Category: Review

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‘Last Voyage Of The Demeter’ Review: A Competent Yet Familiar Take On The Mysterious Events Of Count Dracula’s Journey To England

Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks, and Universal Pictures partnered to bring one of the longest-gestating horror projects in Hollywood of recent memory to the big screen. “The Last Voyage of The Demeter” was first announced as a being in development all the way back in 2003. A new take on a somewhat familiar Dracula tale as it would place the iconic vampire on the high seas, something that had been hinted towards in things like Francis Ford Coppola’s definitive modern take “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” back in 1992. The events of the film fill the month-long gap in the original “Dracula” novel as the Captain’s Log chapter teased a brutal journey from Romania to the coast of Whitby, England as crew members keep getting picked off one by one at night by the roaming vampire.

Box Office: 'Last Voyage of the Demeter' Earns $750,000 in Previews - Variety

“Last Voyage of The Demeter” starts out well enough with a caravan of weary villagers delivering mysterious crates of dirt bound for the shores of England. But we’re all too aware of the looming threat and this makes it really hard to get too scared or surprised about what is about to happen since we have a really good idea of how things will end since most Dracula films include the wreckage of The Demeter along with the angle that nobody has survived. The film does a mostly good job of trying to introduce us to The Demeter’s Captain (played by “Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham) and a surly veteran crew made up of mostly drunkard deckhands with a lone religious zealot acting as the ship’s cook.

Hard to not notice that David Fincher already got there first with his “Love Death + Robots” episode “Bad Travelling” tackling a similar ravenous creature threat on a boat in the animation medium. However, the live-action film has some extremely violent and inventive kills mixing both the gore of a vampire killing their victim and some extra lore that wasn’t expected. Speaking of the violence, there are some specifically gruesome scenes that make me question if kids under 13 could handle the violence, I wouldn’t recommend young kids that might be trying to venture into the horror genre picking this movie as their first go at an R-rated vampire movie. That said, fans of slashers and gory vampire movies will likely enjoy how far Norwegian director André Øvredal goes with the kills.

Corey Hawkins, of course, is our lead and isn’t a stranger to genre projects having previously worked on “The Walking Dead” and “Kong: Skull Island” but the character choice of a British accent can be distracting at times, even though, his character is said to be educated as a doctor at Cambridge University, and helps establish him as “a man of science” but still able to believe something supernatural is going on. At certain times, it feels like a miscalculation on Amblin’s part not to have cast someone like Daniel Kaluuya (“Nope”) or Damson Idris (“Snowfall”) for the part of Clemens, an actor actually from England with a natural accent. While Hawkins did a fine job acting scared and over his head, that certainly was an issue I kept replaying through the film when the accent didn’t work or he slightly struggled to keep it throughout his massive amount of dialogue. Then again, it wasn’t as bad as some other American actors that I won’t be naming and he does a solid job as the lead.

Helping Hawkins out in supporting roles are Aisling Franciosi and David Dastmalchian playing Anna and Wojchek respectively. Anna adds much-needed exposition for the crew giving them some idea of what they’re up against. Dastmalchian’s Wojchek plays the skeptical first mate that seems to fit the best in the film and the actor certainly is aware of what he needs to do in that role. Cunningham as Captain Eliot adds some gravitas when needed in the first act but the veteran seadog takes the backseat to the younger cast members.

Some of the film’s other highlights include the production design of the ship, some of the compartments feel way too big at times like the cargo hold, certainly feels like a ship from the era but it would have been nice to lean more into a claustrophibic angle of being on a ship. Still, the ship feels like an eerie character of its own and that’s super important given this is really our main set for the bulk of the story.

Review: Nautical Dracula thriller The Last Voyage of the Demeter is wham-bam-thank-you-Bram silliness - The Globe and Mail

Here come my biggest gripes with the horror film. The other crew members sort of blend together and you sort of forget certain ones are still alive when they show up in scenes. While their deaths are fun to watch for the pure gory madness, there isn’t much in the way of connection to them as people when they do die because they haven’t had much time to present themselves as fully formed characters. Maybe that was done by design? The most impactful death scenes were the characters we got to know better.

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER - A Look Inside | Trailers and Videos

Another minor but important issue I had, I’m not terribly convinced that CGI vampires work for me. I know that actor Javier Botet was playing Count Dracula in some well-framed practical shots, but the use of digital effects in parts made the scariness levels drop dramatically for me. There are spots when it’s hard to differentiate what is practical and what is enhanced with digital VFX. The underwhelming design of Dracula also is a glaring problem even when he’s in England and I wished he at least had a less Count Orlok vibe to him since Robert Eggers’ remake of “Nosferatu” isn’t far from release. We’ve also seen this design resurrected multiple times for the two incarnations of “What We Do In The Shadows” and felt like something we’d see in the “Underworld” films. Not terribly original, in my opinion. When you make a creature-driven horror film it lives or dies on the scariness of your creature’s design, I’m sure others will disagree but I didn’t find the design all great.

