most people who consider it one of the best TV shows ever made. This movie provides the closure we needed for Jesse’s story, adding a satisfying chapter to his journey.

At the end of the series, Jesse is finally free. Walter White, as we recall, played a crucial role in ensuring Jesse’s escape. Jesse had been held captive, his will broken, and forced to cook meth for his captors. From the flashbacks, we see how his spirit was crushed, leaving him unable to even attempt an escape on his own.

In the final episodes of Breaking Bad, Walter comes to terms with the damage his choices have caused and the pain inflicted on those around him. He tries to make amends by securing his family’s financial future and, ultimately, by sacrificing himself to save Jesse. After Walter’s death, Jesse escapes the scene of the massacre in an El Camino, covered in the blood and chaos of his captors. This is where the movie begins.

Jesse drives the El Camino to his friends’ house, where he stays for a day before calling an old contact to help him get rid of the car. Things take a turn when they discover the car’s GPS had been activated, leading the police straight to him. With the help of his friends, Jesse decides to track down one of his former captors in search of a hidden stash. His plan is to use the money to pay for a new identity and start fresh.

This journey is what the movie takes us through. 

One of the main weaknesses of this movie is the slow pacing, especially in the first half of the film. It seems to drag on a bit, before the action starts. The film also doesn’t dive too deep into emotional depth, mostly sticking to Jesse Pinkman’s escape without much focus on his character beyond his immediate struggles. Plus, without the broader context of TV Show Breaking Bad, this movie does not work as a standalone.

The film is written, produced, and directed by Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad. If you were a fan of the series, I highly recommend watching this movie to put a definitive end to the story we all loved.

Highlander (1986)

Highlander (1986)

6/10

Starring

Christopher Lambert

Roxanne Hart

Clancy Brown

Sean Connery

Directed by Russell Mulcahy

I watched the first three Highlander movies when I was younger, and revisiting them now has helped me separate them in my memory. I only enjoyed one of them, while the rest felt like a snooze fest. The franchise’s iconic line, “there can be only one,” feels fitting because there’s really only one movie in the series worth watching—and it’s this one.

With a simple (though not exactly elegant) story and a committed cast, Highlander is an entertaining movie to watch and remember for its cool concept. If ever there was a movie that needed a reboot to fix the clumsy storytelling and the mess of sequels, it’s this one.

The plot revolves around immortals locked in an age-old battle spanning millennia. The story focuses on Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), the lead character, and highlights moments from his long life as he survives across centuries up to the present day—or, rather, 1985. This year holds significance as the immortals are destined to gather and fight until only one remains.

Connor, also known as the Highlander, is of Scottish descent and hails from the Highlands in 1536 AD. His clan was at war with another when a Kurgan—a warrior from a brutal race—joined the enemy side in hopes of killing Connor for “the Prize.” During this battle, Connor was stabbed by the Kurgan, who attempted to behead him but was interrupted and chased away. Although Connor died, he miraculously woke up the next day, fully healed.

His clan turned against him, believing he was possessed by the devil, and banished him. It was then that Connor met Ramirez, a flamboyant swordsman and fellow immortal, who taught him the rules of immortality. Immortals can only die if their heads are cut off, and they are destined to battle one another until only one remains.

Fast forward to 1985, and Connor is living in New York as an antique dealer. After attending a wrestling match, he is attacked by another immortal. Connor defeats and beheads his attacker, but as he flees the scene in his car. Meanwhile, the Kurgan is also in New York, hunting Connor to claim the Prize and become the last immortal.

The movie is fun, though the sword fights are average at best. The concept is solid, but the way the story ends suggests sequels weren’t originally planned. However, as the series continued, they changed and expanded the lore of the immortals, introducing new powers and rules to justify numerous sequels. Unfortunately, these additions diluted the original charm.

Watch this first movie and skip the rest.

Gemini Man (2019)

Gemini Man (2019)

5/10

Starring

Will Smith

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Clive Owen

Directed by Ang Lee

Gemini Man is a sci-fi action thriller that’s been in the making for a long time, or so they say. The movie’s idea is very interesting, but the plot falls flat. At times, it felt like I was watching a monologue from an old man to his younger self, especially during the early to mid parts of the movie when the two were chasing each other. The action scenes are grand when they happen, but they often climax weakly—though they do make up for it with some solid action toward the end. This one-dimensional plot could have been fun if the movie didn’t drift off into long dialogues between any two of the three characters on the run.

Here’s the plot: Henry Brogan (Will Smith), a government assassin, is getting older and decides to retire. After his last mission, a friend tells him that his final target was actually innocent. The government finds out about this conversation and sends operatives to kill Henry, his friend, and the woman who was sent to monitor the dock where he met his friend.

Henry saves the woman, but his friend is killed. The two escape and meet up with another old friend of Henry’s. While in the East, they’re attacked by a man who looks exactly like Henry. They soon discover he’s a clone, and now they have to stop him before he kills them.

The scenes where the present-day Henry tries to reason with his younger self were emotionally underwhelming. They came off as awkward and below par for the team responsible for the dialogue in this movie.

The film was nearly 20 years in the making, waiting for technology to catch up with its concept. Many directors and leads were considered before Ang Lee and Will Smith took on the project. Instead of following the approach of Looper (2012), where two different actors (Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) played the younger and older versions of the lead character, Gemini Man uses motion capture and de-aging technology to create a younger Will Smith. Will Smith played both his character and provided the motion capture for his younger self.

I wasn’t impressed by this movie, especially given the hype and the talent involved. I expected more and was disappointed by what I saw. I wanted more action with amazing fight choreography (which only really showed up at the end) and less time wasted on bike chases. I also expected the plot to have deeper ties and an unexpected twist related to the clone’s existence—something shocking that we wouldn’t see coming. Instead, the ending delivered exactly what we all expected, so there was no surprise. All these expectations were just that—expectations.

I guess it’s my fault for expecting more. The movie delivered less, and I don’t feel comfortable recommending it for pure viewing pleasure. But if you’re a Will Smith fan, you might want to see it just for him.

Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

3/10

Starring

Sylvester Stallone

Directed by Adrian Grunberg

Rambo: Last Blood feels like a failed Taken (the Liam Neeson movie) for the first 70 minutes, followed by an all-out bloodbath for the rest of the film. We’re talking gruesome killings—heads chopped off, hearts ripped out, and people blown to pieces. This isn’t the filmmakers stepping it up a notch; it’s them cranking the volume from bloody to insane.

To make things worse, in my opinion, the first 70 minutes of Rambo doing the Taken thing were a total snooze fest. It was boring, and even though you’d expect some excitement in the action and pacing, the movie went from dull to tragic. It’s like they decided Rambo is forever doomed to be a depressed hero who loses everyone around him. The acting in the movie seems stale from Stallone, there was nothing new brought into the mix, and the supporting cast did not bring enough to make a difference. 

The movie’s plot starts with Rambo trying to do good and save everyone he can. He lives on his father’s ranch with a woman and her granddaughter. One day, the granddaughter goes to Mexico to look for her father and gets kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring. Rambo, who’s been caring for the girl since she’s been living with him and her grandmother, heads to Mexico to pull a Taken-style rescue. His “hit first, ask questions later” approach doesn’t help—it actually makes things worse for the girl.

So, he decides to make things worse for the Mexican cartel who took her.

Depressing movies can work when they’re served on a well-decorated plate with enough elements to keep you engaged. Here, the depression is served on a plate that makes you wish you could skip everything on screen and just get to the good part. The entire first 70 minutes could have been summed up in about 10 minutes of screenplay because nothing meaningful really happens.

I don’t need to spend over an hour of my time to understand that someone wants revenge—especially after he made things worse first.

I think there comes a time when a character has had its turn and should be packed in, that time for Rambo has come and gone, this movie is just trying to milk the shadow of what was.

I don’t know why they made this movie this way. Compared to the first Rambo, this feels like a disgrace. I don’t understand why the character of Rambo couldn’t have gotten a better send-off. What I do know is that this is by far not the best Rambo movie, and I didn’t enjoy it.

Abominable (2019)

Abominable (2019)

6/10

Starring the voices of

Chloe Bennet

Albert Tsai

Tenzing Norgay Trainor

Eddie Izzard

Sarah Paulson

Directed by Jill Culton

Abominable is a fun, family-friendly movie from DreamWorks and Universal. This computer-animated film provides an enjoyable experience for the whole family without trying to delve into a deep or complex story. The plot sticks to the familiar formula we often see in family animations.