I think the actors and director manage well with what feels like a mundane script. Some of the scenes with crew members between the kills and leading up to them feel like they could have been polished a bit more and as previously pointed out a little more character depth for the supporting crew would have been nice.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter»: l'intermède maritime de Dracula | Le Devoir

I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if director André Øvredal ends up being recruited for the next installment of “Friday The 13th” as he has the chops for the slasher genre and could add something to one of the more high-profile franchises. Most of the direction works, but, there are times when I sort of wanted less lingering shots of Dracula (I’m sure meant to highlight the painstaking makeup) or close-ups. But in the end, it’s very much a competent and ambitious horror film that stretches a $45 million budget into something that certainly feels much bigger than that. Øvredal will keep getting steady work given the quality he was able to do here with a project that had been lingering in development limbo for two decades.

There have been previous comparisons to Ridley Scott’s “Alien” and they are apt, but hearing that beforehand sort of inserted the idea this could have worked better as an original sci-fi horror film given the plot beats are still different enough from previous “Alien” films it might have been able to exchange Dracula for an alien beast. Oh well, I’m sure someone will get that bright idea and make a sci-fi version in the future.

Without spoiling anything, they do sort of end the film with the hint that there could be a sequel set during Dracula’s well-explored reign of terror in Victorian-era London. I’m reminded of both Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy” and “Dracula: Untold” getting sequel-bait endings leading to nothing. I wished the film had done better at the box office but I can understand how a period horror film might have been a harder sell during a busy summer season of ups and downs. Even more so after Universal had already released an underwhelming Dracula earlier in the year with “Reinfeld.” Curious to think how “Last Voyage of The Demeter” would have done with audiences 10-15 years ago.

If you’re a big horror fan I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, but for older folks looking for something more thought-provoking and mature like horror pics such as “The Witch” or “Midsommar” you’re not going to get that here.

6/10

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REVIEW: ‘Army of The Dead’ Brings Director Zack Snyder Back To His Horror Roots & Knocks It Out The Park

With a budget of $90 million Army of The Dead is easily one of the most expensive zombie films ever to be made (World War Z’s $190 million budget taking the top spot) and dwarfs what Universal spent on Snyder’s first entry into the genre, the 2004 Dawn of The Dead remake that cost the studio $26 million to make. Army of The Dead looks more expensive than previous Netflix original films where you can see a lot of the money spent directly on sets and special effects, rather than bloated salaries, a growing issue with these streaming originals. 

The large budget is warranted in this case given the scale Zack Snyder was attempting and for the most part Albuquerque, New Mexico does a nice job of doubling for Las Vegas or at least a ruined version of it. Snyder is acting as his own director of photography (there is a cheeky nod to cinematographer Larry Fong if you can spot it) and manages to make the horror film look great despite some shots that are a little too dark during a few dialog scenes. 

Army of The Dead focuses on a team of gruff hired-guns assembled to break into a vault filled with cash, the only problem is that Las Vegas has been walled-off and is full of zombies, alongside even more dangerous incarnations referred to as Alphas. It’s plot is as basic as it gets but the simplistic nature actually benefits their attempts to create a different type of zombie cinematic universe because they can fill in gaps along the way.

The action is what you might expect from Snyder, however, folks unfamiliar with the slow-burn of a zombie movie might have issues with some of the slower moments when it’s an action film with a runtime of almost two and half hours. However, it allows a lot of the characters to get moments beyond shooting and running. Some highlights for me on the action front were the shootout on the casino floor and the Alpha Zombie introduction with the military convoy. 

The actors do their part for the most part but don’t expect Shakespeare-level performances, the banter is interesting enough, but it’s nice to see Dave Bautista in a decent leading role that doesn’t feel forced or a miscasting. I also have to say seeing Dave in a larger role instead of the comedic relief was refreshing and I can’t really blame him for choosing this project over The Suicide Squad. Tig Notaro might really be the only real standout in the supporting cast and manages to bring some much needed levity in bite-sized moments.

Junkie XL’s score helps build tension, an element that Zack’s superhero movies were lacking, having the characters hump gasoline on their backs felt like a good choice to give the extra element of danger outside of the zombies, it also has a small payoff.

Any genre movie buff can point out the nods to stuff like Mad Max, Aliens, Terminator, 28 Weeks Later, Day of The Dead, Land of The Dead, Return of The Living Dead, Return of The Living Dead II, World War Z, Indiana Jones, Ocean’s Eleven, Zombieland: Double Tap, Predators, and Riddick. Pulling the interesting elements from those films seems to work for the most part and doesn’t feel overworn, generic, or outdated which had been a problem for a while with zombie films and projects that attempt to mash together existing stuff normally end up feeling like fan films. 

The inclusion of the Alpha Zombies is a neat element and there is enough new stuff there to add to the zombie lore, it feels like Snyder and his writing team retooling things we’ve already seen with “smart zombies,” a concept explored by George A. Romero in Day of The Dead and the rarely mentioned Land of The Dead. 

I wasn’t thrilled with the obvious twist we saw a mile away and the ending could have been a little more impactful but the rest of the movie makes up for it. It’s the most coherent Zack Snyder film in years and it’s the kind film that got me into him originally back with Dawn of The Dead, it’s legit fun and knows what it is from the start. I’m happy to see Zack Snyder back to making original films again and want to see him continue this streak, hopefully, making stuff beyond Army of The Dead sequels as well. 

Snyder knew what he was making from the start and ended up giving us a pretty damn good zombie flick.

Netflix is banking on Army of The Dead becoming a franchise and the world-building is pretty good for the most part despite the aspect that we see zombies outside of Las Vegas but it’s not addressed how things are still functioning, perhaps, other material will explain this in more in-depth. 

I’m sure if you’re reading this you were going to watch it regardless but I do have to recommend it because it might be the best Netflix original film I’ve watched that has attempted to recreate a theatrical release’s experience. Army of The Dead feels like a movie, not an extended episode, something that has been an issue for me with previous films from Netflix. After the lack of action films during the pandemic, it’s sort of refreshing to see one that was executed so well on a technical level. 

ARMY OF THE DEAD – 8.5/10

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REVIEW: ‘The King of Staten Island’ Is An Admirable and Flawed Drama With Generic Performances

The King of Staten Island is a comedic drama from co-writer and director Judd Apatow. Starring and co-written by SNL cast member and stand-up comedian Pete Davidson. 

Pete plays Scott, a Staten Island guy approaching his mid-20s without much of a drive to his life or career moving in any sort of substantial direction. He seemingly is self-medicating himself after the loss of his firefighter father, pulling directly from Pete’s own life. Scott is forced to grow-up once his sister leaves for college and his mother finally starts dating again, oddly enough, another local firefighter played by fellow stand-up comedian Bill Burr. 

Pete’s performance is slightly pedestrian which isn’t shocking given his limited drama experience and the first act is built-up to loath his douche-bag slacker character as Scott keeps making dumb choice after another. The problem is that Scott is extremely unlikable or charismatic within the first act, as his friends and family simply suffer him without many examples of why they are outside of their obligations.  

Not enough character-building for Scott if I had to pinpoint the issue there. I’m not sure if giving out bad tattoos is exactly enough of a personality trait to get people rooting for someone. However, by the second act, Scott actually starts getting a little more interesting when he’s pulled out of his comfort zone, a running theme with the other Apatow films. 

However, the slacker trope is getting a little overused. 

Davidson does bring some heart and humor along with some emotional moments but still wasn’t really giving enough reason to root for Scott or become invested in his journey. 

There is an annoying meta point in the film where a co-worker dismisses Scott’s odd behavior in a restaurant is due to “nepotism” and calls it a disease. That’s pretty bold of Mr. Apatow considering his daughter Maude Apatow takes a prominent role in the film (having roles in four other of Judd’s films) playing Scott’s sister Claire, who is heading to college and leaving the nest. 

Maude’s acting here is average and it would be difficult to say any of her scenes were memorable or standout in my mind. The role ended up feeling more like wallpaper which is likely due to the minimal energy and skill brought to it. 

I don’t think the part would have been as distracting if it had been played by someone else and not given as much screentime as she had. Considering the talent secured in other supporting parts, I find it hard to believe that another actress couldn’t have handled the sister role and added a little more life to the character. Judd didn’t do Maude any favors putting her up against actresses like Marisa Tomei and Bel Powley. End of the day, Judd is the director and producer, casting the film as he likes but it’s hard to take his nepotism joke seriously when he’s been guilty of it throughout his career. 

Marisa Tomei and Bill Burr made a cute couple, but I’m not sure it was a good idea to slap a huge red mustache on Bill making him look like Yosemite Sam or the attempt to give Marisa some weird mullet. I’m curious how much of Bill’s lines as Ray were cribbed from his podcast rants as they seemed more like moments from his real personality than an actual character he was trying to create. That said, they were highlights of the film.

Bel Powley as Scott’s friend/secret girlfriend Kelsey was another highlight of the film. I was a little shocked she didn’t get more things to do in the film and was heavily underutilized. 

The rest of the supporting cast did feel like a handful of people won a contest to be in the film and didn’t bring much to the scenes they appeared in. I did like the brief amount of Steve Buscemi scenes in the film, given he was once a firefighter in real life, he didn’t feel out of place and I would have liked to have more of him as well. 

We also don’t really see Scott decide what he’s going to do with his life which is essentially the question posed by multiple people throughout the entire film, leaving the ending a little dissatisfying and anti-climatic. 

It’s odd that I keep saying I wanted to see more of certain actors because there is a lot of that could have been cut out. The running time of over 2 hours is also another gripe I tend to have with the Apatow films. The man is a little too precious with his scenes and adds an extra 30 minutes to a runtime that when it doesn’t need it. 

I was shocked to learn that the film’s cinematographer Robert Elswit was behind films such as There Will Be Blood, Nightcrawler, and Inherent Vice, excitingly vibrant movies. Staten Island is so muted and desaturated to the point the movie looks like unappealing grey mush. 

I think it’s admirable to see Judd attempt a more dramatic feature film rather than focusing mainly on his normal ribaldry. The King of Staten Island isn’t his best film but it’s showing audiences he’s finally maturing as a director and heading in the right direction for the most part.  

6.5/10