The voice casting in the movie is not that spectacular, just ok enough to carry the movie through.

It follows the typical setup: a mythical creature bonds with a child who has lost a parent (or both) and is emotionally withdrawn from society. Of course, we also have the classic villains—bad guys who want the creature for their selfish gain. However, this movie adds a slight twist by including a close-knit group of friends who join the lead girl on her adventure to save her newfound friend.

Set in Shanghai, China, the story revolves around Yi, a young girl who is, as mentioned, your typical animated protagonist. She’s a talented violinist living with her mother and grandmother. Accompanying Yi on her journey are her two friends, Peng and Jin.

The central character of the movie is a Yeti, captured by a wealthy man who collects rare and unique animals. The Yeti escapes from the man’s compound, evading his many henchmen, and hides on the roof of Yi’s home. While escaping helicopters that are tracking him, the Yeti stumbles upon Yi.

Yi, seeking solitude on her rooftop to play her violin away from prying eyes, discovers the Yeti. She notices the helicopters searching for him and decides to help. She hides the creature, later befriending him and naming him Everest. Determined to return him to his home on Mount Everest, Yi embarks on a daring adventure.

Pursuing them is the wealthy man, desperate to reclaim the Yeti, and a zoologist who seems to have a genuine concern for the creature.

The CGI animation is visually appealing, though the character hair movement feels slightly below par when compared to Disney’s standard. Nevertheless, Abominable is a delightful film for families to enjoy together. Beyond its charm as a family movie, it doesn’t strive to stand out and settles comfortably into the realm of an average animated film.

It is not very memorable either, none of the characters happen to be. Disney’s style of creating memorable songs and characters is something many animation studios fail to get right when they make movies. We get movies you can see once, and you forget that such movie exist as there is nothing special about it to make it stick to the mind.

IT Chapter Two (2019)

IT Chapter Two (2019)

7/10

Starring

Jessica Chastain

James McAvoy

Bill Hader

Isaiah Mustafa

Directed by Andy Muschietti

IT Chapter Two has arrived, and it takes no prisoners. The movie is just as captivating as the first one in 2017 and just as interesting. The only difference is that when it was children taking on Pennywise, the movie had a ring of strength in character that the kids needed. They had to dig deep to face Pennywise and confront their fears.

This isn’t a knock on the actors in this second part—they performed beautifully. It’s just harder to sell the idea of adults needing that same kind of strength. The writers tackled this well by taking the time to scare the adults and make them feel like kids again. This happens as the characters walk through the town, regaining their memories. We get to see their younger counterparts alongside them, scared at the same time. Yes, this movie also brings back the younger versions of the ensemble cast from IT (2017).

The whole focus on scaring the adults went a bit overboard, with too many jump scares that lost their impact. The pacing also struggles, especially in the middle, where it drags and the emotional weight of the characters' trauma gets lost. Plus, the ensemble of kids in the first film definitely outshines the adults here.

The story is based on Stephen King’s book IT. The first cool adaptation was in 1990, with Tim Curry playing Pennywise. The fun part is that the studio decided to do a remake 27 years later, matching the book’s timeline of when Pennywise returns. The first IT was set in 1989 and released in 2017. This new one is set in 2016.

The plot goes like this: Pennywise, who the Losers Club thought they had killed, is back. Everyone has left the town except for Mike, who stayed behind and became obsessed with Pennywise. Twenty-seven years after they believed they killed him, Pennywise returns and starts causing chaos again. This time, he spreads his terror even further.

Mike calls the others and asks them to honor a vow they made 27 years ago—to return to Derry, Maine, and kill Pennywise if he ever showed up again.

The movie wastes no time delivering the scares and creepy moments involving Pennywise that’ll have you on edge, wishing he’d just die already. The casting, just like in the first IT (2017), was done masterfully. Every member of the cast owned their scenes. The movie also stepped up its game with the CGI. We get to see not only Pennywise’s weird transformations but also a host of other terrifying creatures.

The entire Losers Club was scared out of their minds as they returned to their hometown where it all began. The writers and director took us down that scary path right alongside them.

The movie is just as good as the first one and needs to be seen to bring the whole Pennywise story to a close.